新高考英語二輪復(fù)習(xí)重難題型專項(xiàng)突破考點(diǎn)5 閱讀理解之段落大意（原卷版）

考點(diǎn)5閱讀理解之段落大意Part1題型詳解：主旨大意之段落大意考點(diǎn)是高考中的必考點(diǎn)。這些設(shè)置題目的段落或引出話題或承上啟下或總結(jié)全文。命題者的意圖是明確的，他們著眼于文章中起重要作用的段落進(jìn)而設(shè)題。預(yù)測在2024高考中，段落大意題會(huì)繼續(xù)在高考閱讀理解中呈現(xiàn)。Part2常見設(shè)問方式：Whatisthisparagraphmainlyabout?Themainideaofparagraph2and3isWhat’sthemainideaofparagraph...?Part3解題方法指導(dǎo):1.了解篇章結(jié)構(gòu)，段落大意題目仍然是概括性的題目，段落大意應(yīng)圍繞主題發(fā)展。2.關(guān)注段首，段尾，段落中有關(guān)轉(zhuǎn)折、遞進(jìn)的句子。Part4真題檢測2023年全國乙卷英語真題Ifyouwanttotellthehistoryofthewholeworld,ahistorythatdoesnotprivilegeonepartofhumanity,youcannotdoitthroughtextsalone,becauseonlysomeoftheworldhaseverhadtexts,whilemostoftheworld,formostofthetime,hasnot.Writingisoneofhumanity’slaterachievements,anduntilfairlyrecentlyevenmanyliterate(有文字的)societiesrecordedtheirconcernsnotonlyinwritingbutinthings.Ideallyahistorywouldbringtogethertextsandobjects,andsomechaptersofthisbookareabletodojustthat,butinmanycaseswesimplycan’t.Theclearestexampleofthisbetweenliterateandnon-literatehistoryisperhapsthefirstconflict,atBotanyBay,betweenCaptainCook’svoyageandtheAustralianAboriginals.FromtheEnglishside,wehavescientificreportsandthecaptain’srecordofthatterribleday.FromtheAustralianside,wehaveonlyawoodenshield(盾)droppedbyamaninflightafterhisfirstexperienceofgunshot.Ifwewanttoreconstructwhatwasactuallygoingonthatday,theshieldmustbequestionedandinterpretedasdeeplyandstrictlyasthewrittenreports.Inadditiontotheproblemofmiscomprehensionfrombothsides,therearevictoriesaccidentallyordeliberatelytwisted,especiallywhenonlythevictorsknowhowtowrite.Thosewhoareonthelosingsideoftenhaveonlytheirthingstotelltheirstories.TheCaribbeanTaino,theAustralianAboriginals,theAfricanpeopleofBeninandtheIncas,allofwhomappearinthisbook,canspeaktousnowoftheirpastachievementsmostpowerfullythroughtheobjectstheymade:ahistorytoldthroughthingsgivesthembackavoice.Whenweconsidercontact(聯(lián)系)betweenliterateandnon-literatesocietiessuchasthese,allourfirst-handaccountsarenecessarilytwisted,onlyonehalfofadialogue.Ifwearetofindtheotherhalfofthatconversation,wehavetoreadnotjustthetexts,buttheobjects.1．Whatisthefirstparagraphmainlyabout?A．Howpasteventsshouldbepresented. B．Whathumanityisconcernedabout.C．Whetherfactsspeaklouderthanwords. D．Whywrittenlanguageisreliable.2023年新課標(biāo)全國Ⅰ卷英語真題OnMarch7,1907,theEnglishstatisticianFrancisGaltonpublishedapaperwhichillustratedwhathascometobeknownasthe“wisdomofcrowds”effect.Theexperimentofestimationheconductedshowedthatinsomecases,theaverageofalargenumberofindependentestimatescouldbequiteaccurate.Thiseffectcapitalizesonthefactthatwhenpeoplemakeerrors,thoseerrorsaren’talwaysthesame.Somepeoplewilltendtooverestimate,andsometounderestimate.Whenenoughoftheseerrorsareaveragedtogether,theycanceleachotherout,resultinginamoreaccurateestimate.Ifpeoplearesimilarandtendtomakethesameerrors,thentheirerrorswon’tcanceleachotherout.Inmoretechnicalterms,thewisdomofcrowdsrequiresthatpeople’sestimatesbeindependent.Ifforwhateverreasons,people’serrorsbecomecorrelatedordependent,theaccuracyoftheestimatewillgodown.ButanewstudyledbyJoaquinNavajasofferedaninterestingtwist(轉(zhuǎn)折)onthisclassicphenomenon.Thekeyfindingofthestudywasthatwhencrowdswerefurtherdividedintosmallergroupsthatwereallowedtohaveadiscussion,theaveragesfromthesegroupsweremoreaccuratethanthosefromanequalnumberofindependentindividuals.Forinstance,theaverageobtainedfromtheestimatesoffourdiscussiongroupsoffivewassignificantlymoreaccuratethantheaverageobtainedfrom20independentindividuals.Inafollow-upstudywith100universitystudents,theresearcherstriedtogetabettersenseofwhatthegroupmembersactuallydidintheirdiscussion.Didtheytendtogowiththosemostconfidentabouttheirestimates?Didtheyfollowthoseleastwillingtochangetheirminds?Thishappenedsomeofthetime,butitwasn’tthedominantresponse.Mostfrequently,thegroupsreportedthatthey“sharedargumentsandreasonedtogether”.Somehow,theseargumentsandreasoningresultedinaglobalreductioninerror.AlthoughthestudiesledbyNavajashavelimitationsandmanyquestionsremain,thepotentialimplicationsforgroupdiscussionanddecision-makingareenormous.5．Whatisparagraph2ofthetextmainlyabout?A．Themethodsofestimation. B．Theunderlyinglogicoftheeffect.C．Thecausesofpeople’serrors. D．ThedesignofGalton’sexperiment.2022年新高考全國Ⅰ卷英語真題Humanspeechcontainsmorethan2,000differentsounds,fromthecommon“m”and“a”totherareclicksofsomesouthernAfricanlanguages.Butwhyarecertainsoundsmorecommonthanothers?Aground-breaking,five-yearstudyshowsthatdiet-relatedchangesinhumanbiteledtonewspeechsoundsthatarenowfoundinhalftheworld’slanguages.Morethan30yearsago,thescholarCharlesHockettnotedthatspeechsoundscalledlabiodentals,suchas“f”and“v”,weremorecommoninthelanguagesofsocietiesthatatesofterfoods.NowateamofresearchersledbyDamiánBlasiattheUniversityofZurich,Switzerland,hasfoundhowandwhythistrendarose.Theydiscoveredthattheupperandlowerfrontteethofancienthumanadultswerealigned(對齊),makingithardtoproducelabiodentals,whichareformedbytouchingthelowerliptotheupperteeth.Later,ourjawschangedtoanoverbitestructure(結(jié)構(gòu)),makingiteasiertoproducesuchsounds.TheteamshowedthatthischangeinbitewasconnectedwiththedevelopmentofagricultureintheNeolithicperiod.Foodbecameeasiertochewatthispoint.Thejawbonedidn’thavetodoasmuchworkandsodidn’tgrowtobesolarge.AnalysesofalanguagedatabasealsoconfirmedthattherewasaglobalchangeinthesoundofworldlanguagesaftertheNeolithicage,withtheuseof“f”and“v”increasingremarkablyduringthelastfewthousandyears.Thesesoundsarestillnotfoundinthelanguagesofmanyhunter-gathererpeopletoday.Thisresearchoverturnsthepopularviewthatallhumanspeechsoundswerepresentwhenhumanbeingsevolvedaround300,000yearsago.“Thesetofspeechsoundsweusehasnotnecessarilyremainedstablesincetheappearanceofhumanbeings,butratherthehugevarietyofspeechsoundsthatwefindtodayistheproductofacomplexinterplayofthingslikebiologicalchangeandculturalevolution,”saidStevenMoran,amemberoftheresearchteam.11．