Humans’ activities have pushed some endangere...

Humans’ activities have pushed some endangered animals into a situation________we will probably never see them.

A. that               B. what              C. where             D. which

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Escaping predators (食肉动物), digestion and other animal activities—including those of humans—require oxygen. But that essential ingredient is no longer so easy for marine life to obtain, several new studies reveal.

In the past decade ocean oxygen levels have taken a dive—an alarming trend that is linked to climate change, says Andreas Oschlies, an oceanographer at the Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research in Germany, whose team tracks ocean oxygen levels worldwide. “We were surprised by the intensity of the changes we saw, how rapidly oxygen is going down in the ocean and how large the effects on marine ecosystems are,” he says. It is no surprise to scientists that warming oceans are losing oxygen, but the scale of the drop calls for urgent attention. Oxygen levels in some tropical (热带的) regions have dropped by an astonishing 40 percent in the last 50 years, some recent studies reveal. Levels have dropped less significantly elsewhere, with an average loss of 2 percent globally.

A warming ocean loses oxygen for two reasons: First, the warmer a liquid becomes, the less gas it can hold. That is why carbonated drinks go flat faster when left in the sun. Second, as polar sea ice melts, it forms a layer of water above colder, more salty sea waters. This process creates a sort of lid that can keep currents from mixing surface water down to deeper depths. And because all oxygen enters the surface, less mixing means less of it at depth.

Ocean animals large and small, however, respond to even slight changes in oxygen by seeking refuge in higher oxygen zones or by adjusting behavior, Oschlies and others in his field have found. These adjustments can expose animals to new predators or force them into food-scarce regions. Climate change already poses serious problems for marine life, such as ocean acidification, but deoxygenation is the most pressing issue facing sea animals today, Oschlies says. After all, he says, “they all have to breathe.”

Aside from food web problems, animals face various other physiological challenges as their bodies adjust to lower oxygen levels. Chinese shrimp (虾) move their tails less vigorously to preserve energy in lower oxygen environments. Some creatures, such as jellyfishes, are more tolerant of low oxygen than others are. But all animals will feel the impact of deoxygenation because they all have evolved their oxygen capacity for a reason, says Oschlies. “Any drop in oxygen is going to damage survivability and performance,” he says.

1.According to the first two paragraphs, what worries scientists the most?

A. The worsening deoxygenation in the warming ocean.

B. The survival of predators and various marine animals.

C. The alarmingly changeable oxygen levels in the ocean.

D. The lack of attention to the warming of tropical oceans.

2.Which of the following is a reason for the oxygen loss in the ocean?

A. Polar ice melting consumes much oxygen in the ocean.

B. Global warming reduces the amount of oxygen in the air.

C. The surface polar ice water prevents oxygen going down.

D. Salty water holds less gas in the increasingly warmer ocean.

3.What can be inferred from the passage?

A. Ocean deoxygenation changes some animals’ natural territories.

B. Ocean acidification is more serious a problem than deoxygenation.

C. Not all ocean animals are bothered by the decreasing oxygen levels.

D. Some animals reduce their movements in order to absorb more oxygen.

4.Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

A. The Oxygen Levels of Marine Life B. Ocean Warming Affects Food Web

C. The Survivability of Ocean Animals D. The Ocean Is Running Out of Breath

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Golden lion tamarins (GLT) are among the most endangered animals on earth. They have fur which ranges in color from reddish orange to golden brown. They are the smallest monkeys in the world，and they weigh only half a kilogram. They move quickly through the forest. Each group of these delightful creatures needs a living space of about two square kilometres of thick forest. They are named after lions because of the ring of fur around their faces. Their only natural habitat(栖息地)is the Atlantic forest in Brazil.

Sadly，it is unusual to see a GLT nowadays，and there are very few of them left because they are hunted for the pet trade. In addition，the rapid expansion in the human population has resulted in the need for more land to grow crops，leaving them homeless.

GLTs live in close family groups. In the1970s，the Brazilian scientist，Eduardo Figueiro， realized what was happening to this rare animal，and began trying to save them，which has been supported by the government. He said，“It's so important to protect the animal，who evolved more than 20 million years ago. The worst problem is that the monkeys cannot travel without tree cover. It is trees that connect these groups. In this way，the monkeys can meet and socialize with each other. " Meanwhile , special patrols(巡逻) have been organized by government in the reserves to prevent hunting and forest fires.

As a result of these actions，the number of GLTs has grown to about 1500. There are also another 450 living in zoos throughout the world. Here they can be seen living in happy and close family groups，with the male gently taking much of the responsibility for the young.

