Question

    In Australia, the bilby (兔耳袋狸) project is seen as an important part in protecting the nation’s wildlife. Bilbies are known for their long ears and large back legs. They usually sleep during the day, and are awake at night. They look a lot like rabbits and grow to about 2.5 kilograms.

For the first time in 2018, bilbies are running wild in Southeastern Australia. The small animals were once widespread across much of Australia, but were last observed in the wild in New South Wales state in 1912. Every year bilby populations continue to decrease. Wildlife experts are afraid that the bilby, a small marsupial, could eventually disappear forever, either because of land clearing or fires. Another reason is a threat from cats and foxes, which hunt down and kill bilbies.

In northern New South Wales state, environmentalists are celebrating what they are calling a historic moment. Thirty bilbies from a captive breeding program have been released into a large predator-free enclosed area north of Sydney. Without the protection of a 32-kilometer fence, experts say the animals probably would not survive.

Tim Allard heads the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, which is involved in the project. He says the release of these beloved animals is a big deal. “There are some remaining wild bilby populations, but they get predated upon heavily by feral cats and foxes. Bilbies only really survive behind fenced areas.” Allard said the point of doing this project is to return the countryside to what it used to be before Europeans arrived. “So in the not-too-distant future, you will be able to go inside the fenced areas and it will be like stepping back before Europeans turned up,” he said.

1.What is the main idea of paragraph 1?

A. The shape of the bilby. B. The habit of the bilby.

C. The weight of the bilby. D. The characteristics of the bilby.

2.The followings are the reasons for Bilbies’ disappearance EXCEPT ________?

A. Trees’ clearing. B. Fires’ bursting. C. Cats’ hunting. D. Foxes’ killing.

3.What docs the underlined word “enclosed” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A. Involved. B. Protected. C. Hunted. D. Enlarged.

4.From Allard’s words, what do we know?

A. The release of bilbies can make much money.

B. Cats and foxes cause the decrease of bilbies.

C. Nature reserves are needed to protect bilbies.

D. Europeans shouldn’t turn up in the countryside.

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.B

4.C

【解析】

本文是一篇记叙文。介绍了澳大利亚政府组织为保护濒危动物兔耳袋狸而进行的兔耳袋狸计划。

1.主旨大意题。根据文章第一段第二句“Bilbies are known for their long ears and large back legs. They usually sleep during the day, and are awake at night. They look a lot like rabbits and grow to about 2.5 kilograms.”介绍了兔耳袋狸的体型，体重和生活习惯，这些都是兔耳袋狸的特征。因此第一段的主旨大意是介绍兔耳袋狸的特征，故选D。

2.细节理解题。根据文章第二段最后一、二句“Wildlife experts are afraid that the bilby, a small marsupial, could eventually disappear forever, either because of land clearing or fires. Another reason is a threat from cats and foxes, which hunt down and kill bilbies.”可知兔耳袋狸消失的原因有土地清理或火灾，和来自猫和狐狸的捕食，没有提及A选项“树木清理”，因此选A。

3.词义猜测题。根据文章第三段后文“Without the protection of a 32-kilometer fence, experts say the animals probably would not survive.”可知如果没有32公里长的围栏的保护，这些动物可能无法生存。故可推测上文兔耳袋狸应当是被放入一个大型“保护”区域当中，故可推测划线部分单词意思为“保护的”，故选B。

4.推理判断题。根据文章最后一段Allard的话提到“Bilbies only really survive behind fenced areas.”可知Allard提到兔耳袋狸只能在围栏里生存，也就是说要保护兔耳袋狸，建立大自然保护区是必要的，故选C。