Question

    Cane toads, also known as bufo toads, are yet another invasive (入侵) species that has found a hospitable home in warm southern Florida. Deliberately introduced from South and Central America in the 1930s, they were supposed to control beetles damaging the sugarcane crop— that’s how they got the name “cane toads.”

Cane toads can pose a particular danger because the adult ones shoot toxin ( 毒 素 ) from their back when attacked. The tiny toads don’t carry enough toxin to be deadly yet, but big adult ones can easily send a dog into a seizure ( 疾病发作) or even kill it. The toxin is “very viscous and would stick inside the dog’s mouth,” says Steve Johnson, a wildlife ecologist at the University of Florida. Owners should try to wipe out an affected dog’s mouth and immediately take it to the vet.

Tilford started Toad Busters in 2017. The woman who lived there had nine cats, which she fed by dumping almost a bag of cat food every night. Cane toads normally eat bugs, but they are happy to eat pet food, too.

Cane toads have adapted beautifully to the Florida suburbs, so a lot of Tilford’s work also involves getting people to rethink their suburban backyard. No more cat food, for example. Pet poop  (粪便) can also attract insects, which can in turn attract toads. As do lights. And toads love to breed (繁殖) in attractive pools of water, such as the lake in the affected Palm Beach Garden neighborhood. For “these larger communities that want to build these beautiful ponds and want to have houses on ponds,” Tilford said, “this is almost a pest-control service.” The cane toads aren’t going away, but they can be managed like mosquitoes or rats.

Dealing with toads amounts to an annoying thing in Florida, but they can also create more dramatic problems. In Australia—where they were also deliberately introduced in the 1930s to protect sugarcane—they are a genuine scourge (灾祸).

The issue is that Australia has no native toad species, so none of the predators (食肉动物) knew how to avoid the toxic toads. As the cane toads advanced east to west across the continent, “they left a wake of dead animals in their paths,” says Sean Doody, an ecologist at the University of South Florida at St. Petersburg who has studied cane toads in Australia. Turtles, lizards, and crocodiles just started dying out, which was good news for their prey (受害者). “If you were a small species that was previously being eaten, suddenly you’re on a honeymoon,” says Rick Shine, a biologist at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, who has also studied the impact of cane toads on Australian wildlife.

1.What can cane toads be described as?

A. Invasive species introduced to South America.

B. Natural enemies of beetles damaging sugarcane.

C. Dangerous species making active attacks on dogs.

D. A great threat presented to some wildlife ecologists.

2.Which might be the proper way of avoiding cane toads according to Tilford?

A. Abandon the suburban backyard.

B. Light up the backyard at night.

C. Control the number of large houses.

D. Keep pet food away from backyard.

3.What happened in Australia after cane toads being introduced?

A. Cane toads destroyed some food chains.

B. Most of the predators died of toad toxin.

C. Cane toads bred at a much slower pace.

D. Big species learned to avoid cane toads.

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.A

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文，介绍了原本为控制危害甘蔗作物的甲虫而从南美和中美洲引进的甘蔗蟾蜍在美国和澳大利亚已成为破坏当地生态平衡的一大灾祸。

1.推理判断题。根据第一段中的“Deliberately introduced from South and Central America in the 1930s, they were supposed to control beetles damaging the sugarcane crop”可知，20世纪30年代，甘蔗蟾蜍从南美和中美洲引进是为了控制危害甘蔗作物的甲虫，由此可知，甘蔗蟾蜍是危害甘蔗的甲虫的天敌，故B项正确。

2.细节理解题。根据第四段中的“… so a lot of Tilford’s work also involves getting people to rethink their suburban backyard. No more cat food, for example.”可知，Tilford认为避免甘蔗蟾蜍的正确方法是让宠物食物远离后院，故D项正确。

3.细节理解题。根据最后一段中的“The issue is that Australia has no native toad species, so none of the predators (食肉动物) knew how to avoid the toxic toads. As the cane toads advanced east to west across the continent, “they left a wake of dead animals in their paths,”可知，澳大利亚没有蟾蜍，当地动物不知道如何避免有毒的蟾蜍，因此引进的甘蔗蟾蜍造成了很多动物的死亡，由此可知甘蔗蟾蜍的引进在澳大利亚破坏了当地的食物链，故A项正确。