Australia’s koalas could be dying out within ...

Australia’s koalas could be dying out within 30 years, unless urgent measures is taken to stop the losing in population, according to researchers. They say development, climate change and bushfires have all related to reduce the number of wild koalas sharply. The Australian Koala Foundation said a recent survey showed the population could have dropped by more than half in the past six years. Previous estimates put the number of koalas at more than 100,000, but the latest figures suggest there could now be as few as 43,000.

The foundation collected field data from 1,800 sites and 80,000 trees to calculate the numbers. In one area in northern Queensland estimated to have 20,000 koalas a decade ago, a team of eight people could not find a single animal in four days of searching.

The foundation said besides problems caused by cutting down forests, hotter and drier conditions because of global warming had reduced the nutritional(营养的)value of their staple food, eucalyptus leaves, leading to poor nutrition for them.

Koalas, which live in the forests in Australia’s east and south, are very particular about what types of the leaves they eat.

Foundation chief Deborah Tabart said: “The koalas are missing everywhere we look. It’s really no tree, no me. If you keep cutting down trees you don’t have any koalas.”She is hoping the new figures will persuade the government’s Threatened Species Steering Committee (TSSC) to list the koala as threatened. But committee chairman Bob Beeton said a decision was not likely recently and the koala’s status as one of the country’s favorite animals would not be a factor. “There’s a number of species which are attractive and people have special feelings towards them. We don’t consider that,” Mr. Beeton was reported as saying by the AFP agency.

1.The writer gives the example of the area in northern Queensland in Paragraph 3 to show that _____.

A. the environment is being polluted seriously

B. the number of koalas is dropping quickly

C. the forests are being damaged heavily

D. koalas usually live in wild mountainous areas

2.Global warming is an important cause of koalas’ reduction because _____.

A. the leaves koalas eat are losing nutritional value

B. koalas cannot get enough water to drink

C. koalas can hardly stand the hot weather

D. the leaves koalas eat cannot grow in hot weather

3.According to Bob Beeton, _____.

A. they needn’t pay special attention to koalas

B. a decision will be made to protect koalas

C. koalas are his favorite animals

D. koalas needn’t be protected at all

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Australia’s koalas could be wiped out within 30 years unless urgent action is taken to stop the losing in population, according to researchers. They say development, climate change and bushfires have all combined to reduce the number of wild koalas sharply.

The Australian Koala Foundation said a recent survey showed the population could have dropped by more than half in the past six years. Previous estimates put the number of koalas at more than 100,000, but the latest calculations suggest there could now be as few as 43,000.

The foundation collected field data from 1,800 sites and 80,000 trees to calculate the numbers. In one area in northern Queensland estimated to have 20,000 koalas a decade ago, a team of eight people could not find a single animal in four days of searching.

The foundation said besides problems caused by cutting down forests, hotter and drier conditions because of global warming had reduced the nutritional value of their staple food, eucalyptus leaves, leading to poor nutrition for them.

Koalas, which live in the forests in Australia’s east and south, are very fussy (爱挑剔的) about what types of the leaves they eat.

Foundation chief Deborah Tabart said: “The koalas are missing everywhere we look. It’s really no tree, no me. If you keep cutting down trees you don’t have any koalas.”

She is hoping the new figures will persuade the government’s Threatened Species Steering Committee (TSSC) to list the koala as threatened. But committee chairman Bob Beeton said a decision was not likely recently and the koala’s status as one of the country’s favourite animals would not be a factor. “There’s a number of species which are attractive and people have special feelings towards them. We don’t consider that,” Mr Beeton was reported as saying by the AFP agency.

1.The writer gives the example of the area in northern Queensland in Paragraph 3 to show that _____.

A. the forests are being damaged heavily

B. the environment is being polluted seriously

C. koalas usually live in wild mountainous areas

D. the number of koalas is dropping quickly

2.Global warming is an important cause of koalas’ reduction because _____.

A. koalas can hardly stand the hot weather

B. the leaves koalas eat are losing nutritional value

C. koalas cannot get enough water to drink

D. the leaves koalas eat cannot grow in hot weather

3.According to Bob Beeton, _____.

