職稱英語考試?yán)砉 第四十六篇

1、理工a-2+第四十六篇ants have big impact on environment as ecosystem engineers 螞蟻作為“生態(tài)系統(tǒng)工程師”對環(huán)境影響巨大research by the university of exeter1 has revealed透露 that ants 螞蟻have a big impact影響 on their local當(dāng)?shù)氐?environment環(huán)境 as a result of their activity活動 as ecosystem engineers and predators捕食者. the study, published

2、 in the journal of animal ecology, found that ants have two distinct effects on their local environment.firstly, through moving of soil by nest building2 activity and by collecting food they affect the level of nutrients in the soil. this can indirectly impact the local populations of many animal gr

3、oups, from decomposers to species much higher up the food chain.secondly, they prey on a wide range of other animals, including larger prey which can be attacked by vast numbers of ant workers.dirk sanders, an author of the study from the universitys centre for ecology and conservation, said:ants ar

4、e very effective predators which thrive in huge numbers. theyre also very territorial3 and very aggressive, defending their resources and territory against other predators. all of this means they have a strong influence on their surrounding area.in this research, we studied for the first time how bi

5、g this impact is and the subtleties of it. what we found is that despite being predators, their presence can also lead to an increase in density and diversity of other animal groups4. they genuinely play a key role in the local environment, having a big influence on the grassland food web, sanders s

6、aid.the study, carried out in germany, studied the impact of the presence of different combinations and densities of black garden ants and common red ants, both species which can be found across europe, including in the uk. it found that a low density of ants in an area increased the diversity and d

7、ensity of other animals in the local area, particularly the density of herbivores and decomposers. at higher densities ants had no or the opposite effect, showing that predation is counteracting the positive influence.dr frank van veen, another author on the study, said:what we find is that the impa

8、ct of ants on soil nutrient levels has a positive effect on animal groups at low levels, but as the number of ants increases, their predatory impacts have the bigger effect thereby counteracting the positive influence via ecosystem engineering.ants are important components of ecosystems not only bec

9、ause they constitute a great part of the animal biomass5 but also because they act as ecosystem engineers. ant biodiversity6 is incredibly high and these organisms are highly responsive to human impact, which obviously reduces its richness. however, it is not clear how such disturbance damages the m

10、aintenance of ant services to the ecosystem ants are important in below ground processes8 through the alteration of the physical and chemical environment and through their effects on plants, microorganisms, and other soil organisms.詞匯：predator / predt/ n食肉動物nutrient/ nju:trint/ n 營養(yǎng)物；adj營養(yǎng)的decompose

11、r/,di:kmpuz/ n腐生物；分解體prey/prei/ v捕食；n被捕食的動物subtlety/ stlti/ n ，微妙，精妙herbivore/ h:biv: / n 食草動物注釋：1.the university of exeter ：?？怂固卮髮W(xué)。1851 年建校，位于英國西南部重要商業(yè)中心?？怂固厥校怯膫鹘y(tǒng)大學(xué)之一。2. nest building ：筑巢3. territorial ：領(lǐng)地的。在此用來形容螞蟻的本性，即具有很強的領(lǐng)地意識，并且會竭盡全力保衛(wèi)自己的領(lǐng)地。4. an increase in density and diversity of other

12、animal groups ：其他動物群體在數(shù)量和品種上的增長。5. biomass ：物質(zhì)名詞，由bio和mass 兩部分組成，意為“生物量”“生物質(zhì)”。6. biodiversity ：物質(zhì)名詞，由bio和diversity 兩部分組成，意為“生物多樣性”。7.the maintenance of ant services to the ecosystem ：螞蟻對生態(tài)系統(tǒng)的維護作用。8. below ground processes ：土壤下面的（工作）過程，即影響生態(tài)環(huán)境的過程。練習(xí)：1 .why are ants compared to ecosystem engineers?a b

13、ecause they build their own nests.b because they collect food.c because their activity affects the environment.d because they are predators.2. as predators, antsa prey on small as well as large animals.b collect nutritious food from the soilc collect food as decomposers.d prey on species much higher

14、 up the food chain.3. dirk sanders study centered on how antsa can manage to thrive in huge numbers.b defend their resources and territory against other predators.c attack those invading animals for survival.d produce such a big impact on the environment.4. what does paragraph 6 tell us?a ants bring

