Question

    As the climate warms, birds are shrinking and their wingspans are growing, according to a new study. Researchers analyzed 70,716 birds from 52 kinds of North American migratory（迁徙的）bird species collected over 40 years. The authors say the study is the largest of its kind and that the findings are important to understanding how animals will adapt to climate change.

"We found almost all of the species were getting smaller." said lead author Brian Weeks, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan.

"The species were pretty diverse, but responding in a similar wav." he said. "The consistency was shocking."

He said studies of animal responses to climate change often focus on shifts in geographical range or timing of life events, like migration and birth. But this study suggests body morphology（形态）is a crucial third aspect.

"That's one major implication," he said, "It's hard to understand how birds will adapt without taking all three of these things into consideration."

The findings showed that from 1978 to 2016, the length of the birds' lower leg bone shortened by 2.4%. Over the same time, the wings lengthened by 1.3%.

The evidence suggests warming temperatures caused the decrease in body size, which in turn caused the increase in wing length.

"Migration is an incredibly taxing thing they do," Mr. Weeks said, explaining that the smaller body size means less energy available for the birds to complete their long journeys.

He says the birds most likely to survive migration were the ones with longer wingspans and smaller bodies.

The scientists aren't exactly sure why warmer temperatures cause birds to shrink. One theory is that smaller animals are better at cooling off, losing body heat more quickly.

1.What's the best title for the text?

A.All of the Birds Are Getting Smaller

B.Animals Are Adapting to Climate Change

C.Climate Change Is Causing Birds to Shrink

D.Scientists Are Finding Causes of Warm Climate

2.What made Brian Weeks feel astonished?

A.It took 40 years to collect 70,716 birds from North America.

B.Many birds are shrinking when responding to the climate change.

C.All migratory bird species were collected to do the important research.

D.So many researchers take part in the largest study to work out the findings.

3.What does the underlined word "taxing" most probably mean?

A.Tiring. B.Important

C.Easy. D.Pleasant

4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A.The migratory birds aren't big.

B.The temperatures will be higher.

C.The scientists will go on further study.

D.The smaller animals will surely live longer.

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.A

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章讲述了，研究表明随着气候变暖，鸟类数量在减少，鸟的体型在缩小，翅膀也在增长，原因未知。

1.主旨大意题。本文是一篇说明文，全文围绕一项研究发现展开。由第一段第一句“As the climate warms, birds are shrinking and their wingspans are growing, according to a new study.”（一项新的研究显示，随着气候变暖，鸟类在缩小，翅膀也在增长。）和最后一段第一句“The scientists aren't exactly sure why warmer temperatures cause birds to shrink.”（科学家们还不清楚为什么温度升高会导致鸟类缩小。）可知这篇文章主要讲了研究表明随着气候变暖，鸟类数量在减少，鸟的体型在缩小，翅膀也在增长，原因未知。这篇文章最好的题目是“气候变化正导致鸟类缩小”，故选C项。

2.细节理解题。由第二段的“"We found almost all of the species were getting smaller." said lead author Brian Weeks, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan.”（“我们发现几乎所有的物种都在变小。”密歇根大学助理教授Brian Weeks说。）和第三段的“"The species were pretty diverse, but responding in a similar wav." he said. "The consistency was shocking."”（他说：“这些物种非常多样化，但它们的反应是相似的。”“这种一致性令人震惊。”），可知Brian Weeks认为许多鸟类在应对气候变化时都在缩小令人震惊。故选B项。

3.词义猜测题。由倒数第三段的Mr. Weeks said, explaining that the smaller body size means less energy available for the birds to complete their long journeys.”（Weeks先生解释说，体型越小，鸟类完成长途旅行所需的能量就越少。）可知划线词所在的句子意思是迁徙是一件非常疲劳的事情，因此taxing在此处意为“疲劳的”，用tiring代替。故选A项。

4.推理判断题。由最后一段第一句“The scientists aren't exactly sure why warmer temperatures cause birds to shrink.”（科学家们还不清楚为什么温度升高会导致鸟类缩小。）可知科学家还不知道气温升高导致鸟类缩小的原因，可推断出科学家们将继续深入研究。故选C项。