Research has shown that two-thirds of human conversation is taken up not with discussion of the cultural or political problems of the day, not heated debates about films we've just watched or books we've just finished reading, but plain and simple ____.
Language is our greatest treasure as a species, and what do we ____ do with it? We gossip. About others' behaviour and private lives, such as who's doing what with whom, who's in and who's out-and why; how to deal with difficult ____ situations involving children, lovers, and colleagues.
So why are we keen on gossiping? Are we just natural ____, of both time and words? Or do we talk a lot about nothing in particular simply to avoid facing up to the really important issues of life? It's not the case according to Professor Robin Dunbar. In fact, in his latest book, Grooming, Gossip and the Evolution of Language, the psychologist says gossip is one of these really____issues.
Dunbar ____ the traditional view that language was developed by the men at the early stage of social development in order to organize their manly hunting activities more effectively, or even to promote the exchange of poetic stories about their origins and the supernatural. Instead he suggests that language evolved among women. We don't spend two-thirds of our time gossiping just because we can talk, argues Dunbar—____, he goes on to say, language evolved specifically to allow us to gossip.
Dunbar arrived at his cheery theory by studying the ____ of the higher primates(靈長類動物)like monkeys. By means of grooming--cleaning the fur by brushing it, monkeys form groups with other individuals on whom they can rely for support in the event of some kind of conflict within the group or____ from outside it.
As we human beings evolve from a particular branch of the primate family, Dunbar ____ that at one time in our history we did much the same. Grouping together made sense because the bigger the group, the greater the ____ it provided; on the other hand, the bigger the group, the greater the stresses of living close to others. Grooming helped to ____ the pressure and calm everybody down.
But as the groups got bigger and bigger, the amount of time spent in grooming activities also had to be ____ to maintain its effectiveness. Clearly, a more ____ kind of grooming was needed, and thus language evolved as a kind of vocal(有聲的)grooming which allowed humans to develop relationship with ever-larger groups by exchanging information over a wider network of individuals than would be possible by one-to-one ____ contact.
小題1:
A.claimB.descriptionC.gossipD.language
小題2:
A.occasionallyB.habituallyC.independentlyD.originally
小題3:
A.socialB.politicalC.historicalD.cultural
小題4:
A.a(chǎn)dmirersB.mastersC.usersD.wasters
小題5:
A.vitalB.sensitiveC.idealD.difficult
小題6:
A.confirmsB.rejectsC.outlinesD.broadens
小題7:
A.for instanceB.in additionC.on the contraryD.a(chǎn)s a result
小題8:
A.motivationB.a(chǎn)ppearanceC.emotionD.behaviour
小題9:
A.a(chǎn)ttackB.contactC.inspectionD.a(chǎn)ssistance
小題10:
A.recallsB.deniesC.concludesD.confesses
小題11:
A.prospectB.responsibilityC.leadershipD.protection
小題12:
A.measureB.showC.maintainD.ease
小題13:
A.savedB.extendedC.consumedD.gained
小題14:
A.commonB.efficientC.scientificD.Thoughtful
小題15:
A.indirectB.dailyC.physicalD.secret

小題1:C
小題2:B
小題3:A
小題4:D
小題5:A
小題6:B
小題7:C
小題8:D
小題9:A
小題10:C
小題11:D
小題12:D
小題13:B
小題14:B
小題15:C

試題分析:研究表明人們的語言大多數(shù)不是重大的話題討論和研究,而很多是閑言碎語,這些閑言碎語是不是浪費(fèi)時間呢,Robin Dunbar教授不是這樣認(rèn)為的,他認(rèn)為閑言碎語是非常重要的,是人類發(fā)展過程中非常重要的交流形式。
小題1:C考查名詞辨析。四個選項(xiàng)的含義分別是:A.宣稱,B.描述,C.閑話,D.語言,根據(jù)上文的句子:可知我們?nèi)祟惖拇蠖鄶?shù)對話不是文化的,政治的問題,也不是關(guān)于電影和樹的討論,而就是簡單的閑言碎語,Research has shown that two-thirds of human conversation is taken up not with discussion of the cultural or political problems of the day, not heated debates about films we've just watched or books we've just finished reading下文多次出現(xiàn)gossip這個詞,所以選C。
小題2:B考查副詞辨析。四個選項(xiàng)的含義分別是:A.偶然地,B.習(xí)慣地,C.獨(dú)立地,D.最初地,根據(jù)上一句,Language is our greatest treasure as a species,語言是我們做為一個物種的最偉大的財寶,我們習(xí)慣怎么使用它?所以選B。
小題3:A考查形容詞辨析。四個選項(xiàng)的含義分別是:A.社交的,B.政治的,C.歷史的,D.文化的,根據(jù)下文的:involving children, lovers, and colleagues.包括孩子,愛人和同事這些都是社會形勢,所以選A.
