We are the products of evolution, and not just evolution that occurred billions of years ago. As scientists look deeper into our genes (基因), they are finding examples of human evolution in just the past few thousand years. People in Ethiopian highlands have adapted to living at high altitudes. Cattle -raising people in East Africa and northern Europe have gained a mutation (突变) that helps them digest milk as adults.
On Thursday in an article published in Cell, a team of researchers reported a new kind of adaptation - not to air or to food, but to the ocean. A group of sea-dwelling people in Southeast Asia have evolved into better divers. The Bajau, as these people are known, number in the hundreds of thousands in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. They have traditionally lived on houseboats; in recent times, they’ve also built houses on stilts (支柱) in coastal waters. “They are simply a stranger to the land,” said Redney C. Jubilado, a University of Hawaii researcher who studies the Bajau.
Dr. Jubilado first met the Bajau while growing up on Samal Island in the Philippines. They made a living as divers, spearfishing or harvesting shellfish. “We were so amazed that they could stay underwater much longer than us local islanders,” Dr. Jubilado said. “I could see them actually walking under the sea.”
In201, Melissa Ilardo, then a graduate student in genetics at the University of Copenhagen, heard about the Bajau. She wondered if centuries of diving could have led to the evolution of physical characteristics that made the task easier for them. “it seemed like the perfect chance for natural selection to act on a population,” said Dr. Ilardo. She also said there were likely a number of other genes that help the Bajau dive.
32. What does the author want to tell us by the examples in paragraph 1?
A. Environmental adaptation of cattle raisers. B. New knowledge of human evolution.
C. Recent findings of human origin. D. Significance of food selection.
33. Where do the Bajau build their houses?
A. In valleys. B. Near rivers. C. On the beach. D. Off the coast.
34. Why was the young Jubilado astonished at the Bajau?
A. They could walk on stilts all day. B. They had a superb way of fishing.
C. They could stay long underwater. D. They lived on both land and water.
35. What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Bodies Remodeled for a Life at Sea B. Highlanders’ Survival Skills
C. Basic Methods of Genetic Research D. The World’s Best Divers
32. B 33. D 34. C 35. A
【解析】
这是一篇说明文。最近一项对人类基因的研究发现，人类的进化不仅仅发生在数十亿年前，而且最近几千年也有。Bajau人因为靠海为生，他们的身体已经进化成更能适应海洋生活。
【32题详解】
推理判断题。根据第一段的we are the products of evolution, and not just evolution that occurred billions of years ago. As scientists look deeper into our genes, they are finding examples of human evolution in just the past few thousand years.(我们是进化的产物，而且不仅仅是数十亿年前的产物。当科学家更深入的研究我们的基因时，他们发现了人类在过去几千年进化的例子)可知，作者列举第一段的例子是为了告诉我们关于人类进化的一个新信息，那就是人类在最近几千年也在进化。B. New knowledge of human evolution.(人类进化的新知识)符合以上说法，故选B项。
【33题详解】
细节理解题。根据第二段的The Bajau, as these people are known, number in hundreds of thousands in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. They have traditionally live on houseboats; in recent times, they've also built houses on stilts in coastal waters.(这些人被称为Bajau，在印度尼西亚、马来西亚和菲律宾有数十万人。他们一直住在船屋上；最近他们也把房子建在沿海水域的吊脚楼上)可知，Bajau把房子建在沿海区域。D. Off the coast.(沿海)符合以上说法，故选D项。
【34题详解】
细节理解题。根据第三段的we were so amazed that they could stay underwater much longer than us local islanders.(我们很惊讶，他们在水下待的时间比我们当地的岛民要长的多)可知，让Jubilado感到吃惊的是Bajau人能在水下待更长的时间。C. They could stay long underwater. (他们能在水下待很长时间)符合以上说法，故选C项。
【35题详解】
主旨大意题。根据文章的主要内容，尤其是第二段的On Thursday in an article published in Cell, a team of researchers reported a new kind of adaption-not to air or to food, but to the ocean.(周四，在《细胞》杂志上发表的一篇文章中，一群研究人员报道了一种新的适应——不是空气也不是食物，而是海洋)可知，本文主要讲述了一种新的进化，即长期生活在海边，靠海为生的生活方式，让Bajau人的身体进化成更适应海洋生活。A. Bodies Remodeled for a Life at Sea.(身体为适应海洋生活而重塑)可以作为本文标题，故选A项。
健康环保累阅读概念：
健康环保类文章常是介绍科学知识、生活常识和环境保护方面的短文。体裁有记叙文、 说明文、议论文和各种应用文。
健康环保类文章阅读技巧：
健康环保类文章常是介绍科学知识、生活常识和环境保护方面的短文。阅读此类短文要以现象或事物为中心进行思考，理解现象产生的原因、条件和客观规律等。同时要抓住事物的特征、用途和相互关系等。科普环保类文章一般为说明文，从结构上看大致可分为三个部分：
第一部分一般是文章的首段，主要用来提出文章的主题，即文章想要阐述、说明的主要内容；
第二部分是文章的主体，可由若干个段落组成，对文章的主题进行展开说明；
第三部分是结尾段，对文章的主题进行归纳总结。这类文章多用一般现在时，而且一般多使用客观性词语表述。有时为了强调客观性，也常使用被动语态。
从近几年的考试题来看，科普环保类的文章越来越与人们的实际生活相接近。由于此类文章缺乏故事情节，很多同学对此类文章感到费解。但一般的科普类文章都是就事论事，需要逻辑推理和想象的时候较少，因此此类阅读题也没有同学们想象中的那么难，只要多加训练，就能较好地答题。
【阅读策略】
1、概要(Summarizing)：
阅完材料后，将所阅材料浓缩，摘要，做出所阅材料的书面或口头梗概。
2、组织(Organization)：
阅读后根据阅读内容，识别观点、人物、事件之间的关系以及文章的结构关系。如：时间关系、比较或对比关系、相关关系及因果关系等。
查看答案