1 . Most birds, in particular, exhibit some degree of patterns and colours. Australia’s zebra finch (斑胸草雀), for example, was so named because of the zebra-like black and white bars on its tail. But it also has many other colours and patterns, from a bright orange bill to fine white spots along its reddish-brown sides. It’s not uncommon to spot the bird in the drier parts of Australia.
We tend to suppose all individuals of that species have their spots and bars in the same places. Look closer yet we’ll see that the quantity and design of these patterns vary between individuals. And somehow a bird exhibits a more obvious feather variation. Occasionally, we see one that has larger than usual pale areas of feathers or, more rarely, has lost its normal patterning altogether.
Colouration and patterning in all animals are caused by a range of pigments (色素). Melanin (黑色素) is responsible for blacks and browns, and a lack of this pigment can cause a partial or total loss of an individual’s dark patterning. The two main terms that describe these abnormalities are albinism and leucism. Both conditions are genetic and both can lead to a very similar physical appearance. Leucism, however, causes a lack of the pigment cells that produce melanin. But albinism causes the production of melanin to be reduced or absent.
Can we distinguish between the two conditions without the help of a cellular biologist? Yes. Albino animals have fully unpigmented red eyes. Leucistic animals, on the other hand, never completely lose pigment from the eye, although they can have blue eyes due to a partial loss of pigment.
Why don’t we see more albino or leucistic birds? Because the lack of melanin reduces the strength and lastingness of the affected birds’ feathers, making them more easily broken. Additionally, the birds’ vision and hearing are negatively affected, making them less able to hunt. The brighter feathers and lack of patterning also make them easier for attackers to see.
1. What can we learn about Australia’s zebra finch?| A．It is one of the rarest birds in Australia. |
| B．It is mostly covered with bright orange feathers. |
| C．It acquires its name from its tail colours and patterns. |
| D．It has the same spots and bars in the same places. |
| A．By giving explanations. | B．By presenting opinions. |
| C．By setting assumptions. | D．By drawing conclusions. |
| A．Total loss of patterns. | B．Genetically-born abnormalities. |
| C．Darkened feathers. | D．Abnormal formation of wings. |
| A．They have quite good hearing. | B．They have completely red eyes. |
| C．They have excellent hunting skills. | D．They have easily broken feathers. |
1. What animal is Simba?
| A．A lion. | B．A monkey. | C．A tiger. |
| A．By his size. | B．By his character. | C．By his birthday. |
| A．She is outgoing. | B．She is caring. | C．She is serious. |
| A．Play with others. | B．Take care of others. | C．Have a good sleep. |
3 . Animals have developed a circadian clock—an internal body clock that runs in 24-hour cycles. It is regulated by cues (提示) from their environment. But they may suffer from a “jet lag （时差反应）” when the cues animals are exposed to do not match the ones of their natural environment.
Kristine Gandia, a PhD student at the University of Stirling in Scotland, and a team of observers set out to understand how the “jet lag” of living in latitudes (纬度) that animals were not used to can affect them. Giant pandas were chosen as the focus for the study partly because they live highly seasonal lives.”
“Giant pandas are very good animals to focus on,” Gandia said. “They are very popular in zoos and there are a lot that have cameras so we can see how their behavior changes across different latitudes. These cameras enabled us to monitor the giant pandas’ behavior across a 24-hour period.”
Gandia explained that the latitudinal range for giant pandas is between 26 and 42 degrees north. Matching latitudes could also be considered between 26 and 42 degrees south, as these mirror the temperature and lighting conditions.
The team monitored 11 giant pandas in six different zoos. Some zoos were within the animals’ natural latitudes but in other countries and the others were outside that range.
Gandia explained, “We recorded giant panda behavior, trying to account for behaviors that are positive, neutral (中性的) and negative indicators for welfare. So, this would include behaviors like play and grooming as positive behaviors, drinking and defecating as neutral maintenance behaviors, and several abnormal behaviors as negative behaviors, with pacing being the most common.”