小題4:D考查名詞辨析。四個選項(xiàng)的含義分別是:A.仰慕者,B.主人,C.使用者,D.浪費(fèi)者,根據(jù)上文,So why are we keen on gossiping?我們?yōu)槭裁聪矚g說些閑言碎語,因?yàn)槲覀兪菚r間和語言的浪費(fèi)者嗎?所以選D。
小題5:A考查形容詞辨析。四個選項(xiàng)的含義分別是:A.至關(guān)重要的,B.敏感的,C.理想的,D.困難的,根據(jù)上文的介紹,It's not the case according to Professor Robin Dunbar.可知Robin Dunbar教授不認(rèn)為我們是浪費(fèi)時間,而認(rèn)為閑言碎語是最重要的事情,所以選A。
小題6:B考查動詞辨析。四個選項(xiàng)的含義分別是:A.證實(shí),B.反對,C. 概述,略述,畫輪廓,打草圖D.拓寬,根據(jù)上下文可知Robin Dunbar教授是反對傳統(tǒng)的關(guān)于語言是在人類社會發(fā)展初期在組織打獵的時候發(fā)展起來的這個觀點(diǎn),所以選B。
小題7:C考查詞組辨析。四個選項(xiàng)的含義分別是:A.例如,B.此外,C.相反的,D.因此,根據(jù)上文的句子:Instead he suggests that language evolved among women. We don't spend two-thirds of our time gossiping just because we can talk,可知:正相反的是,語言進(jìn)化是是讓我們說些閑言碎語的,所以選C。
小題8:D考查名詞辨析。四個選項(xiàng)的含義分別是:A.動機(jī),B.外表,出現(xiàn),C. 情感,D.行為,根據(jù)下文的描述By means of grooming可知教授是通過研究靈長類動物的行為得出這個令人高興的理論的,所以選D。
小題9:A考查名詞辨析。四個選項(xiàng)的含義分別是:A.進(jìn)攻,B.聯(lián)系,C.視察,D.幫助,根據(jù)上文的conflict可知猴子和其他的個體形成群體來獲得在內(nèi)部沖突事件中或來自外界的進(jìn)攻時的支持,所以選A。
小題10:C考查動詞辨析。四個選項(xiàng)的含義分別是:A.回想,B.否認(rèn),C.下結(jié)論,結(jié)束,D. .承認(rèn),聆聽(某人的)懺悔,這句話的意思是:教授下結(jié)論說,我們在歷史上做過相似的事情,所以選C。
小題11:D考查名詞辨析。四個選項(xiàng)的含義分別是:A. .前景,期望,眺望處,景象,B.責(zé)任,C.領(lǐng)導(dǎo),D.保護(hù),根據(jù)下文的:on the other hand, the bigger the group, the greater the stresses of living close to others.可知因?yàn)槿后w越大,獲得的保護(hù)就越大,所以選D。
小題12:D考查動詞辨析。四個選項(xiàng)的含義分別是:A.衡量,B.展示,C.保持,D.緩解,根據(jù)上文:on the other hand, the bigger the group, the greater the stresses of living close to others.群體越大,生活在一起的壓力就越大,梳理毛發(fā)可以緩解壓力,讓每個人都冷靜下來,所以選D。
小題13:B考查動詞辨析。四個選項(xiàng)的含義分別是:A.拯救,B.延伸,延長,C.消費(fèi),消耗,D.獲得,隨著群體越來越大,花在打扮上的時間就要延長來維持它的效果,所以選B。
小題14:B考查形容詞辨析。四個選項(xiàng)的含義分別是:A.常見的,普遍的,B.有效的,C.科學(xué)的,D.考慮周到的,根據(jù)上文的effectiveness可知這里是需要一個更加有效的梳理毛發(fā)。所以選B。
小題15:C考查形容詞辨析。四個選項(xiàng)的含義分別是:A.間接的,B.日常的,C.物理的,身體的,D.秘密的,語言演變成了有聲的梳理毛發(fā),它可以讓人們通過比一對一的日常交流更多的人群中交換信息,這樣可以和更大的群體發(fā)展關(guān)系,所以選C。
練習(xí)冊系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Larry was on another of his underwater expeditions(探險)but this time, it was different. He decided to take his daughter along with him. She was only ten years old. This would be her first trip with her father on what he had always been famous for.
Larry first began diving when he was his daughter’s age. Similarly, his father had taken him along on one of his expeditions. Since then, he had never looked back. Larry started out by renting diving suits from the small diving shop just along the shore. He had hated them. They were either too big or too small. Then, there was the instructor. He gave him a short lesson before allowing him into the water with his father. He had made an exception. Larry would never have been able to go down without at least five hours of theory and another similar number of hours on practical lessons with a guide. Children his age were not even allowed to dive.
