Massive rubbish dumps and sprawling landfills constitute one of the more uncomfortable impacts that humans have on wildlife. They have led: some birds to give up on migration. Instead of flying thousands of miles in search of food, they make the waste sites their winterfeeding grounds.
Researchers in Germany used miniature GPS tags to track the migrations of 70 white storks(鹳)from different sites across Europe and Asia during the first five months of their lives. While many birds travelled along well-known routes to warmer climates, others stopped short and spent the winter on landfills, feeding on food waste, and the multitudes of insects that thrive on the dumps.
In the short-term, the birds seem to benefit from overwintering(过冬)on rubbish dumps. Andrea Flack of the Max Planck Institute found that birds following traditional migration routes were more likely to die than German storks that flew only as far as northern Morocco, and spent the winter there on rubbish dumps. For the birds it’s a very convenient way to get food. “There are huge clusters of organic waste they can feed on,” said Flack. The meals are not particularly appetizing, or even safe. Much of the waste is discarded rotten meat, mixed in; with other human debris such as plastic bags and old toys.
“It’s very risky. The birds can easily eat pieces of plastic or rubber bands and they can die,” said Flack. “And we don’t know about the long-term consequences. They might eat something toxic and damage their health. We cannot estimate that yet.”
The scientists tracked white storks from different colonies in Europe and Africa. The Russian, Greek and Polish storks flew as far as South Africa, while those from Spain, Tunisia and Germany flew only as far as the Sahel.
Landfill sites on the Iberian Peninsula have long attracted local white storks, but all of the Spanish birds tagged in the study flew across the Sahara desert to the western Sahel. Writing in the journal, the scientists describe bow the storks from Germany were clearly affected by the presence of waste sites, with four out of six birds that survived for at least five months overwintering on accelerating rate rubbish dumps in northern Morocco, instead of migrating to the Sahel.
Flack said it was too early to know whether the benefits of plentiful food outweighed the risks of feeding on landfills. But that’s not the only uncertainty. Migrating birds affect ecosystems both at home and at their winter destinations, and disrupting the traditional routes could have unexpected side effects. White storks feed on locusts(蝗虫)and other insects that can become pests if their numbers get out of hand. “They provide a useful service,” said Flack.
1. What is the impact of rubbish dumps on wildlife?
2. What do we learn about birds following the traditional migration routes?
3. What does Andrea Flack say about the birds overwintering on rubbish dumps?
4. What can be inferred about the Spanish birds tagged in the study?
5. What is scientists’ other concern about white storks feeding on landfills?
问题1选项
A.They have forced white storks to search for safer winter shelters.
B.They have seriously polluted the places where birds spend winter.
C.They have accelerated the reproduction of some harmful insects.
D.They have changed the previous migration habits of certain birds.
问题2选项
A.They can multiply at an accelerating rate.
B.They can better pull through the winter.
C.They help humans kill harmful insects.
D.They are more likely to be at risk of dying.
问题3选项
A.They may end up staying there permanently.
B.They may eat something harmful.
C.They may evolve new feeding habits.
D.They may have trouble getting adequate food.
问题4选项
A.They gradually lose the habit of migrating in winter.
B.They prefer rubbish dumps far away to those at home.
C.They are not attracted to the rubbish dumps on their migration routes.
D.They join the storks from Germany on rubbish dumps in Morocco.
问题5选项
A.The potential harm to the ecosystem.
B.The genetic change in the stork species.
C.The spread of epidemics to their homeland.
D.The damaging effect on bio-diversity.
第1题:D
第2题:D
第3题:B
第4题:C
第5题:A
第1题:
【选项释义】
What is the impact of rubbish dumps on wildlife? 垃圾场对野生动物有什么影响?
A. They have forced white storks to search for safer winter shelters. A. 它们迫使白鹳寻找更安全的冬季庇护所。
B. They have seriously polluted the places where birds spend winter. B. 它们严重污染了鸟类过冬的地方。
C. They have accelerated the reproduction of some harmful insects. C. 它们加速了一些有害昆虫的繁殖。
D. They have changed the previous migration habits of certain birds. D. 它们改变了某些鸟类以前的迁徙习惯。
【答案】D
【考查点】细节理解题
【解题思路】根据题干关键信息rubbish dumps可定位到第一段,首句They have…to give up on migration. Instead of flying thousands of miles in search…grounds,意为:他们迫使一些鸟类放弃迁徙。它们不再飞行数千英里来寻找食物,而是把这些垃圾作为它们的过冬觅食地。因此,D选项符合题意。
【干扰项排除】
A选项,文意为“它们使得一些鸟儿放弃迁徙,就地过冬”。而不是迫使它们寻求其他场地,属于曲解原文。
B、C选项文章并未提及,属于无中生有。
第2题:
【选项释义】
What do we learn about birds following the traditional migration routes? 对于遵循传统迁徙路线的鸟类,我们了解到了什么?