A. koalas are his favourite animals

B. a decision will be made to protect koalas

C. they needn’t pay special attention to koalas

D. koalas needn’t be protected at all

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

The South China tiger could become extinct within 30 to 50 years if it does not receive protection. There are only 20 to 30 South China tigers in their earliest natural places, with Guangdong Province having only five left because forests are being destroyed as a result of rapid industrial growth.

The South China tiger can live 20 to 25 years, but the survival rate for the young is becoming lower as a result of rapid growth in industry and tourism. Even with hard work, it is hoped that the number of South China tigers can only reach 150 to 180 in the coming century.

68. The underlined word “extinct ” means ______.

A. different       B. seriously ill      C. no longer exist     D. frightening

69. The best title for this news could be ______.

A. The Life Span of the South China Tiger

B. The Coming Century for the South China Tiger

C. Chinese Scientists Call SOS for South China Tigers

D. Industrial Growth—The Enemy of South China Tiger

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Tony Burke, Australia’s environment minister, says he won’t decide until next year whether the koala should be protected as an endangered species. He was expected to make his decision by the end of October. But that decision has been put off. Burke said he needed more time to go over the latest information about the koala’s population.

In September, an Australian Senate committee reported that there was no question the koala’s population is on the decrease. “But they may not yet be eligible (符合条件) for listing as a threatened species,” said Senator Doug Cameron. “To have such a significant Australian icon(偶像) included on the threatened species list would be a national shame.”

The koala is found only in the eucalyptus (桉树) forests of Australia. And its population is reported to have fallen sharply for many reasons, including the cutting down of forests to make way for human beings’ development, their own illness, climate change and killings by other animals such as wild dogs. And every year many koalas are hit by cars as they are trying to cross the busy roads.

Putting off the decision on protection for the koala “is really bad news,” said Debbie Pointing, the president of the Koala Action Group. “We’ve worked tirelessly for many years to gather data on the populations,” Pointing said. “That data should be enough to make a decision.”

However, Burke pointed out that the Australian government had spent at least $6.3 million on koala conservation efforts since 1996. senators listed efforts that are already underway in Queensland – the construction of special koala bridges as well as fences along roads, to keep the animals out of harm’s way.

Some people say that is not enough. “What we’re doing at the moment is likely to drive this species to extinction,” Queensland University zoologist Bill Ellis said.

“Koalas are an iconic Australian animal,” Burke told Australians. “They hold a special place in the hearts of Australians.”

But it is a fact that if more isn’t done to protect the koala, they might soon hold a place only in Australians’ memories.

1.Tony Burke put off announcing the koala as an endangered species because ________.

2.What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?

3.According to the text, Debbie Pointing thinks that ________.

4.It can be learned from the text that Tony Burke ________.

5.What is the main idea of the text?

高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

When an ant dies, other ants take it out of the nest, often within an hour after its death. This behavior interests scientists and they wonder how ants know for sure—and so soon—that another ant is dead.

One scientist recently came up with a way to explain this ant behavior. Dong-Hwan Choe is a biologist, a scientist who studies animals and plants. He found that ants have a chemical on the outside of their bodies that signals to other ants, “I'm dead—take me away” when it is dead.

But there's a question to answer: As we know, if an ant is dead, it stops moving. But when an ant is sleeping or knocked unconscious, it is also not moving. However, other ants don't move the living ant out of the nest. How do they know this ant is not dead? Choe found that ants have another chemical on their bodies, which tells nearby ants something like, “Wait—I'm not dead yet” when it is not dead. Choe suspects that when an ant dies, the chemical that says, “Wait— I'm not dead yet” quickly goes away. When other ants detect the “dead” chemical without the “not dead yet” chemical, they move away the body.

To test his theory, Choe and his team put different chemicals on ants. When the scientists used the “I'm dead” chemical, other ants quickly moved the treated ant away. When the scientists used the “Wait—I'm not dead yet” chemical, other ants left the treated ant alone. Choe believes this behavior shows that the “not dead yet” chemical is stronger than the “dead” chemical when picked up by other ants. And that when an ant dies, the “not dead yet” chemical fades away. Other nearby ants then detect the remaining “dead” chemical and remove the body from the nest.

