Question

【題目】 The Bialowieza Forest, which grows along the border of Poland and Belarus(白羅斯), is all that remains of the primeval(原始的) forest which once covered Europe. A World Heritage site since 1979, the forest covers an area of 550 square miles. Wolves prowl(潛行) beneath the ancient trees. Running closer to the ground are least weasels(伶鼬). They come in two types. One wears a brown coat all year. The other sheds its brown coat each autumn and turns bright white. It is believed to be an adaptation to help it blend in with snow.

However, there was no snow cover when biologist Karol Zub, at the Polish Academy of Sciences, observed an entirely white weasel hunting rodents(嚙齒動物). 【1】 “At this very moment, I thought to myself. Wowl if this animal is so well visible, it must be a perfect target for predators,” Zub said.

His instincts were right 【2】 Zub and his colleagues analyzed weather data in the Bialowieza Forest going back to 1967. The average period with permanent snow cover decreased from about 80 days per year to 40 days. Historically, the snow cover disappears around Mar. 15. But in recent years, it disappeared by Feb. 21, more than three weeks earlier in the season. And there are fewer white weasels are about four to five times lower than then years ago.

As the number of days without permanent snow cover increased, the proportion of white weasels dropped dramatically. This crop is a case of what wildlife biologists call “camouflage(偽裝) mismatch.” 【3】 Camouflage mismatch may cause the local extinction of white weasels, or at least a severe reduction in population.

【4】 Those who blend in live longer. Individuals who clash with their environment get eaten. There are 21 species known to change the color of their coats in winter. Zub predicts the other coat-changers are faring(遭遇) as badly as the humble weasel.

Life on Earth is reacting to climate change. Bears appear to be hibernating for fewer days. Tropical fish are swimming away from the equator in search of cooler waters. Some animals have moved up into the mountains to escape increased temperatures. But camouflage mismatch might be one of the worst effects. After all, it’s hard not to notice a flash of white fur in a dark forest.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】C

【2】A

【3】E

【4】D

【解析】

這是一篇說明文。文章主要說明了隨著氣候的變化，以白鼬為例的動物們的偽裝與自然環(huán)境形成了“偽裝錯(cuò)配”而導(dǎo)致了他們白色的毛皮在沒有雪的時(shí)候就變成了一種容易被捕食動物發(fā)現(xiàn)的致命弱點(diǎn)。偽裝的不匹配可能會導(dǎo)致白鼬的局部滅絕，或者至少是數(shù)量的嚴(yán)重減少。故說明了自然選擇的機(jī)制對于人和動物來說是完全相同的。

【1】結(jié)合下文“At this very moment, I thought to myself. Wowl if this animal is so well visible, it must be a perfect target for predators,” Zub said.（就在這時(shí)，我想。如果這種動物如此顯眼，它一定是食肉動物的完美目標(biāo)�！弊娌颊f。）可推知波蘭科學(xué)院的生物學(xué)家Karol Zub觀察到一只完全白色的鼬鼠在捕食嚙齒動物時(shí)，那里并沒有積雪覆蓋。它的皮毛與青苔形成鮮明的對比。因此很顯眼。故C選項(xiàng)承上啟下符合語境。故選C。

【2】結(jié)合下文The average period with permanent snow cover decreased from about 80 days per year to 40 days.（永久積雪的平均周期從每年約80天減少到40天。）可知雪不再像以前那樣長時(shí)間覆蓋森林了，他的直覺是正確的。故A選項(xiàng)符合語境。故選A。

【3】根據(jù)下文Camouflage mismatch may cause the local extinction of white weasels, or at least a severe reduction in population.（偽裝的不匹配可能會導(dǎo)致白鼬的局部滅絕，或者至少是數(shù)量的嚴(yán)重減少。）可知積雪天數(shù)的減少，使得白鼬白色的毛皮在沒有雪的時(shí)候變成了一種容易被捕食者發(fā)現(xiàn)的弱點(diǎn)，這造成了偽裝的不匹配。故E選項(xiàng)符合上下文語境。故選E。

【4】根據(jù)下文Those who blend in live longer. Individuals who clash with their environment get eaten.（融入群體的人壽命更長。與環(huán)境沖突的個(gè)體會被吃掉。）可推知自然選擇的機(jī)制對于動物和人類一樣是完全相同的。故選D。