Whatisparagraph5mainlyabout?A．Supportingevidencefortheresearchresults.B．Potentialapplicationoftheresearchfindings.C．Afurtherexplanationoftheresearchmethods.D．Areasonabledoubtabouttheresearchprocess.2022年全國甲卷英語真題Sometimeintheearly1960s,asignificantthinghappenedinSydney,Australia.Thecitydiscovereditsharbor.Then,oneafteranother,Sydneydiscoveredlotsofthingsthatwerejustsortofthere—broadparks,superbbeaches,andaculturallydiversepopulation.Butitistheharborthatmakesthecity.AndrewReynolds,acheerfulfellowinhisearly30s,pilotsSydneyferryboatsforaliving.Ispentthewholemorningshuttlingbackandforthacrosstheharbor.AfterourthirdrunAndrewshutdowntheengine,andwewentourseparateways—heforalunchbreak,Itoexplorethecity.“I’llmisstheseoldboats,”hesaidasweparted.“Howdoyoumean?”Iasked.“Oh,they’rereplacingthemwithcatamarans.Catamaransarefaster,butthey’renotsoelegant,andthey’renotfuntopilot.Butthat’sprogress,Iguess.”EverywhereinSydneythesedays,changeandprogressarethewatchwords(口號(hào)),andtraditionsareincreasinglyrare.ShirleyFitzgerald,thecity’sofficialhistorian,toldmethatinitsrushtomodernityinthe1970s,Sydneysweptasidemuchofitspast,includingmanyofitsfinestbuildings.“Sydneyisconfusedaboutitself,”shesaid.“Wecan’tseemtomakeupourmindswhetherwewantamoderncityoratraditionalone.It’saconflictthatwearen’tgettinganybetteratresolving(解決).”O(jiān)ntheotherhand,beingyoungandoldatthesametimehasitsattractions.IconsideredthiswhenImetathoughtfulyoungbusinessmannamedAnthony.“Manypeoplesaythatwelackcultureinthiscountry,”hetoldme.“WhatpeopleforgetisthattheItalians,whentheycametoAustralia,brought2000yearsoftheirculture,theGreekssome3000years,andtheChinesemorestill.We’vegotafoundationbuiltonancientculturesbutwithadriveanddynamismofayoungcountry.It’saprettyhardcombinationtobeat.”Heisright,butIcan’thelpwishingtheywouldkeepthoseoldferries.13．Whatisthefirstparagraphmainlyabout?A．Sydney’sstrikingarchitecture. B．TheculturaldiversityofSydney.C．ThekeytoSydney’sdevelopment. D．Sydney’stouristattractionsinthe1960s.2021年北京市英語高考真題Earlyfifth-centuryphilosopherSt．Augustinefamouslywrotethatheknewwhattimewasunlesssomeoneaskedhim．AlbertEinsteinaddedanotherwrinklewhenhetheorizedthattimevariesdependingonwhereyoumeasureit．Today'sstate-of-the-artatomic（原子的）clockshaveprovenEinsteinright．Evenadvancedphysicscan'tdecisivelytelluswhattimeis,becausetheanswerdependsonthequestionyou'reasking．Forgetabouttimeasanabsolute．Whatif，insteadofconsideringtimeintermsofastronomy,werelatedtimetoecology？Whatifweallowedenvironmentalconditionstosetthetempo（節(jié)奏）ofhumanlife？We'reincreasinglyawareofthefactthatwecan'tcontrolEarthsystemswithengineeringalone，andrealizingthatweneedtomoderate（調(diào)節(jié)）ouractionsifwehopetoliveinbalance．Whatifourdefinitionoftimereflectedthat？Recently，Iconceptualizedanewapproachtotimekeepingthat'sconnectedtocircumstancesonourplanet，conditionsthatmightchangeasaresultofglobalwarming．We'renowbuildingaclockattheAnchorageMuseumthatreflectsthetotalflowofseveralmajorAlaskanrivers，whicharesensitivetolocalandglobalenvironmentalchanges．