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 of moths (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 一 the little brown bat can live for more than 30 years 一 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.

　　【答案】D

　　【解析】文章的题目是“是什么杀死了蝙蝠”。第一段引入了蝙蝠离奇的死亡，第二，三，四段都是写了蝙蝠死亡的可能的几个原因，第五段写了蝙蝠死亡带来的结果，最后一段是告诉人们如何帮助蝙蝠。所以选择的是D。

　　做这类题型一定注意正确的细节选项。

　　A.北美所有的蝙蝠种类都在死亡。

　　B.科学家已经知道了蝙蝠死亡的原因。

　　C.蝙蝠的死亡是一个严重的问题。

　　D.蝙蝠死亡有很多可能的原因。

　　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.

　　【答案】A

　　【解析】 First it was bees. Now it is bats. 之前是蜜蜂，现在是蝙蝠。

　　后面说了蝙蝠死亡，说明蜜蜂之前也是离奇死亡。选择A 。

　　A.蜜蜂离奇死亡。

　　B.这个网站上的第一篇文章是关于蜜蜂。

　　C.蜜蜂通常在蝙蝠之前死亡。

　　D.蜜蜂导致了蝙蝠的死亡。

　　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.

　　【答案】D

　　【解析】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.大多数受影响的蝙蝠是常见的小的棕色的蝙蝠，但是也有其他种类的蝙蝠受影响，比如长耳朵蝙蝠，小脚蝙蝠，东方pipistrelle以 及印度蝙蝠。

　　与其他的并列说明，答案选择D。

　　A.真菌的一种。

　　B.美国的一个地区。

　　C.一个特殊的洞穴。

　　D.蝙蝠的一种。

　　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.

　　【答案】B

　　【解析】Another possible cause is a lack of food. For example, bats typically eat a large number of moths(蛾)另一种可能的原因是缺少食物，比如说，蝙蝠通常吃大量的moths。说明选择B 。

　　A.杀死蝙蝠的疾病。

　　B.蝙蝠吃的昆虫。

　　C.有疾病的动物 。

　　D.正在挨饿而死的蝙蝠种类。

　　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.

　　【答案】D

　　【解析】 How can you help? 从第一句就可以得知，这一段是告诉人们如何来帮助蝙蝠，后面都是具体详细的做法。

　　A.让人们停止杀害蝙蝠。

　　B.这个部门招人。

　　C.叫人们不要接触死了的蝙蝠。

　　D.告诉人们如何帮助蝙蝠。