The victims were carried in one by one,  their paws and fur burned,  suffering from dehydration (脫水) and fear. Their caretakers bandaged (用繃帶包扎) their wounds and laid them in baskets with the only thing that was familiar — the leaves of a eucalyptus (桉樹) tree. As fires have burned more than two million acres in Australia,  dozens of koalas have been rescued from burned trees and pale ground. The animals are being treated in rescue centers,  and at least one private home,  along the country’s east coast. 

 

The difficult situation of the koala — a national symbol of Australia — has raised questions among environmentalists and scientists about what it will take to protect biodiversity (生物多樣性) in a country with intense fire,  extreme heat and lack of water. Australia has already been among the highest rates of species extinction in the world. 

The bad situation goes beyond koalas. Recently,  tens of thousands of bats fell from the sky in temperatures over 107 degrees Fahrenheit in northern Australia. Kangaroos destroyed the grapes in Canberra because of drought. 

“Climate change and other human impacts have so changed the situation that the government needs to rethink its way to protect at once, ” Dr. Bowman said,  suggesting interventions (干預) like irrigating,  feeding and moving animals to new places. 

Koalas,  unlike kangaroos,  birds or snakes,  do not escape from fires. Therefore,  though the fires are still burning,  a rescue team began to search the area carefully. Walking in a human chain,  they looked up to the tree top,  searching for survivors. 

【語篇概述】本文是一篇說明文。文章介紹森林火災肆虐, 澳大利亞考拉面臨死亡威脅。人們積極努力, 拯救那些無法逃離的火災受害者——澳大利亞的考拉。

1. What do the victims in the first paragraph refer to?

A. Animals injured in fires. 

B. Kangaroos driven by drought. 

C. Bats that fell from the sky. 

D. Koalas rescued from the fire. 

【解析】選D。細節理解題。根據文章第一段“and laid them in baskets with the only thing that was familiar — the leaves of a eucalyptus tree”及第二段“The difficult situation of the koala (考拉的困境)”可知, 第一段中的受害者是指從火中救出的考拉。

2. Which of the following may cause the extinction of wildlife?

A. Wildfires that seldom happened. 

B. Extreme hot weather in Australia. 

C. The never-changing climate in Australia. 

D. Not having enough money to take measures in Australia. 

【解析】選B。細節理解題。根據文章第二段“The difficult situation of the koala — a national symbol of Australia — has raised questions among environmentalists and scientists about what it will take to protect biodiversity in a country with intense fire,  extreme heat and lack of water. ”可知, 澳大利亞有極端高溫天氣, 水資源匱乏, 容易遭受大火, 所以可能導致野生動物滅絕。

3. What can we draw from Dr. Bowman?

A. Human activities have little influence on animals. 

B. The government should take immediate action. 

C. The government does not care about the wild animals. 

D. Scientists are concerned about the bad situation of wildlife. 

【解析】選B。細節理解題。根據文章第四段“Climate change and other human impacts have so changed the situation that the government needs to rethink its way to protect at once (氣候變化和其他人類影響已經極大地改變了狀況, 政府需要立刻重新思考保護方式)”可知, 鮑曼博士認為政府應該立即采取行動。

4. What’s the best title for the text?

A. Saving the Fire Victims Who Cannot Escape: Australia’s Koalas

B. Saving the Endangered Wild Animals in Australia

C. Actions Needed to Protect the Habitat for Koalas

D. National Symbol of Australia Needs Rescue

【解析】選A。標題歸納題。根據全文內容可知, 文章介紹森林火災肆虐, 澳大利亞考拉面臨死亡威脅。人們積極努力, 拯救那些無法逃離的火災受害者——澳大利亞的考拉。