Researchers believe they have found an unknown kind of whale in waters off Mexico's western coast. If others prove the finding, the new whale will be an important discovery among giant animals.
The team of researchers came upon three unusual whales while following a rare group of beaked whales（突吻鲸）. The whales were near Mexico's distant San Benito Islands, about 500 km south of the U.S. border. Beaked whales usually avoid meeting humans.
Jay Barlow studies sea animals. He noted that it was a very unusual meeting. "It's very rare to even see a beaked whale, and to find a group of friendly beaked whales, it's even rarer," he said.
Barlow said he and other researchers did not realize they were seeing a possible new kind of whale until later. The group saw something different about the whales' teeth when they studied the photos they took of the animals. The underwater recordings of the whales' calls also suggested they were different from all the others.
The researchers are now waiting for test results on water they collected near the whales. There could be skin cells in the water from the whales. If so, they will examine the DNA to make sure whether the whales are a new species.
Though up to 5 meters long, the whales can be hard for scientists to see. That is because they usually swim and eat at depths of around 914 meters. They only come up at times for air. In the deep water, the animals can stay away from their main enemy-killer whales.
Barlow said that finding a new species is a rare event. His team has proof about the whales that looks like a new discovery. He said the DNA testing would help determine it and he hoped the whales could be determined as a new species. That would bring the number of known beaked whale species to 24.
1. What do the scientists say about the possible new species?| A．They are very fierce sea animals. |
| B．They frequently come up for air. |
| C．They belong to the beaked whale species. |
| D．They only live near Mexico's distant San Benito Islands. |
| A．Its ears. | B．Its teeth. |
| C．Its eyes. | D．Its mouth. |
| A．To get the whales' skin cells. |
| B．To study the quality of the water. |
| C．To learn about the whales' living habit. |
| D．To know what kind of food the whales eat. |
| A．The reliability of the DNA testing. | B．The aim of the DNA testing. |
| C．The process of the DNA testing. | D．The result of the DNA testing. |
相似题推荐
Happy Sunday
I have four goldfishes in my room. They are very beautiful. I love them very much. On weekdays, I’m always busy. I must study and do homework and so on, so I have no time to care(照顾) them.
But today is Sunday, I am very free. Then, I start to enjoy my goldfishes. They are colorful, but each has a big mouth, two small eyes and a long tail. I take the food and intend(打算)to feed them. They are very intelligent(聪明). It seems that they know I will feed them, so they are coming up from everywhere. Everyone is opening up its big mouth and waiting for the delicious food. I am smiling! They look very lovely! Then, I put the food into the tank(水缸). They are eating it very quickly. I enjoy this process very much!
Today, I am really happy! What a happy Sunday!
1. How many goldfishes are there in the home?2. Why can not the writer care the goldfishes on weekdays?
3. What do the goldfishes look like?.
4. When can the writer feed the goldfishes?
5. Does the writer have a good time on Sunday?
【推荐2】Animals grow up in different ways. Some newborn animals are helpless, but their mothers protect them. A newborn kangaroo is very small. It is only a few centimeters (cm) long. It closes its eyes and doesn’t have hair. It stays safe in its mother’s pouch (育儿袋) for a long time. A newborn monkey cannot walk. Its mother carries it everywhere.
Other baby animals can walk soon after they’re born. They learn to run with their mothers when danger is near. A baby zebra can run, an hour after it is born.
Some baby animals are born in a place that is safe. Baby wolves are usually born in big holes with little light. Other baby animals are born in the open. A baby elephant is often born on open land.
Animals that drink their mothers’milk are called mammals. A mother bear’s milk is rich. Baby bears have milk for a few months. This is the same as baby zebras. As baby animals grow, they need solid (固体的) food. Baby lions eat what their mother can catch!
1. According to the passage, many newborn animals need their mothers’help because the babies can’t _________.| A．look after themselves | B．eat any food |
| C．walk by themselves | D．drink water |
| A．it is very small | B．it can’t walk |
| C．it closes its eyes | D．it is very weak. |
| A．open | B．bright | C．safe | D．dry |
| A．mothers’milk | B．solid food | C．smaller animals | D．water |
| A．Six. | B．Seven. | C．Eight. | D．Nine. |
【推荐3】In the struggle to survive the ever hotter deserts of California, there are winners and losers. Among the losers are desert birds, whose populations have fallen among the heat stress of climate change. The winners, it turns out, are small burrowing mammals（穴居哺乳动物）, which take refuge from the sun underground. Researchers noted that the stable mammals populations formed a striking contrast to the extremely bad condition of birds.
But why? Birds had a higher evaporative（蒸发）heat loss. Birds were more exposed to the effects of warming, so they had higher energy costs to maintain their body temperature. However, mammals were able to reduce their body temperature by using burrows during the day.
Temperatures have risen about 4 degrees Fahrenheit on average across the area studied, but the heat affects birds and small mammals differently. As part of the study, scientists modeled each species' body temperature and cooling needs under different desert conditions. To calculate that, they measured the conductivity（传导率）of the animals' fur or feathers, and used information on their heat reducing behaviors.
The models showed that in the fight against climate change, there was not a level playing field for furred and feathered desert animals. Cooling costs—or the resources needed to maintain stable body temperature—were about 3. 3 times higher for birds than they were for small mammals, the study reported.
