Question

Coral reefs(珊瑚礁) are not just beautiful to look at，but also very useful．They shelter nearly 25％ of ocean life and provide food for billions of people．However, like many other species，this amazing ecosystem(生态系统) is in danger of dying out!

There are two main reasons for the destruction—the rising carbon dioxide levels caused by global warming as well as human influences like bottom operation．While not much can be done about the former，the loss caused by the latter can be reduced.

Bottom operation involves dropping nets to the ocean bed and then dragging them up when filled with fish．This action damaged the ocean floor，causing the coral branches to separate from the reefs．While that is very discouraging，the good news is that if these branches are found quickly，they can be saved．At present，that work is being performed by volunteer divers. But the method has only limited success because they cannot stay long underwater, nor reach depths of over 200 meters where some of the deep-sea coral grows.

However，this is not the case for Coralbots—the robots that can constantly seek out broken branches．A team of ‘coral bots’，each individually working to simple rules will piece together damaged bits of coral, allowing them to regrow. They are programmed to be able to distinguish between other things and the coral．The robots work together in groups，similar to bees．If one coralbot is damaged, then the others will still be able to complete the task.

Dr Lea-Anne Henry said：“The project of using coralbots offers us the possibility to restore(修复) the function of reefs．It is in the final stage of testing．Once ready, the researchers hope to build hundreds of them and use them effectively in the waters off Scotland and then hopefully in the oceans across the world．”

1.Which of the following is a cause of the danger that coral reefs are facing?

A．The appearance of new creatures.

B．The seriously polluted sea water.

C．The activities of volunteer divers.

D．Human activities like bottom operation.

2.Compared with volunteer divers，coralbots ________．

A．can stay longer underwater

B．must work as bees do

C．can distinguish what is coral

D．can never be damaged

3.What does the underlined word“them”in the last paragraph refer to?

A．Coralbots．B．Broken branches．

C．working bees．D．Bits of coral．

4.We can infer from the passage that ________．

A．bottom operation has affected most underwater creatures

B．broken branches of coral can regrow if saved in time

C．hundreds of the coralbots have worked well in the oceans

D．with the coralbots all damaged coral reefs can be restored

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.A

4.B

【解析】

试题分析: 本文主要介绍了珊瑚礁所面临的问题以及应对的方法。珊瑚礁由于全球变暖以及人类的一些海底作业而濒临灭绝。Coralbots是挽救珊瑚礁的好帮手，它们可以长时间待在水下以帮助受损的珊瑚礁重新生长。

1.1】D 细节理解题。根据文中第二段的第一句"There are two main reasons for the destruction―the rising carbon dioxide levels caused by global warming as well as human influences like bottom operation."可知，D项是其中一个原因。故选D。

2.2】A 推理判断题。根据文中第三段的"But the method has only limited success because they cannot stay long underwater, nor reach depths of over 200 metres where some of the deep-sea coral grows. ，，以及第四段的"However,this is not the case for coralbots …"可知，coralbots可以长时间待在水下。故选A。

3.3】A 推理判断题。根据文中The project of using coralbots offers us the possibility to restore(修复) the function of reefs．It is in the final stage of testing．Once ready, the researchers hope to build hundreds of them and use them effectively in the waters可知，这里的them指代的是上文提到的coralbots，因为要用它们来修复珊瑚礁。故选A。

4.4】B 推理判断题。根据文中第二段的"While not much can be done about the former, the loss caused by the latter can be reduced."可排除A；根据文章最后一段的"Once ready, the researchers hope to build hundreds of them and use them effectively in the waters off ...，"可排除C；根据文章最后一段的"The project of using coralbots offers us the possibility to restore(修复) the function of reefs. It is in the final stage of testing."，可知，D项太绝对；根据文章第四段的A team of “coralbots”, each individually working to simple rules will piece together damaged bits of coral, allowing them to regrow.可知，B项正确。故选B。

考点：考查科普环保类短文阅读。