After the first expedition, Larry’s later diving adventures only got better and better. There was never a dull moment. In his black and blue suit and with an oxygen tank fastened on his back, Larry dived from boats into the middle of the ocean. Dangerous areas did not prevent him from continuing his search. Sometimes, he was limited to a cage underwater but that did not bother him. At least, he was still able to take photographs of the underwater creatures.
Larry’s first expedition without his father was in the Cayman Islands. There were numerous diving spots in the area and Larry was determined to visit all of them. Fortunately for him, a man offered to take him around the different Spots for free. Larry didn’t even know what the time was, how many spots he dived into or how many photographs he had taken. The diving spots afforded such a wide array of fish and sea creatures that Larry saw more than thirty varieties of creatures.
Larry looked at his daughter. She looked as excited as he had been when he was her age. He hoped she would be able to continue the family tradition. Already, she looked like she was much braver than had been then. This was the key to a successful underwater expedition.
小題1:In what way was this expedition different for Larry?
A.His daughter had grown up.
B.He had become a famous diver.
C.His father would dive with him.
D.His daughter would dive with him.
小題2:What can be inferred from Paragraph2?
A.Larry had some privileges.
B.Larry liked the rented diving suits.
C.Divers had to buy diving equipment.
D.Ten-year-old children were permitted to dive.
小題3:Why did Larry have to stay in a cage underwater sometimes?
A.To protect himself from danger.
B.To dive into the deep water.
C.To admire the underwater view.
D.To take photo more conveniently.
小題4:What can be learned from the underlined sentence?
A.Larry didn’t wear a watch.
B.Larry was not good at math.
C.Larry had a poor memory.
D.Larry enjoyed the adventure.
小題5:What did Larry expect his daughter to do?
A.Become a successful diver.
B.Make a good diving guide.
C.Take a lot of photo underwater.
D.Have longer hours of training.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Beijing's broadened ban on smoking in public places took effect Thursday, adding force to the effort to hold a smoke-free Olympics.