We'veprogrammedittomatchanatomicclockifthewaterwayscontinuetoflowattheirpresentrate．Iftheriversrunfasterinthefutureonaverage，theclockwillgetaheadofstandardtime．Iftheyrunslower，you'llseetheoppositeeffect．Theclockregistersbothshort-termirregularitiesandlong-termtrendsinriverdynamics．It'sasortofobservatorythatrevealshowtheriversarebehavingfromtheirowntemporalframe（時(shí)間框架），andallowsustowitnessthosechangesonoursmartwatchesorphones．AnyonewhooptstogoonAlaskaMeanRiverTimewillliveinharmonywiththeplanet．Anyonewhoconsidersrivertimeinrelationtoatomictimewillencounteramajorimbalanceandmaybemotivatedtocounteractitbyconsuminglessfuelorsupportinggreenerpolicies．Evenifthismethodoftimekeepingisnovelinitsparticulars，earlyagriculturalsocietiesalsoconnectedtimetonaturalphenomena．Inpre-ClassicalGreece，forinstance，people“corrected”officialcalendarsbyshiftingdatesforwardorbackwardtoreflectthechangeofseason．Temporalconnectiontotheenvironmentwasvitaltotheirsurvival．Likewise，rivertimeandothertimekeepingsystemswe'redevelopingmayencourageenvironmentalawareness．WhenSt．Augustineadmittedhisinabilitytodefinetime，hehighlightedoneoftime'smostnoticeablequalities：Timebecomesmeaningfulonlyinadefinedcontext．Anytimekeepingsystemisvalid，andeachisaspraiseworthyasitspurpose．17．WhatisthemainideaofParagraph1？A．Timekeepingisincreasinglyrelatedtonature．B．Everyonecandefinetimeontheirownterms．C．Thequalitiesoftimevarywithhowyoumeasureit．D．Timeisamajorconcernofphilosophersandscientists．2021年浙江卷英語真題（7月）Ifyouevergettheimpressionthatyourdogcan“tell”whetheryoulookcontentorannoyed,youmaybeontosomething.Dogsmayindeedbeabletodistinguishbetweenhappyandangryhumanfaces,accordingtoanewstudy.Researcherstrainedagroupof11dogstodistinguishbetweenimages(圖像)ofthesamepersonmakingeitherahappyoranangryface.Duringthetrainingstage,eachdogwasshownonlytheupperhalforthelowerhalfoftheperson’sface.Theresearchersthentestedthedogs’abilitytodistinguishbetweenhumanfacialexpressionsbyshowingthemtheotherhalfoftheperson’sfaceonimagestotallydifferentfromtheonesusedintraining.Theresearchersfoundthatthedogswereabletopicktheangryorhappyfacebytouchingapictureofitwiththeirnosesmoreoftenthanonewouldexpectbyrandomchance.Thestudyshowedtheanimalshadfiguredouthowtoapplywhattheylearnedabouthumanfacesduringtrainingtonewfacesinthetestingstage.“Wecanruleoutthatthedogssimplydistinguishbetweenthepicturesbasedonasimplecue,suchasthesightofteeth,”saidstudyauthorCorsinMuller.“Instead,ourresultssuggestthatthesuccessfuldogsrealizedthatasmilingmouthmeansthesamethingassmilingeyes,andthesameruleappliestoanangrymouthhavingthesamemeaningasangryeyes.”“Withourstudy,wethinkwecannowconfidentlyconcludethatatleastsomedogscandistinguishhumanfacialexpressions,”MullertoldLiveScience.Atthispoint,itisnotclearwhydogsseemtobeequippedwiththeabilitytorecognizedifferentfacialexpressionsinhumans.