What's Killing the Bats

　　First it was bees. Now it is bats. Biologists in America are working hard to discover the cause of the mysterious deaths of tens of thousands of bats in the northeastern part of the country. Most of the bats affected are the common little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus), but other species such as the long-eared bat, the small-footed hat, the eastern pipistrelle, and the Indiana bat have also been affected. In some caves, more than 90 percent of the bat populations have died.

　　One possibility is disease. A white fungus (真菌) known as fusarium has been found on the noses of both living and dead bats. However, scientists don't know If the fungus is the primary cause of death, a secondary cause of death, or not a cause at all, but the result of some other conditions.

　　Another possible cause is a lack of food. For example, bats typically eat a large number ofmoths(蛾 ), and in some states such as New York, the number of moths has been declining in recent years. If bats can't eat enough food, they starve to death.

　　Still other scientists believe that global warming is to blame. Warmer temperatures in recent years have been waking up hibernating ( 冬眠 ) bats earlier than usual. If bats break their hibernation at the wrong time, they might not find their expected food sources. The weather might also turn cold again and weaken or kill the bats.

　　Scientists might not agree on the causes of the bat die-off, but they do agree on the consequences. Bats are an important predator of mosquitoes; a single brown bat can eat 1,000 or more insects in an hour. They also eat beetles and other insects that damage plant crops. If there aren't enough bats, damage will be great from the insects they eat While bats live a long time for their size--the little brown bat can live for more than 30 years--a female bat has only one baby per year, so bat populations grow slowly. Many bat species in the United States are already protected or endangered.

　　How can you help? Do not disturb sleeping or nesting bats. If you discover bate that seem to be sick or that are dead, contact your local Fish& Wildlife Department with the details. However,be careful not to touch the animals.

　　36. What is the main idea of this passage?

　　A. All species of bats in North America are dying.

　　B. Scientists already know the cause of the deaths of bats.

　　C. The bat deaths are a serious problem.

　　D. There are many possible causes of the deaths of bats.

　　37. What does the first sentence in Paragraph 1 mean?

　　A. Bees have been dying mysteriously.

　　B. The first article on the website is about bees.

　　C. Bees usually die before bats.

　　D. It was bees that caused the deaths of bats.

　　38. The word "pipistrelle" in Paragraph 1 refers to__________.

　　A. a kind of fungus.

　　B. an area in the U.S.

　　C. a special cave.

　　D. a kind of bat.

　　39. The "moths" in Paragraph 3 are taken as an example of__________.

　　A. diseases that kill bats.

　　B. Insects that bats eat.

　　C. animals that have diseases.

　　D. bat species that are starving to death.

　　40. What is the purpose of the last paragraph?

　　A. To get people to stop killing bats.

　　B. To hire workers for the Fish & Wildlife Department.

　　C. To ask people not to touch dead bats.

　　D. To tell the public how to help bats.

　　36.D。主旨题。题干：这篇文章的大意是什么?根据每段的首尾句，例如“0ne possibility is disease”，“Another possible cause is a lack of food”，“Still other scientists believe that global wanning is to blame”，“Scientists might not agree on the causes ofthe bat die-ofr”可知，多数段落讨论的都是原因(cause)，再结合首段，可以得知谈论的是蝙蝠死亡的原因，所以选项D为正确答案。

　　37.A。猜词题。题干：第一段的第一句意思是什么?根根据第一段的首句和上下文，可知首先是蜜蜂，现在是蝙蝠，美国的生物学家正在努力研究蝙蝠莫名死亡的原因，由此可知首句指的是蜜蜂也一直莫名地死亡，故A是正确答案。

　　38.D。猜测题。题干：第一段中的“pipistrelle”指的是__________。利用题干关键词“pipistrelle”可以定位到第一段的第二句“…but other species，such as the long-eared bat，the small-footed hat，the eastern pipistrelle”，不难看出pipistrelle是蝙蝠的一种，。故D是正确答案。

　　39.B。细节题。题干：第三段中的“moths(蛾)”被作为__________的例子。利用题干关键词moths可以定位第三段第二句，可知蝙蝠一般吃大量的蛾子，由此可知B是正确答案。

　　40.D。推断题。题干：最后一段的目的是什么?从最后一段的首句“How can you help?”可知谈论的是如何帮助蝙蝠，故该题答案为D。

（编辑：何莹莹）