Understanding this behavior can help scientists figure out how to stop ants from invading new places and causing problems.

1.What is the function of the first paragraph?

A. Leading the following paragraphs.

B. Showing the main idea of the passage.

C. Introducing the background of the passage.

D. Giving a summary of the passage.

2.What can we learn from the passage?

A. Living ants can also be taken away when they are not moving.

B. When an ant dies, it can tell others using a certain chemical.

C. A living ant can pretend to be dead using a special chemical.

D. Ants often use chemicals to communicate with each other.

3.Which of the following descriptions about Dong-Hwan Choe is right?

A. Choe did this study in order to stop ants from invading new places.

B. Choe is a biologist who is only interested in animals, especially in ants.

C. Choe first came up with an idea to explain this ant behavior, and then did some tests to prove his theory.

D. Choe did the research on this ant behavior on his own.

4.What is mainly discussed in the passage?

A. experiments about how ants manage to keep their nests clean.

B. experiments about why ants have special chemicals on their bodies.

C. experiments about why ants can have this removal behavior

D. experiments about how to decide whether an ant is dead or not.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

When an ant dies, other ants take it out of the nest, often within an hour after its death. This behavior interests scientists and they wonder how ants know for sure—and so soon—that another ant is dead.

One scientist recently came up with a way to explain this ant behavior. Dong-Hwan Choe is a biologist, a scientist who studies animals and plants. He found that ants have a chemical on the outside of their bodies that signals to other ants, “I'm dead—take me away” when it is dead.

But there's a question to answer: As we know, if an ant is dead, it stops moving. But when an ant is sleeping or knocked unconscious, it is also not moving. However, other ants don't move the living ant out of the nest. How do they know this ant is not dead? Choe found that ants have another chemical on their bodies, which tells nearby ants something like, “Wait—I'm not dead yet” when it is not dead. Choe suspects that when an ant dies, the chemical that says, “Wait— I'm not dead yet” quickly goes away. When other ants detect the “dead” chemical without the “not dead yet” chemical, they move away the body.

To test his theory, Choe and his team put different chemicals on ants. When the scientists used the “I'm dead” chemical, other ants quickly moved the treated ant away. When the scientists used the “Wait—I'm not dead yet” chemical, other ants left the treated ant alone. Choe believes this behavior shows that the “not dead yet” chemical overrides the “dead” chemical when picked up by other ants. And that when an ant dies, the “not dead yet” chemical fades away. Other nearby ants then detect the remaining “dead” chemical and remove the body from the nest.

Understanding this behavior can help scientists figure out how to stop ants from invading new places and causing problems.

1.What is the function of the first paragraph?

A. Leading the following paragraphs.

B. Showing the main idea of the passage.

C. Introducing the background of the passage.

D. Giving a summary of the passage.

2.Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined word “overrides” in the fourth paragraph?

A. is weaker than　　 B. is stronger than

C. is better than　　 D. is worse than

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A. Living ants can also be taken away when they are not moving.

B. When an ant dies, it can tell others using a certain chemical.

C. A living ant can pretend to be dead using a special chemical.

D. Ants often use chemicals to communicate with each other.

4.Which of the following descriptions about Dong-Hwan Choe is right?

A. Choe did this study in order to stop ants from invading new places.

B. Choe is a biologist who is only interested in animals, especially in ants.

C. Choe first came up with an idea to explain this ant behavior，and then did some tests to prove his theory.

D. Choe did the research on this ant behavior on his own.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

It’s bad news that quite a few rare animals are ________ each year.

A.dying of B.dying out C.dying from D.dying away

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

Koalas are pictured everywhere in Australia-on cleaning products, on “boxes of chocolate, on sports team shirts. Yet the animals live only in pockets along the east coast.

They once inhabited the entire coastline. The koala population dropped after farmers cut down many of the forests where koalas lived, and hunters killed the animals for their fur.

By the early 1900s, “koalas were basically shot out of south Australia,” says ecologist Bill Ellis, who studies the relationships among living things and their environments.

I recently joined Ellis and his team in a forest on St Bees Is land, 19 miles off the northeastern coast of Australia, with eight other volunteers. The island is a natural laboratory, yielding findings that may help protect koalas elsewhere on the continent.

