2021年托业考试-阅读部分测试题-含答案解析.docxVIP

2021年托业考试 阅读部分测试题 含答案解析 2021年托业考试 阅读部分测试题 含答案解析 The Role of Diapause If conditions within an organism’s environment occasionally or regularly become harsh,it may be advantageous for an organism to have a resistant stage built into the lifecycle. In such a life history strategy, the organism suspends any growth, reproduction,or other activities for a period of time so that they may occur at a later, more hospitable time. This genetically determined resting stage, characterized by the cessation of development and protein synthesis and suppression of the metabolic rate, is called diapause. Many other kinds of resting stages, with different levels of suppression of physiological activities, are known. Some of these resistant stages can be extremely long-lived. In one case, seeds of the arctic lupine, a member of the pea family recovered from ancient lemming burrows in the Arctic, germinated in three days even though they were carbon-dated at more than 10,000 years old! Unfavorable conditions that are relatively predictable probably pose a simpler problem for organisms than do unpredictable conditions. Adaptations to the regular change of seasons in the temperate and polar regions may be relatively simple. For example, many seeds require a period of stratification, exposure to low temperatures for some minimum period, before they will germinate. ■This is a simple adaptation to ensure that germination occurs following the winter conditions rather than immediately prior to their onset. ■In contrast, unfavorable conditions that occur unpredictably pose considerable problems for organisms. ■In fact, unpredictability is probably a greater problem than is the severity of the unfavorable period. ■How can organisms cope with the unpredictable onset of good or poor conditions? Many adaptations to this general problem are based on a resting stage that awaits favorable conditions. We will consider two examples from the vertebrates. The first is the red kangaroo. This marsupial inh