Question

    Over the past five decades mosquito populations in parts of the U.S. have skyrocketed by a factor of 10-a situation with worrying implications for the spread of diseases. And some places are apparently more easily affected than others. A new study in the Journal of Medical Entomology found that in Baltimore, low-income neighborhoods bear the biggest burden: they have not only more mosquitoes but also larger ones, which often survive longer. The problem most likely is rooted in the fact that Baltimore has nearly 17,000 abandoned buildings, which are concentrated in economically disadvantaged areas and serve as convenient mosquito-breeding zones.

Compared with prosperous blocks, low-income blocks have more abandoned buildings and are more heavily littered with thrown-away containers that collect standing water. And water that pools in abandoned buildings is protected by shade-which helps mosquitoes grow larger. Some cities take efforts to plant trees in low-income blocks but may actually worsen the problem: trees and bushes not only shade outdoor breeding(繁殖) pools but also shed leaves into the water and feed the mosquito larvae(幼虫), helping them grow bigger. Worse still, climate change could worsen the disease landscape by broadening habitats and lengthening the time every summer that mosquitoes can breed and survive.

Cities may, then, need to focus more mosquito-control efforts on these areas. Urban health departments typically educate homeowners about the importance of emptying water out of outdoor containers. But nobody empties those in or around abandoned buildings. “It is something that is fairly difficult for a city to address because it’s really expensive to go into private belongings and clean them up,” says Dina Fonseca, a molecular ecologist at Rutgers University. Yet if these belongings become breeding grounds not only for annoying mosquitoes but also for dangerous diseases, officials’ concepts may need to change.

1.What does the phrase “a factor of 10” in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A.A major cause. B.A high rate.

C.A big concern. D.A special situation.

2.Why is the spread of diseases relatively more serious in poor neighborhoods in Baltimore?

A.Because people there lack the awareness of waste sorting.

B.Because people there pay little attention to water protection.

C.Because more thrown-away containers are collected for reuse there.

D.Because more abandoned buildings serve as habitats for mosquitoes there.

3.Which of the following solutions is well-intentioned but may result in opposite effects?

A.Planting more trees. B.Changing officials’ ideas.

C.Emptying water containers. D.Cleaning abandoned buildings.

4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A.To complain about the poor housing. B.To offer some treatments for diseases.

C.To appeal for mosquito-control efforts. D.To introduce a new species of mosquitoes.

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.A

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章说明了在过去的50年里，美国部分地区的蚊子数量激增了10倍，这对疾病的传播产生了令人担忧的影响。尤其以巴尔的摩地区为例，说明了这里蚊子增长快的原因，作者呼吁城市相关部门尽快采取蚊虫控制措施，避免危险疾病滋生。

1.词义猜测题。根据后文And some places are apparently more easily affected than others. And some places are apparently more easily affected than others. A new study in the Journal of Medical Entomology found that in Baltimore, low-income neighborhoods bear the biggest burden: they have not only more mosquitoes but also larger ones, which often survive longer.可知有些地方显然比其他地方更容易受到影响。发表在《医学昆虫学杂志》上的一项新研究发现，在巴尔的摩，低收入社区承受着最大的负担:那里不仅有更多的蚊子，而且还有更大的蚊子，它们的寿命往往更长。由此可知，短语位于的句子意思是：在过去的50年里，美国部分地区的蚊子数量激增了10倍，这对疾病的传播产生了令人担忧的影响。故“a factor of 10”指代的是“增长率”。故选B。

2.细节理解题。根据第一段中The problem most likely is rooted in the fact that Baltimore has nearly 17,000 abandoned buildings, which are concentrated in economically disadvantaged areas and serve as convenient mosquito-breeding zones.可知最可能的问题是，巴尔的摩有近1.7万栋废弃建筑，这些建筑集中在经济落后的地区，是方便蚊子滋生的地方。由此可知，疾病在巴尔的摩贫困社区的传播相对更严重，是因为更多的废弃建筑成了蚊子的栖息地。故选D。

3.细节理解题。根据第二段中Some cities take efforts to plant trees in low-income blocks but may actually worsen the problem: trees and bushes not only shade outdoor breeding pools but also shed leaves into the water and feed the mosquito larvae, helping them grow bigger.可知一些城市采取措施在低收入街区种植树木，但实际上可能使问题恶化：树木和灌木不仅遮蔽了室外的繁殖池，而且还把叶子掉到水里，喂养蚊子的幼虫，帮助它们长得更大。由此可知，A选项“种植更多的树”这一解决方案是善意的，但可能导致相反的效果。故选A。

4.推理判断题。根据最后一段中“It is something that is fairly difficult for a city to address because it’s really expensive to go into private belongings and clean them up,” says Dina Fonseca, a molecular ecologist at Rutgers University. Yet if these belongings become breeding grounds not only for annoying mosquitoes but also for dangerous diseases, officials’ concepts may need to change.可知罗格斯大学的分子生态学家Dina Fonseca表示:“对于一个城市来说，解决这个问题相当困难，因为进入私人物品并对其进行清理的成本非常高昂。”然而，如果这些物品不仅成为讨厌的蚊子的滋生地，而且成为危险疾病的滋生地，官员们的观念可能需要改变。结合文章说明了在过去的50年里，美国部分地区的蚊子数量激增了10倍，这对疾病的传播产生了令人担忧的影响。尤其以巴尔的摩地区为例，说明了这里蚊子增长快的原因，作者呼吁城市相关部门尽快采取蚊虫控制措施，避免危险疾病滋生。由此可推知，作者写这篇文章的目的是呼吁采取蚊虫控制措施。故选C。