Biologists in the United States are sounding an alarm about a deadly disease that has been attacking a quiet, intelligent animal: the bat. The disease, called white-nose syndrome, is an infection caused by a fungus (真菌) that attack the nose, wings, and other skin areas on the bodies of bats while they are hibernating (冬眠) in large groups in their caves. The disease was first discovered in a New York cave in the winter of 2006, and it is spreading quickly. Infected caves have been discovered in 19 states and in Canada.
Scientists have discovered that the source is a strain of a cold-loving fungus usually found in polar regions. They are not sure how the fungus kills bats. One theory is that the fungus causes discomfort. The bats began to become upset and partially wake up from hibernation. This activity causes them to burn precious stored body fat and die of starvation. Experts estimate that over 5. 5 million bats across nine species have disappeared because of the disease. Wildlife experts fear that if the infection spreads to more bat populations in the Southeast and Midwest, endangered bat species, such as the Indiana bat and Virginia big-eared bat, may be in grave danger of extinction.
Why should Americans care about the loss of these creatures? In warm months, bat fly at night, eating up to their body weight in insects. They control the populations of insects that bite, eat crops, destroy forests, and spread disease. Because of this, the United States government is getting involved. It has heard announcements from bat experts and is taking seriously their pleas (请愿) for funding to study the disease. The possibility of what one lawmaker called “an ecological and economic disaster” is very real if the deadly disease spreads further.
1. What causes white-nose syndrome among the bats?| A．Ecological pollution. | B．The lack of food. |
| C．The freezing climate. | D．A cold-loving fungus. |
| A．How the fungus possibly affects bats. |
| B．Why the bats’ hibernation is disturbed. |
| C．Where the experts discovered the disease. |
| D．What contributed to the concern of the experts. |
| A．The spread of the disease. | B．The destruction of the forests. |
| C．The imbalance of the ecosystem. | D．The decrease of the insect population. |
| A．To introduce laws to protect bats. |
| B．To approve funding for bat disease research. |
| C．To declare the coming of an ecological disaster |
| D．To appeal to people to stay away from infected bats. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Lake Baikal(贝加尔湖)is the biggest body of fresh water on Earth. It’s about 1.6km in depth and is also the deepest. Several unusual animals call it home, including the world’s only species of freshwater seal. There are a large number of Baikal seals, about 8, 000-10, 000. But the lake is nutrient-poor, so how they do so well has been a puzzle. A study conducted by Yuuki Watanabe of the National Institute of Polar Research, in Tokyo, suggests a possible answer.
Most seals eat fish. And Baikal seals do have needle-like teeth. But in 1982 researchers noted that they had some specialized comb-like teeth behind the needle-like ones. At the time, nobody knew what they were for. But Dr. Watanabe supposed that they might be an adaptation for feeding on other tiny creatures living in the lake.
Seals arrived in Baikal two million years ago, from the Arctic Ocean. So did some much smaller sea creatures, known as amphipods(片脚类动物). They have diversified into more than 340 native species. Sea creatures the size of seals would normally see amphipods to be too small to hunt. But Dr. Watanabe wondered if Baikal seals’ comb-like teeth might have evolved to enable the seals to hunt these tiny creatures to make them useful prey-just as some whales collect extremely small shellfish using comb-like structures. He and his colleagues therefore attached waterproof video cameras to a few seals to monitor what they were getting up to.
Scenes from the cameras showed that the seals were indeed pursuing the groups of amphipods at night. Dr. Watanabe estimated that each seal caught an average of 57 amphipods per dive and thus thousands of them a day. The needle-like teeth are not useless, for the seals do hunt fish as well. They compete with those fish for the amphipods, thus perhaps maintaining themselves in larger numbers.
