8.Easter (復(fù)活節(jié)) is still a great day for worship,candy in baskets and running around the yard finding eggs,but every year it gets quite a bit worse for bunnies.
And no,not because the kids like to pull their ears.The culprit is climate change,and some researchers found that rising temperatures are having harmful effects on at least five species of rabbit in the US,
Take the Lower Keys Marsh rabbit,for instance.An endangered species that lives in the Lower Florida Keys,this species of cottontail is a great swimmer--it lives on the islands!--but it is already severely affected by
development and now by rising sea levels.According to the Center for Biological Diversity,an ocean level rise of only 0.6meters will send these~ys jumping to higher ground and a 0.9-meter rise would wipe out their habitat (棲息地) completely.
The snowshoe hare,on the other hand,has a color issue.Most of these rabbits change their fur color from white in the wintertime to brown in the summer,each designed to give them better cover from predators (~I(xiàn)~')~As the number of days with snow decreases all across the country,however,more and more bunnies are being left in white fur during brown dirt days of both fall and spring,making them an easier mark for predators.Researchers know that the color change is controlled by the number of hours of sunlight,but whether the rabbit will be able to adapt quick enough to survive is a big question.The National Wildlife Federation has reported that hunters have noticed their numbers are already markedly down.
American pikas or rock rabbits,a relative of rabbits and hares,might be the first of these species to go extinct due to climate change.About 7-8inches long,pikas live high in the cool.damp mountains west of the Rocky Mountains.As global temperatures rise,they would naturally migrate (J~2~) to higher ground--but they already occupy the mountaintops.They can't go any higher.The National Wildlife Federation reports that they might not be able to stand the new temperatures as their habitat heats up.
The volcano rabbit has the same problem.These rabbits live on the slopes of volcanoes in Mexico,and recent studies have shown that the lower range of their habitat has already shifted upward about 700meters,but there are not suitable plants for them to move higher,so they are stuck in the middle.Scientists are concerned about their populations.
Native to the US,pygmy rabbits weigh less than 1pound and live in the American West.They are believed to be the smallest rabbits in the world.Their habitats have been destroyed by development.Several populations,such as the Columbia Basin pygmy,almost went extinct and were saved by zoo breeding programs.Pygmy rabbits also rely on winter cover by digging tunnels through the snow to escape predators,but lesser snowfall is leaving them exposed.
All of this gives new meaning to dressing up in a giant bunny costume this Easter.
41.The writer mentions Easter at the beginning of the passage in order toB
A.show the importance of Easter Day
B.introduce the issue about bunnies
C.remind people of Easter traditions
D.discuss the relationship between Easter and bunnies
42.The word"culprit"(Paragraph 2)is closest in meaning toA
A.criminal B.judge C.victim D.producer
43.According to the passage,some rabbits can now be easily discovered by predators because theyC.
A.a(chǎn)re exposed to more skillful hunters
B.have moved to habitats with fewer plants
C.haven't adapted themselves to climate change
D.can't change their fur color into white in the fall and the spring
44.The problem faced by volcano rabbits and rock rabbits is thatD.
A.both are affected by less snow B.both are affected by rising sea levels
C.neither can find enough food D.neither can migrate to higher places
45.Which best describes the writer's tone in the passage?B.
A.Approving. B.Concerned. C.Enthusiastic. D.Doubtful.
分析 每年復(fù)活節(jié)可愛的兔子給大家?guī)砹撕芏鄽g樂,然而隨著全球溫暖趨勢的加劇,這種給我們帶來的愉悅兔子也不可避免地受到了一定的影響.不久的將來,復(fù)活節(jié)上兔子的服飾也會因此而有所變化.
解答 41.B 目的意圖題.根據(jù)第一段在全文中的作用可以看出,本段主要目的是導(dǎo)入主題,即:關(guān)于兔子的問題.故答案選B.
42.A 詞義猜測題.根據(jù)文章第一段最后一句后半句"but every year it gets quite a bit worse for bunnies."和第二段的第一句"And no,not because the kids like to pull their ears."可知答案A,意思是"罪過",符合文意.故答案為A.
43.C 細(xì)節(jié)理解題.根據(jù)第三段的整體理解和倒數(shù)第二句"but whether the rabbit will be able to adapt quick enough to survive is a big question."的總結(jié),可知答案為C.
44.D 細(xì)節(jié)理解題.根據(jù)文章倒數(shù)第三段的第三句"they would naturally migrate (遷徙) to higher ground-but they already occupy the mountaintops.They can't go any higher."和倒數(shù)第二段第二句的后半部分"but there are not suitable plants for them to move higher",可知,故答案為D.
45.B 作者態(tài)度題.根據(jù)文章的整體理解,可知推斷出作者對兔子這一問題很是關(guān)切(concerned),故答案B符合文意.Approving贊同的;Enthusiastic熱情的;Doubtful質(zhì)疑的,均不符合語境,故排除.故答案選B.
點(diǎn)評 本文是一篇?dú)v史文化類閱讀文章.本類題型常用的方式是夾敘夾議.?dāng)⑹龅哪康氖菫榱俗h,所以要把握其議才是主要方面.閱讀這類文章,先弄清其引入的話題,再弄清里面人物對其不同的看法,然后理解作者本身對話題的觀點(diǎn)看法或思考.