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
38
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://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
WiththerapidspreadoftheInternetevery-whereintheworld,the【C1】__
Maypeoplelikethegiganticwhales.Humansympathy【C1】______whalesisonl
Whenitcomestovideogamesandapps,what’saparenttodo?Ontheonehan
Fromchildhoodtooldage,wealluselanguageasameansofbroadeningour
下列何项为诊断子宫内膜异位症的最佳依据A.腹腔镜检查并做组织活检 B.进行性痛
通用办公建筑,不属于信息化应用系统的是( )。A.出入口控制 B.智能卡应用
某县有20万人口,其中农村人口占60%,现欲对农村妇女的计划生育措施情况进行调查
某公路工程开展普通混凝配合比设计工作,设计抗压强度等级为C30,请根据规范要求以
男性,23岁。被"六四"手枪击中左臀上部伴伤部及左下腹疼痛6小时入院。受伤时呈空
均质细直杆OA长为l,质量为m,A端固结一质量为m的小球(不计尺寸),如图所示。
最新回复
(
0
)