The new rules extend existing anti-smoking regulations to more places, including fitness centers, cultural relic sites, offices, meeting rooms, dining halls, toilets and lifts. Restaurants, Internet cafes, parks, and waiting halls at airports, railway stations and coach stations are required to set up smoking areas. Hotels will have to offer smoke-free rooms or floors, but the regulations do not specify a proportion.
However, some restaurant owners have complained that it would be difficult to have a separate smoking room as required by the new regulations. "We plan to issue specific rules to solve this problem as soon as possible," Rao Yingsheng, vice-director of the Beijing Committee for Patriotic Public Health Campaign, was quoted by the Beijing News as saying Thursday. He said small restaurants without a separate room should set aside at least 70 percent of their area for non-smokers. He also said customers and restaurant owners would be asked for their thoughts on the new rule.
Local authorities dispatched about 100,000 inspectors to make sure the ban was being enforced Thursday. Everyone has the right to dissuade people from smoking in public places, Liu Zejun, who works for the Beijing committee, said. "Citizens are encouraged to expose those who refuse to obey the rule by calling the free telephone line 12320," Liu said.
People caught smoking in forbidden areas will be fined 10 yuan ($1.40), while enterprises and institutions that violate(違反) the ban will face fines of between 1,000 yuan and 5,000 yuan. Smoking was forbidden in hospitals, kindergartens, schools, museums, sports venues and other places before the new regulations took effect. From Oct 1 last year, the city also banned smoking in its 66,000 cabs, and imposed fines of 100 yuan to 200 yuan on drivers caught smoking in taxis.
China has pledged a cigarette-free, green Olympics. This year's event will be the first non-smoking Olympic Games since the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), of which China is a signatory(簽名人), went into effect in 2005.
小題1:The passage mainly tells us _____.
A.There will be more places where smoking is forbidden.
B.More people should give up smoking.
C.Broadened ban on smoking in public places took effect in order to set up a non-smoking Olympic Games.
D.Those who smoke at public places will be fined.
小題2:Smoking is _____ at airports, railway stations or coach stations etc.
A.forbiddenB.a(chǎn)llowed
C.a(chǎn)llowed at it’s smoking areasD.we don’t know
小題3: Which of the following is Not true according to the passage?
A.Hotels will have to offer smoke-free rooms.
B.Smoking is not allowed in most restaurants.
C.12320 is a free telephone line to expose those who smoke at public places.
D.People caught smoking in forbidden areas will be fined.
小題4:If a taxi driver smokes in his cab, he will probably be fined _____ .
A.10 yuanB.50 yuanC.120 yuanD.1000 yuan

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

After ten years, the world' s largest music festival, Rock in Rio, returned to its hometown Rio de Janeiro for seven days of concerts from Friday, September 23rd, attracting 700,000 people over the whole week.
It is the 10th edition of the Rock in Rio festival, but only the 4th to be held in Rio as the organizers exported the festival to Lisbon and Madrid ten years ago.The first edition of the festival was in 1985 and the most recent edition in Rio was held in January, 2001.A total of 700,000 tickets were sold out for this year' s festival.
The festival consists of four stages with the participation of International stars including Elton John, Katy Perry, and bands Metallica, Evanescence and System of a Down.Several stars which performed in previous editions are also on the list this year..In addition, a number of local singers and bands will also join this year.
The performance site, named as Rock City, is a 150,000-square-meter area.Besides the concert area, the site also has a giant Ferns wheel, a roller coaster, and a small shopping mall.After the festival, the Rock City area will be converted into a leisure area to athletes in the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro
According to Rio' s tourism company Riotur, out of the 700,000 people expected in the festival, some 315,000 will be tourists, who raised the hotels' occupation rate to 98 percent.Riotur estimated that the Rock in Rio festival will bring 419 million U.S.dollars for the city and create 10,000 jobs.
