A
For many animals, an island can be a great place to live. Water all around keeps big predators away. But islands have their own dangers. Food and water are limited. A storm or volcano can easily wipe out a whole population or change the land in big ways. If a predator (like cats or rats) does arrive, there's no escape. These challenges can cause island animals to evolve (进化) quite differently from their mainland ancestors (祖先). So, islands around the world are home to rare species found nowhere else. ①
Finches from the Galápagos beak
The Galápagos are a group of small volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean, 600 miles (966 km) west of Ecuador. When these islands first erupted (喷发) from the sea, they were empty of life. Over time, plant seeds blew or drifted there. Birds arrived, bringing more seeds. Tortoises and iguanas (鬣蜥) floated over on logs. ②
When scientist Charles Darwin visited the Galápagos in 1835, he noticed something interesting. Many of the islands had similar animals—iguanas, land tortoises and small birds. But these animals were a bit different on each island. On one island, birds called finches had long, narrow beaks—right for catching bugs. But on the next island, the finches had short, strong beaks. That island had more seeds, and fewer bugs. Each type of finch had a beak that matched the most common food on its island. He found similar differences in the tortoises and iguanas. ③
After thinking about this for many years, Darwin's observations led him to a startling new idea. He realized that each family of animals probably shared a common ancestor—the original birds or turtles who flew or drifted there. Gradually, as they spread to different islands, the young with traits that best suited the food on that island did better. But since each island was different, the birds or turtles on each island evolved slightly different traits. He called this idea "natural selection". ④
Darwin's idea explains more than just the Galápagos. It also explains why islands are so often home to unusual animals. Islands separate animals from others of their kind and present them with new challenges. Those animals that do best on an island may not be the same ones who did best on the mainland. So over time, they become different.
(
A. To tell a story about Charles Darwin.
B. To introduce the form of the Galápagos.
C. To discover the secrets of island animals.
D. To explain the importance of the environment.
(
A. ① B. ② C. ③ D. ④
(
A. It proved islands are the perfect home to different animals.
B. It was used to describe some special animals from the Galápagos.
C. It announced the result of the research on certain island animals.
D. It was named after the islands where Darwin formed his discovery.
(
A. Mainland animals never evolve for there are fewer dangers around.
B. Big island animals can get smaller since they have limited food on islands.
C. Darwin first mistook different finches for totally unrelated kinds of animals.
D. The Galápagos were considered as a natural laboratory to do special research.
For many animals, an island can be a great place to live. Water all around keeps big predators away. But islands have their own dangers. Food and water are limited. A storm or volcano can easily wipe out a whole population or change the land in big ways. If a predator (like cats or rats) does arrive, there's no escape. These challenges can cause island animals to evolve (进化) quite differently from their mainland ancestors (祖先). So, islands around the world are home to rare species found nowhere else. ①
Finches from the Galápagos beak
The Galápagos are a group of small volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean, 600 miles (966 km) west of Ecuador. When these islands first erupted (喷发) from the sea, they were empty of life. Over time, plant seeds blew or drifted there. Birds arrived, bringing more seeds. Tortoises and iguanas (鬣蜥) floated over on logs. ②
When scientist Charles Darwin visited the Galápagos in 1835, he noticed something interesting. Many of the islands had similar animals—iguanas, land tortoises and small birds. But these animals were a bit different on each island. On one island, birds called finches had long, narrow beaks—right for catching bugs. But on the next island, the finches had short, strong beaks. That island had more seeds, and fewer bugs. Each type of finch had a beak that matched the most common food on its island. He found similar differences in the tortoises and iguanas. ③
After thinking about this for many years, Darwin's observations led him to a startling new idea. He realized that each family of animals probably shared a common ancestor—the original birds or turtles who flew or drifted there. Gradually, as they spread to different islands, the young with traits that best suited the food on that island did better. But since each island was different, the birds or turtles on each island evolved slightly different traits. He called this idea "natural selection". ④
Darwin's idea explains more than just the Galápagos. It also explains why islands are so often home to unusual animals. Islands separate animals from others of their kind and present them with new challenges. Those animals that do best on an island may not be the same ones who did best on the mainland. So over time, they become different.
