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  3. The gardens and fields of Britain were saved from a grim invasion this spring

The gardens and fields of Britain were saved from a grim invasion this spring

游客2024-01-31  15
问题    The gardens and fields of Britain were saved from a grim invasion this spring. Thanks to the sharp, late frosts of May, millions of giant Spanish slugs—which threatened to devastate plants across the country—were killed. But now experts fear that Spanish slugs—which was first spotted in East Anglia a year ago—may soon make an unwelcome return to our shores. They have decided to seek public help to spot a menace which one expert described as "a disaster waiting to happen".
   A group of scientists led by Dr. Ian Bedford, head of entomology (昆虫学) at the John Innes Centre, Norwich, have created a "slugwatch" website, so people can report where and when they have seen Spanish slugs. There will also be instructions on building traps to catch them. "The Spanish slug is a voracious predator. It eats crops spared by our native slugs, tolerates drier conditions, reproduces in greater numbers and even eats dead animals and excrement," said Bedford. " We want photos and sightings from members of the public to help build a picture of how widespread the Spanish slug is. The reports may also give us an idea of whether it is breeding with native species to form a hybrid with tolerance to frosts and cold from our own species."
   The species appeared in Scandinavia a few years ago, where they bred so quickly that squashed slugs on roads became a serious traffic hazard. Very soon, it looked as if Britain would follow suit. "In early spring, numbers of the slugs began to appear and it looked as if we were in trouble," said Bedford. "But the late spring frosts seemed to have killed off baby Spanish slugs and saved us—for the time being."
   Scientists stress that slugs play an important role in the ecosystem: they are natural composters, breaking down vegetation, and provide food for our hedgehogs, toads and some garden birds. However, the Spanish slug could prove to be an even greater threat. "We need to know exactly how they are distributed and that is why we have set up this website," saidBedford. " We need public help, badly." [br] Why did the expert say "a disaster waiting to happen" (Para. 1) ?
选项 A、A large area of plants across the country will be killed.
B、Millions of giant Spanish slugs return to shores.
C、Spanish slugs can reproduce in greater numbers.
D、Spanish slugs will breed with native species to form a hybrid with tolerance to frosts and cold.
答案 B
解析 作者在文章第一段阐述了“今春英国的众多花园和田地得以幸免于一场生物灾难。这多亏了五月末的寒霜，数以万计的足够摧毁全国植物的西班牙蛞蝓被冻死。但是现在专家们担心这些一年前在英格兰东部地区首次被发现的西班牙蛞蝓会卷土重来、肆虐英国”，所以最后一句描述“a disaster waiting to happen”主要是指西班牙蛞蝓可能很快回归英国，对整个国家的植物造成威胁。
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