Easter(复活节) is still a great day for worship, randy in baskets and running around the yard finding eggs, but every year it gets quite a bit worse for bunnies.
And no, not because the kids like to pull their ears. The culprit is climate change, and some researchers found that rising temperatures arc having harmful effects on at least five species of rabbit in the US.
Take the Lower Keys March rabbit, for instance. An endangered species that lives in the Lower Florida Keys, this species of cottontail is a great swimmer — it lives on the islands! — but it is already severely affected by development and now by rising levels. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, an ocean level rise of only 0. 6 meters will send these guys jumping to higher ground and a 0.9-meter rise would wipe out their habitat (栖息地) pletely.
The snowshoe hare, on the other hand, has a color issue. Most of these rabbits change their fur color from white in the wintertime to brown in the summer, each designed to give them better cover from predators（捕食者）. As the number of days with snow decreases all across the country, however, more and more bunnies arc being left in white fur during brown dirt days of both fall and spring, making them an easier mark for predators. Researchers know that the color change is controlled by the number of hours of sunlight, but whether the rabbit will be able to adapt quick enough to survive is a big question. The National Wildlife Federation has reported that hunters have noticed their numbers are already markedly down.
American pikas or rock rabbits, a relative of rabbits and hares, might be the firs' of these species to go extinct due to climate change. About 7-8 inches long, pikas live high in the cool, damp mountains west of the Rocky Mountains. As global temperatures rise, they would naturally migrate (迁徙) to higher ground — but they already occupy the mountaintops. They can't go any higher. The National Wildlife Federation reports that they might not be able to stand the new temperatures as their habitat beats up.
The volcano rabbit has the same problem. These rabbits live on the slopes of volcanoes in Mexico, and recent studies have shown that the lower range of their habitat has already shifted upward about 700 meters, but there are not suitable plants for them to move higher, so they are stuck in the middle. Scientists are concerned about their populations.
Native to the US, pygmy rabbits weigh less than 1 pound and live in the American West. They are believed to be the smallest rabbits in the world. Their habitats have been destroyed by development. Several populations, such as the Columbia Basin pygmy, almost went extinct and were saved by zoo breeding programs. Pygmy rabbits also rely on winter cover by digging tunnels through the snow to escape predators, but lesser snowfall is leaving them exposed.
All of this gives new meaning to dressing up in a giant bunny costume this Easter.
【小题1】The writer mentions Easter at the beginning of the passage in order to .A．show the importance of Easter Day B．introduce the issue about bunniesC．remind people of Easter traditionsD．discuss the relationship between Easter and bunnies【小题2】The word culprit ( Paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to .A．criminalB．judgeC．victimD．producer【小题3】According to the passage, some rabbits can now be easily Uncovered by predators because they A．are exposed lo more skillful huntersB．have moved to habitats with fewer plantsC．haven't adapted themselves to climate changeD．can't change their fur color into white in the fall and the spring【小题4】The problem faced by volcano rabbets and rock rabbits is that .A．both are affected by 1ess snowB．both are affected by rising sea levelsC．neither can find enough foodD．neither can migrate to higher places【小题5】Which best describes the writer's tone in the postage?A．Approving.B．Concerned.C．Enthusiastic.D．Doubtful.B
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(答案→)B
解析：日常生活类—环境话题小品文
【文章大意】每年复活节可爱兔子给大家带来了多少欢乐，然而随着全球温暖趋势的加剧，这种给我们带来的愉悦兔子也不可避免地受到了一定的影响。不久的将来，复活节上兔子的服饰也会因此而有所变化。
【小题1】目的意图题。根据第一段在全文中的作用可以看出，本段主要目的是导入主题，即：关于兔子的问题。
【小题2】词义猜测题。根据文章第一段最后一句后半句：but every year it gets quite a bit worse for bunnies.和第二段的第一句：And no, not because the kids like to pull their ears.可知答案A，罪过，符合文意。
【小题3】细节理解题。根据第三段的整体理解和倒数第二句but whether the rabbit will be able to adapt quick enough to survive is a big question.的总结，可知答案C符合文意。
【小题4】细节理解题。根据文章倒数第三段的第三句they would naturally migrate (迁徙) to higher ground — but they already occupy the mountaintops. They can't go any higher.和倒数第二段第二句的后半部分but there are not suitable plants for them to move higher,可知，故答案D符合文意。
【小题5】作者态度题。根据文章的整体理解，可知推断出作者对兔子这一问题很是关切(concerned)，故答案B符合文意。Approving赞同的；Enthusiastic热情的；Doubtful质疑的，均不符合语境， 故排除。
【长难句解析】Most of these rabbits change their fur color from white in the wintertime to brown in the summer, each designed to give them better cover from predators（捕食者）。大多数这种兔子会把冬天时的白色皮毛变成夏季的棕色，每一种颜色的变化是为了让他们更好地避免捕食者的发现。Designed是非谓语，与其逻辑主语each构成被动关系，故用过去分词作状语。此外由于each和句子主语most of these rabbits不是同一事物，因此这种非谓语结构在语法上被称之为独立主格结构。