The Mekong giant catfish, which can grow up to three meters long and weigh 350kg, is one of the world's most endangered species. Dams planned for construction on the Mekong River would block the giant catfish's migration route, preventing it from reaching its spawning grounds and leading to the collapse of the wild population. Scientists warn that a large fish like the giant catfish would be unable to swim across large barriers like dams. Conservation groups are urging that the lower Mekong River remain dam-free to protect these giant fish species.

1. การฝึ กทักษะด้านภาษาอังกฤษด้วยบทความ
Learning English Skill by Passage
หน้ าหลัก บทความ คาศัพท์
แบบทดสอบ แหล่งอ้างอิง ผู้จัดทา

2. Under threat กาลังจะสูญพันธุ์ ( July 28, 2010 Catfish in danger )
Once again, some of the world’s rarest fish are in danger
from dam construction.
Growing up to three metres in length and weighing
350kg, the Mekong giant catfish is ranked the third largest
freshwater fish in the world.
According to a report by the World Wildlife Fund, it is
also one of the world’s most endangered species if plans for
hydroelectric dams on the Mekong River go ahead.
“A fish the size of a Mekong giant catfish simply will
not be able to swim across a large barrier like a dam to reach
its spawning grounds upstream,” said Roger Mollot,
freshwater biologist for WWF Laos. “This would lead to the
collapse of the wild population of this species.”

3. Scientists say the Mekong giant catfish migrate from the
Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia up the Mekong River to spawn in
northern Thailand and Laos. It is believed dams built on the
lower Mekong will block the migration route.
The focus now is on a hydropower dam planned for the
Mekong in Sayaboury province, northern Laos. The Sayaboury
dam is the first dam on the lower Mekong mainstream to enter a
critical stage of assessment before member countries of the
Mekong River Commission advise on whether to approve its
construction.
Other Mekong giant fish featured in the WWF report are
the dog-eating catfish, named because it has been caught using
dog meat as bait, and the giant barb, the national fish of
Cambodia. At 300kg, these tie for fifth place on the global top 10
for freshwater fish.

4. “More giant fish live in the Mekong than any other river
on Earth,” said Dang Thuy Trang, Mekong River eco-region
coordinator for the WWF Greater Mekong Programme.
“Currently, the lower Mekong remains free-flowing,
which presents a rare opportunity for the conservation of these
species. But the clock is ticking.”
Adapt from a story in the Bangkok Post.

5. ศัพท์ น่ารู้
Rank – to put someone or something into a position according to
their success, importance , size etc. / จัดอันดับ
Endangered species – a type of animal or plant that may soon
become extinct (= disappear from the world) / สัตว์ป่าหรื อสิ่ งมีชีวิตที่ใกล้จะ
สู ญพันธุ์
Hydroelectric – using water power to produce electricity / เกี่ยวกับ
ไฟฟ้ ากาลังน้ า
Dam – a wall built across a river to stop the water from flowing,
especially in order to create a lake or to help to produce electric
power / เขื่อน
Barrier – anything that prevents people from being together or
understanding each other / เครื่ องกีดขวาง
Spawn – (of frog or fish) to produce eggs / วางไข่
Grounds – an area of land or sea where a particular thing happens
/ บริ เวณ, สถานที่

6. Upstream – along a river, in the opposite direction to which the river is
flowing / กระแสน้ า
Biologist – a scientist who studies biology / นักชีววิทยา
Collapse – a situation in which something fails or stops existing / การล่ม
สลาย, การพังทลาย
Migrate – to move from one place or another as reasons change / อพยพ
Block – to stop someone or something from moving through or along
something else / ปิ ดกั้น , กีดขวาง
Route – the roads, rivers, etc. used to go from one place to another /
เส้นทาง
Critical – extremely important because a future situation will be
affected by it / วิกฤต , สาคัญยิง
่
Stage - a particular point in time during a process or set of events /
ระยะเวลา , ช่วงเวลา
Assessment – the process of making a judgment or forming an
opinion after considering something or someone carefully / การประเมิน

7. Approve - to give official permission / อนุมติ
ั
Construction – the work of building or making something, especially
buildings, dams, bridges, etc. / การก่อสร้าง
Feature – to include someone or something as an important part /
ตีพิมพ์
Bait - food used for attracting and catching fish, birds, or animals / เหยือ ่
Tie – having the same number of points, rank, etc. / ได้แต้มหรื อคะแนนเท่ากัน ,
เสมอกัน
Coordinator – someone whose job is to organize the various parts of
an activity and make sure that all the people involved work well
together / ผูประสานงาน
้
Conservation – the protect of plants and animals, natural areas, and
interesting and important structures and buildings, especially from the
damaging effects of human activity / การอนุรักษ์ธรรมชาติ, การสงวนพันธุ์สัตว์และพืช
The clock is ticking – time is running out before something, usually
bad, will happen / ไม่มีเวลาแล้ว

8. Getting the facts
Read each of the following statements and decide if they are true
or false.
• The Mekong giant catfish is the largest freshwater fish in the
world.
• If dams are built in the lower Mekong where the giant catfish
lives, it will likely not survive, scientist say.
• A dam would make it impossible for the giant catfish to migrate
normally.
• A dam currently being planned in Thailand is causing the most
worry at the moment.
• Fortunately, the giant catfish is the only large fish that would be
endangered by dams on the lower Mekong
Answers
Getting the facts: 1.false 2.true 3.true 4.false 5.false

9. Vocabulary practice
Use words from the vocabulary list to fill in the blanks in the
sentences below. You may have to change the form of some of
the words to fit the sentence (e.g., plurals, past forms, etc.)
• The panel made a careful __________ of the risks of building a
nuclear plant and decided it should not go ahead.
• The __________ went through a thick forest before turning
north into farmland.
• The fish __________ each July, covering hundreds of
kilometers in their journey to their spawning grounds.
• He used ordinary earthworms as __________ and he never
failed to catch fish.

10. • The situation was quickly becoming __________ and
government officials order the town’s residents to evacuate.
The protester built a barrier of burning rubber tyres to
__________ police from entering the area.
He concern for the environment was so strong, he decided to
join a __________ group.
The match ended in a 2-2 __________ .
Answers
Vocabulary practice: 1.assessment 2.route 3.migrate 4.bait
5.critical 6.block 7.conservation 8.tie

11. แหล่งอ้างอิง
- สุ นีย ์ แคนยุกษ์. 2554. หนังสื อ Easy English News. พิมพ์ครั้งที่ 1. กรุ งเทพฯ
: บริ ษท โพส พับลิชชิง จากัด.
ั
- www.bangkokpost.com/learning/

12. ผู้จัดทา
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1. นาย อัษภางค์ บุญชีพ เลขที่ 10
2. นาย ชัยรักษ์ วสุ ธารนันท์ เลขที่ 24
3. นาย ธิ ษณ์ กันธิ ยะ เลขที่ 33
ชั้นมัธยมศึกษาปี ที่ 6 / 11
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