20-fire ants invading China

Listen and decide whether the followingstatements are “T” or “F”

1. The red imported fire ant found in China isharmless. 

2. The red imported fire first came to the US inthe 1930s. 

3. The ant has been seen in 500 countries so far. 

4. Bioinvasion can only happen as a result ofhuman activity. 

5. It’s possible that the fire ants in Chinamight come from another country by ship. 

Fire ants invading China

Look out – an army of invaders (侵略者) is coming! But it’s not like any kind of army you’ve heardof. The red imported fire ant (红火蚁), firstfound in China in 2004, is causing problems here.

The ant calls South America its home. It first came to the USin the 1930s and has since been found in several countries, includingAustralia, Singapore, and right here in China.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs takes the antseriously, as it can eat farmers’ crops (庄稼),destroy the ecosystem (破坏生态系统), and evenhurt people with its stinging bite (刺痛的叮咬). Ithas been seen in 435 counties in 12 provinces so far.
When living things enter a new environment and play a harmfulrole, it’s called bioinvasion (生物入侵). This canhappen naturally (自然地) or, more often, as a result of humanactivity. For example, the fire ants in China could’ve come from anothercountry by ship.