Question

    Atlantic puffins (海雀) spend most of their life at sea. When it's time to lay eggs, the birds gather on seaside cliffs. They dig into the ground to build nests. After a chick was born, it spends six weeks in the nest, feasting on fish supplied by its parents. Then the young bird must look after itself. It leaves the nest and flies to the sea.

But on Heimaey, an island off the coast of Iceland, human-made objects have disrupted the chicks’ trip to the ocean. Luckily, they are getting help from the children of Heimaey.

Instinct tells chicks to follow the light of the moon to the sea, but they are confused by Heimaey’s bright lights. Each year, a large number of them end up lost, or worse. Often, the birds are hit by cars or caught and eaten by cats.

Each breeding season, the children of Heimaey form search parties. They carry flashlights and cardboard boxes. “When you see a bird, you try to corner it and herd it into the box,” said Eldur Hansen. Eldur is 14 and he has caught several puffins this way. Each year, they rescue thousands of chicks. Children take rescued birds home. The next morning, they take them to the beach for release.

Before releasing the chicks, the children make a stop at the local aquarium, where the birds are weighed and tagged for tracking purposes. This helps scientists learn more about puffins.

Atlantic puffins are now listed as a rare species. That means they are likely to become endangered. The main reason is that the ocean’s supply of small fish is diminishing. This is tied to overfishing and rising ocean temperatures.

Erpur Hansen, Eldur Hansen’s dad, is with the South Iceland Nature Research Center. He said the children’s action was more important than ever. Thanks to data gathered with the children’s help, researchers have learned that chicks now weigh less than in previous years. That means they have a lower chance of survival. Researchers worry that puffins will die out if ocean temperatures continue to rise, but the children’s rescue inspires them.

1.What will a mother puffin do after a chick was born?

A.Catch fish to feed the chick. B.Stay in the nest for six weeks.

C.Leave the nest and fly to the sea alone. D.Lead the chick back to the sea at once.

2.What may disturb the chicks’ sense of direction on their way to the sea?

A.The cars. B.The children. C.The animals. D.The lights.

3.What does the underlined word “diminishing” in Paragraph 6 mean?

A.Changing. B.Decreasing. C.Accumulating. D.Abandoning.

4.How do the researchers compare the chicks’ weight?

A.Getting information from the library. B.Researching the colors of the chicks.

C.Studying the data collected by the children. D.Weighing the chicks adopted at the local aquarium.

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.B

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了大西洋海雀这种动物，介绍了其生活习性、面临的困境，以及人们为了保护这种鸟类所采取的一些措施。

1.

推理判断题。根据第一段中After a chick was born, it spends six weeks in the nest, feasting on fish supplied by its parents. Then the young bird must look after itself.可知小海雀出生后，会在巢里呆上6周，以父母提供的鱼为食。然后小鸟必须自己照顾自己。由此可推知，幼崽出生后，海雀妈妈会抓鱼喂小海雀。故选A。

2.

细节理解题。根据第三段中Instinct tells chicks to follow the light of the moon to the sea, but they are confused by Heimaey’s bright lights.可知小企鹅的本能告诉它们要跟着月光到海里去，但它们被Heimaey的亮光弄糊涂了。由此可知，在去海边的路上，灯光会干扰小海雀的方向感。故选D。

3.

词义猜测题。根据上文Atlantic puffins are now listed as a rare species. That means they are likely to become endangered. The main reason is that the ocean’s supply of small fish is可知大西洋海雀现在被列为稀有物种。这意味着它们可能会成为濒危物种。主要原因是海洋中小鱼的供应正在减少。由此可知，划线单词diminishing意思为“减少”。A. Changing.改变；B. Decreasing.减少；C. Accumulating.积累；D. Abandoning.放弃。故选B。

4.

细节理解题。根据最后一段中Thanks to data gathered with the children’s help, researchers have learned that chicks now weigh less than in previous years.可知多亏了在孩子们的帮助下收集的数据，研究人员发现现在的雏鸟比前几年体重要轻。由此可知，研究人员通过研究孩子们收集的数据来比较雏鸟的体重的。故选C。