The smallest animal with a backbone（脊椎） known to science, a fish from the carp family, has been discovered in the peat swamps （沼泽）of Indonesia. Mature（成熟的）females of the fish species （种类）Paedocypris reach just 7.9mm in length.
The species was discovered in the highly acidic (酸性的) peat swamps of the Indonesian island of Sumatra by a team led by Ralf Britz, a zoologist at the Natural History Museum in London.
“This is one of the strangest fish that I’ve seen in my whole career,” Dr Britz said. “It’s tiny, and it lives in acid. I hope that we’ll have time to find out more about them before their habitat disappears pletely.”
The species lives in dark tea-colored swamp waters, which are 100 times more acidic than rainwater. Although these swamps were once thought to be inhabited by very few animals, recent research has shown that they are home to a highly different range of species that occur nowhere else.
The peat swamps were damaged by forest fires in 1997, and are also threatened by agriculture. The scientists behind the discovery said that several populations of Paedocypris had already been lost.
“Many of the peat swamps we surveyed（调查）throughout South-East Asia no longer exist,” Dr Britz said. “Populations of all the miniature（微型的）fish of peat swamps have decreased or disappeared.”
Details of the discovery are published today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B.
【小题1】64.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage? A．The Strangest FishB．Acidic Peat SwampsC．Strange SpeciesD．The Smallest Backbone Animal【小题2】65.Where does the smallest backbone animal live?A．It lives in highly acidic rainwater.B．The species lives in the acidic waters of dark tea-coloured swamps.C．It was put in the Natural History Museum in London.D．Its habitat disappears pletely.【小题3】66.According to the passage, the forest fires in 1997 have led to the fact that .A．many places where these animals lived have been damagedB．the population of the specieshas increasedC．there are many animals in the acidic peat swamps today D．agriculture doesn’t affect the living space of these animals【小题4】67.Dr Britz’s words imply .A．the habitat will be more after a period of time B．many peat swamps that they surveyed have already survived C．he wants to find more miniature fishes before their habitat disappears D．he wants to have further researchD
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(答案→)D
解析：
【文章大意】本文是一篇科普类文章。文章讲述了濒临灭绝的最小的脊椎动词的生存环境及目前的情况。
【小题1】D考查文章的标题。根据文章的第一段中的The smallest animal with a backbone（脊椎） known to science, a fish from the carp family, has been discovered in the peat swamps （沼泽）of Indonesia.可知，这是文章的中心句。由中心句可知文章主要讲的是：最小的脊椎动物。故选D。
【小题2】B考查细节理解。根据文章第四段中的The species lives in dark tea-colored swamp waters, which are 100 times more acidic than rainwater.可知，这种物种生活在深茶色的沼泽中，其中的水是雨水的酸度的100倍。故选B。
【小题3】A考查细节理解。根据文章倒数第三段中的The peat swamps were damaged by forest fires in 1997, and are also threatened by agriculture.可知A正确。其他三项与文章内容不符。
【小题4】D考查推理判断。根据文章第三段中的I hope that we’ll have time to find out more about them before their habitat disappears pletely.可知，Dr Britz想进一步了解它们，在他们完全灭绝之前。故选D。