A team of researchers from several institutions in the UK and one in Estonia has created a type of buoy(浮标)that has proven to be effective at frightening seabirds, thus preventing them from getting caught in gillnets - a type of vertical fishing net that is made of a material that makes it nearly invisible underwater.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of seabirds die when they get caught in gillnets. Some estimates suggest that up to a half-million birds are caught in them each year. Over the years, researchers have created devices to prevent the birds from trying to catch fish near or in gillnets, but those didn’t work well.
To find a way that would work for all seabirds, the researchers first studied seabirds in a general sense, looking to find things that they would avoid. They noted that seabirds avoided eye contact with other creatures. Then the researchers came up with a simple idea - they put a small pole to a regular buoy and then attached a pair of googly eyes(金鱼眼) to the top of it. They made the eyes big enough so that even birds with poor eyesight, such as geese, would see them. Adding to the effectiveness of the device, waves made the eyes move back and forth. And the wind made the buoy spin very slowly, making sure that birds from every direction would get a good look at the eyes.
To test their idea, the researchers selected several sites near gillnets and counted how many birds approached and how many attempted to catch fish near the nets. They then set up their googly-eyed buoys and once again counted birds. Over the course of 62 days, they found the number of birds that tried to catch fish near the gillnets dropped by approximately 25% for a distance of up to 50 meters. They also found that the birds were less likely to fish near where the buoys had been for up to three weeks after they had been removed.
【小题1】What is the function of Paragraph 2?A.Introducing a new topic to discuss. |
B.Providing background information. |
C.Summarizing the previous paragraph. |
D.Pointing out the main idea of the text. |
A.To clearly observe seabirds’ eye contact. |
B.To ensure all the seabirds can see them. |
C.To effectively identify the right direction. |
D.To allow them to survive the strong wind. |
A.The new device still needs improving. |
B.Gillnets are a death valley for seabirds. |
C.The googly-eyed buoy proves effective. |
D.Seabirds hardly catch fish near the nets. |
A.A device keeping seabirds safe from gillnets. |
B.A way to help seabirds catch fish effectively. |
C.A googly-eyed buoy guiding seabirds to hunt. |
D.A group of researchers interested in seabirds. |
Back in 1859, an Englishman, Thomas Austin, brought 24 rabbits to Australia's eastern state of Victoria. Never before had there been any rabbits on the Australian continent. Austin and other homesick English settlers thought rabbits would remind them of the green fields of home. They also felt the creatures would provide them with game to hunt.
However, the rabbits spread through Victoria, New South Wales, southern Queensland, and South Australia in no time. Worse, the animals had begun moving west. These little creatures easily went through pastures and crops, and destroyed almost everything in their path. They evicted wallabies(a kind of Australian animal) and other now-endangered animals, moving in and taking over their homes. The rabbits just chose to eat certain grasses and small bushes, which completely changed the local ecosystem. In times of drought, the rabbits dug deep into the ground to find small amounts of water in the roots of plants. As the vegetation cover was destroyed, erosion became a serious problem. By 1894 the threat had reached Western Australia's border.
In the end, a decision was made to build a rabbit-proof fence that would cross the continent from north to south. In late 1901, the construction of the Number 1 Rabbit-proof Fence began. The project required 400 camels, 150 horses, 50 donkeys, and 4 teams of oxen. Posts made of bushes were driven into the ground every twelve feet. Wire netting that reached out three and a half feet above the ground and one foot into the ground was fixed between the posts.
By 1907 the rabbit-proof fence was completed. A second and third fence line had been added when rabbits were found west of the original fence. With the Number 2 and Number 3 fences, Australia was totally divided by 2023 miles of netting. In 1907 the three parts of the rabbit-proof fence made up the longest fence in the world. No one could have imagined the consequences of Thomas Austin's decision to bring rabbits to Australia in 1859. Who could have known what it would take to contain 24 rabbits?
【小题1】According to the text, Thomas Austin ______.A.was the designer of the rabbit-proof fence | B.moved to Australia in the early 19th century |
C.lived in eastern state of Victoria all his life | D.brought rabbits to Australia to avoid loneliness |
A.admired | B.removed | C.controlled | D.protected |
A.many animals could be seen in Australia | B.it was hard to find food for these animals |
C.building the fence was extremely difficult | D.the project was a waste of time and effort |
A.Australia's rabbit-roof fences | B.How to make a rabbit-proof fence |
C.Rabbits—the perfect pet for children | D.Thomas Austin—a smart rabbit keeper |
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