15、 about a negative influence to an area when their population is small.b ants bring about a positive influence to an area when their population is small.c ants predation counteracts the positive influence they may have on an area.d at higher density, ants produce a positive influence on an area.5. wh

16、at still remains unclear about ants, according to the last paragraph?a what roles do ants play in the ecosystem in which they live?b how do ants affect the animal diversity in a given ecosystem?c how do human activities affect ants influence on a given ecosystem?d how do ants alter the physical and

17、chemical environment?答案與題解：1. c 短文的第一段提供了答案。a不是正確答案，因為并不是因為螞蟻會筑巢才被譽為生態(tài)系統(tǒng)工程師，而是因為它們筑巢和獲取食物的方式改變了土壤的營養(yǎng)水平，為整個食物鏈提供了很好的生態(tài)環(huán)境（見第二段）。2.a答案能夠從短文的第三段直接找到。該段告訴我們，螞蟻的掠食范圍很廣，甚至包括比它們體積更大的動物（ larger animals) 。 prey 在這里的意思是“捕獵，捕食”，作為動詞，后面跟介詞on或upon。3.d dirk sanders說：“in this research, we studied for the first time

18、 how big this impact is and the subtleties of it.”（第五段）所以，d是正確選擇。句中the subtleties of it 的意思是：螞蟻對環(huán)境影響的精妙之處。4.b 短文第六段第二句的大概意思是，螞蟻數(shù)量?。╝ low density of ants）的話，能使其他動物的品種和數(shù)量增加（increased the diversity and density of other animals），從而給環(huán)境帶來積極影響；第三句說，如果螞蟻的數(shù)量大（at higher densities），就不可能產(chǎn)生同樣的影響，或者是相反的影響，這表明，螞蟻的

19、掠食活動會抵銷螞蟻給環(huán)境帶來的積極影響。第七段dr frank van veen 表達(dá)了大體相同的內(nèi)容。5.c 最后一段的第二和第三句提供了答案。第二句告訴我們，螞蟻極易受人類的影響（these organisms are highly responsive to human impact），第三句告訴我們，科學(xué)家還不清楚人類對螞蟻這種干擾如何破壞螞蟻對生態(tài)系統(tǒng)的維護作用（”it is not clear how such disturbance damages the maintenance of ant services to the ecosystem.”）。第四十六篇 螞蟻作為“生態(tài)系

20、統(tǒng)工程師”對環(huán)境影響巨大?？怂固卮髮W(xué)所做的研究表明，螞蟻作為“生態(tài)系統(tǒng)工程師”和食肉動物的行為對當(dāng)?shù)氐沫h(huán)境影響巨大。該研究發(fā)表在動物生態(tài)雜志上，它表明螞蟻對當(dāng)?shù)氐沫h(huán)境有兩大顯著的影響。第一，通過筑巢而挪動土壤或采集食物，螞蟻影響土壤的營養(yǎng)水平。這可間接影響當(dāng)?shù)貜母锏绞澄镦湼邔拥脑S多動物種群的數(shù)量。第二，它們捕食的動物種類很多，包括那些被大量工蟻攻擊的大獵物。dirk sanders是該大學(xué)生態(tài)和保護中心所做的此項研究的作者，他說：“螞蟻是高效的食肉動物，而且能大量繁殖。它們具有很強的領(lǐng)地意識，并且會竭盡全力對抗其他的食肉動物來保衛(wèi)自己的領(lǐng)地。所有這些都意味著螞蟻對周圍環(huán)境影響巨大?！薄霸谠?/p>

21、研究中，我們第一次對螞蟻帶來的影響程度及微妙程度進行研究。所得到的發(fā)現(xiàn)是：盡管是食肉動物，螞蟻的出現(xiàn)能促使其他動物族群在數(shù)量和品種上的增長。并對當(dāng)?shù)氐沫h(huán)境起到切實重要的作用，對大草原的食物鏈影響巨大?！眘anders說。該研究在德國進行，它對花園黑螞蟻和一般的紅螞蟻在不同混合程度和不同密度下的影響力進行研究。黑螞蟻和紅螞蟻在整個歐洲包括英國都能找到。研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，一個地區(qū)的螞蟻密度小，而其他動物尤其是食草動物和腐生物的數(shù)量和種類會增多。如果螞蟻的密度大，就不可能產(chǎn)生同樣的影響，或者產(chǎn)生相反的影響，這表明，螞蟻的掠食活動會抵消螞蟻給環(huán)境帶來的積極影響。dr frank van veen是本研究的另一

