Question

On the island of New Zealand, there is a grasshopper-like species of insect that is found nowhere else on earth. New Zealanders have given it the nickname weta, which is a native Maori word meaning “god of bad looks”. It’s easy to see why anyone would call this insect a bad-looking bug. Most people feel disgusted at the sight of these bulky(笨重的)，slow-moving creatures.

Wetas are natural creatures; they come out of their caves and holes only after dark. A giant weta can grow to over three inches long and weigh as much as 1.5 ounces. Giant wetas can hop up to two feet at a time. Some of them live in trees, and others live in caves. They are very long-lived for insects, and some adult wetas can live as long as two years. Just like their cousins grasshoppers and crickets, wetas are able to “sing” by rubbing their leg parts together, or against their lower bodies.

Most people probably don’t feel sympathy for these endangered creatures, but they do need protecting. The slow and clumsy wetas have been around on the island since the times of the dinosaurs, and have evolved and survived in an environment where they had no enemies until rats came to the island with European immigrants. Since rats love to hunt and eat wetas, the rat population on the island has grown into a real problem for many of the native species that are unaccustomed to its presence, and poses a serious threat to the native weta population.

1..According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

The weta is a newly discovered insect species.

The Maoris nicknamed themselves “Wetas”.

The Europeans brought wetas to New Zealand.

Wetas are unpleasant to the eye.

2..The strange thing about wetas is that they can produce pleasant sounds by ________.

A. rubbing their body parts

B. moving slowly on the ground

C. hopping up to two feel at a time

D. coming out only at night

3.Which of the following descriptions of wetas is accurate?

A. They are quick in movement.

B. They are decreasing in number.

C. They are very active in the daytime.

D. They have a short lifespan for insects.

4.The underlined word “its” in the last paragraph is the closest in meaning to “_________”.

A. The dinosaur’s B. The weta’s

C. The island’s D. The rat’s

5.From which of the following is the passage LEAST likely to be taken?

A. A science magazine. B. A travel guide.

C. A business journal. D. biology textbook.

 

Answer 1

1.D

2.A

3.B

4.D

5.C

【解析】新西蘭島上，有一種在地球別處沒有的螞蚱般的昆蟲，叫做weta。雖然人們不太喜歡它，但因為老鼠而瀕于滅絕，人們還是應(yīng)該保護(hù)這一物種。

1. 細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)第一段的It’s easy to see why anyone would call this insect a bad-looking bug.Most people feel disgusted at the sight of these bulky(笨重的)，slow-moving creatures.可知它們看起來不招人喜歡。故選D。

2. 細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)第二段wetas are able to “sing” by rubbing their leg parts together, or against their lower bodies.可知它們會摩擦肢體發(fā)出類似“唱歌”的聲音。故選A。

3. 細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)第三段they had no enemies until rats came to the island with European immigrants和poses a serious threat to the native weta population可知，老鼠是它們的敵人，并給它們的數(shù)量帶來了嚴(yán)重的威脅。說明它們由于老鼠的入侵而減少了許多。故選B。

4. 根據(jù)上下文猜測題。根據(jù)語境“the rat population on the island has grown into a real problem for many of the native species that are unaccustomed to its presence, and poses a serious threat to the native weta population”可知島上的老鼠數(shù)量對于那些不習(xí)慣老鼠存在的本地物種來說是一個嚴(yán)重的問題，并對weta這一物種造成了威脅。因為老鼠之前是不存在的，所以 “its presence”指的是“老鼠的出現(xiàn)”。故選D。

5. 文章類型題。A science magazine：科學(xué)雜志A travel guide：旅游雜志A business journal：商務(wù)雜志 biology textbook：地理雜志。比較可知這篇文章最不可能選自“商務(wù)雜志”。故選C。

考點：考查說明類短文閱讀