1.The main idea of Paragraph 1 is GLTs'　　　　　　　　 .

A. main characteristics　　 B. present situations

C. value　　 D. habitat

2.According to Figueiro，to save GLTs the most important thing is to　　　　　　 .

A. prevent forest fires　　 B. keep as many trees as possible

C. educate people to stop hunting them　　 D. make them live in close family groups

3.What can be inferred from the text

A. GLTs are dying out nowadays.

B. Some GLTs feed on tree leaves.

C. Some GLTs are living in the Atlantic forest.

D. Brazil has been taking active actions to save GLTs.

4.We can conclude from the text that zoos

A. keep GLTs to separate them from each other

B. have taken a key role in the pet trade of GLTs

C. are helping raise GLTs to increase their population

D. catch GLTs and kill them cruelly to get their fur

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Over the past century, an alarming number of animals have become endangered or even extinct. Below are some animals whose numbers have been rapidly dropping in recent years.

Panda Bear

One of the biggest reasons contributing to the decline in the panda species is the destruction of its natural habitat. Farmers in China have gradually been claiming more and more of the land. As a result, pandas are forced to move away to places where it is hard to find bamboo for food.

Green Turtle

The green sea turtle species has survived for several millions of years, so you might wonder why it’s only becoming endangered now. A major cause is the change in climate and temperature, which both affect the hatching rates of turtle eggs. Climate changes also cause violent weather and rising water levels to flood areas where turtles usually go to lay their eggs. Apart from this, oil spills and other poisonous pollution, as well as increased fishing activities can cause sickness, or even death to the green turtles.

Cheetah

Cheetahs are famous for being the fastest animal on land but even they can’t run from some of the larger threats that have harmed them. Like the panda bears, cheetahs have gradually been losing their natural homes due to humans claiming land and developing in those areas. To make matters even worse, smaller animals move away when these areas are occupied, which means that the cheetah has less food! Don’t forget that other large animals, such as lions, are also fighting for any food that they can find, so occasionally young cheetahs end up as prey too.

Indian Elephant

Elephants are extremely intelligent animals and also the largest mammals that live on land. Sadly, in Asia many elephants were killed so that people could remove their tusks to use as decorative objects. While this practice has been banned now, some people still illegally continue. Forests in India have also been steadily destroyed and elephants are sometimes killed when they end up on human territory.

1.Humans’ increasing demand for land doesn’t affect the number of ________.

A. Indian elephants　　 B. cheetahs

C. panda bears　　 D. green turtles

2.We can save the largest mammals living on land by ________.

A. planting more bamboos

B. helping them find mates

C. stopping hunting them

D. preventing poisonous pollution

3.The living conditions of the fastest animal on land become worse because ________.

A. forests have been destroyed

B. they are threatened by humans and larger animals

C. people are fond of hunting wild animals

D. no law bans people from removing their tusks

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Many of the earth’s plants and animals have already ______ and several other species are endangered．

A．died away           B．died out       C．died down     D．died of

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

It never _____  humans until the mid­1990s that some animals can be cloned.

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

It never occurred to humans until the mid-l990s ________ some animals can be cloned.

高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

Most of the new diseases we humans have faced in the past several decades have come from animals. The more we come into contact with wild animals, the more we risk a so-called disease “spillover” from animals to humans.

“As people move and wildlife move in response to a changing environment, humans and wildlife and animals will come in contact more regularly,” said Jeanne Fair from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. Fair argues that by shifting　 animal habitats, climate change will also make the opportunities for disease spillover more frequent. “Everything is sort of shifting and will shift into the future as the environment changes through climate change,” Fair said.

Scientists, including climatologists and epidemiologists on Fair’s team at Los Alamos, are beginning to model how changes to the climate will impact the spread of infectious diseases. It’s early days for this kind of research, but previous studies suggest that extreme weather has already played a role in at least one outbreak. Scientists say drought and deforestation have combined to force bats out of rainforests and into orchards（果园）in Malaysia to find food. Those bats, a common disease reservoir, then passed the Nipah virus through pigs to humans for the first time in the late 1990s.

“We’re going by the past data to really predict what’s going to happen in the future,” Fair said, “And so, anytime you increase that wildlife-human interface, that’s sort of an emerging disease hot spot. And so, that’s just increasing as we go forward.”

