Question

    The latest data from Nature's Calendar shows that the butterflies, newts and nest-building blackbirds have been spotted months before they would normally appear. An analysis of the conditions in 2019 found that all but one of the 50 spring events the scheme (计划)tracks were early last year, as a result of warmer winter temperatures. The Woodland Trust, which runs the Nature's Calendar scheme, warns that many species are losing their seasonal cues (提示)as winters warm and seasons shift.

Increasingly unstable weather could tempt some animals out of hibernation (冬眠)too soon, only to be hit by sharply dropping temperatures. And some birds appeared to be breeding too late to make the most of vital food sources that appear earlier than normal, the Trust said.

Lorienne Whittle, at the Woodland Trust, said, “It seems that last year we almost lost winter as a season — it was much milder and our data shows wildlife is responding, potentially putting many at risk.”

And she said, “It appears that some species are able to adapt to the advancing spring better than others. Oak trees respond by producing their first leaves earlier and caterpillars seem to be keeping pace. But blue tits, great tits and pied flycatchers are struggling to react in time for their chicks to take advantage of the peak amount of caterpillars— the food source on which they depend.”

Active newts were recorded in late December in Cheshire and a blackbird was spotted building a nest at the beginning of January. Accordingly, a report for The Wildlife Trust suggested that hedgerows (树篱)be protected from being cut during the nesting season.

1.What does the underlined word “tempt” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A.help. B.attract. C.guide. D.threaten.

2.Why are oak trees mentioned in the text?

A.To explain why plants respond to the climate change.

B.To prove some species fit in with the climate change better.

C.To show how caterpillars react to the changing environment.

D.To suggest plants adapt to warmer winters better than animals.

3.How is the text mainly developed?

A.By listing environmental damages. B.By offering practical suggestions.

C.By making striking comparisons. D.By presenting tracking results.

4.What can be the best title of the passage?

A.Warmer winters: Wildlife under threat B.A practical scheme: Protection under way

C.A big danger: Birds' dying out D.A hard journey: Plants' struggling to survive

Answer

1.B

2.B

3.D

4.A

【解析】

本文是说明文。《自然日历》的最新数据显示，由于冬天变暖，春天提前到来，导致许多物种不知道季节更替的提示，这会使许多物种置于危险之中。

1.

词句猜测题。文章第一段提到“… the butterflies, newts and nest-building blackbirds have been spotted months before they would normally appear. …as a result of warmer winter temperatures.(由于冬季气温更暖和，蝴蝶、蝾螈和筑巢的黑鹂比它们正常出现的时间提前了几个月就被发现。)”以及“many species are losing their seasonal cues (提示)as winters warm and seasons shift.（当冬天变暖，季节更替的时候，许多物种失去了季节性提示。）”由此可以推测，划线词所在的句子意思为“气候不稳定（冬天比以前更暖和），导致很多动物过早地走出冬眠”，其中tempt的意思为“吸引，引诱”。故选B项。

2.

推理判断题。根据第四段中“It appears that some species are able to adapt to the advancing spring better than others. Oak trees respond by producing their first leaves earlier and caterpillars seem to be keeping pace.（看来有些物种比其他物种更能适应春天的提前到来。橡树作出的反应是更早地长出第一片叶子，而毛毛虫似乎也与之同步。）”可知，此处提到了橡树的例子是为了证明有一些物种能更好地适应气候变化。故选B项。

3.

推理判断题。通读全文，文章第一段中提到“The latest data from Nature's Calendar shows that…(《自然日历》的最新数据显示…)”，“An analysis of the conditions in 2019 found that…(关于2019年情况的分析发现…)”；文章第2～4段中提到“…the Trust said.” “Lorienne Whittle, at the Woodland Trust, said,…”“And she said….”，这三段的内容是The Woodland Trust 跟踪有些物种春天活动情况的发现；第五段中提到“a report for The Wildlife Trust suggested…（The Wildlife Trust的一项报告建议…）”。根据文中提到的“data”“analysis”“…said”“report”等词可知，文章是通过呈现The Woodland Trust跟踪有些物种的发现结果来展开的。故选D项。

4.

主旨大意题。通读全文，文章第一段提出“many species are losing their seasonal cues (提示)as winters warm and seasons shift.（当冬天变暖，季节更替时，很多动物不知道季节更替的提示。）”第二、三段提出“…potentially putting many at risk”这使很多物种处于危险中；第四、五段提出“It appears that some species are able to adapt to the advancing spring better than others.”有些物种更能适应春天的提前到来，有些物种不能适应。文章内容是关于冬天变暖，春天提前到来，使很多物种处于危险之中。因此文章标题应该为“更温暖的冬天：野生动物受到威胁”。故选A项。