Invasive species aren’t species—they can also be pathogens. Such is the case with the West Nile virus. A mosquito-borne virus identified in the West Nile subregion in Uganda in 1937—hence the name—West Nile wasn’t much of a concern to people elsewhere until it broke out of Africa in 1999. The first U.S cases were confirmed in New York City in 1999, and it has now spread throughout much of the world. Though 80% of infections are subclinical, those who do get sick can get very sick. The virus can lead to encephalitis—inflammation of the brain and nervous system—and even death, with 286 people dying from West Nile in the U.S in 2012. There were more than 5,500 cases reported that year, and the scary thing is that as the climate warms. West Nile will continue to spread.
That’s the conclusion of a new study from a team of researchers in the U.S, Britain and Germany, including those at the Center for Tropical Research at UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. In a study published in the journal Global Change Biology, the researchers took climate and species distribution data, and created models that try to project the spread of the virus as the globe warms. West Nile virus is carried by mosquitoes, and infected insects transmit the virus to human beings with a bite. But birds play a role too—if bitten by an infected mosquito, birds can generate high levels of the virus in their bloodstream, and can then transmit it to uninfected mosquitoes, which in turn can infect people. The biggest indicator of whether West Nile virus will occur is the maximum temperature of the warmest month of the year, which is why the virus has caused the most damage in hot southern states like Texas.
The UCLA model looks only at climate data, and doesn’t take into account the kind of control methods that can be used to combat West Nile on the ground, including pesticide spraying and land-use changes that deny mosquitoes the pools of stagnant water they use as breeding sites. That’s important to remember while climate change can raise the risk of typically tropical diseases like West Nile or malaria, smart control efforts can offset at least some of that danger. But the UCLA study underscores the fact that climate change operated as a threat multiplier for tropical diseases, one that will allow pathogens to invade new territory—and ultimately, us.
61. What is the meaning of the underlined part of the sentence in the first paragraph?
62. The living conditions of bees’ will be improved with respect to the following aspects except ______.
63. According to the passage, the critical factor for the virus being spread is ______.
64. According to the passage, the research of UCLA imposes emphasis on ______.
65. The title of the passage would probably be “______”.
问题1选项
A.They are not serious.
B.They are unexpected.
C.They are subject to clinics.
D.They yield no symptoms.
问题2选项
A.the plants
B.the grassland
C.the quality of bees
D.the disease treatment
问题3选项
A.the temperature
B.the infected birds
C.the mosquitoes
D.The hygiene
问题4选项
A.spraying pesticide
B.mosquito control
C.climate change
D.change the land use
问题5选项
A.Danger of Virus
B.Climate change and Virus
C.Invaded Species
D.Introduction of Virus Control
第1题:A
