Question

    The victims were carried in one by one, their paws and fur burned, suffering from lack of water and fear. Their caretakers bandaged their wounds and laid them in baskets with the only thing that was familiar -- the leaves of a eucalyptus (桉树) tree.

As catastrophic fires have burned more than 2 million acres in Australia, dozens of koalas have been rescued from smoky and burning trees and ashen ground. "They are terrified," said Cheyne Flanagan, clinical director of the Koala Hospital in Port Macquarie, the only facility of its kind in the world.

Koalas, unlike kangaroos, birds or snakes, do not flee from fires but instead climb trees to the top, where they can curd themselves into a ball for protection and wait for the danger to pass. But during high-intensity fires, such as those that have burned in recent weeks, the animals, conservationists said, are far less likely to survive. Even if the fire itself does not reach the tree top, the animals may overheat and fall to the ground, where they can be burned to death.

The suffering of the koala -- a national symbol of Australia -- has raised questions among conservationists and scientists about what it will take to preserve biodiversity in a country increasingly prone to intense fire, extreme heat and water shortage. While koalas have evolved to exist alongside wildfires, the animals are facing new threats not just from climate change but also from human development, which has affected local populations, impairing their ability to survive fires.

"We have these unique animals not found anywhere else on this planet, and we're killing them," Flanagan said. "This is a big wake-up call."

1.The description of the koalas in Para. 1 is to show         .

A.koalas are quite lovely

B.the forests in Australia are severely burnt

C.global warming is becoming more and more serious

D.forest burning has put koalas into great danger

2.How do koalas react in face of forest fire?

A.They escape from fires as so0n as possible.

B.They climb to the top of trees for safety.

C.They curl themselves into a ball on the ground.

D.They wait where they're for the danger to pass.

3.According to the article, which of the following factors may NOT affect the preservation of biodiversity in Australia?

A.Global warming. B.Water shortage.

C.Intense fire. D.Extreme heat.

4.From Flanagan's words, we can learn        .

A.koalas are not unique animals on the earth

B.people are killing koalas cruelly on purpose

C.measures should be taken to save koalas

D.people should wake up to preserve the earth

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.A

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。澳洲森林大火持续蔓延，严重影响了澳大利亚的国宝—考拉的生存条件。人们如果还想拥有考拉，就必须行动起来。

1.推理判断题。根据第一段的描述可知考拉正遭受火灾的摧残，生存现状不容乐观。本文主题与考拉有关，而重点不在森林及全球变暖上，所以BC项不选。故选D项。

2.细节理解题。根据第三段Koalas, unlike kangaroos, birds or snakes, do not flee from fires but instead climb trees to the top, where they can curd themselves into a ball for protection and wait for the danger to pass可知，考拉躲避火灾的方法是：爬到树上，卷曲身体成球保护自己。故选B项。

3.细节理解题。根据第四段“... to preserve biodiversity in a country increasingly prone to intense fire，extreme heat and water shortage.”可知global warming文中没有提到，故选A项。

4.推理判断题。根据文章最后一段“We have these unique animals...”及“This is a big wake-up call.”可知考拉是世界上最宝贵的动物之一，而生存现状不容乐观。我们应该采取行动挽救考拉。故选C项。