课时跟踪练(一) Introduction & Reading Pre reading.阅读理解A Weve colonised most of the world, but one vast stretch of the planet remains beyond our grasp: Antarctica. This frozen continent at the end of the earth has never been permanently occupied by man. Even if youre traveling there on a cruise ship, as most people do, the solitude (孤独) and the emptiness will envelop you. Not that solitude is the first thing that comes to mind when youre standing in the middle of a penguin colony on an Antarctic shoreline. When I visited in early February, there were thousands of birds packed tightly on every rock, both shy gentoo penguins and the bolder adlie penguins. They seemed happy to see us wandering among them; our cameras clicked crazily at the grey fluffball chicks who are tapping their parents beaks (鸟嘴) to be fed. But penguins are by no means the only stars of the show here. I found it equally exciting to see a wandering albatross (信天翁) circling above our ship, dipping its great wings into the rolling waters of the Drake Passage. Or fat elephant seals rest on the beach in a soup of algae (海藻), shouting at each other like elderly members of a gentlemens club. Most exciting of all, though, were the whales. As the call went up from the bridge of our ship “Humpbacks！” we spotted three of them leaping from the water, their magnificent tails emerging and dipping as if in slow motion, so close that we could see their great heads, their eyes and blowholes. Just as vast and attractive are the icebergs. The glassy world of the Weddell Sea is a fantastic picture of icy skyscrapers stretching to the horizon. Some are whipped by wind and water into fantastical shapes oriental (东方的) palaces, ruined fortresses, an Art Deco cinema. All of the above is exactly what makes a voyage here so extraordinary. A journey to Antarctica is a travel experience as special as you can have.语篇解读：作者描述了自己到南极去的一次旅行经历，在作者的笔下一切都充满了生机和活力。1We can infer from Paragraph 2 that penguins _.Aare mostly shyBare not afraid of humansCdislike the presence of humans Dhide their chicks from humans解析：选B推理判断题。根据第二段第三句中“They seemed happy to see us wandering among them”可知，企鹅似乎对人类在周围徘徊感到高兴，说明它们一点也不惧怕人类。2What is the most exciting in Antarctica according to the author? APenguins.BThe whales. CThe icebergs. DElephant seals.解析：选B细节理解题。从文章第四段第一句“Most exciting of all, though, were the whales.”可知，作者认为最令人激动的是见到鲸。3Which of the following is TRUE about the icebergs?AThey lack attraction.BThey look cold and lifeless.CThey are huge and frightening.DThey are beautiful and in different shapes.解析：选D细节理解题。从文章第五段可知，冰山形态各异、闪闪发光，它们在作者的笔下也显得生动而美丽。4Where does the passage probably come from?AAn ad. BA news story.CA travel journal. DA research paper.解析：选C文章出处题。综合全文，特别是文章最后一段“A journey to Antarctica is a travel experience as special as you can have.”可知，本文节选自游记。BAntarctic seabirds are breeding (繁殖) later, because thinner sea ice is causing their food supplies to decline, a new study says.The birds, which nest in East Antarctica, have delayed their spring arrival by an average of nine days and egglaying by an average of two days over the past 50 years, according to polar researchers from the French National Center for Scientific Research in Villiers en Bois, France. Study authors Christophe Barbrand and Henri Weimerskirch attribute this later breeding activity to decrease in sea ice caused by climate change.The researchers say the disappearing sea ice, combined with a longer seaice season, has interfered with the birds breeding cycle by reducing the amount of krill (磷虾) and other prey (猎物) available in early spring in Antarctica.Because Antarcticas seasons are opposite those in the Northern Hemisphere, spring on the icy continent begins in October.The study is based on data collected at seabird colonies between 1950 and 2004 in Adlie Land, on the eastern edge of the frozen continent.The findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.Of the nine species studied, some arrived up to 30 days later than they had in previous years.Despite much later arrivals, the birds are laying their eggs at pretty much the same time as they had in the past.In the most extreme cases, birds were laying their eggs an average of 3.7 days later in the season than they were 50 years ago.5. What is the passage mainly about?ASeabirds are breeding later in East Antarctica.BThe amount of krill in the ocean has decreased.CThe weather in Antarctica has changed.DThe spring in Antarctica is beginning later.解析：选A主旨大意题。纵观全文，文章主要介绍的是现在生活在南极洲东部的海鸟的繁殖期由于气候变化而延后。6In which of the following months is it autumn in Antarctica?AOctober. BSeptember.CNovember. DJune.解析：选D推理判断题。根据文章第二段第二句可推知南极6月应是秋天。7How many kinds of seabirds were studied by the researchers?ATwo. BFive.CNine. DThirty.解析：选C细节理解题。根据文章第五段可推知研究了九种鸟。8What do