1. Which aspect of Baikal seals remains unknown?| A．Why they live in Lake Baikal. | B．How they got into Lake Baikal. |
| C．When they reached Lake Baikal. | D．How they grow well in Lake Baikal. |
| A．Researchers. | B．Comb-like teeth. |
| C．Baikal seals. | D．Needle-like teeth. |
| A．To take control of their behaviour patterns. |
| B．To record how they coexist with amphipods. |
| C．To confirm if they live on small water creatures. |
| D．To find the similarities between seals and whales. |
| A．There is a sharply growing trend towards Baikal seals. |
| B．Baikal seals prefer hunting amphipods at night. |
| C．Needle-like teeth are of little use to Baikal seals. |
| D．Baikal seals feed on fish besides amphipods. |
【推荐2】Everybody hates rats. But in the earthquake capitals of the world—Japan, Los Angeles, Turkey—rats will soon be man’s new best friends.
What happens after an earthquake? We send in rescue dogs. Why? Because they can smell people. They help rescuers to find living people. But dogs are big and they can’t get into small spaces. So now a new research project is using a smaller animal to save lives: the rat.
How does it work? First, the rat is trained to smell people. When this happens, the rat’s brain gives a signal. This is sent to a small radio on its back and then the rescuers follow the radio signals. When the rat’s brain activity jumps, the rescuers know that someone is alive. The rat has smelled that person.
Although there are already robots which can do this job, rats are better. Christian Linster at Cornell University, New York, says, “Robots’ noses don’t work well when there are other smells around. Rats are good at that.” Rats can also see in the dark. They are cheaper and quicker to train than dogs, and unlike robots, they don’t need electricity!
The “rat project” is not finished, but Julie Ryan of International Rescue Corps in Scotland says, “It would be fantastic. A rat could get into spaces we can’t get to, and a rat will get out if it isn’t safe.” Perhaps for the first time in history, people will be happy to see a rat in a building, but only after an earthquake, of course.
1. Why are rats used after an earthquake?| A．To get into small spaces. |
| B．To replace man’s rescue jobs. |
| C．To provide food for people trapped in buildings. |
| D．To locate the people alive trapped in buildings. |
| A．The measures taken by the rat. | B．The unusual behavior of the rat. |
| C．The smell given off by the person. | D．The signals sent by the radio on the rat’s back. |
| A．The “rat project” has been accomplished. |
| B．People are now delighted to see a rat in a building. |
| C．Today dogs and robots are still in the use of performing rescues. |
| D．Nowadays rats have substituted for dogs in search of people. |
| A．Rats: people’s enemies | B．Rats: people’s best friends |
| C．Rats: people’s rescuers in daily life | D．Rats: people’s helpers after earthquakes |
【推荐3】Believed to have existed for more than 60 million years, crested ibises (朱鹮) are one of the oldest species of bird on Earth. Due to pollution and other human activities, the birds began to disappear in the 1960s.
In 1981, seven crested ibises were found in Yangxian county in Hanzhong, Shaanxi province. They were believed to be the last remaining ones worldwide.
But now, they have come back from the edge of extinction. May 23 marked the 40th anniversary of the rediscovery of the crested ibis. Researchers said that the number has risen to more than 7,000 worldwide. There are 5,000 crested ibises in Shaanxi alone.
“The secret for the rare and inspirational case of successfully saving crested ibises from a small population is the country’s onsite protection approach adopted at the very beginning,” Zhang Yueming, an expert who works at the crested ibis nature reserve bureau (局) in Yangxian, told China Daily.
On the fourth day after the discovery of the seven crested ibises, the local government issued a series of emergency notices to protect crested ibises. For example, hunting, cutting down trees, setting off explosives in the mountains, or using fertilizers (肥料) in the birds’ foraging (觅食) areas were not allowed.
Later, it also established the Qinling No.1 protection station and sent four people to guard the seven birds. These guardians worked day and night. In the daytime, they observed and recorded the birds’ habits and characteristics; at night, the main job was to keep them safe.
The government also restored more than 233 hectares (公顷) of natural wetlands, 100 hectares of winter paddy fields (稻田), more than 2,664 hectares of hills for afforestation (植树造林), dredged (疏浚) 30 km of channels and planted 30,000 trees.