“Tous,themostlikelyexplanationappearstobethatthebasisliesintheirlivingwithhumans,whichgivesthemalotofexposuretohumanfacialexpressions,andthisexposurehasprovidedthemwithmanychancestolearntodistinguishbetweenthem,”Mullersaid.23．Whatisthelastparagraphmainlyabout?A．Asuggestionforfuturestudies. B．Apossiblereasonforthestudyfindings.C．Amajorlimitationofthestudy D．Anexplanationoftheresearchmethod.2021年全國乙卷英語真題Whenalmosteveryonehasamobilephone,whyaremorethanhalfofAustralianhomesstillpayingforalandline(座機(jī))?Thesedaysyou’dbehardpressedtofindanyoneinAustraliaovertheageof15whodoesn’townamobilephone.Infactplentyofyoungerkidshaveoneintheirpocket.Practicallyeveryonecanmakeandreceivecallsanywhere,anytime.Still,55percentofAustralianshavealandlinephoneathomeandonlyjustoveraquarter(29%)relyonlyontheirsmartphonesaccordingtoasurvey(調(diào)查).OfthoseAustralianswhostillhavealandline,athirdconcedethatit’snotreallynecessaryandthey’rekeepingitasasecurityblanket—19percentsaytheyneveruseitwhileafurther13percentkeepitincaseofemergencies.Ithinkmyhomefallsintothatcategory.MorethanhalfofAustralianhomesarestillchoosingtostickwiththeirhomephone.Ageisnaturallyafactor(因素)—only58percentofGenerationYsstilluselandlinesnowandthen,comparedto84percentofBabyBoomerswho’veperhapshadthesamehomenumberfor50years.Ageisn’ttheonlyfactor;I’dsayit’salsotodowiththemakeupofyourhousehold.GenerationXerswithyoungfamilies,likemywifeandI,canstillfinditconvenienttohaveahomephoneratherthanprovidingamobilephoneforeveryfamilymember.Thatsaid,tobehonesttheonlypeoplewhoeverringourhomephoneareourBabyBoomersparents,tothepointwhereweplayagameandguesswhoiscallingbeforewepickupthephone(usingCallerIDwouldtakethefunoutofit).Howattachedareyoutoyourlandline?Howlonguntiltheygothewayofgasstreetlampsandmorningmilkdeliveries?24．Whatdoesparagraph2mainlytellusaboutmobilephones?A．Theirtargetusers. B．Theirwidepopularity.C．Theirmajorfunctions. D．Theircomplexdesign.Part5模擬練習(xí)2024屆河南省信陽市浉河區(qū)信陽高級(jí)中學(xué)高三上學(xué)期一模英語試題Citiesaredifficulttonavigate(導(dǎo)航)atthebestoftimes,butforpeoplewithdisabilitiestheycanbelikecourseswithhurdlesandbringinconveniencetodisabledpeople.AUKnationaltravelsurveyfoundthatadultswithmobilitydifficultiestook39%fewertripsthanthosewithnodisabilityin2017.Yetthatcouldchangeasdevicesandcitiesgrowsmarter.Assistivetechisplayingabigroleinthetransformation.Theglobalvalueoftheindustryisexpectedtoincreasefrom$14billionin2015to$30.8billionin2024,accordingtoZionMarketResearch.OneofthethingsthatcouldtransformlivesisasmartwalkingstickdesignedbyengineersfromYoungGuruAcademy(YGA)inTurkey.TheWeWalkstickhasasensorthatdetectshurdlesabovechestlevelandusesvibrations(振動(dòng))towarntheuser.Itcanbepairedwithasmartphonetohelpnavigation,andisconnectedwithavoiceassistantandGoogleMaps.Ceylan,whohasbeenblindsincebirth,saysthatconnectingthesticktotheInternetofThingsandsmartcitysolutionsmakesituser-friendly.“Asablindperson,whenIamattheMetrostationIdon’tknowwhichismyexit...Idon’tknowwhichbusisapproaching...whichstoresarearoundme.ThatkindofinformationcanbeprovidedwiththeWeWalk,”hesays.