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A natural treasure
Welcome to the Amazon rainforest ! As the(
largest
)rainforest in the
world,it plays an important role in keeping the earth's ecosystem balanced.
The Amazon rainforest(
crosses
)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
)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
)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
)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
)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
),we have a
question:Can we afford to damage the “ lungs of the planet "?
