Question

Some unwelcome visitors from North America have been turning up in the waters off the coast of Great Britain.

North American lobsters (龙虾) have been found in the North Sea (between Great Britain and Northwest Europe), far from their own habitat. The lobsters usually live along the eastern coast of Canada and the United States.

It is impossible that the lobsters could have made the 5,600-kilometre journey on their own. They were probably brought to Britain and then got away from containers. Some of the lobsters that were caught had elastic bands (松紧带) holding their legs shut, like lobsters that are kept in containers in stores or restaurants.

Many may have been “set free” from some ships passing through the area. Sometimes passengers order a live lobster from a tank in the dining room and then ask the waiter to throw it overboard instead of cooking it.

According to official records, 26 North American lobsters have been caught in waters off Great Britain since 1988. However, it is believed many more have been found but not reported.

It is against the law to let North American lobsters come into British waters. If they settle down in European waters, it would be bad for the local lobsters. The two live in the same place and eat the same food. But North American lobsters are larger, stronger and more aggressive (好斗的) than European lobsters, and they produce young more quickly.

As a result, they could take food and space away from the local lobsters, and from other types of shellfish that live in the same area. These lobsters may also carry diseases that could harm the local lobsters.

1.Those unwelcome lobsters _____.

A. could travel 5,600 km a day on their own

B. used to live in waters off Great Britain

C. would soon disappear in British waters

D. might have escaped on the way to Britain

2.What can we learn about European lobsters?

A. They are growing too fast to be kept under control.

B. Shellfish often take away their food and space.

C. They are easily harmed by North American lobsters.

D. People become ill easily if they eat these lobsters.

3.The author's purpose of writing the text is most likely to _____.

A. discuss    B. report

C. advertise    D. introduce

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.B

【解析】本文是一篇说明文，主要介绍了北美龙虾通过乘客从北美被带到英国的过程推测以及该品种龙虾对当地龙虾在生存方面具有一定的威胁。

1.细节理解题。根据第三段中“They were probably brought to Britain and then got away from containers.”可知北美龙虾在被带到英国然后逃离了装他们的容器，因此表明他们可能在去英国的路上逃跑了，故D选项正确。

2.推理判断题。根据最后一段“But North American lobsters are larger, stronger and more aggressive than European lobsters”可知北美龙虾更大更强更好斗，因此欧洲龙虾容易受到北美龙虾的伤害，故C选项正确。

3.主旨大意题。排除法，根据全文，作者并没有在为北美龙虾做广告也没有向读者介绍北美龙虾的细节故选项C，D选项错误；同时文章没有他人的观点即无讨论部分故A选项错误；根据上下文作者在报道北美龙虾出现在欧洲的原因以及危害，因此B选项正确。