(
C
) 1. What's the purpose of writing this passage?A. To tell a story about Charles Darwin.
B. To introduce the form of the Galápagos.
C. To discover the secrets of island animals.
D. To explain the importance of the environment.
(
B
) 2. In which place would the sentence "This is often the way plants and animals come and live on islands." best be placed?A. ① B. ② C. ③ D. ④
(
C
) 3. What can we learn about "natural selection"?A. It proved islands are the perfect home to different animals.
B. It was used to describe some special animals from the Galápagos.
C. It announced the result of the research on certain island animals.
D. It was named after the islands where Darwin formed his discovery.
(
D
) 4. What can we infer from the passage?A. Mainland animals never evolve for there are fewer dangers around.
B. Big island animals can get smaller since they have limited food on islands.
C. Darwin first mistook different finches for totally unrelated kinds of animals.
D. The Galápagos were considered as a natural laboratory to do special research.
答案：1. C
2. B
3. C
4. D
2. B
3. C
4. D
解析：
翻译:
### A
对许多动物来说，岛屿是一个绝佳的栖息地。四周的水域能阻挡大型捕食者。但岛屿也有自身的危险。食物和水是有限的。一场风暴或一次火山喷发就能轻易地消灭一整个种群，或者极大地改变陆地。如果一种捕食者（比如猫或老鼠）真的到来，就无处可逃了。这些挑战会导致岛屿上的动物进化得与它们的大陆祖先大不相同。因此，世界上的岛屿是一些在其他地方找不到的稀有物种的家园。①
#### 加拉帕戈斯群岛的雀类喙部
加拉帕戈斯群岛是太平洋上的一组小型火山岛，位于厄瓜多尔以西600英里（966千米）处。当这些岛屿最初从海中喷发形成时，上面没有生命。随着时间的推移，植物种子被风吹或漂流到了那里。鸟类飞来了，带来了更多的种子。龟和鬣蜥乘着原木漂到了这里。②
1835年，当科学家查尔斯·达尔文访问加拉帕戈斯群岛时，他注意到了一件有趣的事情。许多岛屿上都有相似的动物——鬣蜥、陆龟和小鸟。但这些动物在每个岛上都有一点不同。在一个岛上，一种叫雀类的鸟有又长又窄的喙——适合捕捉虫子。但在下一个岛上，雀类的喙又短又结实。那个岛上种子更多，虫子更少。每种雀类都有一个与它们岛上最常见食物相匹配的喙。他在龟和鬣蜥身上也发现了类似的差异。③
经过多年的思考，达尔文的观察使他产生了一个惊人的新想法。他意识到，每一类动物可能都有一个共同的祖先——最初飞到或漂流到那里的鸟类或龟类。渐渐地，当它们扩散到不同的岛屿时，具有最适合该岛食物特征的后代会发展得更好。但由于每个岛屿都不同，每个岛上的鸟类或龟类进化出了略有不同的特征。他把这个想法称为“自然选择”。④
