《2025年一本英语五合一必刷题高中人教版》

On some butterfly wings, “tails” may be more than just elegant decorations. They’re survival tools too. The tails seem to attract the attention of attacking birds, keeping them away from a butterfly’s more vital body parts, according to researchers.
Evolutionary biologist Ariane Chotard studies the wings of swallowtail butterflies. “A lot of butterflies display tails, and we don’t really know why,” Chotard explains.
Some butterfly species with false head or spot patterns on their wings are known to receive more attacks from predators (捕食者) in those regions. Chotard and her colleagues wondered if tails were also a target. So the researchers collected 138 swallowtail butterflies from the wild. Among the collected swallowtails, 65, or 47 percent, had damaged wings, all of which had at least one tail damaged. When all 130 wings in this group of damaged butterflies were counted, more than 82 percent of the wings had damaged tails, suggesting that predators may be targeting the long and thin parts.
To test that idea, the team kept wild - caught songbirds in cages. The researchers then showed the birds dummy butterflies made from gluing (粘贴) real swallowtail wings to a body made of small pieces of cardboard, and filmed the birds’ attacks. 43 out of 59 strikes, or nearly 73 percent, were on the hind wings. 23, or 39 percent, of the strikes touched both a tail and colored areas on the upper part of a hind wing.
The findings suggest that swallowtail tails deflect(转移) attacks away from the butterfly’s key body parts to extensions that easily tear off, allowing the insect to escape. This may be similar to the strategy some lizards use when giving up their tails to hungry predators.
It’s unclear if there are any costs to losing one or two tails. Future work determining the survival benefits of the tails could be one next step. “It would be informative to see how live swallowtail butterflies—both with and without tails—protect themselves from bird predators,” Chotard says.
8. Which aspect of the “tails” did Chotard focus on?
A. Their size.
B. Their color.
C. Their weight.
D. Their function.
9. What is the false head of a butterfly probably used to do?
A. Attack its predators.
B. Scare away its predators.
C. Help its partner target it easily.
D. Deflect attacks from its key body parts.
10. What does the underlined word “dummy” in paragraph 4 mean?
A. Artificial.
B. Colorful.
C. Various.
D. Healthy.
11. What is the text mainly about?
A. The butterfly’s key body parts.
B. The spot patterns on butterfly wings.
C. Why some butterflies display their “tails”.
D. Why some butterflies receive more attacks from birds.

答案： 8.D 推理判断题。根据第二段中Chotard所说的“A lot of butterflies display tails, and we don’t really know why”可知，Chotard想知道为什么蝴蝶有这种尾状物。再根据第一段中的“The tails seem to attract the attention of attacking birds, keeping them away from a butterfly’s more vital body parts”可知，蝴蝶的尾状物用来吸引攻击的鸟类，使它们远离蝴蝶更重要的身体部位。由此可推知，Chotard关注的是尾状物的功能。
9.D 推理判断题。根据第三段前两句可知，蝴蝶的假脑袋、翅膀上的点状图案和尾状物可能有同样的作用，蝴蝶的这些部位受到了捕食者更多的攻击。再根据倒数第二段第一句“The findings suggest that swallowtail tails deflect attacks away from the butterfly’s key body parts to extensions that easily tear off, allowing the insect to escape.”可知，燕尾蝶的尾状物将捕食者的攻击从蝴蝶身体的关键部位转移到容易撕掉的延伸部位（即尾状物），使燕尾蝶得以逃生。由此可推知，蝴蝶的假脑袋的作用可能是将捕食者的攻击从蝴蝶身体的关键部位转移开。
10.A 词义猜测题。根据画线词后的“made from gluing real swallowtail wings to a body made of small pieces of cardboard”可知，这些蝴蝶是通过把真正的燕尾蝶的尾状物粘贴在用小硬纸板做成的身体上制成的。也就是说，这些蝴蝶是“人造的”，故A项符合题意。
11.C 主旨大意题。通读全文可知，本文主要围绕蝴蝶翅膀后部的尾状物展开，介绍了它的作用——将捕食者的攻击从身体的关键部位转移到容易撕掉的延伸部位（即尾状物），从而让蝴蝶得以逃生，故C项“为什么有些蝴蝶会露出它们的‘尾巴’”符合文章主旨。