Jeffrey Shaman, head of the climate and health program at Columbia University’s public health school, argues we don’t yet know whether climate change will cause a net increase in infectious disease rates globally. For example, mosquitoes carry disease that affects millions of people across the world every year. As their habitats expand in some parts of the world, they might contract diseases elsewhere. Shaman says what we know for certain about climate change is that it will make it harder to predict where disease outbreaks will pop up.

1.How does climate change affect the spread of disease according to Fair?

A.By breaking animals’ habits.

B.By increasing animals’ varieties.

C.By promoting animals’ breeding.

D.By changing animals’ living environment.

2.What is the example of bats for in paragraph 3?

A.Explaining the influence of Nipah virus.

B.Proving the harm of bats to human beings.

C.Showing the effects of climate change on disease.

D.Presenting scientists’ early study about the cause of disease.

3.What can we infer from Fair’s words in paragraph 4?

A.Humans should give up studying animals.

B.Past data can solve the problems in the future.

C.Disease hot spots will disappear if animals die out.

D.Frequent contact with animals can cause disease outbreaks.

4.What could be the best title for the text?

A.Climate Change and Disease Spillover

B.Animals’ Interaction with Humans

C.Scientists’ Prediction for Disease Outbreaks

D.Early Studies about Extreme Weather

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Unbelievable Stories of Animals Acting Just Like Humans

◆Horses are picky eaters

Horses have an even better sense of smell than humans do. When horses raise their noses and open their nostrils (鼻孔) , their nervous system allows them to sense smells we can’t sense. This might explain why they refuse dirty water and carefully move around meadows, eating only the tastiest grasses, experts say.

◆Whale says thanks

In 2011, a whale expert spotted a humpback whale trapped in a fishing net and spent an hour freeing it. Afterward, in an hour-long display of thanks, the whale swam near their boat and leaped into the air about 40 times.

◆Pandas like to be naughty

Is there anything more lovely than a baby panda, except maybe a human baby? In fact, baby pandas sometimes behave like human babies. They sleep in the same positions and value their thumbs. Pandas are shy by nature for its shy behaviors such as covering its face with a paw of ducking its head when confronted by a stranger.

◆A cat honors its owner

Paper towels, and a plastic cup are just a few of the gifts that Toldo, a devoted three-year-old gray-and-white cat, has placed on his former owner Iozzelli Renzo’s grave every day since the man died in September 2011. Renzo adopted Toldo from a shelter when the cat was three months old, and the two formed an inseparable bond. After Renzo passed away, Toldo followed the coffin to the cemetery, and now "stands guard" at the grave for hours at a time.

1.What can horses do to pick delicious grasses?

A.Feel them. B.Taste them.

C.Smell them. D.Observe them.

2.What do the whale and the cat have in common according to the passage?

A.They are clever.

B.They have a grateful heart.

C.They are active and lovely.

D.They have a good sense of smell.

3.Which of the following acts like a human baby according to the passage?

A.The whale. B.The cat.

C.The horse. D.The panda.

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Unbelievable Stories of Animals Acting Just Like Humans

◆Horses are picky eaters

Horses have an even better sense of smell than humans do. When horses raise their noses and open their nostrils (鼻孔) , their nervous system allows them to sense smells we can’t sense. This might explain why they refuse dirty water and carefully move around meadows, eating only the tastiest grasses, experts say.

◆Whale says thanks

In 2011, a whale expert spotted a humpback whale trapped in a fishing net and spent an hour freeing it. Afterward, in an hour-long display of thanks, the whale swam near their boat and leaped into the air about 40 times.

◆Pandas like to be naughty

Is there anything more lovely than a baby panda, except maybe a human baby? In fact, baby pandas sometimes behave like human babies. They sleep in the same positions and value their thumbs. Pandas are shy by nature for its shy behaviors such as covering its face with a paw of ducking its head when confronted by a stranger.

◆A cat honors its owner

Paper towels, and a plastic cup are just a few of the gifts that Toldo, a devoted three-year-old gray-and-white cat, has placed on his former owner Iozzelli Renzo’s grave every day since the man died in September 2011. Renzo adopted Toldo from a shelter when the cat was three months old, and the two formed an inseparable bond. After Renzo passed away, Toldo followed the coffin to the cemetery, and now "stands guard" at the grave for hours at a time.

1.What can horses do to pick delicious grasses?

A. Feel them. B. Taste them.

C. Smell them. D. Observe them.

2.What do the whale and the cat have in common according to the passage?

A. They are clever.

B. They have a grateful heart.

C. They are active and lovely.

D. They have a good sense of smell.

3.Which of the following acts like a human baby according to the passage?

A. The whale. B. The cat.

C. The horse. D. The panda.

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析