专题19 凭颜色是否可以判断毒蛇（解析版）.docx

高中英语外刊时文阅读训练

专题19

凭颜色是否可以判断毒蛇

Ⅰ.文章话题导入

Ⅱ.外刊原文阅读

Ш.阅读理解专项针对性练习

Ⅳ.话题高频词汇强化训练

Ⅴ.参考译文赏析

【话题·导语】

几个世纪以来，欧洲民间传说中的神话和童话一直在警告普通蝰蛇的危险，这是一种有毒的毒蛇，以其痛苦的叮咬而闻名，尽管不是特别危险。

【原文·外刊阅读】

Youcan’talwaysjudgeaviperbyitscolor

（文章来源：Science）

Forcenturies,mythsandfairytalesfromEuropeanfolklorehavewarnedofthedangerofthecommonadder(Viperaberus),avenomousviperknownforitspainful—althoughnotparticularlydangerous—bite.Onesuperstitionhasremainedremarkablypersistenteveninthemodernera:thatfullyback,ormelanistic,snakesaremoretoxicthantheirmultihuedcounterparts,areputationthathasearnedthemthenickname“helladders.”

Butnewresearchsuggestsyoucan’tnecessarilyjudgeaviperbyitscolor.Acomparisonofthevenomfrommelanisticandregularlycoloredaddersfoundthedifferencebetweenthetwowasnegligibleforsnakebitevictims,scientistsreportthismonthinRoyalSocietyOpenScience.

Althoughscientistshavepreviouslycomparedvenomacrossdifferentsnakespecies,TimothyJackson,anevolutionarytoxinologistattheUniversityofMelbournewhowasn’tinvolvedinthework,notesthenewstudyis“aninterestingfirstforay”intoexaminingcolor-basedvariationswithinpopulations.

Intermsofgeographicalrange,thecommonaddermaybe“themostsuccessfulsnakeonEarth,”saysTimLüddecke,abiochemistandzoologistattheFraunhoferInstituteforMolecularBiologyandAppliedEcologyandcorrespondingauthorofthenewstudy.ItcanbefoundinahugevarietyofhabitatsalloverEuropeandEastAsia,andbitesoccurrelativelyfrequently.

Thatmassiverangeisinpartduetotheadder’sabilitytowithstandlowtemperatures,Lüddeckeexplains.ThecommonadderisoneofonlytwovenomoussnakesinGermanyandtheonlysnakeknowntolivenorthoftheArcticCircle.Andwhenitcomestocoldweather,henotes,someindividualswithinthespeciesarebetteradaptedthanothers.Mostaddersarebrownorgray,withadistincti