单选题
The tree people in the Lord of the Rings—the Ents—can get around by walking. But for real trees, it's harder to uproot. Because they're literally rooted into the ground, they are unable to leave and go 24 . When a tree first starts growing in a certain area, it's likely that the 25 envelope—the temperature, humidity, rainfall patterns and so on—suits it. Otherwise, it would be unable to grow from a seedling. But as it 26 , these conditions may change and the area around it may no longer be suitable for its 27 . When that happens, many trees like walnuts, oaks and pines, rely 28 on so-called 'scatter hoarders,' such as birds, to move their seeds to new localities. Many birds like to store food for the winter, which they 29 retrieve. When the birds forget to retrieve their food—and they do sometimes—a seedling has a chance to grow. The bird Clark's nutcracker, for example, hides up to 100,000 seeds per year, up to 30 kilometers away from the seed source, and has a very close symbiotic (共生的) relationship with several pine species, most 30 the whitebark pine. As trees outgrow their ideal 31 in the face of climate change, these flying ecosystem engineers could be a big help in 32 trees. It's a solution for us—getting birds to do the work is cheap and effective—and it could give 33 oaks and pines the option to truly 'make like a tree and leave.' A. ages I. legacy B. breathing J. notably C. climatic K. offspring D. elsewhere L. replanting E. exclusively M. subsequently F. forever N. vulnerable G. fruitful O. withdraws H. habitats
【答案解析】空格位于be a big help in doing something的结构中,据此判断应填入动词的现在分词形式。根据句意“这些会飞的生态工程师们在______方面帮了大忙”可知,答案为L. replanting“重新种植”。备选项中,breathing意为“呼吸”,从文章中可以看出,鸟类工程师不是在呼吸方面帮了大忙,而是在重新种植方面,故排除。
问答题
【正确答案】N。
【答案解析】空格位于give somebody something的结构之中,又处于名词oaks and pines之前,据此判断可填入形容词,此处形容词作定语修饰名词。根据句意“这也给了______橡树和松树一个选择”可知,N. vulnerable“脆弱的,易受伤害的”符合此处语意,故为答案。备选项中,fruitful意为“果实累累的,富有成效的”,不符合文意,故排除。