Question

    Today we know Antarctica as an extreme environment containing ice and snow. But new research provides evidence that the area was very different in the past.

The evidence was found inside a piece of earth sediment(沉积物) collected by researchers from a depth of about 30 meters below the ocean floor off the coast of Antarctica. In the sediment, they found forest soil estimated to be about 90 million years old. This would have been in the Cretaceous Period, when dinosaurs were the main land animals.

Johann Klages is a geologist, working in the Institute's Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research in Germany. He said an examination showed that the material formed on land, not in the ocean.

The researchers estimate that the area – about 900 kilometers from the South Pole – had average yearly temperatures of about 12 to 13 degrees Celsius. During the warmest summer months, average temperatures likely reached between 20 to 25 degrees Celsius. The average yearly temperature in that area is about 40 degrees below zero Celsius.

The examination results showed “a dense network of roots that spread through the entire soil layer,” the Helmholtz Center said in a statement.

The dark brownish-gray soil included fine dirt particles and hard clay, as well as substances linked to at least 65 different kinds of plants, the study found. Klages put that the plants included trees, ferns and flowering plants and while no animal remains were found, there were likely dinosaurs, flying reptiles and many insects in the environment.

The researchers said that the rainforest environment in Antarctica was especially surprising because each year, the area experiences a four-month polar night when there is no sunlight to fuel plant life.

1.According to the passage, we can learn that ________.

A.dinosaurs were from Antarctica

B.Antarctica was always extremely cold

C.the ocean floor is made up of sediment

D.the area has been experiencing climate changes

2.What surprised the researchers?

A.No animals left.

B.No fertilizer to fuel plants.

C.Roots spreading through the soil.

D.The rainforest experiencing polar night.

3.Which column is the passage probably from?

A.Science. B.Entertainment. C.Society. D.Fiction.

4.What can be a suitable title for the text?

A.Antarctica, Once a Warm Rainforest

B.Earth Sediment Found in Antarctica

C.Antarctica - an Extreme Environment

D.New Antarctica Found by Researchers

Answer

1.D

2.D

3.A

4.A

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了研究者发现现在由冰雪覆盖的南极洲曾经是一片温暖的雨林。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段Today we know Antarctica as an extreme environment containing ice and snow. But new research provides evidence that the area was very different in the past.（今天，我们知道南极洲是一个覆盖着冰雪的极端环境。 但新的研究提供了证据，表明该地区在过去是非常不同的）。再根据下文知道，这里曾经是一片温暖的雨林。所以可知，这个地区一直在经历着气候变化。故选D。

2.细节理解题。根据最后一段The researchers said that the rainforest environment in Antarctica was especially surprising because each year, the area experiences a four-month polar night when there is no sunlight to fuel plant life.（研究人员说，南极洲的雨林环境特别令人惊讶，因为每年，该地区都经历了一个四个月的极地之夜，当时没有阳光来促进植物的生命。）所以可知，让研究人惊讶的是热带雨林经历了极地之夜。故选D。

3.推理判断题。本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了研究者发现现在由冰雪覆盖的南极洲曾经是一片温暖的雨林。这是科学研究，所以可以推断出本文可能摘自《科学》栏目。故选A。

4.标题判断题。本文主要介绍了研究者发现现在由冰雪覆盖的南极洲曾经是一片温暖的雨林。所以最佳题目是：南极洲，曾经是一片温暖的雨林。故选A。