Question

    Researchers in Japan have installed (安装) on a train a speaker that barks like a dog and snorts like a deer in order to prevent collisions with animals on the tracks.

The country has been troubled by a problem with trains colliding with deer on its railways. According to Japan’s transport ministry, there were 613 cases of train services delayed for at least 30 minutes resulting from collisions with deer and other wild animals in 2018-19.

Deer are attracted to railway lines because of a need for iron in their diets. They lick (舔) the rails to pick up iron filings caused by the action of wheels against tracks. This dietary need has led to a constant battle to keep the deer separate from the danger of a fast-moving train. In the past, flashing red lights and even lion faces have been unsuccessfully trialed in an attempt to keep deer off the tracks.

This new device has been invented by a team at the country’s Railway Technical Research Institute (RTRD). RTRI officials explain that deer have a habit of repeatedly snorting short, shrill sounds to warn other deer when they sense danger. The barking of the hunting dog, which drives deer to panic, strengthens the effect of the warning noise, according to the RTRI. When the deer hear a combination of a 3-second-long recording of a deer’s snort and 20 seconds of a barking dog, they panic and flee rapidly.

RTRI researchers say late-night tests, at times when deer are most frequently seen by railway tracks, have resulted in a 45 percent reduction of deer sighting. Future plans include still barking sites where deer are commonly seen, but the unpleasant noises will not be so loud in areas where people live beside the tracks.

1.Why are deer attracted to train tracks?

A.To get close to the passing trail. B.To get nutrition from train tracks.

C.To hunt for food near the train tracks. D.To gather together at night near railways.

2.What has been tried to solve the railway problem in Japan?

A.Robots. B.Hunting dogs.

C.Lion face paintings. D.Specially designed tracks.

3.What do we know about the speaker?

A.Its inventors drew inspiration from deer’s habit.

B.It will be put to use in areas where deer appear.

C.It will affect people who live beside the track.

D.It has decreased more than half of deer sighting.

4.What is the passage mainly about?

A.A dietary habit of deer.

B.A traffic problem caused by deer.

C.A battle between human and animals.

D.An invention designed to keep deer off the tracks.

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.A

4.D

【解析】

本文是说明文。为了防止鹿撞上铁轨，日本的研究人员在火车上安装扬声器，发出像狗一样吠叫、像鹿一样短而尖锐的声音。这样鹿感觉到危险时，就会惊慌地逃离。

1.细节理解题。根据第三段中“Deer are attracted to railway lines because of a need for iron in their diets. They lick (舔) the rails to pick up iron filings caused by the action of wheels against tracks（鹿被铁路线吸引是因为它们的饮食需要铁。它们舔那些由于车轮与轨道的作用而产生的铁屑。）”可知，鹿被吸引到铁轨，是因为它们要从铁轨上获取铁这种营养素。故选B项。

2.细节理解题。根据第三段中“In the past, flashing red lights and even lion faces have been unsuccessfully trialed in an attempt to keep deer off the tracks.”可知，日本尝试过用狮子脸的画来让鹿远离铁轨，但是没有成功。故选C项。

3.推理判断题。根据第四段中“RTRI officials explain that deer have a habit of repeatedly snorting short, shrill sounds to warn other deer when they sense danger. …When the deer hear a combination of a 3-second-long recording of a deer’s snort and 20 seconds of a barking dog, they panic and flee rapidly.( RTRI的官员解释说，鹿有一种习惯，当它们感觉到危险时，会不断地用短而尖锐的声音来警告其他鹿。……当鹿听到3秒钟的鹿发出的声音和20秒的狗叫声时，它们会惊慌并迅速逃离。)”，因此可以推断，研究人员在火车上安装扬声器，是从鹿的习性中获得灵感。故选A项。

4.主旨大意题。文章第一段是全文的主题段“Researchers in Japan have installed (安装) on a train a speaker that barks like a dog and snorts like a deer in order to prevent collisions with animals on the tracks.（日本的研究人员在火车上安装扬声器，发出的声音像狗一样吠叫和像鹿一样发出的声音，是为了防止动物撞上铁轨。）”，下文说明发明这种扬声器的原因和它的功效。因此文章是介绍了让鹿远离铁轨的一项发明。故选D项。