“Thesmartwalkingstickisreallyanexcitinginitiativethatwillmakeahugedifferencetosomepeople,”saysAnnaLawson,thedirectoroftheCenterforDisabilityStudiesatLeedsUniversityintheUnitedKingdom.“Buttheyareveryexpensive...they’renotgoingtobeavailabletothevastmajorityofdisabledpeople,”sheadded.BryanMatthews,alecturerattheInstituteforTransportStudiesattheUniversityofLeeds,sharestheconcernsaboutcost.Hesaysthereshouldalsobeafocusoninclusivedesign,andanythingthathelpspeoplenavigatetheirenvironmentispositive.29．Whatdoesparagraph3mainlytalkabout?A．TheworkingprinciplesoftheWeWalkstick.B．TheintroductionoftheWeWalkstickinventors.C．ThetransformationcausedbytheWeWalkstick.D．ThebenefitsbroughtaboutbytheWeWalkstick.2023屆安徽省、云南省、吉林省、黑龍江省高三下學(xué)期2月適應(yīng)性測試英語試題Foryears,DavidJames,whostudiesinsectsatWashingtonStateUniversity,hadwantedtoexaminethemigration(遷徙)patternsofWestCoastmonarchbutterflies(黑脈金斑蝶).Theroutethebutterfliestravelhasbeenhardlyknownbecausethepopulationsaretoosmalltofollow.Forevery200monarchstagged(打標(biāo)簽)byaresearcher,onlyoneisusuallyrecoveredattheendofitstrip,Jamessays,andfindingeven200inthewildtotagisunlikely.Knowingtherouteisvitaltoconservationefforts,butJameshadnowaytofigureitout-untilhegotaphonecallfromWashingtonStatePenitentiaryinWallaWalla.Theprisonwaslookingfornewactivitiestoimprovethementalhealthofthoseservinglong-termsentences.SoJamesbeganworkingwithprisonerstoraisemonarchsthroughthewholeprocessoftheirtransformation.Theadultinsectswerethentaggedandreleasedfromtheprison.Overfiveyears,nearly10,000monarchsflewfromthefacility.ElsewhereinWashington,OregonandIdaho,researchersreleasedanotherfewthousand.Thetagsincludedemailaddresses,andsoonafterthefirstbutterfliestookoff,Jamesstartedreceivingmessagesfrompeoplewhohadspottedthem.Thebutterflies,thereportsconfirmed,winteredincoastalCalifornia.TwelveofthemlandedatLighthouseFieldStateBeachinSantaCruz.SeveralmoreheadedtoBolinasandMorroBay.TheworkhelpsresearchersidentifyidealplacestoplantmilkweedandothervegetationthatareimportanttothelifecycleofWestCoastmonarchbutterflies.Italsobroughtoutthegentlersideofsomeoftheprisoners.“Theywereveryworriedthattheyweregoingtoharmthebutterflies,”Jamessays.Watchingthemonarchchangetheirformalsotouchedthemen.“Thisbutterflychanged,”Jamesrecallsprisonerstellinghim,“andmaybewecantoo.”35．Whatisthelastparagraphmainlyabout?A．Theimpactoftheresearch.B．ThefindingsofJames’study.C．Thereleaseoftheprisoners.D．Thelifecycleofthebutterflies.2023屆廣東省深圳市高三年級(jí)第一次調(diào)研考試英語試題Fromcottagessurroundedbyimpressivegardenstodaysspentexploringsandybeachesanddeepwoodsfilledwithwildlife,inMyFamilyandOtherAnimals,EnglishwriterGeraldDurrellprovidedavividaccountofhisfamily’stimeontheGreekislandofCorfuinthe1930s.ComeforthearrestingdescriptionsofCorfulandscapesandstayforDurrell’slaugh-out-loudtalesofhisunusualfamily.Thisbook,Durrellwrotehumorouslyintheintroduction,“wasintendedtobeanostalgic(懷舊的)accountofnaturalhistory