Question

    Rescue workers had collected 820 birds from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the majority of them already dead. The current spill promises to be the largest in US history, and as cleanup efforts stretch across the summer, it's clear that more oiled birds will be found, stuck and suffering in the black stick liquid. And as they do with every oil spill, rescue workers will go to great lengths to capture and clean the survivors hoping to restore them to their natural habitat.

Is it worth the effort? Some scientists aren’t so sure. Because the stress of being captured and bathed is as significant as the horror of being immersed in oil, and because research suggests that many rescued birds die shortly after being released, some experts say euthanasia (安乐死) is a more humane option.

Clean bird feathers repel water (防水) and regulate body temperature while dirty ones don't. Oil in particular makes feathers heavier and decreases their ability to trap air, which in turn makes birds weak and become easier to drowning, overheating and organ damage. Of course, being captured and cleaned is no picnic either. Some birds wind up returning to their destroyed habitats only to fall victim to the oil again. And those who manage to avoid a second oil bath suffer dramatically shortened life spans (跨度) and lower reproductive success. Of the thousands of birds that were rescued from the Prestige oil spill off the coast of Spain in 2002, only 600 were released into the wild; most of the rest died after just a few days in captivity.

However, bird rescuers say they have learned a lot about how to best help oil-soaked birds, and that therefore, survival rates stand to increase this time around. In the past, birds were cleaned right away, and volunteers often worked through the night bathing rescued birds. But now, captured birds are left to rest for a day or two before being cleaned, and only washed during the day, so as not to disrupt their circadian (生理的) rhythms. But part of that increase may be due to greater selectivity on the part of rescuers. The workers do blood tests right in the field now and birds that are loaded with hydrocarbons (碳氢化合物) or don’t look like they’re going to make it are put down right away, rather than subjected to the stress of captivity and cleaning.

And so far, while release rates may be improving, there is little evidence of better medium or long-term survival, especially for the more-difficult-to-save species. There still aren’t good protocols (协议) for repairing the internal organ damage. Anyway, rescue efforts will continue in large part because the public demands that. Euthanasia is a difficult thing to do, especially for people who have built their lives around saving animals.

1.Why do some scientists doubt the effort to rescue oiled birds?

A.Because it has cost too much time and money.

B.Because human may be infected with the bird virus.

C.Because it is torture followed by death to birds.

D.Because migrant birds may broaden the pollution.

2.The case of Spain coast spill is mentioned to indicate ________.

A.thousands of birds were polluted by oil

B.the survival rate of oiled birds was very low

C.the efforts to rescue oiled birds were ineffective

D.captivity is an impractical method to rescue binds

3.Why do the survival rates of oiled birds increase?

A.Oiled birds are kept in warm water for one or two days

B.The second cleaning of the oiled birds in daytime is not permitted

C.The rescuers often select the birds that are likely to survive

D.Hydrocarbons are removed to rescue the oiled birds

4.Why does oiled birds' rescue remain a controversial problem?

A.Oiled birds’ internal organ damage is permanent.

B.Euthanasia is a difficult and heart-aching operation.

C.The more-difficult-to-save species will die by cleaning.

D.The rescue is oiled birds’ suffering while seeing them die is cruel.

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.C

4.D

【解析】

本文是一篇议论文。在石油泄露事件中，有很多鸟儿在石油中被粘住，遭受苦难。救援人员尽最大努力援救它们。但是科学家们质疑救援工作是否值得。一方面，获救的鸟儿经历了被捕获、被清理的痛苦之后还是会死去，存活率很低；另一方面，对鸟儿进行安乐死也是很多人不能接受的。

1.细节理解题。根据文章第二段"because research suggests that many rescued birds die shortly after being released"因为研究表明许多获救的鸟类在被释放后不久就死亡了。因此，科学家们怀疑自己在救鸟儿时作的努力可能是白费了，结合选项，故选C项。

2.推理判断题。根据第3段Of the thousands of birds that were rescued from the Prestige oil spill off the coast of Spain in 2002, only 600 were released into the wild; most of the rest died after just a few days in captivity（在2002年从西班牙海岸的Prestige石油泄漏事故中获救的数千只鸟类中，只有600只被放生到野外；其余大部分在被关在笼中短短几天后死亡）。根据这些数据可知，被浸在石油中的鸟儿即使获救，他们的存活率也很低。故选B项。

3.推理判断题。根据第4段的part of that increase may be due to greater selectivity on the part of rescuers. The workers do blood tests right in the field now and birds that are loaded with hydrocarbons (碳氢化合物) or don’t look like they’re going to make it are put down right away可知，获救的鸟儿存活率将会上升的部分原因可能是由于救援人员方面的做出了更大选择。工人们对获救的鸟儿做血液测试，那些身上满是石油或看起来不会活下来的鸟儿立刻被放弃了。工人们选择性地抢救那些有存活可能的鸟儿。故选C项。

4.推理判断题。根据第5段while release rates may be improving, there is little evidence of better medium or long-term survival和rescue efforts will continue in large part because the public demands that Euthanasia is a difficult thing to do, especially for people who have built their lives around saving animals 可知，一方面虽然释放率在提高，但是几乎没有证据表明被释放的鸟儿生存状况更好；另一方面，救援工作仍将继续，因为安乐死是一件困难的事情，特别是对于那些从事拯救动物的工作的人来说。所以是否救这些被油浸过的鸟儿还是一个有争议的问题。援救那些鸟儿，对于鸟儿来说也要遭受痛苦，而看到它们的死去也是很残忍的。故选D项。