Question

    If an emperor penguin wants to survive in the worst of an Antarctic winter, there is no such thing as personal space. The large birds are known to stay very close to each other, feather to feather, in groups of thousands to keep out the cold.

For the first time, German researchers show that these gatherings are carefully organized structures, in which single penguins can cause mass movements within the group that is similar to the movements of cars in a traffic jam.

“If one penguin starts a wave, perhaps walking too close to its neighbor, it travels like a Mexican wave in a football stadium,” said physicist Daniel Zitterbart. The Mexican wave happens when all the people watching a sport stand up, move their arms up and down, and sit down again one after the other in a continuous movement looking like a wave on the sea.

Emperor penguins gather in formation when the temperatures drop below -18℃, using each other’s bodies to keep warm. They arrived at an arrangement that physicists recognize as a “triangular lattice structure”, with a penguin at each point of the triangle. “They gather just by their natural ability,” said Zitterbart who filmed and then analyzed the movements of the penguins.

The researchers explain that the movements of a single bird within the huddle (挤作一团的动物) can set off a chain reaction that travels through the rest of the group.

That movement is similar to what happens when a single car in a traffic jam moves forward, setting off a chain reaction of tiny movements by all of the cars behind it. But there’s a difference: only the first car in the jam can start off the group movement. On the ice, any penguin among the crowd can cause a wave of small movements.

“This is one case where a traffic jam is very useful,” said Zitterbart.

1.What do we know about the Mexican wave?

A.It is the major cause of penguins movements.

B.It is a dangerous incident that happens in stadium.

C.It is a complex structure organized by penguins.

D.It works like the movements of cars in a traffic jam.

2.Penguins’ formations             .

A.often cause trouble B.are well arranged

C.are taught by physicists D.usually move in a square shape

3.What will happen if a penguin moves in the huddle?

A.Other penguins will move one after another.

B.The penguins will spread out on the ice.

C.The whole group will move to another place.

D.Other penguins will just stay where they are.

4.Penguins “traffic jam” can help them         .

A.hatch their eggs B.communicate

C.keep warm D.protect their feathers

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.A

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章讲述了帝企鹅通过精心地组织从而紧密靠近彼此以度过南极最严寒的冬季。科学家研究发现，如果一只企鹅动一下，整个群体都会跟着动，就像波浪一样。

1.

推理判断题。根据第二段“For the first time, German researchers show that these gatherings are carefully organized structures, in which single penguins can cause mass movements within the group that is similar to the movements of cars in a traffic jam.”和第三段的“If one penguin starts a wave, perhaps walking too close to its neighbor, it travels like a Mexican wave in a football stadium”可知，德国研究人员首次表明，这些企鹅聚集在一起是它们精心组织的，其中单个企鹅动起来会引起群体的整体运动，类似于交通拥堵中的汽车动起来。物理学家Daniel Zitterbart表示：“如果一只企鹅移动，也许是和邻居走得太近，它会像人浪在足球场中的传播一样。由此可知，人浪像堵车中的汽车运动起来一样。故选D。

2.

细节理解题。根据第二段的“German researchers show that these gatherings are carefully organized structures”和第四段的“Emperor penguins gather in formation when the temperatures drop below -18℃”可知，德国研究人员首次表明，企鹅的聚集是精心组织的结果。当温度降到-18℃时，帝企鹅聚集在一起取暖。即企鹅聚集在一起取暖是它们经过仔细认真安排的结果。故选B。

3.

细节理解题。根据第五段的“The researchers explain that the movements of a single bird within the huddle can set off a chain reaction that travels through the rest of the group.”可知，研究人员解释说，挤作一团的企鹅中有一只运动起起来，这都会引起连锁反应，其他的企鹅都会跟着动一动。即有一只企鹅运动了，其他企鹅将一个接一个地移动，形成连锁反应。故选A。

4.

细节理解题。根据第一段的“If an emperor penguin wants to survive in the worst of an Antarctic winter, there is no such thing as personal space. The large birds are known to stay very close to each other, feather to feather, in groups of thousands to keep out the cold.”可知，如果帝企鹅想在南极冬季最恶劣的环境中生存，它们就没有个人的空间。这种大型鸟类会成千上万只成群地在一起，彼此相互靠近，以防严寒。即企鹅的“交通拥堵”可以帮助它们取暖。故选C。