Imagine living in a city made of glass. No, this isn’t a fairy tale. If you could grab your diving gear and swim down 650 feet into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Washington State, you would witness the secret world of glass reefs.
The reef you’d be looking at is made up of glass sponges(海绵). But how can animals be made of glass? Well, glass is formed from a substance called silica. The sponges use the silica found in ocean waters to build glass structures that will give them shape and support. Be careful! Some of the fragile creatures are up to 200 years old.
When sponges die, new ones grow on top of the pile of old ones. Over centuries, a massive and plex reef takes shape. Some sponges look like wrinkled trumpets, while others look like overgrown cauliflower or mushrooms.
Dr. Paul Johnson, who discovered the Washington reef in 2007, also found other surprises such as bubbles of methane(甲烷) gas flowing out of the seafloor nearby. The methane feeds bacteria, and the bacteria feed the glass sponges.
“It’s a new ecosystem we know nothing about,” said Dr. Johnson.
The reef of yellow and orange glass sponges is crowded with crabs, shrimp, starfish, worms, snails, and rockfish. The glass reef is also a nursery for the babies of many of these creatures and was called a “kindergarten” by scientists.
Many animals that live in the reef hang around for a long time, just like the sponges. Rockfish, for example, live for more than 100 years. Scientists are just beginning to study all the species that call the reef home.
The Washington coast isn’t the only place where a living glass reef has been found. The first was discovered in Hecate Strait off the coast of British Columbia in 1991. Scientists all over the world were stunned to see it.
【小题1】Which of the following is the best title for the passage?A．Man-made cities under the seaB．The world under the seaC．Glass “cities” under the seaD．Creatures under the sea【小题2】It can be learned that the glass reef .A．is made up of a kind of materials called spongesB．is a work of art made by some American scientistsC．is a new ecosystem people are not familiar withD．was first discovered off the coast of Washington State【小题3】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?A．The sponges must feel soft.B．Silica es from animals’ body fluid.C．Methane is harmful to glass sponges.D．Glass sponges depend on the bacteria for a living.【小题4】Why did scientists call the glass reef a “kindergarten”?A．Because the babies of many sea creatures grow well there.B．Because thousands of children visit it every year.C．Because it is crowded with snails and rockfish, etc.D．Because all the species call the reef home.【小题5】What does the underlined word “stunned” in the last paragraph mean?A．Greatly surprised.B．Extremely scared.C．Highly satisfied.D．Very pleased.C
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(答案→)C
解析：文章介绍海底的玻璃礁。这里的玻璃礁就像一个“城市”一样，海底生物可以在里面自由的生活，而且这种玻璃礁还是大家不熟悉的生态系统。
【小题1】主旨题：从第一段的句子：If you could grab your diving gear and swim down 650 feet into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Washington State, you would witness the secret world of glass reefs.可知这篇文章介绍的是海底的玻璃礁。这里的玻璃礁就像一个“城市”一样，选C
【小题2】细节题：从第五段的句子;“It’s a new ecosystem we know nothing about,” said Dr. Johnson.可知这种玻璃礁是大家不熟悉的生态系统。选C
【小题3】细节题：从第四段的句子：The methane feeds bacteria, and the bacteria feed the glass sponges.可知甲烷养活细菌，细菌养活玻璃礁，所以玻璃礁是依靠细菌的选D
【小题4】细节题：从第六段的句子：The glass reef is also a nursery for the babies of many of these creatures and was called a “kindergarten” by scientists.可知很多生物的孩子在玻璃礁里面生活的很好，就像一个幼儿园。选A
【小题5】猜词题：从最后一段的句子：The first was discovered in Hecate Strait off the coast of British Columbia in 1991.可知这种玻璃礁很少见，科学家看见的时候很惊讶。选A