首页
登录
职称英语
[originaltext] Winter is a pain in the animal kingdom. Birds can flee it by
[originaltext] Winter is a pain in the animal kingdom. Birds can flee it by
游客
2023-08-05
17
管理
问题
Winter is a pain in the animal kingdom. Birds can flee it by migrating to warmer regions but land beasts, including mammals, have no choice but to stick around. To cope with it, many species have learned to spend the winter in a long sleep. Some, like the Columbian ground squirrel, spend up to nine months of each year in their shelters. This conserves energy but leaves them with only three months to become well-rounded for the next winter and, crucially, to reproduce.
To make matters worse, climate change is leading them to emerge from winter sleep later man usual. Global warming means that creatures have longer ice-free periods to go about their evolutionary tasks. But it can also disturb weather patterns, which may have the opposite effect.
Because female squirrels remain in their place of birth, the researchers were able to tag and observe them and their offspring each year for the past two decades. A typical female would bear three babies. On average, only 30% of them survive the first winter, enough to sustain population numbers since female squirrels can expect three or four litters in their lifetime. If the proportion falls, however, the population reduces.
In the first decade of the study, the number of squirrels dropped just once. But it fell in four of the past ten years. Dr. Lane, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Edinburgh, speculates that this might be explained by the fact that over the past 20 years the late snow has delayed the melting of ice by half a day each year, on average, shortening the squirrels’ breeding and feeding season by several days and disrupting their life cycles.
Questions 13 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.
13.How do many land animals spend the winter according to the passage?
14.What does global warming mean to animals?
15.What might explain the reduced squirrel population according to Dr. Lane?
选项
A、The squirrels’ breeding season is extended.
B、The squirrels’ reproductive capacity falls.
C、The squirrels’ survival rate reduces.
D、The squirrels’ life cycles are disrupted.
答案
D
解析
短文末尾提到,爱丁堡大学的进化论生物学家Lane博士推测,这一现象可能是由于过去的20年里,迟来的降雪将冰雪的融化时间平均每年延迟了半日,将松鼠的繁殖期和进食期缩短了几日,打乱了它们的生活周期。因此答案为D)。
转载请注明原文地址:https://www.tihaiku.com/zcyy/2900328.html
相关试题推荐
[originaltext]Scientificexperimentshavedemonstratedincrediblewaystokill
[originaltext]Scientificexperimentshavedemonstratedincrediblewaystokill
[originaltext]Scientificexperimentshavedemonstratedincrediblewaystokill
[originaltext]Scientificexperimentshavedemonstratedincrediblewaystokill
[originaltext]Mostsuccessfulpeopleareunorthodoxpersonswhosemindswander
[originaltext]EatGrubisBritain’sfirstnewfoodcompanythatbreaksWeste
[originaltext]There’salotaboutLeoSanchezandhisfarminSalinas,Califo
[originaltext]EatGrubisBritain’sfirstnewfoodcompanythatbreaksWeste
[originaltext]There’salotaboutLeoSanchezandhisfarminSalinas,Califo
[originaltext]There’salotaboutLeoSanchezandhisfarminSalinas,Califo
随机试题
【B1】[br]【B11】[audioFiles]audio_eufm_j65_007(20082)[/audioFiles]Ihavemuchmo
DothefollowingstatementsagreewiththeviewsofthewriterinReadingPassag
Formostofus,thepurposeoftheholidaysistobringpeace,love,andgoo
职业道德修养的途径和方法主要有自我反思、向榜样学习、坚持“慎独”和提高道德选择能
患儿男,3岁。出生6个月大时发现前胸稍内陷,以后逐渐加重。易患感冒,稍活动后气急
硫酸镁急性中毒时,应立即缓慢静脉注射A.碳酸氢钠 B.氯化铵 C.葡萄糖酸钙
据说美国杜鲁门总统的成功,与当学生的时候赢得英文教师布朗小姐的爱吻有关。这说明教
期货公司涉及重大诉讼、仲裁,或者股权被冻结或者用于担保,以及发生其他重大事件时,
蛋白质的等电点描述正确的是A.解离成正离子的趋势大于解离成负离子的趋势 B
35~110kV变电站设计中,有关并联电容器装置的电器和导体的长期允许电流,下列
最新回复
(
0
)