Biologists in the United States are sounding an alarm about a deadly disease that has been attacking a quiet, intelligent animal: the bat. The disease, called white-nose syndrome, is an infection caused by a fungus (真菌) that attack the nose, wings, and other skin areas on the bodies of bats while they are hibernating (冬眠) in large groups in their caves. The disease was first discovered in a New York cave in the winter of 2006, and it is spreading quickly. Infected caves have been discovered in 19 states and in Canada.
Scientists have discovered that the source is a strain of a cold-loving fungus usually found in polar regions. They are not sure how the fungus kills bats. One theory is that the fungus causes discomfort. The bats began to become upset and partially wake up from hibernation. This activity causes them to burn precious stored body fat and die of starvation. Experts estimate that over 5. 5 million bats across nine species have disappeared because of the disease. Wildlife experts fear that if the infection spreads to more bat populations in the Southeast and Midwest, endangered bat species, such as the Indiana bat and Virginia big-eared bat, may be in grave danger of extinction.
Why should Americans care about the loss of these creatures? In warm months, bat fly at night, eating up to their body weight in insects. They control the populations of insects that bite, eat crops, destroy forests, and spread disease. Because of this, the United States government is getting involved. It has heard announcements from bat experts and is taking seriously their pleas (请愿) for funding to study the disease. The possibility of what one lawmaker called “an ecological and economic disaster” is very real if the deadly disease spreads further.
【小题1】What causes white-nose syndrome among the bats?
| A．Ecological pollution. | B．The lack of food. |
| C．The freezing climate. | D．A cold-loving fungus. |
【小题2】What is the main idea of paragraph 2?
| A．How the fungus possibly affects bats. |
| B．Why the bats’ hibernation is disturbed. |
| C．Where the experts discovered the disease. |
| D．What contributed to the concern of the experts. |
【小题3】What is the main concern about the extinction of the bat in the US?
| A．The spread of the disease. | B．The destruction of the forests. |
| C．The imbalance of the ecosystem. | D．The decrease of the insect population. |
【小题4】What is the US government most likely to do in the future?
| A．To introduce laws to protect bats. |
| B．To approve funding for bat disease research. |
| C．To declare the coming of an ecological disaster |
| D．To appeal to people to stay away from infected bats. |
