完形填空(第51~65题，每题1分，共15分)下面的短文有15处空白，请根据短文内容为每处空白确定1个最佳答案。

　　Why India Needs Its Dying Vultures

　　The vultures(秃鹰)in question may look ugly and threatening，but the sudden sharp decline in three species of India's vultures is producing alarm rather than celebration，and it presents the world with a new kind of environmental problem. The dramatic_____(51)_____in vulture numbers is causing widespread disruption to people living in the ____(52)_____areas as the birds. It is also causing serious public health problems _____(53)_____the Indian sub-continent.

　　While their reputation and appearance may be unpleasant to many Indians，vultures have _____(54)_____played a very important role in keeping towns and villages all over India (55). It is because they feed on dead cows. In India，cows are sacred animals and are _____(56)_____left in the open when they die in their thousands upon thousands every year.

　　The disappearance of the vultures has _____(57_____an explosion in the numbers of wild dogs feeding on the remains of these_____(58)_____animals. There are fears that rabies(狂犬症) may increase as a result. And this terrifying disease may ultimately(最终)affect humans in the region，_____(59)_____wild dogs are its main carriers. Rabies could also spread to other animal species，_____(60)_____an even greater problem in the future.

　　The need for action is _____(61)_____，so an emergency project has been launched to find a solution to this serious vulture problem. Scientists are trying to _____(62)_____the disease causing the birds’ deaths and，if possible，develop a cure.

　　Large-scale vulture _____(63)were first noticed at the end of the 1980s in India. A population survey at that time showed that the three species of vultures had declined _____(64)over 90 per cent. All three species are now listed as "critically endangered". As most vultures lay only single eggs and _____(65)_____about five years to reach maturity，reversing their population decline will be a long and difficult exercise.

　　51.A increase B threat C risk D decline

　　52. A same B small C different D safe

　　53.A above B across C with D through

　　54.A rarely B recently C seldom D long

　　55.A dangerous B smelly C clean D beautiful

　　56.A immediately B occasionally C traditionally D hardly

　　57.A led to B acted as C come from D slowed down

　　58.A strange B wild C endangered D dead

　　59.A when B since C so D whether

　　60.A improving B predicting C finding D causing

　　61.A urgent B frequent C regular D sudden

　　62.A prove B identify C test D check

　　63.A deaths B injuries C arrivals D attacks

　　64.A in B on C by D along

　　65.A waste B consume C adopt D take

　　答案：

　　51. D decline

　　52. A same

　　53. B across

　　54. D long

　　55. C clean

　　56. C traditionally

　　57. A lead to

　　58. D dead

　　59. B since

　　60. D causing

　　61. A urgent

　　62. B identify

　　63. A deaths

　　64. C by

　　65. D take

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（实习编辑：高奕飞）