Those living in zoos outside of their home latitude were found to be less active and display more negative behaviors.
“Giant pandas living in zoos could be suffering from a ‘jet lag’ if their body clocks don’t match their environments,” Gandia said.
1. What does Gandia and her team’s study focus on?| A．Animal behavior. | B．Animal body clock. | C．Animal popularity. | D．Animal distribution. |
| A．Wide latitude of their natural habitat. | B．Their strong adaptability. |
| C．The existing findings about them. | D．The convenience of observation. |
| A．By analyzing reasons. | B．By comparing recordings. |
| C．By conducting interviews. | D．By listing examples. |
| A．Will “Jet Lag” Be Able to Be Avoided? |
| B．Could Animals Suffer from a “Jet Lag”? |
| C．Is Panda a Proper Subject to Study “Jet Lag”? |
| D．Does Season Have Anything to Do with “Jet Lag”? |
4 . A recent study conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has discovered that river erosion (侵蚀) can lead to increased biodiversity in areas with minimal tectonic (地壳构造的) activity. The researchers focused their attention on the Tennessee River Basin and examined how the erosion of various rock types by the river had led to the separation and diversification of a type of fish called the greenfin darter. As time passed, these separate fish populations evolved into distinct families with genetic differences.
Scientist Thomas Near observed that the greenfin darter was exclusively found in the southern half of the Tennessee River Basin. The researchers analyzed the genes of each fish in Near’s data set and constructed an evolutionary tree. This tree helped them comprehend the evolution and differences of the greenfin darter species. They discovered that the fish within the same branch of the river were more closely related to each other than to the fish in other branches.
This study provides evidence that river erosion significantly impacts biodiversity in regions with low tectonic activity. It illustrates how changes in the landscape caused by river erosion can lead to the division and diversification of species over time, even in peaceful environments. These findings enhance our understanding of the mechanisms (机制) that drive biodiversity and evolution, even in areas that are not typically associated with intense tectonic activity.
Subsequently, the team discovered a strong correlation between the habitats of the greenfin darter and the type of rocks present. The southern half of the Tennessee River Basin consists of hard, tightly packed rocks, resulting in turbulent (湍急的) waves in the rivers that flow through it. This characteristic may be favored by the greenfin darter. As a result, the team assumed whether the distribution of greenfin darter habitats had been influenced by the changing rock types, as the rivers eroded the land over time. To test this assumption, the researchers developed a simulation model. Remarkably, the results confirmed their assumption.
1. What is new about the MIT study?| A．It finds river erosion can enhance biodiversity. |
| B．It further proves the mechanisms of river erosion. |
| C．It proves the geographical features of biodiversity. |
| D．It classifies a type of fish called the greenfin darter. |
| A．Their appearances vary between families. | B．Their genetic constitutions have diversified. |
| C．They prefer the deep and slow-flowing river. | D．They go extinct in the changing landscape of rivers. |
| A．By creating an evolutionary tree of the fish. |
| B．By offering the fish’s genetic data. |
| C．By reasoning out the time the fish evolve and separate. |
| D．By analyzing the genetic similarity between different fish. |
| A．River Erosion Can Shape Fish Evolution | B．Genetic Change in the Greenfin Darter |
| C．Evolutionary Tree Analysis of the Greenfin Darter | D．The Impact of Climate Change on Fish Diversity |
Cats are second only to dogs as the most common pets in the world.
6 . From May to October in the southeastern US, five species of turtles, from loggerheads to Kemp’s ridley, crawl (爬行) ashore under the cover of night to lay their eggs on the very beach they were born. During this time, thousands of turtle-loving volunteers comb the shorelines looking for the turtles’ tracks as part of an ongoing effort to gather population data and protect the nests.