达尔文的想法不仅仅解释了加拉帕戈斯群岛的情况。它还解释了为什么岛屿常常是奇特动物的家园。岛屿将动物与同类中的其他动物隔离开来，并给它们带来新的挑战。在一个岛上表现最好的动物可能与在大陆上表现最好的动物不一样。因此，随着时间的推移，它们变得不同了。
1. 写这篇文章的目的是什么？
A. 讲述一个关于查尔斯·达尔文的故事。
B. 介绍加拉帕戈斯群岛的形态。
C. 探索岛屿动物的秘密。
D. 解释环境的重要性。
2. 句子“这通常是植物和动物来到岛屿并在岛上生存的方式。”最适合放在哪里？
A. ①
B. ②
C. ③
D. ④
3. 关于“自然选择”，我们能了解到什么？
A. 它证明了岛屿是不同动物的完美家园。
B. 它被用来描述一些来自加拉帕戈斯群岛的特殊动物。
C. 它宣告了对某些岛屿动物研究的结果。
D. 它是以达尔文形成其发现的岛屿命名的。
4. 我们能从这篇文章中推断出什么？
A. 大陆上的动物从不进化，因为周围的危险更少。
B. 大型岛屿动物可能会变小，因为它们在岛上的食物有限。
C. 达尔文最初把不同的雀类误认为是完全无关的动物种类。
D. 加拉帕戈斯群岛被认为是进行特殊研究的天然实验室。
### A
对许多动物来说，岛屿是一个绝佳的栖息地。四周的水域能阻挡大型捕食者。但岛屿也有自身的危险。食物和水是有限的。一场风暴或一次火山喷发就能轻易地消灭一整个种群，或者极大地改变陆地。如果一种捕食者（比如猫或老鼠）真的到来，就无处可逃了。这些挑战会导致岛屿上的动物进化得与它们的大陆祖先大不相同。因此，世界上的岛屿是一些在其他地方找不到的稀有物种的家园。①
#### 加拉帕戈斯群岛的雀类喙部
加拉帕戈斯群岛是太平洋上的一组小型火山岛，位于厄瓜多尔以西600英里（966千米）处。当这些岛屿最初从海中喷发形成时，上面没有生命。随着时间的推移，植物种子被风吹或漂流到了那里。鸟类飞来了，带来了更多的种子。龟和鬣蜥乘着原木漂到了这里。②
1835年，当科学家查尔斯·达尔文访问加拉帕戈斯群岛时，他注意到了一件有趣的事情。许多岛屿上都有相似的动物——鬣蜥、陆龟和小鸟。但这些动物在每个岛上都有一点不同。在一个岛上，一种叫雀类的鸟有又长又窄的喙——适合捕捉虫子。但在下一个岛上，雀类的喙又短又结实。那个岛上种子更多，虫子更少。每种雀类都有一个与它们岛上最常见食物相匹配的喙。他在龟和鬣蜥身上也发现了类似的差异。③
经过多年的思考，达尔文的观察使他产生了一个惊人的新想法。他意识到，每一类动物可能都有一个共同的祖先——最初飞到或漂流到那里的鸟类或龟类。渐渐地，当它们扩散到不同的岛屿时，具有最适合该岛食物特征的后代会发展得更好。但由于每个岛屿都不同，每个岛上的鸟类或龟类进化出了略有不同的特征。他把这个想法称为“自然选择”。④
达尔文的想法不仅仅解释了加拉帕戈斯群岛的情况。它还解释了为什么岛屿常常是奇特动物的家园。岛屿将动物与同类中的其他动物隔离开来，并给它们带来新的挑战。在一个岛上表现最好的动物可能与在大陆上表现最好的动物不一样。因此，随着时间的推移，它们变得不同了。
1. 写这篇文章的目的是什么？
A. 讲述一个关于查尔斯·达尔文的故事。
B. 介绍加拉帕戈斯群岛的形态。
C. 探索岛屿动物的秘密。
D. 解释环境的重要性。
2. 句子“这通常是植物和动物来到岛屿并在岛上生存的方式。”最适合放在哪里？
A. ①
B. ②
C. ③
D. ④
3. 关于“自然选择”，我们能了解到什么？
A. 它证明了岛屿是不同动物的完美家园。
B. 它被用来描述一些来自加拉帕戈斯群岛的特殊动物。
C. 它宣告了对某些岛屿动物研究的结果。
D. 它是以达尔文形成其发现的岛屿命名的。
4. 我们能从这篇文章中推断出什么？
A. 大陆上的动物从不进化，因为周围的危险更少。
B. 大型岛屿动物可能会变小，因为它们在岛上的食物有限。
C. 达尔文最初把不同的雀类误认为是完全无关的动物种类。
D. 加拉帕戈斯群岛被认为是进行特殊研究的天然实验室。