Question

【题目】根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Winter begins in the north on December 22nd.People and animals have been doing what they always do to prepare for the colder months, squirrels, for example, have been busy gathering nuts from trees. 【1】

They examined differences between red squirrels and gray squirrels in the American state of Indiana. The scientists wanted to know how these differences could affect the growth of black walnut(黑胡桃）trees. 【2】 The black walnut tree is also a central part of some hardwood forests.

Rob Swihart of Purdue University did the study with Jake Goheen, a former Purdue student nowat the University of New Mexico. The two researchers estimate that several times as many walnuts grow when gathered by gray squirrels as compared to red squirrels.Gray squirrels and red squirrels do not store nuts and seeds in the same way. Gray squirrels bury nuts one at a time in a number of places. 【3】 So some nuts remain in the ground. Conditions are right for them to develop and grow the following spring. Red squirrels, however, store large groups of nuts above ground.

【4】 But Professor Swihart says their numbers began to decrease as more forests were cut for agriculture. Red squirrels began to spread through the state during the past century. The researchers say red squirrels are native to forests that stay green all year, unlike walnut trees. They say the cleaning of forest land for agriculture has helped red squirrels invade（涌入）Indiana. 【5】

A. Gray squirrels are native to Indiana.

B. But they seldom remember where they buried every nut.

C. Red squirrels bury nuts in a different way.

D. The black walnut is the nut of choice for both kinds of squirrels.

E. Jake Goheen calls them a sign of an environmental problem more than a cause.

F. Scientists are worried that they will drive away the gray squirrels.

G. Well, scientists have been busy gathering information about what the squirrels do with the food they collect.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】G

【2】D

【3】B

【4】A

【5】E

【解析】

试题分析：本文讲述了一项科学研究，每年的12月22日北方进入冬季后，人们和动物们会做什么来渡过寒冷的动机呢？松鼠们开始行动了，人们也对他们进行了研究，红、灰松鼠都会收集黑胡桃,而它们的行为会带来什么影响呢？本文作者就此做了研究。

【1】G考查对上下文的理解与判断能力。在上文“for example, have been busy gathering nuts from trees.”提到松鼠忙于收集坚果，下文提出对比，即可选出答案G.

【2】D考查对上下文的理解与判断能力。根据上文“The scientists wanted to know how these differences could affect the growth of black walnut(黑胡桃）trees”以及下文出现的“also”一词，即可知道两种松鼠都爱黑胡椒，故选D。

【3】B考查对上下文的理解与判断能力。根据上下文同时理解，后文“remain in the ground”是关键，可知他们不知道放在哪里，故选B。

【4】A考查对上下文的理解与判断能力。根据后文中的 “but”转折，即可推断出前文是消极含义，故选A。

【5】E考查对上下文的理解与判断能力。本文最后一个选项作为文章收尾有总结含义。作者是一项研究，经过前文论证后则得出结论，故选E。