However, it’s not easy to detect turtle eggs as female turtles frequently make “false crawls”, climbing out of the water but returning without laying eggs. And since sea turtles disturb huge areas of sand to hide their nests from predators (捕食者), human monitors are often left guessing where the eggs are.
Now, a new study suggests man’s best friend can do it better. A smell-detecting dog named Dory found the location of sea turtle eggs more accurately than human volunteers, according to a recent study led by Rebekah Lindborg, a conservationist with Disney’s Animals, Science, and Environment division.
Lindborg teamed up with Pepe Peruyero, a dog behaviorist who has trained smell-detecting dogs for over 20 years. Peruyero selected a rescue dog named Dory, a two-year-old terrier mix found wandering along a Florida highway, as the project’s poster dog.
Over months of training on a 50-by-50-square-foot artificial beach, Peruyero trained Dory to alert (警觉) at the smell of “cloacal mucus”, a sticky matter that coats a sea turtle’s freshly laid eggs, with Lindborg as her handler. Then, the team convinced the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to allow a friendly competition. During the peak nesting seasons, two groups went around a stretch of shoreline about five miles long in Vero Beach, Florida.
The terrier identified 560 sea turtle nests from three species, while people found only 256. Dory was also significantly better than people at choosing where to dig for eggs, greatly reducing the number of holes dug, Lindborg reports. And while human volunteers couldn’t find the eggs in 14.8% of nests, Dory only failed to deliver 5.7% of the time. “Dory has a keen nose for turtles, and this could be a game changer,” said Lindborg.
1. How do female turtles make egg detection more difficult?| A．They make misleading tracks in the sand. |
| B．They destroy their eggs deliberately. |
| C．They put their eggs in the water. |
| D．They build nests everywhere. |
| A．The nature of digging. |
| B．The sense of competition. |
| C．The warning from its trainer. |
| D．The matter on a turtle’s newly laid eggs. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By describing courses. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By offering explanations. |
| A．The kindness of a man who protects turtle nests. |
| B．A dog that can find turtle nests successfully. |
| C．The difficulty of building turtle nests. |
| D．A new discovery about turtle nests |
| A. conserve B. wrinkly C. stationary D. exceptional E. oddities F. nursing G. timely H. sounding I. generalize J. comprise K. rules |
The Curious World of Bats
Not all bats are unbelievably adorable, like the one below. Many of them have
Scientists are typically reluctant to
Being able to fly is just one of their
For how much energy they need, it’s also surprising that many bat species, including most of those in the US, rely on insects alone for food. They have to eat ridiculous quantities of them. A mom that is
Oddly, although bats can fly, they can’t easily take off from a(n)
While bats remain highly understudied relative to birds and other mammals, scientists are
| A．They have been sent to wildlife parks for protection. |
| B．Their habitats have been well-protected. |
| C．They have been taken care of by locals. |
| D．Their population has almost doubled. |
| A．She fought against illegal hunting. | B．She helped to cure their disease. |
| C．She improved their living conditions. | D．She was engaged in preserving forests. |
| A．To teach people how to treat gorillas. | B．To boost the economy of Uganda. |
| C．To better the Batwa people’s lives. | D．To raise funds for wildlife protection. |
9 . A key part of protecting endangered species is figuring out where they’re living. Using environmental DNA, or eDNA, to track species isn’t new. For a few years now, researchers have been using DNA in water.
Two teams of scientists — one in Denmark led by Dr Kristine Bohmann and one in the UK led by Dr Elizabeth Clare — came up with the same question at about the same time: Could they identify the animals in an area from DNA that was simply floating in the air? DNA in the air is usually so small that it would take a microscope to see it. “I thought the chances of collecting animal DNA from air would be slim though much time had been spent on it, but we moved on,” said Bohmann who was trying to think of a crazy research idea for a Danish foundation that funds far-out science.
