Question

    Scientists Diego Kersting and Cristina Linares have found that some coral species are able to recover from harmful warming events through a unique survival strategy (策略)—known as “rejuvenescence” (新生)—among corals in the Mediterranean Sea. The findings represent some rare good news for corals around the world, which are facing numerous severe threats—most notably, climate change.

“The main threats are climate change, overfishing, pollution and coastal urbanization,” Kersting said. “But currently, climate change is probably the one causing the most coral cover declines. Warming stresses corals up to a point that may cause death. Some corals bleach (白化) before dying. Other corals do not bleach but die directly.” He went on, “Our findings are significant because this survival strategy was only known from fossil corals that existed hundreds of millions of years ago. It is the first time that it has been found in a living coral. Thanks to our findings, we know now that some corals are able to recover, but unfortunately this is not enough in the current climate change context.”

For their research, Kersting and Linares monitored 243 colonies of the endangered reef-building coral Cladocoracaespitosa in Spain’s Columbretes Islands Marine Reserve over 16 years, starting in 2002. The monitoring revealed that Cladocoracaespitosa in the Mediterranean uses rejuvenescence to cope with warming events. This process involves the polyps — or the individual coral animals in a colony—shrinking inward and abandoning their skeletons (骨骼) during warm periods, before rejuvenating at a later point. “What happens is that some polyps in a coral colony—sometimes just one— reduces completely its dimensions and partially retreats from its skeleton,” Kersting said. “Once the stressful event is over, the shrunken or rejuvenated polyp recovers its size and builds up a new skeleton. Eventually, it begins to reproduce itself through budding and begins to cover the dead colony surfaces.”

He continued, “The results were very surprising because I started to observe colonies that were dead years ago, that were showing living parts many years after their death.”

1.What is the greatest threat to corals now?

A.Overfishing. B.Light pollution.

C.City growth. D.Climate change.

2.What can we learn about the survival strategy?

A.It is the cause of warming events.

B.It was found for the first time.

C.It will bring hope for the endangered corals.

D.It represents the evolution of the corals.

3.What does paragraph3 mainly talk about?

A.How the extreme corals forms.

B.How the polyps survive their competitors.

C.How the research was conducted.

D.How the coral species manages to recover and regrow.

4.What can best replace the underlined word “retreat” in paragraph3?

A.Withdraw. B.Unfold. C.Benefit. D.Steal.

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.D

4.A

【解析】

本文是一篇科普说明文。科学硏究发现珊瑚采取了一种再生生存策略，这或许能减少珊瑚白化现象。

1.细节理解题。根据第二段中的“But currently, climate change is probably the one causing the most coral cover declines.（但目前，气候变化可能是导致珊瑚覆盖面积下降最多的原因。）”可知珊瑚现在面临的最大威胁是气候变化。可知选D。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段中的“Thanks to our findings, we know now that some corals are able to recover..."（由于我们的发现，我们现在知道一些珊瑚能够恢复……）”可知再生生存策略将为濒临灭绝的珊瑚带来希望。故选C。

3.主旨大意题。根据第三段中For their research, Kersting and Linares monitored 243 colonies of the endangered reef-building coral Cladocoracaespitosa in Spain’s Columbretes Islands Marine Reserve over 16 years, starting in 2002. The monitoring revealed that Cladocoracaespitosa in the Mediterranean uses rejuvenescence to cope with warming events.（Kersting和Linares从2002年开始对西班牙哥伦布群岛海洋保护区的243个濒危的造礁珊瑚群落进行了长达16年的监测。监测结果显示，地中海的克拉多沙鱼利用新生来应对变暖事件。）以及第三段主要介绍珊瑚再生这一过程。故第三段主要讲了珊瑚如何恢复和再生。故选D。

4.词义猜测题。根据后句“Once the stressful event is over; the shrunken or rejuvenated polyp recovers its size and builds up a new skeleton. Eventually, it begins to reproduce itself through budding and begins to cover the dead colony surfaces.”（一旦压力事件结束，萎缩的或恢复活力的珊瑚虫恢复其大小并会建立一个新的骨骼。最终，它开始通过发芽繁殖，并开始覆盖死去的表面）可知，当有压力事件发生时，珊瑚虫会从珊瑚上撤退。故划线单词意思为“撤退”，故选A。