《2026年一本密卷高考英语》

C(2025·湖北荆州·高三检测)
Wildlife photographer Ingo Arndt discovered his first enormous ant mound (蚁丘) as a child explo-ring the forest with his father near their home almost 50 years ago. They were bird-watching and came a-round a bend in a thickly wooded area when there it was: a five-foot-tall mound, standing upward like a large stalagmite (石笋). Arndt wanted to investigate more closely, but a very particular smell suggested he rethink that. The air felt thick and sharp, discomforting his nose. "All my life," he says, "I could re-member the smell."
Several years later, Arndt moved to the countryside. He continued his fascination with the mounds and their armies of tiny engineers. Outfitted with a high-resolution camera, he began photographing the mounds and sharing his imagery with researchers for a scientific perspective. It turned out the mound makers were indeed special. They were red wood ants—one of the smallest of all so-called keystone spe-cies. Keystone species such as elephants and sharks are watched closely because their behaviors affect so many aspects of the ecosystem that if they disappeared, it would struggle to adapt. Researchers also ex-plained the smell from the mound. As the insects build a nest, they generate formic acid (蚁酸), the ori-gin of the smell, which helps to fight against enemies.
But in recent decades, the population of ants has been declining as the forests have fallen victim to logging, urbanization, and wildfires, as well as drought and higher temperatures that have become more frequent with climate change. This has led several countries across the ants' range, including Germany, to enlist them as a protected species by law.
Today Arndt’s photos put on display that as social insects, these small ants not only form complex so-cieties, but they also cohabitate with a wide variety of species, creating a mass of coexisting relationships across a variety of plant and animal species. They are also a reminder that by protecting these unnoticed creatures, we are actually protecting ourselves.
8. How was Arndt's first encounter with the ant mound?
A. It reminded him of a bad experience.
B. It left him an unforgettable memory.
C. It aroused his enthusiasm for nature.
D. It inspired him to protect the forests.
9. What does the underlined word "it" in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A. The wooded area.
B. The mound maker.
C. The keystone species.
D. The entire ecosystem.
10. What contributed to the decrease in the number of ants?
A. Their worsened habitats.
B. Their changing behavior.
C. Their severe competition.
D. Their limited population.
11. What is the text mainly intended to tell us?
A. Massive lives exist on earth.
B. Tiny species count in nature.
C. Social creatures live in groups.
D. Little ants are master architects.

答案： 8.B 9.D 10.A 11.B