1、2023年高考英语外刊时文精读精练 (7)Invasive species入侵物种News from the underground地下“杀手”主题语境：人与自然 主题语境内容：人与环境、人与动植物【外刊原文】（斜体单词为超纲词汇，认识即可；下划线单词为课标词汇，需熟记。）Earthwormskindlyimage as aerators(通气设备), drainers(滤干器) and fertilisers(肥料) of field and garden buries adarkersecret.They are actuallyfiercecompetitors withotherinv
2、ertebrates(无脊椎动物),consumingrotting(腐烂的)plant matter and tiny organisms , all of which might otherwisethreatena widevarietyofsoildwellers(居民).That much is well known, not least from research conducted in northern North America. Here,wormswere wiped out during the last ice age, which ended12,000years
3、ago. They started returning, in the form of European invaders(入侵者), only a few centuries in the past. What have not beeninvestigatedmuch until now are theconsequencesof this undergroundkillingfor surface-livingcreatures. But that has just beencorrectedby Malte Jochum of Leipzig University, in German
4、y, and his colleagues, in a study just published in Biology Letters.Dr Jochum and his team worked in a forest overlooking Barrier Lake, in Alberta, Canada, where theearthworminvasionhas beentrackedfor three decades. That haspermittedtheidentificationof areas with low (fourwormspersquaremetre, on ave
5、rage),medium(43wormspersquaremetre) and high (106persquaremetre) populations.Within eachzoneofabundance,the researchers marked20plotswithindividualareas of twosquaremetres. Theyidentifiedall of the plants and usedvacuum-suctioncollecting devices(真空吸力收集装置) to collect as many as possible of the above-
6、surface arthropods(地表节肢动物) in eachplot,mostlyinsectsandspiders . They thensorted,identifiedandmeasuredthese animals tocalculatetheirabundance,biomass(生物量)and speciesrichness.(Speciesabundancerefers to the number ofindividualsper species. speciesrichnessrefers to the number of species in an area.)Alt
7、ogether, the collectorspickedup13,037individualarthropods（节肢动物）and differences betweenplotswere quickly obvious. Those withabundantearthworms were shorter of arthropods compared with ones wherewormswere rare.Plotswith the mostwormsin them had61% fewerindividualarthropods,18% fewer arthropod species
8、and a27% reduction in total arthropodbiomass, compared with those with the fewest.So-called detritivores(屑食生物)whichcompetedirectly withwormsfor foodsuffered worst. There were80% less of them in areas of wormabundance, compared with those of less worm. Butherbivoresand omnivores(食草动物和杂食动物)suffered, t
9、oo. Only for carnivorous arthropods(食肉节肢动物), such asspiders, was there good news. Their numbers were up41% in worm-richplots, compared with worm-poor ones.Whypredatorsdid well is unclear. Some, perhaps, were eatingwormsdirectly. Others may have takenadvantage of theremovingofcoverfor theirprey(猎物)ca
10、used bywormspulling the leafunderground for laterconsumption.The knock-on effects of this“killing”further up the food chainremainunclear. Species that liketoeatwormsare possiblydoing better, while those that prefer their meals crunchy(松脆) will be doing worse. Whether this matters in the grandschemeo