One team collected samples from different locations at Denmark’s Copenhagen Zoo, and the other at Hamerton Zoo Park in the UK. Clearly, they both chose the zoos. “We realized we have the Copenhagen Zoo,” Bohmann recalls. In fact, both the zoos in the UK and Denmark were almost like the zoos that were custom-built for the experiments: The animals in the zoos were non-native, so they really stuck out in DNA analyses. “If we detect a flamingo (火烈鸟), we’re sure it’s not coming from anywhere else but the zoo,” Bohmann says.
In the laboratory, by comparing their samples with examples of DNA from different animals, the scientists succeeded in identifying many different animals at the zoos.
Neither team knew that the other team was working on a similar experiment. The two were nearing submission to a scientific journal when they discovered about the other experiment. Rather than compete to rush out a publication first, they got in touch and decided to publish their findings as a pair. “We both thought the papers are stronger together,” says Clare.
“The next step is to figure out how to take this method into nature to track animals that are hard to spot, including endangered animals,” says Bohmann.
1. What did Bohmann initially think of the experiment?| A．It could be a failure. | B．It wouldn’t take long. | C．It wasn’t original. | D．It would cost much. |
| A．They raised many rare animals there. | B．The zoos were specially built for them. |
| C．They could collect enough animal DNA. | D．They could recognize animals confidently. |
| A．Competitive. | B．Inseparable. | C．Cooperative. | D．Casual. |
| A．Research Teams Test DNA in Nature | B．DNA in the Air Helps identify Animals |
| C．Different Zoos Conduct DNA Studies | D．eDNA Protects Endangered Animals |
10 . Humans have sailed the oceans’ surfaces for millennia (千年), but their depths remain effectively uncharted. Only about a quarter of the seafloor has been mapped at high resolution. Maps of most regions display only approximate depths and often miss entire underwater mountains or canyons (峡谷).
So a group of researchers has recruited some deep-diving experts: Elephant Seals and Weddell Seals. Scientists have been placing trackers on these blubbery marine mammals around Antarctica for years, gathering data on ocean temperature and salinity. For a new study, the researchers compared these dives’ location and depth data with some of the less detailed seafloor maps. They spotted places where the seals dove deeper than should have been possible according to the maps-meaning the existing depth estimates were inaccurate.
In eastern Antarctica’s Vincennes Bay, the diving seals helped the scientists find a large, hidden underwater canyon. An Australian research ship called the RSV Nuyina later measured the canyon’s exact depth using sonar, and the researchers have proposed naming their find the Mirounga-Nuyina Canyon — honoring both the ship and the involved Elephant Seals, genus (动植物的属) Mirounga.
But seals can’t map the entire ocean floor. The trackers used in the study could pinpoint a seal’s geographical location only within about 1.5miles. Plus, because the seals don’t always dive to the bottom of the ocean, they can reveal only where the bottom is deeper than in existing maps — not shallower. McMahon notes that scientists could improve on these data by using more precise GPS trackers and analyzing the seals’ diving patterns to determine whether they have reached the seafloor or simply stopped descending.
The current seal-dive data can still be valuable for an important task, says Anna Wåhlin, an oceanographer. The deep ocean around Antarctica is warmer than the frigid waters at the surface, and seafloor canyons can allow that warmer water to flow to the ice along the continent’s coast, Wåhlin explains. To predict how Antarctica’s ice will melt, scientists will need to know where those canyons are and how deep they go.
1. What problem is mentioned at the beginning of the text?| A．Lack of the map. | B．Not enough tools. |
| C．Ineffective charts. | D．Inaccurate measurement. |
| A．By observing the seals. | B．By comparing different data. |
| C．By using advanced equipment. | D．By analyzing the existing maps. |
| A．The canyon. | B．The ship. | C．The seals. | D．The genus. |
| A．The present data is of little use. |
| B．Seal’s swimming pattern influences the data. |
| C．The ocean’s surface around Antarctica is warmer. |
| D．The seal can’t reach deep ocean because of temperature. |