The creator of the festival, Brazilian businessmen Roberto Medina, insisted on opening the Rock City gates himself, in the early afternoon, and greeted the first fans to enter the site."We come to the gate because the Brazilian audience is even more important than the bands.We applaud them.They make the greatest show," he said.
小題1:The first edition of the festival may be held in ____.
A.Rio de JaneiroB.Lisbon
C.MadridD.a(chǎn) place not mentioned
小題2:Up to now, the festival has been held in Rio for at least _____.
A.ten timesB.four times
C.three timesD.twice
小題3:The number of native people to attend the festival is probably ____.
A.700,000B.315,000
C.10,000D.385,000
小題4:From the passage, we can know ____.
A.Rock City is a great theatre
B.Only rock bands are invited to the festival?
C.the festival will improve the employment of Rio
D.The gate of Rock City was opened by the Brazilian audience

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Worried about how many calories you will get in that piece of pizza, chocolate cake or bag of chips? A new iPhone application (應(yīng)用程序) MealSnap may help. Users just need to take a picture of the meal with the phone, and it will give a calorie read-out almost immediately.
MealSnap was developed by DailyBurn, a health social network that focuses on helping its users lead healthier lifestyles. It has created several other health and diet-related iPhone applications. The application gives users a quick reply. To do that, it matches the taken picture to a databank (數(shù)據(jù)庫) with the calorie information of nearly 500,000 kinds of food. Users then get the range of calories for the meal that is photographed.
We started with something simple—an apple. A couple of minutes later, the application replied that it was an apple and between 64 and 96 calories. More impressive was the reply we received after sending a photo of a mixed salad bowl. MealSnap replied that the bowl contained “yellow rice with corn, boiled eggs and beans” and that the food was between 532 and 789 calories.
Mr. Smith, director of DailyBurn, said that usual calorie counting needed a long time, but that the application made it easier to know the calories in food. That is why it is so popular among those who are trying hard to lose weight.
In addition, MealSnap can act as a food diary. No need to write down what they’ve eaten, the photoes will be stored. The users can keep a visual log (視覺的記錄). Mr. Smith said, “it’s like a food journey, but easier. All you do is to take the picture. The simple act of recording something can cause a psychological (心理的) change that can help people on their health journey. Knowing the calorie range makes me think more about what I’m eating.”
小題1: The purpose of DailyBurn is to________.
A.help people find ways to lose weight
B.make iPhone more popular
C.persuade people to buy iPhone products
D.help people have a healthy life
小題2: What can be learned from the third paragraph?
A.MealSnap is only useful for simple things.
B.The result of MealSnap isn’t always right.
C.MealSnap can also tell what the food is.
D.MealSnap needs a long time to show the calorie range.
小題3: Which of the following statements about MealSnap is TRUE?
A.It has been put into the market.
B.People will have a physical change by using it.
C.It’s popular because it was developed by DailyBurn.
D.People have to link iPhone with the Internet to use it.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

The idea of being able to walk on water has long interested humans greatly. Sadly, biological facts prevent us ever accomplishing such a thing without artificial aid --- we simply weigh too much, and all our mass pushes down through our relatively small feet, resulting in a lot of pressure that makes us sink.
However, several types of animals can walk on water. One of the most interesting is the common basilisk Basilicus basilicus, a lizard(蜥蜴)native to Central and South America. It can run across water for a distance of several meters, avoiding getting wet by rapidly hitting the water’s surface with its feet. The lizard will take as many as 20 steps per second to keep moving forward. For humans to do this, we’ll need huge feet that we could bring up to our ears in order to create adequate “hitting.”
But fortunately there is an alternative: cornflour. By adding enough of this common thickening agent to water (and it does take a lot), you can create a “non-Newtonian” liquid that doesn’t behave like normal water. Now if the surface of the water is hit hard enough, particles(粒子)in the water group together for a moment to make the surface hard. Move quickly enough and put enough force into each step, and you really can walk across the surface of an adequately thick liquid of cornflour.