22、作者，他說：“我們的發(fā)現(xiàn)是：如果螞蟻的數(shù)量少，其對土壤的營養(yǎng)水平的影響會對動物族群產(chǎn)生積極的效果。如果螞蟻的數(shù)量增加，其捕食的影響會達(dá)到最大化，因此會抵消螞蟻通過生態(tài)工程給環(huán)境帶來的積極影響?！蔽浵伿巧鷳B(tài)系統(tǒng)的重要組成部分，不僅因為它占有很大部分的生物量，而且因為其作為生態(tài)系統(tǒng)工程師的角色。螞蟻具有難以想象的多樣性，但極易受人類的影響，這就使它的多樣性有顯著的減少。然而，科學(xué)家還不消楚人類對螞蟻這種干擾如何破壞螞蟻對生態(tài)系統(tǒng)的維護作用。螞蟻通過變動物理的和化學(xué)的環(huán)境，通過對植物、微生物和其他土壤生物的影響而對生態(tài)環(huán)境起至關(guān)重要的作用。第四十八篇 researchers研究人員discover發(fā)

23、現(xiàn) why humans began walking走路 upright直立的most of us walk and carry items in our hands every day. these are seemingly simple activities that the majority of us dont question. but an international team of researchers, including dr. richmond from gws columbian college of arts and sciences，have discovered

24、 that human walking upright, may have originated millions of years ago as an adaptation to carrying scarce, high- quality resources. the team of researchers from the u. s., england, japan and portugal investigated the behavior of modern-day chimpanzees as they competed for food resources，in an effor

25、t to understand what ecological settings would lead a large ape one that resembles the 6 million-year old ancestor we shared in common with living chimpanzees to walk on two legs.“these chimpanzees provide a model of the ecological conditions under which our earliest ancestors might have begun walki

26、ng on two legs, ，said dr. richmond.the research findings suggest that chimpanzees switch to moving on two limbs instead of four in situations where they need to monopolize a resource. standing on two legs allows them to carry much more at one time because it frees up their hands. over time，intense b

27、ursts of bipedal activity may have led to anatomical changes that in turn became the subject of natural selection where competition for food or other resources was strong.two studies were conducted by the team in guinea. the first study was conducted by the team in kyoto universitys “ outdoor labora

28、tory ” in a natural clearing in bossou forest. researchers allowed the wild chimpanzees access to different combinations of two different types of nut the oil palm nut，which is naturally widely available, and the coula nut, which is not. the chimpanzees behavior was monitored in three situations:(a)

29、 when only oil palm nuts were available,(b)when a small number of coula nuts were available，and(c) when coula nuts were the majority available resource.when the rare coula nuts were available only in small numbers, the chimpanzees transported more at one time. similarly, when coula nuts were the maj

30、ority resource, the chimpanzees ignored the oil palm nuts altogether. the chimpanzees regarded the coula nuts as a more highly-prized resource and competed for them more intensely.in such high-competition settings，the frequency of cases in which the chimpanzees started moving on two legs increased b

31、y a factor of four. not only was it obvious that bipedal movement allowed them to carry more of this precious resource, but also that they were actively trying to move as much as they could in one go by using everything available 一 even their mouths.the second study, by kimberley hockings of oxford

32、brookes university, was a 14-month study of bossou chimpanzees crop-raiding, a situation in which they have to compete for rare and unpredictable resources. here, 35 percent of the chimpanzees activity involved some sort of bipedal movement, and once again, this behavior appeared to be linked to a c

33、lear attempt to carry as much as possible at one time. 練習(xí)：1.which of the following statements is not true according to the first two paragraphs? -對錯類a many people question the simple human activities of walking and carrying items.b chimpanzees behaviors may suggest why humans walk on two legs.c huma

34、n walking upright is viewed as an adaptation to carrying precious resources. d our ancestors ecological conditions resembled those of modern-day chimpanzees.2.dr. richmond conducted the experiment with the purpose of finding-主題類a when humans began walking on two legs.b what made our ancestors walk u

