单选题
What's Killing the Bats?
First it was bees. Now it is bats. Biologists in America are working hard to discover the cause of the mysterious deaths of tens of thousands of bats in the northeastern part of the country. Most of the bats affected are the common little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus), but other species, such as the long-eared bat, the smallfooted bat, the eastern pipistrelle, and the Indiana bat have also been affected. In some caves, more than 90 percent of the bat populations have died.
One possibility is disease. A white fungus (真菌) known as fusarium has been found on the noses of both living and dead bats. However, scientists don't know if the fungus is the primary cause of death, a secondary cause of death, or not a cause at all, but the result of some other conditions.
Another possible cause is a lack of food. For example, bats typically eat a large number of moths (蛾), and in some states such as New York, the number of moths has been declining in recent years. If bats can't eat enough food, they starve to death.
Still other scientists believe that global warming is to blame. Warmer temperatures in recent years have been waking up hibernating (冬眠) bats earlier than usual. If bats break their hibernation at the wrong time, they might not find their expected food sources. The weather might also turn cold again and weaken or kill the bats.
Scientists might not agree on the causes of the bat die-off, but they do agree on the consequences. Bats are an important predator of mosquitoes; a single brown bat can eat 1,000 or more insects in an hour. They also eat beetles and other insects that damage plant crops. If there aren't enough bats, damage will be great from the insects they eat.
While bats live a long time for their size—the little brown bat can live for more than 30 years—a female bat has only one baby per year, so bat populations grow slowly. Many bat species in the United States are already protected or endangered.
How can you help? Do not disturb sleeping or nesting bats. If you discover bats that seem to be sick or that are dead, contact your local Fish & Wildlife Department with the details. However, be careful not to touch the animals.
单选题 What is the main idea of this passage?
  • A. There are many possible causes of the deaths of fiats.
  • B. All species of bats in North America are dying.
  • C. Scientists already know the cause of the deaths of bats.
  • D. The bat deaths are a serious problem.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 根据文章标题和第二、三、四段的第一句可知，本篇文章主要讲了一些可能导致蝙蝠死亡的原因。故选A。
单选题 What does the first sentence in Paragraph 1 mean?
  • A. The first article on the website is about bees.
  • B. Bees usually die before bats.
  • C. It was bees that caused the deaths of bats.
  • D. Bees have been dying mysteriously.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 第一段前三句表明：最初是蜜蜂；现在是蝙蝠；美国生物学家正努力寻找美国东北部数 万蝙蝠离奇死亡的原因。由此不难推断，第一段第一句的意思是，蜜蜂也曾离奇死亡。
单选题 The word "pipistrelle" in Paragraph 1 refers to ______.
  • A. a kind of fungus
  • B. an area in the U.S
  • C. a special cave
  • D. a kind of bat
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 由第一段第四句可知，大多数遭受感染的蝙蝠是常见的小棕蝠，但是也有其他种类的蝙蝠，比如长耳蝙蝠、小脚蝙蝠、东方的pipistrelle以及印第安纳蝙蝠。由此可知，pipistrelle指的也是一种蝙蝠。
单选题 The "moths" in Paragraph 3 are taken as an example of ______.
  • A. insects that bats eat
  • B. diseases that kill bats
  • C. animals that have diseases
  • D. bat species that are starving to death
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 由第三段第二句中的“bats typically eat a large number of moths”可知，moths指的是一种蝙蝠捕食的昆虫。
单选题 What is the purpose of the last paragraph?
  • A. To tell the public how to help bats.
  • B. To get people to stop killing bats.
  • C. To hire workers for the Fish & Wildlife Department.
  • D. To ask people not to touch dead bats.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 最后一段第一句是段落主旨句，提出“如何保护蝙蝠”的疑问，紧接着便是对该问题的 回答。故选A。