1 . Most of Florida is a flat peninsula (半岛) with water on three sides and houses built as close to the shoreline as possible. For one thing we are more frequently the target of hurricanes than any other state; for another, our geography makes us more easily to be hurt by rising seas.

A news story about climate change in Florida popped up. Historically, scientists believed mangroves (红树林) didn’t live farther north than Cedar Key, in the middle of Florida’s Big Bend. But that’s not the case anymore. Samantha Chapman, a biology professor who’s been studying how Florida’s mangroves have been migrating (迁移), found them up near the St Mary’s River, which forms the border between Florida and Georgia. It seems that they soon be marching through Georgia and becoming a thriving new component of coastal habitats.

But a coastal biologist named Blair Witherington took issue on the matter. The mangroves weren’t spreading into a new territory, he pointed out. They were entering areas that had been classified as saltmarsh (盐沼), where the landscape was dominated by cordgrass. Saltmarsh and mangrove create very different habitats that attract a very different set of animals. “When one community replaces the other, this diversity is lost,” Witherington remarked. Changing the animals’ habitat has the potential to influence the whole food chain, making a widespread difference.

What was driving this? “Mangroves can survive a short freeze, but not a prolonged, hard freeze. By combing through the weather records kept by the state’s orange juice industry, biologists have been able to document that Florida is having fewer prolonged hard freezes than it used to. Then the mangroves have adapted by expanding their range.” Samantha explained.

“They’ve adapted in another way, too. Not only are the mangroves spreading into areas that once were unfriendly to them, but they have also changed their life cycle to speed things up. Normally it takes them about 15 years of growth before they start making seeds. Now, as they get into these marshes, they’re producing seeds when they’ re only a couple of years old,” Samantha said.

The problem with having too many mangroves by the sea is that climate change may overwhelm them. A study by the US Geological Survey said sea level rise could wipe out mangroves all along the Florida coast. So, here’s the question we humans have to consider: Nature is finding ways to adapt to how we’ve changed the climate. What are we doing to adapt to it? Or at least slow it down?

1. What can we learn about the state of Florida?

A．It could be affected by high tides easily.

B．Its geography fuels shipbuilding industry.

C．Its houses are built in a high-lying but flat area.

D．It is often hit by tornadoes and suffers huge losses.

2. What is the news story about Florida’s mangroves?

A．They migrate to warmer regions.

B．They are marching into a new habitat.

C．They form the border between Florida and Georgia.

D．They are introduced into Florida to prevent flooding.

3. Which of the following would Blair Witherington agree with?

A．Saltmarsh is fragile and requires urgent protection.

B．Florida includes a rich diversity of natural habitats.

C．The benefits of the mangroves outweigh their troubles.

D．Everything in the ecosystem is connected complicatedly.

4. What are the 4th and 5th paragraphs mainly about?

A．What mangroves had to face in their habitats.

B．Whether mangroves had influence on other plants.

C．How mangroves adapted to the changing environment.

D．Why mangroves had a different life cycle in marshes.

5. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Human beings are supposed to worship nature.

B．It is urgent to grow more mangroves along coastlines.

C．Measures against mangroves’ migration are far from enough.

D．What we should do to stop the climate change is still up in the air.