New methods were used to protect crested ibises, mainly including artificial breeding (人工饲养) and reintroduction. In 1990, the Shaanxi Crested Ibis Rescue and Breeding Center was established. At the center, crested ibises are artificially bred and can receive timely treatment when they are sick. Over the next 30 years, they also explored and created a complete system of artificial breeding techniques, laying a foundation for the birds’ later reintroduction into the wild.
“China’s protection of crested ibises is a paragon (典范) in the world’s history of preserving endangered wildlife,” Zhang told China Daily.
1. When did Yangxian local government start to protect crested ibises?| A．In the 1960s. | B．In 1981. | C．In 1990. | D．In 2020. |
| A．It turned natural wetlands into fields and forests. |
| B．It sent some people to keep an eye on the birds. |
| C．It forbade using fertilizers in the bird’s habitats. |
| D．It stopped locals cutting trees and hunting. |
| A．The discovery of the seven birds. |
| B．The scientific artificial breeding system. |
| C．The timely treatment to the sick birds. |
| D．The notices from the local government. |
| A．Promising future of crested ibises. |
| B．Rediscovery of endangered wildlife. |
| C．Conservation of rare birds. |
| D．Comeback of crested ibises. |
【推荐1】Community Development Projects Overseas
The aim of Community Development projects abroad in Temple Conservation, DIY and more is to improve poorer local communities. You can do them as part of your work experience, gap year or career break. Or just as a volunteering holiday.
South AfricaTime: 1st, March-31st, May 2022
Registration fee: $65
Maintenance/Handyman/DIY skills, this project would love to have you! The project is truly unique... you will assist an Animal Rehabilitation Center that desperately needs any help it can get and you will be benefiting the animals at the same time! And, of course, the location is very unusual.
Sri Lanka:Time: 1st, May-31st, July 2022
Registration fee: Free
Buddhist Temple Repair and Construction Project in Kand. Rebuild and repair Buddhist temple in and around Kandy. This unique and fascinating project offers an opportunity to learn about Sri Lanka n construction using traditional manual methods, without using modern machines. Work includes construction, repairing temples, cleaning in and around temples, interacting with children and villagers and helping the temples arrange Community Centers for the village youths. You will also assist with the repair of paintings and sculptures inside the temples.
Zimbabwe:Time: 1st, October-31st, December, 2022
Registration fee: $120
Community Healthcare and Medical Project in Gweru gain basic medical experience in local clinics and play a role in HIV/AIDS education and awareness. You will be able to get involved in not only this clinic but others in the nearby areas. as well. You do not need to be qualified in any particular area. You will work with children from the ages of 3 to 6 years. It is a very worthwhile, enjoyable placement.
1. What can we know about Community Development project?| A．They can improve poorer local communities. |
| B．They bring you a chance to travel abroad. |
| C．They can make you understand foreign countries well. |
| D．They can make you more experienced in your future work. |
| A．People with rich travelling experience. |
| B．People who are experienced in painting. |
| C．People with experience in treating AIDS. |
| D．People with experience of caring for animals. |
| A．It will be directed by experienced expert. |
| B．The repair work can only be done by hand. |
| C．All work will be done through modern machines. |
| D．The construction workers do not have to be experienced. |
| A．Health and medicine. |
| B．Food and environments. |
| C．Animals and resources. |
| D．The community and education. |
| A．They all require some fees. |
| B．They all require particular experience. |
| C．They all need the same length of working time. |
| D．They all need you to be good at foreign languages. |
【推荐2】An international team of researchers, led by Dr Christine Batchelor of Newcastle University, UK, used clear pictures of the seafloor to show just how quickly a former ice cover retreated (退去) at the end of the last Ice Age, about 20,000 years ago.
The team mapped more than 7,600 small-scale landforms across the seafloor. The ridges (山脊) are less than 2.5m high and are spaced between about 25 and 300 metres apart. These landforms are understood to have formed when the ice cover’s retreating edge moved up and down with the tides (潮汐), pushing seafloor into a ridge every low tide. Given that two ridges would have been produced each day, the researchers were able to work out how quickly the ice cover retreated. Their results, reported in the journal Nature, show the former ice cover rapidly retreats at a speed of 50 to 600 metres per day.
