A natural treasure
Welcome to the Amazon rainforest! As the
largest
(large)rainforest in the world,it plays an important role in keeping the earth's ecosystem balanced.
The Amazon rainforest
crosses
(cross)eight countries and one region.
With
an area of about 6 million square kilometres,it's more than half the size of China.The Amazon River,where the rainforest gets
its
(it)name,is about 6,400 kilometres long.On its way from the mountains to the ocean,the river supports many different ecosystems.
Different levels of the forest support a huge variety of wildlife.Each level is like its own small world,home to different
living
(live)things.
Over 2,000 species of birds and mammals hide among the jungle's plants.Take the jaguar(美洲虎)for
example
.It has a yellowish-brown coat with black spots.Though many jaguars live here,they're just one part of the
forest's
(forest)food chain(食物链).There are also some frogs that feed
on
insects which eat leaves and fruit.When a jaguar dies,a small group of microorganisms breaks down its body and returns nutrients to the soil.
The Amazon rainforest gives life to the planet by
taking
(take)in carbon dioxide and producing over 20 per cent of all the earth's oxygen.Also,it's a treasure house of species used for food or medicine.But there's a main threat to these precious plants and animals:humans.
As the influence of human activities like agriculture and cattle farming keeps growing,and the list of endangered species gets
longer
(long),we have a question:Can we afford to damage the “ lungs of the planet "?
