Question

In the Pacific Northwest there is a kind of owl (猫头鹰) that serves as a unique piece to the Northwest habitat (栖息地) — the northern spotted owl.

Northern spotted owls are known to be curious. When seeing you, these owls will come down close and check you out.

The northern spotted owl has been a savior of old-growth forests. Old-growth forests are forests that have been around for a long time without significant disturbances. One way the spotted owl has become a protector of old-growth forests is simply by being there. The northern spotted owl has become endangered, and so to protect them from dying out, the government has to protect their habitat. So now any destruction of old-growth forests is illegal. Another way the owls help their habitat is by eating small animals. This helps create a balance in the forest.

So, if the northern spotted owl is in a habitat that is protected by laws, why are they still endangered?

Unfortunately, a cousin of the northern spotted owl has moved into its neighborhood. The bigger, more aggressive “barred owl” has grown in population and due to loss of the forests they lived in on the East Coast of the United States, they have begun to move to the west coast.

These owls are taking the food source and pushing northern spotted owls out of their own home. Although the barred owl is able to live in different habitats, the northern spotted owl can only live in old-growth forests.

Many government officials have been at a loss to find an answer to the difficult question, “What do we do with the non-native barred owls?” Some methods include shooting them. It is a difficult problem to deal with. Can you think of any possible solutions?

1.The northern spotted owl ________.

A. is particular about its food

B. has difficulty adapting to a new habitat

C. seems dangerous and aggressive

D. is a common bird in the USA

2.Old-growth forests seem to ________.

A. become less safe for the owls

B. benefit from northern spotted owls

C. be in danger of dying out

D. regrow at a fast speed

3.Northern spotted owls are in danger mainly because of ________.

A. illegal hunting

B. the destruction of the forests

C. another kind of owl

D. environmental pollution

4.The methods being used to help northern spotted owls are ________.

A. creativeB. far-sightedC. unbearableD. ineffective

Answer

1.B

2.B

3.C

4.D

【解析】

试题分析：本文属于说明文，介绍了一种濒危动物spotted owl，并分析了它们处于危险的原因，并说明现在政府采取的保护措施都无济于事，要征求大家的意见。

1.，spotted owl只能生活在古老的森林里，它们无法适应新的栖息地。故B项正确。

2.中One way the spotted owl has become a protector of old-growth forests is simply by being there. The northern spotted owl has become endangered, and so to protect them from dying out, the government has to protect their habitat. So now any destruction of old-growth forests is illegal. Another way the owls help their habitat is by eating small animals. This helps create a balance in the forest.可知，spotted owl对于古老的森林是一个拯救者，因为人们要保护spotted owl，而spotted owl只能生活在古老的森林里，所以人们也要保护spotted owl的栖息地old-growth forests，而且spotted owl通过吃小型动物可以维持森林的生态平衡，故B项正确。

3.，spotted owl的近亲“barred owl”的数量增加了，它们会抢占spotted owl的食物来源，让spotted owl处于危险之中。故C项正确。

4.，很多政府官员对于如何保护spotted owl感觉很茫然，需要征求公众的意见。这说明原来的措施没有效果。故D项正确。

【名师点睛】

本文四个小题都属于推理判断题，在做这类题要求考生在阅读理解整体语篇的同时，又要求学生对作者的态度、意图及文章细节的发展作正确的推理判断，力求从作者的角度去考虑，不要固守自己的看法或观点。不要主观臆断，凭空想象，任意发挥，而走入误区。学生要学会运用主题句去推测、揣摩文字背后作者的意图，运用归纳、对比、演绎技能，运用背景知识去挖掘文章深层含义，从而正确理解作者的言外之意，同时认真体会文章的语气与感情基调(如：否定、厌恶、反问、讽刺等)。这类试题常以如下句式发问：

①What can you conclude/ imply from this passage?

②What’s the author’s attitude（态度）towards...?

③We can infer /learn from the passage that...

如： Once there was something wrong with a machine in a factory. The workers could do nothing but turn to a German engineer for help, who drew a line on it and said, “Take off the part where the line is and change it for a new one. ”The machine, with a new line on, began running well again. The engineer then asked for $ 30,000 for what he had done. The following were what he wrote on a bill, “The new part only costs one dollar, and knowing where the problem with the machine is costs $ 29,999.”

Q: What can you conclude from this passage?

A. the engineer asked for too much money

B. the workers should pay the money

C. the knowledge is worth money

D. the new part could cost more

这篇短文是作者讲的一个故事，那么通过这个故事我们可以判断出什么呢？虽然作者没有言明，但是我们可以断定，发现问题的所在需要智慧和知识，知识是创造价值的源泉，因此此题的正确答案应为C。

考点：考查说明文阅读