The volunteers searched the island for koalas in the blue gum trees. When we found a koala, we gathered information about the trees in the area.

Blue gum is a species of the eucalyptus tree in which the funny leaf eaters spend most of their time. Eucalyptus trees are native to Australia, and their leaves are the main food source for koalas. Although koalas can walk on the ground, they are better suited for life in the canopy, the high cover of branches and leaves in a forest.

What has Ellis’s research told him so far? The population of St Bees seems to be healthy. Yet Ellis wonders whether the koalas might be heading for hard times. The island is overrun with wild goats, and Ellis thinks the goats are eating the small blue gum trees.

Without those trees, the koalas will run out of food in the future. Ellis hopes more research will help him understand how to protect the blue gum trees-and the koalas that depend on them. “I think that’s what everyone is trying to do-to make a difference.” Ellis says.

59. It can be inferred from the first paragraph that     .

A. koalas’ pictures can be found everywhere in the world

B. koalas in Australia like to eat chocolate

C. only in the east coast of Australia can you find koalas

D. you can buy the pictures of koalas only in the east coast of Australia

60. Which of the following is TRUE about koalas?

A. They usually hide in a cave.          B. They feed on the leaves of blue gum trees.

C. They prefer to walk on the ground.     D. They don’t adapt to the high cover of branches.

61. What will Ellis most probably start to do next?

A. To keep the population of St Bees healthy.

B. To kill all the goats on the island.

C. To find some new foods for goats.

D. To protect blue gum trees for koalas.

62. The purpose of writing this passage is to      .

A. expect people to concern about the life of koalas

B. record trip to Australia for watching koalas

C. present some basic knowledge of koalas’ life

D. introduce the ecosystem of wildlife in Australia

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

The koala, one of Australia’s most treasured creatures, is in trouble.

Affected by habitat (栖居地) loss and climate change, like many other uniquely Australian animals, koalas are being squeezed into smaller regions. But at present, it is a deadly disease, a somewhat silent killer that causes a further decline in the koala population, that is worrying many scientists about the fate of the koala.

The killer is Chlamydia, which has caused symptoms in up to 50 percent of the wild koalas, with probably even more infected (感染) but not showing symptoms. It has been particularly severe in Queensland, where nearly all koalas are infected. The disease causes many symptoms including eye infections, which can lead to blindness, making it difficult for them to find their primary food.

Treating Chlamydia in wild koalas is a challenge. There is no treatment available for it. Only a small percentage of the animals can be treated successfully and returned to the wild. Besides, there is no national plan in Australia to save the koala; it is up to each region to make management plans for its koala population.

The good news is that researchers are working to test a vaccine (疫苗) that would help prevent further spread. If all goes well, plans can be carried out to distribute the vaccine more widely. But it’s impossible to vaccinate (给注射疫苗)  all wild koalas.

Another possibility would be to make vaccine distribution a routine part of treatment for the thousands of koalas brought into care centers every year after they are injured by cars or dogs.

While it is a combination of problems that are affecting the wild koala population, many experts believe this vaccine would be an important step in helping koalas survive longer. It may be enough time to give researchers a chance to solve some of the other problems facing Austalia’s koalas.

1.Which isn’t considered the main cause of koala’s population decline?

A. A deadly disease.

B. Injuries from cars and dogs.

C. Climate change.

D. Habitat loss.

2.The third paragraph mainly tells us________.

A. the serious result Chlamydia has caused to the koala

B. Chlamydia affected the koala only in particular regions

C. the most serious symptom of Chlamydia is eye infections

D. Chlamydia can seriously affect koala’s primary food

3.We can learn from the text that the vaccine________.

A. would cure the killer Chlamydia quite effectively

B. would only be distributed in koala care centers

C. has already been put into practical use in Australia

D. cannot be distributed to all the infected koalas

4.It can be inferred from the text that________.

A. a national plan for saving koalas will be made soon in Australia

B. koala population is declining only in a few regions

C. researchers need enough time to solve the koala problems

D. experts have lost the best chance to save the infected koalas

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Mr .Smith is from Australia , which is         to many unique animal species ,like kangaroos and koala bears .

A .family      B .nation      C . home       D . area

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析