A. They can multiply at an accelerating rate. A. 它们可以加速繁殖。
B. They can better pull through the winter. B. 它们能更好地熬过冬天。
C. They help humans kill harmful insects. C. 它们帮助人类杀死有害的昆虫。
D. They are more likely to be at risk of dying. D. 它们更有可能面临死亡的风险。
【答案】D
【考查点】细节理解题
【解题思路】根据题干关键信息following traditional migration route可定位到第三段,首句开始In the…birds following traditional migration routes were more likely to die than German storks that flew… on rubbish dumps,意为:短期内,鸟儿似乎受益于在垃圾场过冬。马克斯•普朗克研究所的安德里亚•弗拉克发现,遵循传统迁徙路线的鸟类比只飞到摩洛哥北部、在那里的垃圾堆上过冬的德国鹳更容易死亡。因此可知,传统迁徙的鸟儿更有可能面临死亡的风险。D选项符合题意。
【干扰项排除】
A选项文章并未提及,属于无中生有;
B选项由文章可知:birds following traditional migration routes were more likely to die,它们更难熬过冬天,因此属于反向干扰;
C选项可定位原文最后一段第四行White storks feed on…pests if their numbers get out of hand,意为:白鹳吃蝗虫和其他如果数量过多则可能变成害虫的昆虫。是说它吃的这些昆虫有可能变成害虫,而不是它们帮助杀死害虫,属于曲解原文。
第3题:
【选项释义】
What does Andrea Flack say about the birds overwintering on rubbish dumps? 关于在垃圾堆上过冬的鸟,安德里亚•弗莱克说了什么?
A. They may end up staying there permanently. A. 它们可能最终会永久留在那里。
B. They may eat something harmful. B. 它们可能吃了一些有害的东西。
C. They may evolve new feeding habits. C. 它们可能进化出新的进食习惯。
D. They may have trouble getting adequate food. D. 它们可能难以获得足够的食物。
【答案】B
【考查点】推理判断题
【解题思路】根据题干关键信息Andrea Flack可定位到第三段和第四段,由第四段倒数第二句:They might eat something toxic and damage their health. “它们可能吃了一些对身体有害的食物”可知,B选项符合题意。
【干扰项排除】
A、C选项文章并未提及,属于无中生有;
D选项可定位原文第三段第四行:For the birds it’s a very convenient way to get food. There are huge clusters of organic waste they can feed on,意为:它们可以以大量的有机垃圾为食。因此,是可以获得足够的食物的,属于曲解原文。
第4题:
【选项释义】
What can be inferred about the Spanish birds tagged in the study? 关于研究中标记的西班牙鸟类,我们可以推断出什么?
A. They gradually lose the habit of migrating in winter. A. 它们逐渐失去了冬天迁徙的习惯。
B. They prefer rubbish dumps far away to those at home. B. 它们更喜欢远离家里的垃圾堆。
C. They are not attracted to the rubbish dumps on their migration routes. C. 它们不会被迁徙路上的垃圾吸引。
D. They join the storks from Germany on rubbish dumps in Morocco. D. 它们加入了来自德国的鹳在摩洛哥的垃圾堆。
【答案】C
【考查点】推理判断题
【解题思路】根据题干关键信息可定位到倒数第二段:Landfill sites on the Iberian Peninsula have long attracted local white storks, but all of the Spanish birds tagged in the study flew across the Sahara desert to the western Sahel. …affected by the presence of waste sites,意为:伊比利亚半岛的垃圾填埋场长期以来一直吸引着当地的白鹳,但研究中标记的所有西班牙白鹳都飞越了撒哈拉沙漠,飞到了萨赫勒西部。科学家们在期刊中写道,来自德国的鹳显然受到了垃圾掩埋场的影响。因此,西班牙鸟类没有被垃圾所吸引,而是照常迁徙。对应C选项正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项,由文章可知,其他鸟儿会被垃圾填埋场吸引,但是西班牙鸟类不会,而是保留迁徙,因此属于反向干扰。
B、D选项文章并未提及,属于无中生有。
第5题:
【选项释义】
What is scientists’ other concern about white storks feeding on landfills? 科学家们对以垃圾填埋场为食的白鹳的其他担忧是什么?
A. The potential harm to the ecosystem. A. 对生态系统的潜在危害。
B. The genetic change in the stork species. B. 鹳物种的基因变化。
C. The spread of epidemics to their homeland. C. 传染病蔓延到它们的家乡。
D. The damaging effect on bio-diversity. D. 生物多样性的破坏作用。
【答案】A
【考查点】细节理解题
【解题思路】根据题干关键信息可定位到最后一段,第二行But that’s not the only uncertainty. Migrating birds affect ecosystems both at home and at their winter destinations, and disrupting the traditional routes could have unexpected side effects,意为:迁徙的鸟类会影响家园和冬季目的地的生态系统,破坏传统迁徙路线可能会产生意想不到的副作用。因此,A选项符合题意。
【干扰项排除】
B、C、D选项文章并未提及,属于无中生有。