2020_2021学年新教材高中英语课时作业十六unit6survivalsectionⅰstartingoutunderstandingideas含解析外研版选择性必修第二册202011261170.doc

PAGE 课时作业(十六)　Unit 6　 Section Ⅰ　Starting out Understanding ideas Ⅰ.阅读理解 A The kakapo, a bird that lives in New Zealand, is in danger now. Weighing up to 4 kilograms, it is the worlds fattest parrot. It mates (交配) only when the rimu tree is in fruit, which happens every few years. It developed gradually in the absence of land-based natural enemies, so instead of flying above the trees it walks like a duck across the dry forest floor. When it moves unsteadily across something that might kill it, it will stand still. Such unusual characteristics turned it into fast food for human settlers and other creatures. It seemed to have disappeared by the 1970s, until scientists came across two undiscovered populations in the countrys south. These survivors were eventually moved to small enemy-free islands, where researchers spent decades trying to get them to breed (交配繁殖)． The scientists patience was finally rewarded. The rimu tree was in fruit this year, and more than 80 baby kakapos were born, making this the best breeding season on record. Many have survived into adolescence, increasing the number of adult kakapos by a third, to 200 birds. Another danger to the kakapo is a lack of genetic diversity. This is one reason why fewer than half of kakapo eggs hatch. By sequencing the genome (测定基因组序列) of every living bird, scientists can identify closely-related individuals and put them on different islands. Every bird is fitted with something to record its slightest movement. If a female mates with an “unsuitable” male, the process can be stopped. All these efforts cost New Zealand almost $1.3 million this breeding season. Yet the kakapos future still looks unsafe. Earlier this year a severe disease spread through the population. And tiny as the number of kakapos is, space is running out on the two islands where most of them live. New enemy-free shelter must soon be found. 1．Which of the following is a danger to the survival of the kakapo? A．It