Fun though all this may sound, it’s still rather messy and better read about in theory than carried out in practice. If you must do it, then keep the water wings handy in case you start to sink --- and take a shower afterward!
小題1:Walking on water hasn’t become a reality mainly because humans _______.
A.a(chǎn)re not interested in it
B.have biological limitations
C.have not invented proper tools
D.a(chǎn)re afraid to make an attempt
小題2:What do we know about Basilicus basilicas from the passage?
A.It is light enough to walk on water.
B.Its huge feet enable it to stay above water.
C.It can run across water at a certain speed
D.Its unique skin keeps it from getting wet in water
小題3:What is the function of the cornflour according to the passage?
A.To create a thick liquid.
B.To turn the water into solid.
C.To help the liquid behave normally.
D.To enable the water to move rapidly.
小題4:What is the author’s attitude toward the idea of human’s walking on water?
A.It is risky but beneficial.
B.It is interesting and worth trying
C.It is crazy and cannot become a reality
D.It is impractical; though theoretically possible

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Recordings of angry bees are enough to send big, tough African elephants running away, a new study says. Beehives (蜂窩)-either recorded or real-may even prevent elephants from damaging farmer's crops.
In 2002, scientist Lucy King and her team found that elephants avoid certain trees with bees living in them. Today,  Lucy wants to see if African honeybees might discourage elephants from eating crops. But before she asked farmer to go to the trouble of setting up beehives on their farms, she needed to find out if the bees would scare elephants away.
Lucy found a wild beehive inside a tree in northern Kenya and set up a recorder. Then she threw a stone into the beehive, which burst into life. Lucy and her assistant hid in their car until the angry bees had calmed down. Next,Lucy searched out elephant families in Samburu National Reserve in northern Kenya and put a speaker in a close to each family.
From a distance, Lucy switched on the pre-recorded sound of angry bees while at the same time recording the elephants with a video camera. Half the elephant groups left the area within ten seconds. Out of a total of 17 groups, only one group ignored the sound of the angry bees. Lucy reported that all the young elephants immediately ran to their mothers to hide under them. When Lucy Played the sound of a waterfall (瀑布) instead of the angry bees to many of the same elephant families, the animals were undisturbed. Even after four minutes, most of the groups stayed in one place.
Lucy is now studying whether the elephants will continue to avoid the sound of angry bees after hearing it several times. She hasn't tested enough groups yet to know, but her initial (最初的) results were promising enough to begin trials with farmers. She has now begun placing speakers in the fields to see if elephants are frightened away.
小題1:We know from the passage that elephants may be frightened of         .
A.loud noisesB.some crops
C.video camerasD.a(chǎn)ngry bees
小題2:As mentioned in the passage, Lucy
A.works by herself in Africa
B.needs to test more elephant groups
C.has stopped elephants eating crops
D.has got farmers to set up beehives on their farms
小題3:Why did Lucy throw a stone into a wild beehive?
A.To record the sound of bees.
B.To make a video of elephants.
C.To see if elephants would run away.
D.To find out more about the behavior of bees.
小題4:Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A.Young elephants ignore African honeybees.
B.Waterfalls can make elephants stay in one place.
C.Elephants do not go near trees with bees living in them.
D.Farmers do not allow Lucy to conduct tests in their fields.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Here I'd like to talk about how to develop your curiosity and make use of it to make discoveries. Asking questions is the first step to make discoveries and find interesting answers when you are curious about something and want to know more about it.
Firstly, write down the subject that you are interested in on a note card or piece of paper. Just put the main idea down, such as “Discover more about dinosaurs.”