11、f things isdebatable. But for those who prefertheirecosystemsprimitive, this workconfirmsthat earthworms are certainly not the purely good which some people make them out to be.【课标词汇】1. fierce猛烈的；激烈的；骇人的a fierce attack/battle猛烈的进攻激烈的战斗Two men were shot during fierce fighting last weekend.上周末的激战中两人被枪
12、击。2. consume（尤指大量地）消耗，消费，花费;（尤指大量地）吃，喝Our high living standards cause our present population to consume 25 percent of the worlds oil.我们的高生活水准致使我们目前的人口要消耗世界石油的25%。Only 27% of the paper we consume is recycled.我们消耗的纸张只有 27% 得到回收利用。3. variety多样化；变化;不同种类；不同品种She does a variety of fitness activities.她参加各种
13、各样的健身活动。The equipment could be used for a variety of educational purposes.这套设备可以用于多种教学活动。4. Conduct组织；实施；进行；处理The experiments were conducted by scientists in New York.这些实验是纽约的科学家做的。We are conducting a survey of consumer attitudes towards organic food.我们在进行一项顾客对有机食品态度的调查。5. wipe out 完全摧毁Whole village
14、s were wiped out in the fighting.所有村子都在战斗中被彻底摧毁了。Nothing could wipe out his bitter memories of the past.什么也抹不掉他过去的痛苦记忆。6. investigate调查，审查 We are of course investigating how an error like this could have occurred.我们当然正在调查发生此类错误的原因。The state police are investigating the incident.州警察正在调查此事。7. Conseque
15、nce结果，后果Many have been laid off from work as a consequence of the governments policies.政府的政策而被解雇。Many believe that poverty is a direct consequence of overpopulation.许多人认为贫困是人口过多直接造成的后果。8. correct改正；更正；纠正You have the right to see a copy of your file, and to correct any mistakes you may find.你有权看你的文件，
16、发现有错可以修改。Read through your work and correct any mistakes that you find. 从头至尾看一遍你们的作业，发现的错误都要改正过来。9. overlook（尤指）俯瞰，俯视;忽视；忽略I think there is one key fact that you have overlooked.我认为你忽略了一个重要的事实。No one will be overlooked in the selection of the team.在组队时不会忽略任何人。10. invasion入侵，侵略;（尤指令人厌烦的）涌入，大批进入In 154
17、6 England had to be defended from invasion.1546年英格兰不得不抵抗外来侵略。He was commander in chief during the invasion of Panama.在侵略巴拿马的战役中他是总司令。Farmers are struggling to cope with an invasion of slugs. 农民正在努力对付蛞蝓的大肆侵害。11. track跟踪，追踪Its difficult to track an animal over stony ground.很难在多石的地面上追踪动物。The progress o
18、f each student is tracked by computer.每个学生的进步情况都由计算机进行跟踪。12. permit允许，准许Smoking is only permitted in the public lounge.只允许在公共休息室里抽烟。Dogs are not permitted inside the shop.不得带狗进入店内。13. identification识别；辨认;身份证（明）We were asked to show some identification before the security guards would let us in.保安人员要
19、我们出示身分证明文件才让我们进去。Bring some form of identification, preferably a passport.带上身份证明文件，最好是护照。14. medium中间的；中等的；适中的a girl of medium height中等身材的女孩a medium-sized book中等开本的书Shes of medium height.她中等身材。15. abundance大量；充足；丰富There was an abundance of wine at the wedding.婚礼上有足够多的葡萄酒。We had wine in abundance.我们有
20、充足的葡萄酒。16. identify认出，识别The police officer identified himself (= gave his name or proved who he was) and asked for our help.警官表明身份并请求我们帮助。He was too far away to be able to identify faces.他离得太远，认不出那些面孔。The police took fingerprints and identified the body .警方采集了指纹，对尸体作了身份确认。17. sort把分类；整理；拣选Paper, pla
21、stic and cans are sorted for recycling.纸张、塑胶和罐子分开归类以便回收。Sort out any clothes you want to throw away and give them to me.把你打算丢掉的衣服拣出来给我。18. measure衡量；估量;评估;判定I continued to measure his progress against the charts in the doctors office.我继续比照医生办公室里的图表来判断他病情的发展。It was difficult to measure the precise im
