高中英语阅读理解练习（11~12）
11
A respected Polish scientific institute has classified common house cats as "invasive alien species." The institute did this because of the damage cats cause to birds and other wildlife. Some cat lovers have reacted emotionally to the decision. The strong reactions have put the main scientist behind the decision on the defensive.
Wojciech Solarz is a biologist at the state-run Polish Academy of Sciences. The academy's Institute of Nature Conservation runs a database of invasive alien species. He said he was surprised by the public reaction following the addition of Felis catus in the database. Felis catus is the scientific name for the common house cat. The database already had 1,786 other species listed with no objections(反对), Solarz told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The public anger, he said, may have come from the media. Some media reports may have misinformed people that the institute is calling for wild and domestic cats to be killed.
Solarz described the growing scientific belief that domestic cats harm biodiversity(生物多样性). This is because of the number of birds and mammals that cats hunt and kill. The criteria(标准) for including the cat among alien invasive species, "are 100% met by the cat," he said.
On a recent television show aired by independent broadcaster TVN, Solarz debated a veterinarian on the issue. The veterinarian, or animal doctor, was Dorota Suminska. She is the writer of a book called The Happy Cat. She challenged Solarz's belief that cats are dangerous to wildlife. She pointed to other causes of decreasing biodiversity. These causes include a polluted environment and city buildings that can kill birds in flight. "Ask if man is on the list of non-invasive alien species," Suminska said. She argued that cats were being unfairly blamed. Solarz argued that cats kill about 140 million birds in Poland each year.
The Polish Academy institute published a post（帖子） on its website seeking to clear up its position on the issue. The institute said it was "opposed to any cruelty towards animals." It also argued that its classification was in line with European Union guidelines. As far as categorizing cats as "alien," the institute noted that Felis catus was domesticated around 10,000 years ago by ancient civilizations in the Middle East. That means that cats are not native to Europe from a scientific point of view. The institute also suggested that cat owners should limit the time their pets spend outdoors during bird mating（交配） season.
(407 words)
根据文章内容，选择最佳答案：
1. The Polish Academy institute’s decision is based on the facts except that ______.
A. the criteria for it is 100% met by the cat.
B. cats hunt and kill a large number of birds and mammals.
C. Cats in Europe came from theMiddle Easta long time ago.
D. cat owners let their pets spend outdoors during bird mating season.
2. The emotional reaction about the classification decision may be resulted by the fact that _____.
A. the common house cats don’t kill any wildlife at all.
B. the common house cats are not invasive alien species at all.
C. some people think the decision is calling people to kill the cats.
D. the classification are against European Union guidelines
3. Dorota Suminska thinks that ___________.
A. the public anger may have come from the media.
B. cats are dangerous to wildlife.
C. man should be on the list of non-invasive alien species, too.
D. cats were being unfairly blamed.
4. From the last paragraph we can infer that the Polish Academy institute is _____ on its decision.
A. angry B. careless C. scientific D. regretful
5. What does the underlined word domesticate mean
A. to make something acceptable for local people.
B. to help a wild animal used to live in a new home.
C. to make a wild animal used to living with or working for humans.
D. to take a local species to a foreign country.
12
Florida's sea turtle population is changing because of hot weather. Recent heat waves in the southern state have made the sand on the beaches so hot that almost of all the sea turtles born there are female. When a mother sea turtle digs a nest for her eggs on the beach, the temperature of the sand decides the sex, or gender, of the baby sea turtles, called hatchlings.
Bette Zirkelbach is the manager of the Turtle Hospital in the town of Marathon in the Florida Keys, an archipelago off the southern coast of the state. Zirkelbach said that the past four summers have been the hottest on record in Florida, leading to more female sea turtles. "Scientists that are studying sea turtle hatchlings and eggs have found no boy sea turtles, so only female sea turtles for the past four years." She said that an Australian study showed a similar effect in which "99 percent of the new sea turtle babies are female," Zirkelbach said.
