高考英语备考：主题语境---交通与旅游.docx

高考英语备考：主题语境---交通与旅游 Ⅰ. 阅读理解 For many years， Bruce Bexler dreamed of going where no human had gone before. He wanted to cut a path through unexplored lands and discover rare， exotic species. That might sound like an impossible dream， but Bexler turned it into a reality. In December 2015， he and a team of Australian and American scientists ventured into an isolated tropical rainforest on the island of New Guinea. They were the first people ever to enter the mist covered region. “As time was limited， we were dropped in by helicopter. Once we were on the ground， there were no trails anywhere; it was really hard to get around，” Bexler says. Within minutes of landing， the team spotted a black chicken like bird with strange orange skin hanging from its neck. The scientists soon determined that the unusual creature was a type of honeyeaters—the first new bird species to be sighted on New Guinea in 60 years. The honeyeater wasn’t the only surprise for the scientists. They discovered more than 40 previously unknown plant and animal species—13 birds of paradise， 20 frogs， four butterflies， and five palms. “We were like kids in a candy store，” Bexler recalls. “Everywhere we looked， we saw amazing things we had never seen before.” The newfound species didn’t shy away from the scientists. Two long nosed echidnas—primitive egg laying mammals—let the visitors pick them up and take them back to camp to study them. An echidna looks like a hedgehog and is also called a spiny anteater. Bexler thinks the animals weren’t scared because they had never seen humans before. “In almost all parts of New Guinea， animals are hunted for food， and because of this， they are very cautious about people，” he explains. “This area gives scientists a place where they can go to study the behaviors of animals that have not yet learned to be afraid of people.” Scientists believe the area is probably the largest untouched forest in Asia. Local people called Kwerba hunt and collect plants from the outer edges