第2题:B
第3题:A
第4题:C
第5题:B
第1题:
【选项释义】
What is the meaning of the underlined part of the sentence in the first paragraph? 第一段句子中划线部分的意思是什么？
A. They are not serious. A. 症状不严重。
B. They are unexpected. B. 症状是意料之外的。
C. They are subject to clinics. C. 需要接受诊所的检查。
D. They yield no symptoms. D. 没有任何症状。
【考查点】语义推断题
【解题思路】根据题干提示定位到第一段Though 80% of infections are subclinical, those who do get sick can get very sick.（尽管80%的感染是亚临床的，但是那些确实症状明显的人就会病得很严重）可以看出划线部分的意思是“临床症状不明显的”，所以可以推断出是不严重的，因此选择A选项。
【干扰项排除】
B选项“症状是意料之外的”和C选项“需要接受诊所的检查”没有提到，属于无中生有；
D选项“没有任何症状”错误，亚临床是症状不明显，不代表没有，属于曲解原文，因此排除。
第2题:
【选项释义】
The living conditions of bees’ will be improved with respect to the following aspects except ______. 蜜蜂的生活条件将在以下方面得到改善，除了 ______。
A. the plants A. 植物
B. the grassland B. 草地
C. the quality of bees C. 蜜蜂的质量
D. the disease treatment D. 病害处治
【考查点】推理判断题
【解题思路】根据题干关键词living conditions定位到文章第二段，这里讲到蚊子携带病毒通过叮咬传染给鸟类及人类，蚊子会携带病毒与它的生活条件息息相关。以蚊子的例子推断，只有和蜜蜂的生活条件相关的事物才能对其产生影响，草地与蜜蜂生活环境无关，因此选择B选项。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“植物”，C选项“蜜蜂的质量”和D选项“病害处治”均与蜜蜂生活条件相关，属于反向干扰，因此排除。
第3题:
【选项释义】
According to the passage, the critical factor for the virus being spread is ______. 根据文章，病毒传播的关键因素是______。
A. the temperature A. 温度
B. the infected birds B. 被感染的鸟
C. the mosquitoes C. 蚊子
D. The hygiene D. 卫生
【考查点】事实细节题
【解题思路】根据题干关键词he virus being spread定位到第一段最后一句There were more than 5,500 cases reported that year, and the scary thing is that as the climate warms. West Nile will continue to spread.（那一年报告的病例超过了5500例，可怕的是随着气候变暖，西尼罗河病毒将继续蔓延）和第二段第四行the researchers took climate and species distribution data, and created models that try to project the spread of the virus as the globe warms（研究人员获取了气候和物种分布数据，并创建了模型，试图预测随着全球变暖病毒的传播方向），由此可以推断病毒传播和温度有关，因此选择A选项。
【干扰项排除】
B选项“被感染的鸟”和C选项“蚊子”只是传播的一个途径，不是传播的关键，属于曲解原文；
D选项“卫生”文中没有提到，属于无中生有，因此排除。
第4题:
【选项释义】
According to the passage, the research of UCLA imposes emphasis on ______. 根据文章，UCLA的研究重点是______。
A. spraying pesticide A. 喷洒农药
B. mosquito control B. 蚊虫控制
C. climate change C. 气候变化
D. change the land use D. 改变土地用途
【考查点】事实细节题
【解题思路】根据题干关键词the research of UCLA定位到最后一段The UCLA model looks only at climate data, and doesn’t take into account the kind of control methods that can be used to combat West Nile on the ground, including pesticide spraying and land-use changes that deny mosquitoes the pools of stagnant water they use as breeding sites.（UCLA的模型只考虑了气候数据，并没有考虑到可以在地面上对抗西尼罗河病毒的控制方法，包括喷洒杀虫剂和改变土地使途，阻止蚊子进入它们作为繁殖地点的积水池。），由此可知UCLA的研究是把重点放在了气候变化，因此选择C选项。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“喷洒农药”、B选项“蚊虫控制”和D选项“改变土地用途”，与原文相悖，文中提到UCLA团队的研究重点没有包括这些内容，属于反向干扰，因此排除。
第5题:
【选项释义】
The title of the passage would probably be “______”. 这篇文章的标题可能是______。
A. Danger of Virus A. 病毒的危险
B. Climate change and Virus B. 气候变化与病毒
C. Invaded Species C. 入侵物种
D. Introduction of Virus Control D. 介绍病毒控制
【考查点】主旨大意题
【解题思路】这篇文章主要围绕病毒的产生扩散和气候温度的关系来展开叙述和讨论，第一段提到西尼罗病毒作为一种入侵物种，该病毒通过蚊子传播，可导致脑炎和死亡。随着气候变暖，西尼罗病毒将继续扩散。接着第二段说到美国、英国和德国的研究团队指出，气温升高等气候变化是西尼罗病毒传播的关键因素。第三段提到UCLA的研究强调气候变化作为热带疾病威胁的放大器，将使病原体侵入新领域，最终威胁人类，综合来看，全文应当是在讨论病毒和气候变化的关系，因此选择B选项。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“病毒的危险”，文章只是讨论了研究人员对病毒的研究，并没有集中讨论病毒存在哪一些危险，属于无中生有；
C选项“入侵物种”，文章只是引用入侵的物种来引出话题，属于以偏概全；
D选项“介绍病毒控制”，文章没有讨论病毒控制的内容或方法，属于无中生有，因此排除。