Small mammals have shown this remarkable stability. It's really quite interesting that, in the same region, with the same level of climate change, these two species have responded very differently to the changes taking place. Insights into the status of different species can help scientists take steps to protect them, such as increasing fire prevention in high desert areas, and enhancing water sources in those areas. The study also demonstrates that climate change is already reshaping the California desert
1. Why can desert burrowing mammals survive better than desert birds?| A．Burrowing mammals prefer to live in deserts. |
| B．Burrowing mammals eat less during the day. |
| C．Burrowing mammals' caves are natural shelters. |
| D．Burrowing mammals live in the same community. |
| A．Birds and small mammals respond differently to climate changes. |
| B．Birds in the desert were defeated by climate changes. |
| C．Animals living underground have higher cooling costs. |
| D．Temperature rise affects the burrowing mammals little. |
| A．Burrowing mammals may help birds during the day. |
| B．Governments will improve water quality. |
| C．Man will reshape the deserts to save themselves. |
| D．Scientists can save species with scientific means. |
| A．It's time to change the deserts into green fields. |
| B．Desert birds are more likely to survive in deserts. |
| C．Burrowing mammals' habitat needs improving greatly. |
| D．Burrowing mammals survive climate change underground. |
By Tan Bowen/ People's Daily app
11:37, December 09,2019
Adorable baby giant pandas are always curious about the world and love to play around. Recently, in southwest China’s Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, a baby panda was caught on camera getting his head stuck behind a log.
The panda tried to pull his head through the gap at first but couldn't manage to pass through it. Later, the breeder came to rescue him by pushing his bottom instead and nagged this little cutie constantly like a mother, but the baby panda continued to act cute, melting all panda lovers’ heart!
Click on this video to see the warm and sweet interaction between the breeder and the naughty baby panda!
Video source: panda
1. What was wrong with the baby giant panda?
| A．The panda was sleeping in a tree. | B．The panda was hit by another. |
| C．The panda got itself stuck behind a log. | D．The panda was dying. |
| A．The passage was written by Tan Boweng. |
| B．The baby panda mentioned in the passage is a female one. |
| C．The baby panda mentioned in the passage is a male one. |
| D．The baby panda pulled his head through the gap successfully. |
| A．Click on the video. | B．Click the Button of“Say something”. |
| C．Find a note book. | D．Buy a computer first. |
【推荐2】China published its official document on biodiversity conservation on Oct 8,2021. It said that China has achieved great results in biodiversity conservation.
In 2010, the China National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan (2011-2030) was published. Since then, China has been working for a better ecological environment through establishing and improving policies and laws, carrying out nationwide biodiversity surveys, and putting into place various programs and action plans for biodiversity conservation.
Protected areas
There are about 10,000 protected natural areas, covering 18 percent of total land area. The well-planned protected areas system has brought 90 percent of terrestrial (陆地的) ecosystem types and 71 percent of key state-protected wildlife species under effective protection.
Plants
China has contributed up to 10 percent of the new plant varieties identified worldwide in the past decade. In this period, the country identified about 200 new varieties of plants per year.
Wild animals
The habitats for wild animals in China have been expanding and their populations are growing. The population of giant pandas in the wild has grown from 1,114 to 1,864 over the past four decades. The crested ibis (朱鹮) population has increased from only seven to over 5,000.
Greenness
China was the largest contributor to the world’s gain in greenness between 2000 and 2017. The country contributed about 25 percent of global vegetation growth in the period and China’s forest coverage and forest reserve areas have both continued to expand for the last 30 years. The country has realized the largest growth in forest resources among all countries in the world.
1. In China’s efforts to protect biodiversity, the following elements are mentioned EXCEPT ________?| A．the habitats for wild animals |
| B．the accessible water resources |
| C．forest reserve areas and coverage |
| D．the well-planned protected areas system |
| A．China’s contribution to the world |
| B．Increasing protection for animals |
| C．China’s contribution to greenness |
| D．China’s efforts on biodiversity conservation |
| A．an academic paper | B．a student diary |
| C．China Daily | D．fashion magazine |
【推荐3】The Simics were living in a village near Arandjelovac in central Serbia (塞尔维亚). They were saving to buy 10 hectares (0.1 km2) of land and increase the size of their family farm. Everything was going well, they said. While waiting for the seller, they put the money on the table in the living room, but forgot to lock the front door.
"We got up early and counted the money, because the man whom we wanted to buy from was supposed to come. We put the money on the table in the living room, so we could sign the contract (合同) and pay the man. Then we went to the dining room to have breakfast," Milena Sirnic told Arandjelovac Info, the local newspaper.
"My father-in-law (公公) opened the front door and went outside to feed the farm animals, like every morning. But he did not notice the front door was still open," she added. "That was the cause of our bad luck."
Belka is one of the goats that the family had owned for a couple of years. It entered the house through the open door and began to eat the money on the table.
"When we heard the noise, my husband got up to check and almost had a heart attack. Belka ate almost all the money! Only 300 euros or so was left, and the rest was eaten or shredded (咬碎)," Milena explained as she cried.
"Belka brought us to ruin," Milena said. She added that her husband had not spoken a word since, choosing to sit and stare at the wall all day.
As Milena Simic was telling the story to the local reporters, Belka was being turned over the fire. The Simic family decided to deal with the loss by holding a feast, with the cause of their bad luck as the main dish. And they invited the reporters to stay for the meal.
1. What does the underlined word "That" refer to in the third paragraph?| A．Milena's forgetting to feed Belka. |
| B．Belka's turning the house upside down. |
| C．Milena's entering the house from the front door. |
| D．Belka's father-in-law's leaving the front door open. |
| A．Belka ruined the Simic family. |
| B．Belka destroyed the farm by accident. |
| C．Belka got injured in the living room. |
| D．Belka was eating the money which was on the table. |
| A．To satisfy the local journalists. |
| B．To reduce their unpleasant feelings. |
| C．To thank Belka for doing the family a favour. |
| D．To celebrate the successful business of their farm. |
| A．Belka was killed by the Simic family. |
| B．Milena's husband lost all hope in his life. |
| C．The Simic family asked the reporters for advice. |
| D．The Simic family decided not to buy any land again. |