The seafloor landforms also give light into the way in which such rapid retreat can happen. Dr Batchelor and co-workers noted that the former ice cover had retreated fastest across the flattest parts of its bed.
“An ice can go away from the seafloor and retreat quickly when it becomes buoyant (有浮力的),” explained co-author Dr Frazer Christie. “This retreat only happens across relatively flat beds, where less melting (融化) is required to thin the overlying ice to the point where it starts to float (漂浮).”
The researchers believe that the quick retreat could soon be observed in parts of Antarctica. This includes at West Antarctica’s vast Thwaites Glacier. The authors of this new study suggest that it could go through quick retreat because it has recently retreated close to a flat area of its bed.
“Our findings suggest that present-day rates of melting are enough to cause quick short retreat across flat-bedded areas of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, including at Thwaites,” said Dr Batchelor. “Satellites (卫星) may well know this ice-cover retreat in the near future, especially if we continue our climate warming.”
1. What is the purpose of Paragraph 1?| A．To provide some advice for the readers. |
| B．To add some background information. |
| C．To make the story interesting. |
| D．To bring in the topic. |
| A．Where the ice cover’s retreating lies. |
| B．Why the ice cover’s retreating is formed. |
| C．What the result of ice cover’s retreating is. |
| D．How the speed of ice cover’s retreating is worked out. |
| A．To give an example of quick retreat. |
| B．To tell where it is located. |
| C．To compare different types of retreat. |
| D．To explain why it is important. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Anxious. |
| C．Positive. | D．Doubtful. |
【推荐3】Imagine a world where you move around in front of a personal computer in your own sound space. You listen to your, favorite songs, play loud computer games or watch a movie - all without other people hearing the sound. That is the possibility presented by "sound beaming,'' a new technology from Noveto Systems, an Israeli company.
On Friday, the company debuted (首发) a desktop device that sends sound directly to a listener without the need for headphones or a special receiver. No veto Systems gave The Associated Press (AP) a chance to test its SoundBeamer 1.0 before its debut. The AP's Louise Dixon writes that listening to the device is like something from a science fiction movie. The sound seems so close that it feels like it is inside your cars while also in front, above and behind them.
Noveto expects the device will have many uses. Office workers could listen to music or conference calls without others hearing. People could play a game, a movie or music without waking up others in the same room. Because the device does not use headphones, it is possible to hear other sounds in the room clearly.
The device uses a 3-D technology that finds and follows the ear position of the listener. It sends ultrasonic (超声的) waves to create sound pockets by the user's cars. Sound can be heard in stereo or 3-D. The 3-D method creates sound on all sides of the listener, the company said.
The demo (样本) version of the device included nature videos of birds on a lake, bees flying and a quiet waterway. Most people trying the technology for the first time just say, 'Wow. I really don't believe it. It sounds like a speaker, but no one else can hear it ... it's supporting you and you're in the middle of everything. It's happening around you.”
By changing a setting, the sound can follow a listener around when they move their head. It is also possible to move out of the sound beam's path and hear nothing at all.
While the idea of sound beaming is not new, Noveto was the first to launch the technology. Its chief executive officer Christophe Ramstein said a “smaller" version of the device will be ready for release to consumers next year.
1. What does the Soundbeamer Product mainly feature?| A．Its various uses. |
| B．The application of 3-D technology. |
| C．An escape from other sounds around. |
| D．The absence of headphones for a listener. |
| A．Scientific. | B．Fashionable. |
| C．Lifelike. | D．Convenient. |
| A．Make sound pockets. | B．Enjoy natural scenes. |
| C．Play games with friends. | D．Produce a science fiction movie. |
| A．Its original idea. | B．Its present size. |
| C．Its positioning ability. | D．Its sound effect. |
