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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] What can we learn from Bedford’s words in the third paragraph?
选项 A、We do not need to worry about the invasion of Spanish slugs, because late spring frosts can save us.
B、We are still in trouble, because the help of late spring frosts is temporary.
C、We are still in trouble, because late spring frosts can only kill baby Spanish slugs.
D、We do not need to worry at the moment, because Spanish slugs will die under cold environment.
答案 B
解析 回归到文章第三段，可以定位到第三段最后一句，最后一句指出“但多亏了晚春的寒霜杀死了这些西班牙蛞蝓幼虫，我们暂时得以幸免于这场灾难。”for the time being意为“到目前为止，暂时”，因此B更符合。
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