NOAA is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. government weather agency. NOAA's National Ocean Service website says the sex of sea turtles is not determined at the time of fertilization(受精), but by the temperature of developing eggs. So, if the sand is very hot and the eggs are above 31 degrees Celsius, the hatchlings will be female. If the temperature is below 27.7 degrees Celsius, then the turtle babies will be male.
Melissa Rosales Rodriguez is a sea turtle keeper at the turtle hospital at the Miami Zoo. She said, "Over the years, you're going to see a sharp decline in their population because we just don't have the genetic diversity. We don't have the male-to-female ratio needed in order to be able to have successful breeding sessions（繁殖期）."
Both turtle hospitals have also been fighting turtle tumors(肿瘤). The tumors are called fibropapillomatosis, or FP. Among turtles, the tumors are contagious. They can be deadly for the animals if they are not treated.
Zirkelbach would like to save every turtle she can by opening up more turtle hospitals, especially since the future of the population is at risk from climate change and disease. "The Turtle Hospital was the first. But, sadly and fortunately, there's a need all throughout Florida," she said.
(377 words)
根据文章内容,选择最佳答案:
1. The hotter the weather is, _______.
A. the more sea turtle babies were born.
B. the less sea turtle babies were born.
C. the more female turtles were born.
D. the more male turtles were born.
2. The sex of sea turtles is determined by _____.
A. the father turtle
B. the mother turtle
C. the time of fertilization
D. the temperature of developing eggs
3. A sharp declinein their population happens in recent years because ______.
A. more female turtles were born
B. more male turtles were born
C. more turtles died of turtle tumors.
D. we don’t have enough turtle hospitals.
4. According to the report, we can sure about the facts except that ______.
A. sea turtles like cold weather better than hot weather.
B. mother turtles likes to lay their eggs in the beach.
C. only female sea turtles were born in the past four years.
D. Among turtles, the tumors are contagious.
5. What does the underlined word determine mean
A. to decide to do sth
B. to discover the facts about sth
C. to make something happen in a particular way
D. to make something happen with the help of others.高中英语阅读理解练习答案及句子精讲（11~12）
答案：（11）1D 2C 3D 4C 5C
（12）1C 2D 3A 4A 5C
句子精讲：（11）
1. A respected Polish scientific institute has classified common house cats as "invasive alien species
."波兰一家受人尊敬的科学机构将普通家猫归类为“外来入侵物种”。
classify [ kl s fa ] v. 分类;划分;将…分类;界定
classification [ kl s f ke n] n. 分类;归类;分级;类别; 分类法
【例句】
1). Patients are classified into three categories.
病人被归为三种类型。
2). Thisis a good system for classification.
这是一个很好的分类法。
alien ['eilj n] n.外国人；外星人
外来生物
(人教版高中英语 必修5 Unit 3)
【例句】
Jimis an alien in this film.
吉姆在这部电影里是个外星人。
2. Some media reports may have misinformed people that the institute is calling for wild and domestic cats to be killed.
一些媒体报道可能误导了人们，认为该研究所正在呼吁杀死野生和家猫。
inform [in'f :m] vt.通知，告知, 对…有影响
misinform [ m s n f m]误报;误传, 误导
(人教版高中英语 必修5 Unit 4)
【例句】
1). 'He's already left,' she informed us.
“他已经走了。”她告诉我们说。
2). Sometimes people are just misinformed about what is happening.
有时候，人们只不过是被误传了正在发生的事情。
3. On a recent television show aired by independent broadcaster TVN, Solarz debated a veterinarian (兽医) on the issue.
在独立电视台TVN最近播出的一档电视节目中，索拉兹就这一问题与一名兽医进行了辩论。
-- broad [br :d] a.宽的，辽阔的
(人教版高中英语 必修3 Unit 5)
-- cast [kɑ st] v. 投射，投掷
-- broadcast ['br :dkɑ:st] n.广播节目
v. 广播;播送(电视或无线电节目);散布，传播(信息等)
(人教版高中英语 必修2 Unit 5)
【例句】
1). The hills rise green and sheer above the broad river.
