《2025年课堂精练英语必修第二册北师大版》

V.阅读理解
主题语境:人与自然/自然生态　语篇类型:说明文
New Zealand has a pest(有害动物) problem. The country has a plan to solve it. The country's leaders want to kill rats and other predatory mammals(捕食性哺乳动物) by 2050.
In New Zealand, rats are an invasive species(入侵物种). Long ago, rats came to the country on boats, with humans, in the 13th century. When they were introduced to the island's environment, the rats ate and, scientists believe, finally killed off several bird species.
Humans also brought other mammals, like stoats and possums. Stoats, which are similar to weasels, were introduced to eat another invasive mammal population: rabbits. Instead, the stoats fed on native(本地的) species. Possums were brought to New Zealand for their fur(毛皮). But their population also grew quickly out of control. Possums feed on the eggs and young of native birds. They also cause damage to forests.
One of the reasons why invasive mammal populations grew so quickly is that New Zealand is home to almost no native mammals. Most of its native species are birds. Many of these birds, including the kiwi, cannot fly. That is a big problem for the birds. They cannot fly to safety. As a result, several of New Zealand's birds are close to dying out.
Killing predatory mammals is not new for New Zealand. The country has killed off rats on some of its smaller islands. In those places, bird species that were in danger of dying out have begun to flourish. New Zealand hopes to improve upon the methods used in those small areas. The government plans to spend more than $20 million on the project. The money will pay for research, technology, and tools to kill off the animals.
It is a big goal. But scientists say it can be met. “I really do think it's possible,” says James Russell, a scientist at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. “It will require people to work in every corner of the country.”
1. What is the purpose of New Zealand's plan?
A. To save native birds.
B. To drive mammals away.
C. To do research on pests.
D. To control rabbit population.
2. Why were possums introduced to New Zealand?
A. To kill rabbits.
B. To make money.
C. To protect forests.
D. To catch weasels.
3. What does the underlined word “flourish” in Paragraph 5 mean?
A. Increase.
B. Appear.
C. Change.
D. Drop.
4. What is Russell's attitude towards this plan?
A. He is against it.
B. He is confident of it.
C. He has doubts about it.
D. He shows no interest in it.

答案： 1.A　　2.B　　3.A　　4.B