35、pright.c what benefits walking upright brought to our ancestors.d how walking upright helped chimpanzees monopolize resources.3.kyoto, universitys study discovered that chimpanzees.a regarded both types of nut as priced resources.b preferred oil palm nuts to coula nuts.c liked coula nuts better than

36、 oil palm nuts.d ignored both types of nut altogether.4.why did the chimpanzees walk on two limbs during kyoto universitys experiment?a because they imitated the human way of walking just for fun.b because they wanted to please the researchers to get more coula nuts from them.c because they wanted t

37、o get to die nut-rich forest faster by walking that way.d because they wanted to carry more nuts with two free limbs.5.what can we infer from the reading passage?a chimpanzees are in the same process of evolution as our ancestors were.b chimpanzees are similar to humans in many behaviors.c walking o

38、n two limbs and walking on four limbs each have their advantages.d human walking on two legs developed as a means of survival.第四十八篇 researchers discover why humans began walking upright研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)人類開始直立行走的原因most of us walk and carry items in our hands every day. 我們大多數(shù)人每天都走路而且手里搬著東西。these are seemingly si

39、mple activities that the majority of us dont question. 這樣的活動看似太簡單，大多數(shù)人沒有疑問。 but an international team of researchers, including dr. richmond from gws columbian college of arts and sciences，have discovered that human walking upright, may have originated millions of years ago as an adaptation to carry

40、ing scarce, high- quality resources. 但是一個國際研究者（包括喬治華盛頓大學(xué)哥倫比亞藝術(shù)與科學(xué)學(xué)院的richmond博士）團隊已經(jīng)發(fā)現(xiàn)了人類直立行走可能源于數(shù)百萬年以前適應(yīng)搬運稀有的、高質(zhì)量的資源。the team of researchers from the u. s., england, japan and portugal investigated the behavior of modern-day chimpanzees as they competed for food resources，in an effort to understand

41、what ecological settings would lead a large ape one that resembles the 6 million-year old ancestor we shared in common with living chimpanzees to walk on two legs. 這些來自美國、英國、日本和葡萄牙的研究者研究了當(dāng)代黑猩猩爭搶食物時的行為特征，試圖對什么樣的生態(tài)環(huán)境竟然導(dǎo)致大猿（一種我們與現(xiàn)存的黑猩猩一樣的600萬年前的祖先）直立行走作出解釋?！皌hese chimpanzees provide a model of the ecol

42、ogical conditions under which our earliest ancestors might have begun walking on two legs, ，said dr. richmond. “這些黑猩猩居住的生態(tài)環(huán)境和我們最早的祖先開始直立行走時是相同的，” richmond博士說。the research findings suggest that chimpanzees switch to moving on two limbs instead of four in situations where they need to monopolize a res

43、ource. 研究結(jié)果顯示，當(dāng)黑猩猩需要獨占一種資源時，它們就從四肢行走轉(zhuǎn)換為直立行走。standing on two legs allows them to carry much more at one time because it frees up their hands. 由于直立行走可以解放它們的雙手，這使得它們能搬更多的東西。 over time，intense bursts of bipedal activity may have led to anatomical changes that in turn became the subject of natural select

44、ion where competition for food or other resources was strong. 久而久之，雙足活動的強烈爆發(fā)可能導(dǎo)致了解剖學(xué)上的變化，因此這種變化也就成為自然選擇的主題，在那種情況下，對食物或其他 資源的爭奪是十分激烈的。two studies were conducted by the team in guinea. 有兩項研究是在幾內(nèi)亞完成的。the first study was conducted by the team in kyoto universitys “ outdoor laboratory ” in a natural clea

45、ring in bossou forest. 第一項研究是在京都大學(xué)博蘇森林的一塊天然空地“室外實驗室”進行的。researchers allowed the wild chimpanzees access to different combinations of two different types of nut the oil palm nut，which is naturally widely available, and the coula nut, which is not. 研究者們允許森林里的黑猩猩能得到兩種不同的堅果，一種叫油棕櫚堅果，自然界隨處可見，一種叫可樂果，自然環(huán)境中不常見。the chimpanzees behavior was monitored in three situations:(a) when only oil palm nuts were available,(b)when a small number of coula nuts were available，and(c) when coula nuts were the