22、pact of the labor action.此次罢工影响几何，难以作出准确的评估。19. calculate算，计算The cost of the damage caused by the recent storms has been calculated as/at over 5 million.据计算，近期风暴造成的损失超过了500万英镑。At some stage we need to calculate wh en the project will be finished.在一定阶段，我们需要计算一下工程何时会完成。20. pickup拿起；提起；拾起；捡起;（通常指开车）接载，
23、取走;（不费力地）获得，学会;使（自己）慢慢站起（或爬起）He picked his cap up from the floor and stuck it back on his head.他从地板上拾起帽子，重新戴在头上。Anthony picked himself up and set off along the track.安东尼自己慢慢爬起来，又开始沿着跑道跑下去。She went over to her parents house to pick up some clean clothes.她去了趟父母家取些干净衣服。Where did you pick up your Englis
24、h?.你在哪儿学的英语？21. abundant大量的，多的；充足的;富有的；丰富的There was abundant evidence to support the theory.有大量的证据来支持该理论。The riverbanks were abundant in beautiful wild plants.河岸上长满了美丽的野生植物。22. compete竞争，角逐；比赛Universities are competing for applicants.大学正在争夺申请者。He competed with a number of other candidates.他与一些其他的候选人
25、竞争。23. suffer受苦；受折磨I think he suffered quite a lot when his wife left him.我想他妻子离开他时，他一定很痛苦。Shes been suffering from (= been ill with) cancer for two years.她患癌症已经两年了。24. predator捕食性动物，食肉动物lions, wolves and other predators狮子、狼及其他食肉动物25. take advantage of 利用；利用的机会I took advantage of the good weather to
26、 paint the shed.我趁天气好给棚屋刷上油漆。I intend to take full advantage of this trip to buy the things we need.我打算充分利用这次旅行来购买我们所需的物品。26. debatable具争议的，不确定的；成问题的It s debatable whether a university degree helps at all.大学学位是否有用是一个具争议的话题。The value of some of the experiments is debatable.有些实验的价值还有待确定。27. primitive原
27、始的，远古的;a primitive society原始社会the tools used by primitive man原始人所用的工具primitive art原始艺术28. Confirm确认，确定（安排或会议）;确定；证实；肯定Six people have confirmed that they will be attending and ten havent replied yet.有六人已确认将参加，还有十人尚未答覆。Her announcement confirmed (that) she would be resigning as Prime Minister.她的声明证实了
28、她将会辞去总理职位。The leaders speech was impressive and confirmed her faith in the party.这位领导人的讲话令人难忘，坚定了她对该党的信心。【课标词汇精练】根据语境，从上面的“课标词汇”和“重点短语”中选用合适的单词及其正确形式将句子补充完整。1. She terribly in the winter when its cold and her joints get stiff.2. I thought Idthe sports facilities while Im here.3. The governments poli
29、cies came under attack.4. Hevast quantities of chips with every meal.5. We a survey to find out what our customers think of their local bus service.6. One bad harvest could all of a growers profits for the previous two years.7. The study the impact of violent TV programming on children.8. Its whethe
30、r this book is as good as her last.9. The house is surrounded by trees, so its not at all (= it cannot be seen from any other buildings).10. The shops prepared for an of last-minute Christmas shoppers. 11. The military use radar satellites to targets through clouds and at night.12. As a punishment,
31、she was not to attend any school activities.13. Well have a picnic at the beach, weather (=if the weather is good enough) .14. Most of the bodies were badly burned, making almost impossible.15. Ive accepted the job over the phone, but I havent in writing yet.16. When preparing meals, you need to thi