这些小山碧绿陡峭，矗立在这条宽阔的河流之上。
2). The sun cast its golden rays on the calm sea.
金色的阳光投射到平静的海面上。
3). A new TV program will be broadcasted this evening.
今天晚上将要播送一个新的电视节目。
4). We watched a live broadcast of the speech.
我们观看了那场演说的现场直播。
4. She argued that cats were being unfairly blamed.
她辩称，猫受到了不公平的指责。
unfair [, n'fe ] a.不公平的，不公正的
unfairly 不公平地
(人教版高中英语 必修1 Unit 5)
【例句】
1). It seems unfair on him to make him pay for everything.
让他承担一切费用似乎对他不公平。
2). He complained bitterly that he had been unfairly treated.
他愤懑地诉说他所受到的不公平待遇。
5. The institute said it was "opposed（反对的） to any cruelty towards animals."
该研究所表示，他们“反对任何虐待动物的行为”。
cruelty ['kru: lti] n.残忍
cruel [ kru l] adj. 残忍的
(人教版高中英语 必修1 Unit 5)
【例句】
1). I can't stand people who are cruel to animals.
我无法容忍虐待动物的人。
2). He had been unable to escape the cruelties of war.
他没能逃脱战争的残酷。
6. As far as categorizing（归类） cats as "alien," the institute noted that Felis catus was domesticated around 10,000 years ago by ancient civilizations in the Middle East.
至于把猫归为“外来物种”，该研究所指出，猫科动物大约在1万年前被中东的古代文明驯化。
-- as far as[ z fɑ: z] 远到…；就…而言
(人教版高中英语 必修3 Unit 5)
【例句】
1). The group has adventured as far as the Austrian alps.
该队伍的探险之旅远至奥地利的阿尔卑斯山。
2). As far as possible, he will help you.
只要可能，他会帮助你的。
3). As far as I am concerned, you can do what you like.
就我而言，你想干什么就可以干什么。
（12）
1. NOAA's National Ocean Service website says the sex of sea turtles is not determined at the time of fertilization(受精), but by the temperature of developing eggs.
NOAA的海洋局网站表示，海龟的性别不是在受精时决定，而是由卵子发育时的温度决定。
-- determine[di't :min]v.决定查看详细
(人教版高中英语 必修1, Unit 3)
【例句】
1). Sheis determined to make it to the top.
她决心要出人头地。
2). They determined to start early.
他们决定早点出发。
-- fertilizer['f :tilaiz ]n.肥料查看详细
(人教版高中英语 必修4, Unit 2)
-- fertilize [ f t la z] v. 施肥;使受精;使受孕
-- fertilization
【例句】
1). Flowers are often fertilized by bees as they gather nectar.
花常在蜜蜂采蜜时受粉。
2). Too much fertilizer will harm the crops.
施肥过多对庄稼有害。
3). The sperm fuses with the egg to begin the process of fertilization.
精子与卵子结合开始受精过程。
2. She said, "Over the years, you're going to see a sharp decline in their population because we just don't have the genetic diversity(多样性).
她说：“多年以来，你看到海龟的数量急剧下降，因为它们没有保持基因多样性。
-- decline [d kla n] v. / n. (数量、价值、质量等的)减少，下降，衰落，衰退
【例句】
1). The company reported a small decline in its profits.
公司报告其利润略有减少。
2). It is reported that the temperature will decline sharply in one or two days.
据报告近日气温将明显下降。
3). The prices are declining.
价格下降。
genetic [d net k] adj. 遗传的;基因的;遗传学的
gene [d i n] n. 基因
【例句】
1). It is probable that the disease has a genetic element.
这种疾病很可能有遗传因素。
2). Physical characteristics are determined by genetic inheritance.
身体的特征取决于基因遗传。
3). Genes determine the characteristics of every living thing.
基因决定每个生物的特征。
