Question

    In the trailer (拖车式房屋)，Sischo was refreshing the snails ‘(锅牛）accommodations--an  ongoing routine that takes days of careful work. He had found a dozen of Achatinella bulimoides--a third of the world's population of the species. Once every individual was accounted for, he cleaned the cage and packed in new leaves. The work took much trouble, but the responsibility, he said, was like “a heavy weight sitting on you.”

The trailer is very vulnerable. It’s designed to keep away would-be thieved, and to resist hurricanes. But a fire could easily destroy it, or a disease could sweep through it. Last September , a mystery pathogon（病原体）appeared to have entered the trailer on leaves fed to the snails, killing almost an entire species. As sad as the event was, there’s no good way to insure against future catastrophe. The snails can’t simply be spread among zoos or other facilities: they need special equipment, experienced handlers, and a diet of native Hawaiian plants.

Consequently, it can be hard for the snails' minders to relax, even when they are outside the trailer. “How do you switch off when your decisions mean existence or extinction?" Sischo said. While action lightens the burden, yet with animals whose natural history is largely unknown, that action can be dangerous. "If you do it wrong, the snails die.”

Snails are neither intelligent nor beloved. Sischo's friends sometimes tease him about being "the strange snail guy' ; strangers ask why he cares. It's hard to convince people, but he insists that if he can just get them in the trailer, they will understand why the Achatinella bulimoides are worth saving. "People melt," he said“When you show them that the entire population is in this chamber, it hits them."

1.What is the trailer used for?

A.Accommodating guests B.Sheltering snails

C.Planting vegetables. D.Alarming thieves.

2.What does the underlined word “vulnerable" mean in paragraph?

A.Quite. B.Safe.

C.Easily affected. D.Well protected.

3.What is the snail minders' attitude towards their job?

A.Relaxed. B.Confident.

C.Cautious D.Disapproving

4.Which of the following could be the best title for the text?

A.The Last of Its Kind B.The Worst of Times

C.Mourn Its Loss D.Resist Possible Dangerous

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.C

4.A

【解析】

本文为说明文。主要说明为了拯救濒临灭绝的蜗牛物种，人类为它们制作了特殊的设备---拖车式房屋，经验丰富的驯养员和夏威夷本地植物的饮食，这些都有益于蜗牛的保护。

1.推理判断题。根据第二段的内容“The trailer... It’s designed to keep away would-be thieved, and to resist hurricanes. But a fire could easily destroy it, or a disease could sweep through it. ...As sad as the event was, there’s no good way to insure against future catastrophe. The snails can’t simply be spread among zoos or other facilities: they need special equipment...”可知，拖车房屋很脆弱。它的设计是为了避免可能被盗，抵御飓风。但是火灾很容易摧毁它，或者疾病可以席卷它。......，但没有好的办法来防止未来的灾难。蜗牛不能简单地在动物园或其他设施中生存：它们需要特殊的设备...。这个特殊的设备就是the trailer。由此可知，这个和the trailer 是给蜗牛住的房子，是收容蜗牛，为其遮风挡雨的。分析选项可知，故B项符合题意。

2.猜测词义题。根据划线词The trailer is very vulnerable后的内容 “ It’s designed to keep away would-be thieved, and to resist hurricanes. But a fire could easily destroy it, or a disease could sweep through it. Last September , a mystery pathogen appeared to have entered the trailer on leaves fed to the snails, killing almost an entire species.”拖车房屋的设计是为了防止潜在的盗窃，并抵御飓风。但是一场火灾可以轻易地摧毁它，或者一种疾病可以席卷它。由此可推断出，这种拖车房屋很容易被火烧，疾病可摧毁它，所以它是易受其他因素影响的。故选C。

3.推理判断题。根据第三段it can be hard for the snails' minders to relax, even when they are outside the trailer.... “How do you switch off when your decisions mean existence or extinction? yet with animals whose natural history is largely unknown, that action can be dangerous. "If you do it wrong, the snails die.”蜗牛的看护人员即使在拖车房外也很难放松...“你的决定会影响它们的生存或毁灭，你怎么能不担心呢？”但对于自然基本一无所知的动物来说，这种行动可能是危险的。如果你做错了，蜗牛就会死。由此可知，蜗牛看护者对待他们的态度是谨慎小心的。分析选项A. Relaxed.放松的；B. Confident自信的； C. Cautious谨慎小心的；D. Disapproving反对的。可知C项符合题意，故选C。

4.主旨大意题。根据第一段中的“.... He had found a dozen of Achatinella bulimoides --a third of the world's population of the species”一天他发现了12种蜗牛，占世界蜗牛总数的三分之一。第二段中的“Last September , a mystery pathogon（病原体）appeared to have entered the trailer on leaves fed to the snails, killing almost an entire species.” 去年9月,一个谜似的 (病原体进入了拖车中蜗牛吃的树叶, 几乎杀死整个物种。第三段中的“How do you switch off when your decisions mean existence or extinction?” Sischo said。“你的决定会影响它们的生存或毁灭，你怎么能不担心呢？你的决定会影响它们的生存或毁灭，你怎么能不担心呢？”由此可推断出：这种蜗牛的数量极少，也就是说“这种物种最后的几条蜗牛“。分析选项可知A项“这种物种最后的几条蜗牛”为短文最佳标题。故选A。