32、nk about and taste as well as nutritional value.17. There is evidence that cars have a harmful effect on the environment.18. Its difficult for a small supermarket toagainst/with the big supermarkets.19. Scientists think it unlikely that any species will actually become extinct as a of the oil spill.
33、20. Even the smallest baby can its mother by her voice.21. Im going to these old books into those to be kept and those to be thrown away.22. A grammar schools success in terms of the number of pupils who got into university.23. Hes that it would take him two years to save up enough for a car.24. Stu
34、dents said it was helpful if the teacher their pronunciation.25. One quality the team possessed in was fighting spirit.26. We drove to the airport the next morning to Susan.Keys:1. suffers.冬天天气寒冷，她的关节会变得僵硬，这让她非常难受。2. take advantage of.我想趁我在这儿期间，好好利用一下这里的体育设施。3. fierce.政府的政策遭到猛烈抨击。4. consumes.他每一餐都要吃
35、掉大量的薯条。5. are conducting.我们正在进行一项调查，了解顾客对当地公共交通服务系统的看法。6. wipe out.一次失收可能会将种植者前两年的收益全部抵销掉。7. investigates.该研究调查暴力电视节目对儿童的影响。8. debatable这本书是否和她上一本书一样好是值得商榷的。9. overlooked.这栋房子四周绿树环绕，所以从其他建筑处根本看不到它。10. invasion各商店做好了准备迎接圣诞节前最后一批蜂拥而入的购物者。11. track.军队用雷达卫星透过云雾和夜幕追踪目标。12. permitted.作为惩罚，不允许她参加学校的任何活动。13
36、. permitting.天气允许的话，我们将在沙滩上野餐。14. identification.大部分尸体都严重烧焦，几乎无法辨认。15. confirmed.我已在电话中接受了这份工作，但还没有书面确认。16. variety.做饭时，你既需要考虑饭菜的营养价值，又需要考虑饭菜的花样和味道。17. abundant.有充分证据显示，汽车对环境有害18. compete.小超市很难与大超市竞争。19. consequence.科学家们认为实际上不太可能会有甚么物种因为石油泄漏而灭绝。20. identify.就连年龄最小的婴儿也能根据声音分辨出自己的母亲。21. sort.我打算把这些旧书分
37、成要留下的和要丢掉的两类。22. was measured一所文法学校成功与否是以考上大学的学生人数为衡量依据的。23. calculated他算了一下要赚两年的钱才够买辆车。24. corrected学生们说老师纠正他们的发音错误会对他们很有帮助。25. abundance该队的一大特点是斗志昂扬。26. pick up我们第二天早晨开车去机场接苏姗。【译文】蚯蚓能疏松土壤，利于土壤呼吸、排水，同时能增加土壤肥力，是农田和花园里的好帮手，但它善良的外表下埋藏着一个黑暗的秘密。事实上，对于其他无脊椎动物而言，蚯蚓是强有力的竞争对手，吞食着腐烂的植物和小型生物，从而使得土壤的物种多样性遭到破坏。
38、这是众所周知的，一项对北美北部的研究尤其体现了这一点。在北美北部，蚯蚓在结束于12000 年前的最后一个冰河时代被消灭。就在几个世纪前，它们又开始以欧洲入侵物种的角色回到这片土地。但直到现在，我们还没有深入研究这种“地下屠杀”会对地表生物产生怎样的影响。但德国莱比锡大学的Malte Jochum博士和他的同事刚刚在生物学快报上发表了一项研究，对这个问题进行了解答。Malte Jochum 博士和他的团队在加拿大艾伯塔省的一座森林中工作，这座森林在巴里尔湖旁边的高地上，在这里，蚯蚓入侵已有30年历史。经过实地研究，他们将土地根据蚯蚓的种群密度分为三类：低（平均每平方米 4 条蚯蚓）、中（每平方米
39、 43 条蚯蚓）和高（每平方米 106 条蚯蚓）。在每个根据物种丰度进行划分的区域内，研究人员标记了20个样方，面积均为2平方米。他们对其中的植物种类进行确认，并使用真空吸力收集装置在每个样方中尽可能多地“吸”起地表节肢动物（主要是昆虫和蜘蛛）。之后将这些动物进行分类、识别和测量，从而计算它们的丰度、生物量和物种丰富度。收集者共采集了13037只节肢动物，不同样方之间的差异很快便凸显出来。与蚯蚓稀少的样方相比，那些蚯蚓数量多的样方中节肢动物数量更少。与蚯蚓数量最少的样方相比，蚯蚓数量最多的样方中节肢动物数量减少了 61%、种类减少了 18%、总生物量减少了 27%。所谓的屑食生物蚯蚓的直接竞争
40、者所受危害最大。与蚯蚓数量稀少的样方相比，蚯蚓数量丰富的区域中屑食生物的数量减少了80%。但同时，食草动物和杂食动物也受到了影响。只有蜘蛛等食肉节肢动物才从中受益。与蚯蚓数量稀少的样方相比，蚯蚓数量丰富的样方中此类食肉节肢动物的数量增加了41%。捕食者生存良好的原因还无从得知。或许是因为有些捕食者以蚯蚓为食；而有些能很好的利用蚯蚓：蚯蚓将猎物的保护屏障落叶拉到地下以备食用，使得捕食者能更容易地捕捉到猎物。对于食物链上层的生物而言，这场“屠杀”的连锁反应带给它们的影响尚不清楚。喜欢吃蚯蚓的物种会生存得更好，但那些追求“松脆”口感而非“松软”口感的物种则会生存得更艰难。而这是否会影响到整个生物圈仍
41、值得商榷。但是对于那些喜欢原始生态系统的人来说，这项研究至少证实了蚯蚓肯定不是某些人所认为的那样天真纯良。【背景知识】在过去五年里，关于昆虫数量大幅下降的报告引起了各方焦虑和争论，人们担心这些“主宰世界的小家伙”的命运。至于下降的方式和原因，罪魁祸首是栖息地破坏、滥用杀虫剂和气候变化。但3月30日发表于生物学报的新研究增加了一个出人意料的因素，至少在北美大片地区，罪魁祸首是蚯蚓。但在过去几百年里，人类有意无意把蚯蚓重新引入了这些土地，其中大部分是欧洲蚯蚓，一些是定居者有意带来的，另一些则跟随货运、植物、牲畜和船舶压载（通常是土壤或岩石，用以平衡货船）无意中踏上了这片土地。如今，鱼饵、进口土壤和植物，甚至登山鞋的鞋底和山地自行车轮胎都可能把微小的茧状蚯蚓卵带进来。之前的研究表明，在北美北部，引进非本地蚯蚓会减少植物多样性，包括一些野生兰花。有两项研究也显示，蚯蚓对某些在地面筑巢的鸟类，甚至蝾螈会产生负面影响，两者离不开落叶层，而入侵蚯蚓会吞食落叶。蚯蚓不停地挖地道、进食和排泄，改变了土壤的物理、化学和生物特性，以本地物种无法适应的方式重塑生态环境.
