Question

    “If you take care of the birds, you take care of most of the big environmental problems in the world.”

That’s what Thomas Lovejoy, a well-known biologist, says. He helped introduce the term “biological diversity” to the world. And he long ago predicted that by the early 21st century, the Earth would start losing a surprising number of species-a prediction, unfortunately, that is turning out to be true.

We were taken with what Lovejoy said about birds and decided to use it as a launch pad(跳板) for marking 2018 as the Year of the Bird by National Geographic. Hopefully, this will help raise people’s awareness of this problem. In this 12-month multiplatform exploration, we’ll examine how our changing environment is leading to great losses among bird species around the globe. And just as important, we’ll record what we can do about it.

At National Geographic we’ve been looking at the planet’s health from a bird’s-eye view for a long time. This magazine has featured birds on its cover more often than it has featured other popular creatures-at least 30 times, 13 times compared with apes. And the National Geographic Society has awarded hundreds of funds(资金) for the scientific study of birds.

In 2018, we’ll take our coverage of topics affecting birds to a new level. In this issue we launch a year of storytelling with “Why Birds Matter”, an essay by best-selling author Jonathan Franzen. It’s paired with remarkable photographs of birds created by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore.

Why is National Geographic focusing so much attention on birds? That’s just another way of asking, as Franzen does. Why do birds matter? Among his fluent answers: “They are our last, best connection to a natural world that is otherwise moving gradually away from us.”

1.Why is the year 2018 called the Year of Bird?

A.To introduce different kinds of birds.

B.To record what we can do to help birds.

C.To draw public attention to the loss of bird species.

D.To examine the environmental influences on birds.

2.What is “Why Birds Matter”?

A.It is a magazine with many essays. B.It is an article with many photos.

C.It is a report with many topics. D.It is an organization to raise money.

3.What can we know about National Geographic from the passage?

A.It focuses more on birds than other creatures.

B.It receives sums of money to research on birds.

C.It’s the last connection between man and nature.

D.It’s popular with famous biologists and authors.

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.A

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。本文主要讲述了环境的变化导致全球鸟类物种灭绝，因此对于鸟类物种的逐渐消失应该引起人们极大的关注。文章还提到了《国家地理》杂志对鸟类的关注。

1.细节理解题。根据第三段We were taken with what Lovejoy said about birds and decided to use it as a launch pad for marking 2018 as the Year of the Bird by National Geographic. Hopefully, this will help raise people’s awareness of this problem.可知我们被Lovejoy对鸟类的描述所吸引，并决定把它作为一个跳板，使2018年成为国家地理的鸟类年，原希望这能提高人们对这个问题的认识。由此可知，2018年被称为鸟年是为了引起公众对鸟类灭绝的关注。故选C。

2.推理判断题。根据倒数第二段中In this issue we launch a year of storytelling with “Why Birds Matter”, an essay by best-selling author Jonathan Franzen. It’s paired with remarkable photographs of birds created by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore.可知本期我们将用畅销书作家Jonathan Franzen的一篇题为《为什么鸟类如此重要》的文章来展开为期一年的讲故事活动。它与《国家地理》杂志摄影师Joel Sartore拍摄的鸟类照片搭配在一起。由此可推知，Why Birds Matter是一篇有许多照片的文章。故选B。

3.细节理解题。根据第四段中This magazine has featured birds on its cover more often than it has featured other popular creatures-at least 30 times, 13 times compared with apes. And the National Geographic Society has awarded hundreds of funds for the scientific study of birds.可知这本杂志以鸟类为封面的次数比以其他受欢迎的动物为封面的次数要多——至少是30次，是类人猿的13倍。国家地理学会已经为鸟类的科学研究提供了数百项基金。由此可知，与其他生物相比，国家地理更关注鸟类。故选A。