The red siskin holds a special place in Venezuela.Pictures of the bird appear on the country's money，on products and in school textbooks.The "Little Cardinal"，as the bird is affectionately called，is loved by Venezuela.
However，this brilliantly colored songbird is now in danger.It has been vanishing at an alarming rate from the wild because of shrinking habitat and poachers cashing in on its red feathers prized around the world by breeders of exotic birds.Once flourishing in the millions，as few as about 300 remain in the wild in Venezuela.
That threat has brought together an international team that includes scientists from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.，and poor coffee farmers in Venezuela.They are all set on rescuing the red siskin from extinction. "They don't have many years left，unless we do something right now，" said Miguel Arvelo，a vet for the non-profit organization Provita.
The Red Siskin Initiative began about three years ago.The plan is to persuade farmers to plant organic coffee plants with layers of thick branches that are inviting to the endangered bird.In the meantime，a red siskin breeding center is being built at a private zoo in Venezuela.The zoo expects to hatch 200 of the birds next year，which will be introduced into the coffee plant habitats.
The coffee initiative has been showing positive results.Some 40 farmers in the coastal mountains of Carayaca have stopped cutting down trees- an important first step.
Protecting the red siskin from poachers has been challenging due to Venezuela's economic crisis.Poor Venezuelan families often capture and sell the threatened bird to illegal traffickers.Researchers and scientists have been robbed or shot by Venezuela's growing poor population.
Scientists keep the places where the birds are known to live a secret to protect them from poachers.Catching sight of them required arriving before dawn and hiding in tall grass under pouring rain.Then，the sun broke through and they swooped in，landing one by one on tree branches overhead，singing loudly.
"It's the first time I've seen so many together，" said biologist Jhonathan Miranda，a Provita researcher. "It gives us hope.
（1）Why is "pictures of the bird" mentioned in Paragraph 1？ DD
A．To draw the attention of the readers.
B．To show the bird is precious and cute.
C．To emphasize the value of the red siskin.
D．To demonstrate how much Venezuelans love the bird.
（2）Where does the red siskin like to stay according to the text？ AA
A．The bird favors the thick branches of coffee plants.
B．The bird prefers to live in a private zoo in Venezuela.
C．The bird likes to land on tree branches or hide in tall grass.
D．The bird likes to stay with poor coffee farmers in Venezuela.
（3）What has caused the decreasing number of the red siskins？Because CC.
①Venezuelan families has captured and sold the birds to the illegal buyers.
②The poachers have been capturing them for their feather to make profits.
③Farmers in Venezuela keep them for food in their daily life.
④Their living habitat has been disappearing day by day.
A．①②
B．①③
C．②④
D．③④
（4）What can we mainly learn from the text？ DD
A．Poachers have robbed or even shot the researchers in Venezuela.
B．Venezuelan are forced to plant coffee trees for the red siskin to land on.
C．Protecting the bird seems pointless due to extreme poverty in Venezuela.
D．Keeping the living habitat of the bird hidden from the poachers is positive.
【考點(diǎn)】說明文．
【答案】D；A；C；D
【解答】
【點(diǎn)評】
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發(fā)布：2024/7/25 8:0:9組卷：52引用：2難度：0.4
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1．Most of us spend our lives seeking the natural world.We go fishing，sit in the garden，have a picnic，live in the suburbs or go to the seaside.The most popular leisure activity in Britain is going for a walk.When joggers jog，they don't run on the streets.Every one of them tends to go to the park or the river.
But despite this，our children are growing up naturedeprived（剝奪）.I spent my boyhood climbing trees.These days，children are robbed of the ancient freedom，due to problems like crime，traffic，the loss of the open space and strange new ideas about what is best for children，that is to say，things that can be bought，rather than things that can be found.
The truth is to be found elsewhere.A study in the US：families had moved to better housing and the children were assessed for ADHD—Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder（注意力缺陷多動癥）.Those whose accommodation had more natural views showed an improvement of 19%；those who had the same improvement in material surroundings but no nice view improved just 4%.
ADHD is one of the great problems of modern childhood.One study after another indicates that contact with nature gives huge benefits to ADHD children.However，we spend money on drugs rather than on green places.
The life of old people is measurably better when they have access to nature.The increasing concern for the growing population of old people is in quality rather than quantity of years.And study after study finds that a garden is the single most important thing in finding that quality.Even problems with crime and aggressive behaviour are reduced when there is contact with the natural world.
We need the wild world.It is essential to our wellbeing，our health and our happiness.
（1）According to the author，people enjoyto seek nature.
A．jogging on the street
B．running in the gym
C．shopping in the supermarket
D．sitting in the garden
（2）From the second paragraph，we can see that.
A．Children don't want to approach nature
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C．climbing trees will certainly do good to the children
D．children tend to be happier as a result of their material satisfaction
（3）In what way do people benefit from their contact with nature？
A．Children with ADHD can be cured.
B．Children's performance at school is greatly improved.
C．Problems with crime and violent behavior will easily be solved.
D．A garden nearby improves the quality of old people's life.
（4）what is the main idea of this passage？
A．Access to nature improves our life.
B．Nature treats children for ADHD.
C．Getting close to nature reduces crime.
D．Man can't live without natural areas.發(fā)布：2025/1/6 16:30:6組卷：0引用：1難度：0.5 -
2．It is widely believed that biodiversity（生物多樣性）is promoted to save species.But in reality species exist only as part of ecosystems and cannot survive unless their ecosystems are protected along with as much as possible of the diversity they contain.
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（1）What can we infer from paragraph 1？
A．The loss of any species can affect humans.
B．Endangered species are paid more attention to by humans.
C．Species can still survive when their ecosystems are destroyed.
D．Ecosystem protection is as important as diversity protection.
（2）What does the underlined word "ecocide" in paragraph 2 mean？
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A．Population growth in hotpots.
B．Migration out of these areas.
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D．The global average population growth rate.
（4）What's the author's opinion on protecting the hotspots？
A．It's simple to carry out.
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3．New editions of Roald Dahl's classic books，such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda，are now available in bookstores.Some passages relating to weight，mental health，gender and race were changed.The changes made by Puffin Books，a division of Penguin Random House，first were reported by Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper.
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Inclusive Minds，a group that is working to make children's literature more inclusive and accessible，reviewed the language in a partnership effort with Puffin Books.Inclusive language avoids terms that could be seen as excluding specific groups of people.Any changes were"small and carefully considered，"the company said.
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（4）What might be the proper title of the passage？
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A．To persuade readers to buy Roald Dahl's classic books.
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C．To recommend the new version of Roald Dahl's classic books.
D．To inform diverse views on the changes of Roald DahI's books.發(fā)布：2025/1/30 8:0:1組卷：1引用：1難度：0.4