,butinthefirstfewpages,Imadethemistakeofintroducingmyfamily.”Durrell,laterknownforhiszookeepingandthepreservationofwildlife,wasjustachildduringhisfamily’sfive-yearstayinCorfu.Heis10-year-oldGerryinthebook—curious,passionateaboutanimalsandadetailedstorytellerofhisstrangefamily:hisimaginativeelderbrotherLarrywithhisliteraryambitions,lovestrucksisterMargo,sportybrotherLeslieandhisever-calm,lovingmother.Durrell’sattentiontodetailiswhatmakesthebooksowinning,witheverysight,soundandsmelloftheislandbroughttolife.Oneminuteyou’llbelaughingasLarry’scleverliteraryfriendswalkdowntothedaffodil-yellowcottage,thenextyou’llbecatchingyourbreathasDurrelldescribesswimmingatnightintheIonianSea:“Lyingonmybackinthesilkywater,staringatthesky,onlymovingmyhandsandfeetslightly,IwaslookingattheMilkyWaystretchinglikeasilkscarfacrosstheskyandwonderinghowmanystarsitcontained.”MyFamilyandOtherAnimalsisquitedifficulttoclassify,beingoneparttravel,onepartautobiography,onepartnaturalhistory,andonepartcomedy,withathreadofdescriptivelanguagerunningthroughoutthatsometimesraisesitnearlytopoetry.Asarealdelighttoread,it’stheperfectliteraryescapismforanyadultorolderteenagerwhoiscurrentlywalkingdownatoughroadinlife.38．Whatareparagraph4and5mainlyabout?A．Thebook’swritingfeature.B．Durrell’srichimagination.C．Someinterestingplotsofthebook.D．Somevividdescriptionsoftheisland.2023屆廣東省廣州市普通高中畢業(yè)班綜合測試（一）英語試題Beavers(海貍),likehumans,changetheirsurroundingstofittheirneeds.Knownasnature’sengineers,theyteartreesdowntobuildhomestoliveinanddamstoraisewaterlevelsforprotectionfromenemies.Damsalsoslowwater’sflowwhileblockingsediment(沉積物)thatwouldotherwiseflowdownstream.Theresultingwetlandsoftenattractwildlifediversitywherenonehadexisted.Therearechallenges,though.Beaverdamssometimescauseflooding,andmostpeopleprefertreesaliveandupright.Communitiesfaceadelicatebalancingact,learningtocoexistwithbeavers.Lastwinter,manypeopleenjoyingWinstonPathbecamebeaverfansasonefurryfamilytransformedSwallowPondintoanoasisforbirds,frogs,turtlesanddeer.Yetsuchactivitycausedconcern.Asbeaversworked,theyraisedwaterlevelsaboutfivefeet.Theincreaseddepthallowsbeaverstosurviveunderwaterifthepondicesover.ButcountyofficialswereconcernedabouthowhigherwaterwouldaffectthesoilbanksupportingWinstonPath.Tofindagoodbalancebetweenprotectingthepathandthebeavers,thecountyintroduceda“beaverbaffle”—apondleveler.Beaversoftenrushtofillholesintheirdams.Bafflesstabilizewaterlevelsbycreatingahiddenexitforhighwatertoescapethroughthedam,unnoticedbythebeavers.Peoplelovethebeaversbuttheyalsolovethematuretrees.Recently,CatherineJones,18,organizedatree-cagingevent—puttingwireclotharoundlargetreetrunkstodiscouragebeaversfrombitingthem.Italsoprotectspeoplefrominjuryduetorandomtreesfalling.“Wecoverthetreeswedon’twantthemtoeat,whileplantingperiodicallyotherstheylike,“saidJones.“Weneed-tolearntogiveupalittleofourwantstosharetheEarth’sresources.”SwallowPond’s2023projectwillrestoreproperwaterdepthandimprovewildlifeh