第三篇On the Trail of the Honey Badgers
On a recent field trip to the Kalahari Desert, a team of researchers learnt a lot more about honey badgers (獾). The team employed a local wildlife expert, Kitso Khama, to help them locate and follow the badgers across the desert. Their main aim was to study the badgers’ movements and behaviour as discreetly (謹(jǐn)慎地) as possible, without frightening them away or causing them to change their natural behaviour. They also planned to trap a few and study them close up before releasing them. In view of the animal’s reputation, this was something that even Khama was reluctant to do.
“The problem with honey badgers is they are naturally curious animals, especially when they see something new,” he says. “that, combined with their unpredictable nature, can be a dangerous mixture. If they sense you have food, for example, they won’t be shy about coming right up to you for something to eat. They’re actually quite sociable creatures around humans, but as soon as they feel they might be in danger, they can become extremely vicious (兇惡的). Fortunately this is rare, but it does happen.”
The research confirmed many things that were already known. As expected, honey badgers ate any creatures they could catch and kill. Even poisonous snakes, feared and avoided by most other animals, were not safe from them. The researchers were surprised, however, by the animal’s fondness for local melons, probably because of their high water content. Previously researchers thought that the animal got all of its liquid requirements from its prey (獵物). The team also learnt that, contrary to previous research findings, the badgers occasionally formed loose family groups. They were also able to confirm certain results from previous research, including the fact that female badgers never socialized with each other.
Following some of the male badgers was a challenge, since they can cover large distances in a short space of time. Some hunting territories cover more than 500 square kilometers. Althm.zxtf.net.cnough they seem happy to share these territories with other males, there are occasional fights over an important food source, and male badgers can be as aggressive towards each other as they are towards other species.
As the badgers became accustomed to the presence of people, it gave the team the chance to get up close to them without being the subject of the animal’s curiosity — or their sudden aggression. The badgers’ eating patterns, which had been disrupted, returned to normal. It also allowed the team to observe more closely some of the other creatures that form working associations with the honey badger, as these seemed to adopt the badgers’ relaxed attitude when near humans.
41. Why did the wildlife experts visit the Kalahari Desert?
A. To observe how honey badgers behave.
B. To find where honey badgers live.
C. To catch some honey badgers for food.
D. To find out why honey badgers have a bad reputation.
42. What does Kitso Khama say about honey badgers?
A. They show interest in things they are not familiar with.
B. They are always looking for food.
C. They do not enjoy human company.
D. It is common for them to attack people.
43. What did the team find out about honey badgers?
A. There were some creatures they did not eat.
B. They were afraid of poisonous creatures.
C. They may get some of the water they needed from fruit.
D. Female badgers did not mix with male badgers.
44. Which of the following is a typical feature of male badgers?
A. They don’t run very quickly.
B. They hunt over a very large area.
C. They defend their territory from other badgers.
D. They are more aggressive than females
45. What happened when honey badgers got used to humans around them?
A. They became less aggressive towards other creatures.
B. They started eating more.
C. Other animals started working with them.
D. They lost interest in people.
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The Tough Grass that Sweetens Our Lives
Sugar cane was once a wild grass that grew in New Guinea and was used by local people for roofing their houses and fencing their gardens. Gradually a different variety evolved which contained sucrose and was chewed on for its sweet taste. Over time, sugar cane became a highly valuable commercial plant, grown throughout the world. 46.
Sugar became a vital ingredient in all kinds of things, from confectionery to medicine, and, as the demand for sugar grew, the industry became larger and more profitable. 47. Many crops withered and died, despite growers’ attempts to save them, and there were fears that the health of the pm.zxtf.net.cnlant would continue to deteriorate.
In the 1960s, scientists working in Barbados looked for ways to make the commercial species stronger and more able to resist disease. They experimented with breeding programmes, mixing genes from the wild species of sugar cane, which tends to be tougher, with genes from the more delicate, commercial type. 48. This sugar cane is not yet ready to be sold commercially, but when this happens, it is expected to be incredibly profitable for the industry.
49. Brazil, which produces one quarter of the world's sugar, has coordinated an international project under Professor Paulo Arrudo of the Universidade Estaudual de Campinas in Sao Paulo. Teams of experts have worked with him to discover more about which parts of the genetic structure of the plant are important for the production of sugar and its overall health.
Despite all the research, however, we still do not fully understand how the genes function in sugar cane. 50. This gene is particularly exciting because it makes the plant resistant to rust, a disease which probably originated in India, but is now capable of infecting sugar cane across the world. Scientists believe they will eventually be able to grow a plant which cannot be destroyed by rust.
A. Unfortunately, however, the plant started to become weaker and more prone to disease.
B. Sugar cane was now much vigorous and the supply of sugar is therefore more guaranteed.
C. One major gene has been identified by Dr Angelique D'Hont and her team in Montpelier, France.
D. The majority of the world's sugar now comes from this particular commercial species.
E. Since the 1960s, scientists have been analysing the mysteries of the sugar cane's genetic code.
F. Eventually, a commercial plant was developed which was 5 percent sweeter than before, but also much stronger and less likely to die from disease.
