Question

    In some places around the world, you can find bright green balls of moss ( 苔藓 ) scattered across glaciers, which, surprisingly, move all at about the same speeds and in the same directions.

The glacier moss balls are commonly called “glacier mice”, and were the subject of a recent study published online in Polar Biology this month. The study’s authors believe that they develop from impurities ( 杂质 ) on ice surfaces. “They’re not attached ( 黏附 ) to anything and they’re just resting there on ice,” said one of the authors. “They’re bright green in a world of white.”

The moss balls don’t stay at rest for long, though. They moved about 2.5 centimeters per day on average. Another one of the study’s authors pointed out that movement is a necessity for the glacier moss balls because the entire surface of the ball must occasionally get exposed to the sun. “These things must actually roll around or else that moss on the bottom would die,” she said.

Glacier mice have ever been spotted in Alaska, Iceland, Svalbard and South America, but scientists still have a lot to learn about them.

One of the biggest questions is why the moss balls, which can live for at least six years, move the way they do. The researchers tried to explain this strange phenomenon in many ways.

First, they thought the balls had rolled downhill, but later found that they weren’t going down a slope ( 斜坡 ). Then, they thought the wind was blowing them in consistent directions. But when they measured the dominant direction of the wind, that didn’t explain it either. And finally, they considered the sun, which melts the ice and may make the moss balls move, but the direction of incoming solar radiation wasn’t in the direction which the balls were going in. Still confused with this problem, the researchers said that they hope that one day, future generations will “get to the bottom of these great mysteries”.

1.What interests the researchers most?

A.The discovery of glacier mice.

B.The development of impurities.

C.The distribution of glacier moss.

D.The movement of glacier moss balls.

2.Which of the following is TRUE about Glacier mice?

A.They can move fast.

B.They are attached to ice.

C.They move so as to keep alive.

D.They move from other places to glaciers.

3.How does the author explain the unusual way the glacier mice move?

A.By drawing maps and making analysis.

B.By making assumptions and doing research.

C.By doing experiments and presenting reports.

D.By making comparison and setting down general rules

4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A.Wind blows Glacier mice to move.

B.The direction of sunlight helps Glacier mice.

C.Scientists leave these mysteries to future generations.

D.It remains a puzzle why the glacier moss balls move in this way.

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.B

4.D

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章描述了一个奇怪的现象：所有的青苔球都以同样的速度向同一方向移动。调查者们对此现象展开了一系列调查，但仍未得到明确的解释。

1.

细节理解题。根据“One of the biggest questions is why the moss balls, which can live for at least six years, move the way they do. The researchers tried to explain this strange phenomenon in many ways.”可知，困扰调查者们的最大问题是为什么青苔球以这种方式移动，调查者们试图从很多方面解释这个奇怪的现象，所以最让他们感兴趣的是青苔球的移动，故选D。

2.

推理判断题。根据“The glacier moss balls are commonly called “glacier mice”可知，glacier mice就是指glacier moss balls，根据“Another one of the study’s authors pointed out that movement is a necessity for the glacier moss balls because the entire surface of the ball must occasionally get exposed to the sun.”和“These things must actually roll around or else that moss on the bottom would die”可知，冰川鼠必须要移动是因为它的整个表面必须时不时接触阳光，否则它们就会死去，所以它们移动是为了生存，故选C。

3.

细节理解题。根据“First, they thought the balls had rolled downhill, but later found that they weren’t going down a slope ( 斜坡 ).”可知，调查者们一开始认为冰川鼠们是往山下滚动的，但是后来发现他们并不沿斜坡下去，所以是先提出假设再做调查，故选B。

4.

推理判断题。根据“Still confused with this problem”可知，调查者们依然对调查的问题有所疑惑，故选D。