Next, think for a moment about what you already know about your subject and list information like the sentences below:
1. Dinosaurs lived long before human beings appeared.
2. Dinosaurs lived on the earth for more than 150 million years.
3. Some dinosaurs fed on plants, some on meat.
Thirdly, ask yourself “What can I do with what I want to learn?” On your paper, start writing down questions about the dinosaurs as you think of them:
1. What's the best weather for dinosaurs to live in?
2. How many kinds of dinosaurs are there?
3. Have dinosaurs really disappeared?
Fourthly, armed_with_your_list_of_questions,_you can now visit the nearest library or turn to computer to begin your research. As you learn more about your subject, you'll probably discover some new questions.
For example, you might discover that dinosaurs disappeared about 65 million years ago. Why? What happened? Asking new questions can help you research your subject more deeply.
The next time you find something interesting to research, take time to organize your thinking by asking good questions. And remember—learning more always bring more questions.
小題1:While doing some research, you should take the following steps________.
①list what you want to know
②choose a research subject
③list what you already know
④discover new problems
A.①④③②       B.①②④③
C.②③①④D.②①④③
小題2:What does the underlined sentence “armed with your list of questions” mean?
A.Taking your list of questions with you to do more research.
B.Writing down your list of questions before turning to the computer.
C.Discussing your questions with your classmates for solution.
D.Putting your questions aside before going to the library.
小題3:According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
A.You can find all the answers online.
B.Learn more, and you'll have no questions.
C.Asking questions is the only way for research.
D.During the research, more questions may arise.
小題4:The best title for this passage is________.
A.Discovering Dinosaurs
B.Asking Good Questions
C.Finding Suitable Subjects
D.Having Interesting Answers

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Have you seen a yellow-and-black salamander (火蜥蜴)? How about a scarlet frog? Scientists haven’t spotted either species in more than 20 years. What happened to them? Are the creatures still out there, or are they extinct?
Those are questions that scientists hope to answer. They recently set out around the world in search of those and other long-missing amphibians. An amphibian is an animal that spends part of its life in water and part on land. Frog, toads(蟾蜍), and salamanders are amphibians.
The experts are looking for about 100 species. They are searching at least 14 countries on five continents. They will look for the salamander in North America. They hope to find the scarlet frog in South America. They’re also looking for species in Africa, Asia and Australia.
Scientists are hopeful that they’ll find the amphibians—and soon! If the creatures are out there, they may need help. Many amphibians are endangered. The animals face many dangers including pollution and diseases. People cut down the forests where they live.
“If researchers can find the missing creatures, they might be able to figure out how to save them,” explains expert Robin Moore. He began searching for the amphibians earlier this month.
“This search will tell us a lot about how amphibians are doing,” Moore told WR News. “I don’t know what we will find, but that makes the search even more exciting.”
Lost in the Wild
Scientists’ hunt for missing amphibians is under way. Read about some of the species they hope to find.
Turkestanian salamander
This salamander is a mystery to scientists. Experts found a few of them more than 100 years ago, but none have been seen ever since.
Gastric brooding frog
Experts first discovered this frog in 1914 in eastern Australia. It may be extinct because of disease and habitat loss.
Rio Pescado stubfoot toad
Last sighting: 1995, in South America
Scientists hope to find this spotted toad in rivers and rainforests in Ecuador. The animal faces threats including pollution and disease.
小題1: Which of the following animals hasn’t been seen for over a century?
A.Rio Pescado stubfoot toad.
B.Gastric brooding frog.
C.Turkestanian salamander.
D.Scarlet frog.
小題2:It can be learned from the passage that _____.
A.the scarlet frog used to live in Africa
B.researchers have no way to save amphibians
C.the scientists will search 14 countries at most
D.Robin Moore has begun his search for amphibians
小題3: Why do the scientists want to find the missing amphibians?
A.Because they want to rescue the missing amphibians.
B.Because they want to set up a scientific program.
C.Because they want to do a scientific research on the missing amphibians.
D.Because they want to publish a report about the missing amphibians on WR News.
小題4: What does Moore think of the search for endangered amphibians?
A.It’s hopeful.B.It’s interesting.
C.It’s tiring.D.It’s dangerous.

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊答案