Animals and Environment托福红Delta听力原文翻译及问题答案

Animals and Environment托福红Delta听力原文翻译及问题答案， 今天中国教育在线就来为大家分析这个问题。

一、Animals and Environment托福红Delta听力原文：

Several hundred million years ago,a large body of water covered Manitoba.This ancient ocean was home to brachiopods,trilobites,and corals.As these organisms died,they settled in layers on the ocean floor,where they became compressed and cemented together,and over millions of years,turned into limestone.

Wherever you find limestone,you also find crevices,tunnels and caves.A network of caves is formed when acidic rainwater seeps into the layers of limestone through cracks at the surface and dissolves some of the limestone.The limestone weakens and collapses near the surface and further below,creating sinkholes,or large pits in the limestone.

The limestone pits in Manitoba’s Interlake region are like nothing else in the world.What makes these particular pits so unique?Well,for one thing,huge numbers of snakes migrate to these holes in the ground.If you go anywhere near the pits in the spring or fall,you’ll find the region alive with thousands of red-sided garter snakes.

This is the world’s largest concentration of snakes.Tens of thousands of these snakes congregate at the surface of their winter dens each year.They emerge in the spring after spending the winter hibernating in what are known as the“snake pits.”In the fall,the snakes return to the pits to prepare for winter.

And why are snakes drawn to the limestone pits?Well,the availability of winter dens in the limestone bedrock makes this sort of an ideal home.Like all reptiles,snakes are ectotherms.This means they warm their bodies mainly by absorbing heat from their environment.The pits are the perfect location for the hibernating snakes because they shelter the snakes from winter temperatures that sometimes dip as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius.

Animals interact with their environment in a number of ways—for example,by responding behaviorally or physiologically,or by adapting over evolutionary time.The migration of garter snakes to the limestone pits is an example of a behavioral mechanism for dealing with seasonal variations in temperature.Moving to a new location is an animal’s quickest response to an unfavorable change in the environment.By gathering in a mass below the frost line,the snakes are able to survive the harsh prairie winter.

Garter snakes have an optimal temperature for physiological function.They can,however,actually survive freezing temperatures for a short time—a few hours only—and at temperatures like minus-1 or minus-2 Celsius.They obviously can’t stay frozen all winter long,but to survive in cold climates,they’ve adapted to situations like being exposed to freezing temperatures outside their dens on cold nights in the spring or fall.This ability to endure short freezes will get them through till morning.

The beginning of freezing in their bodies is a physiological response that serves as a signal to the snakes.Freezing tells them to alter their behavior,to move and find a warmer place.This physiological-behavioral response might also be helpful in their winter dens because,if the den temperature falls too low and some snakes begin to freeze,it could be a signal for all the snakes to move to deeper,warmer parts of the den.

These response mechanisms are only marginal abilities that allow the snakes to cope with short-term freezes.About ten years ago,thousands of snakes died when they were trapped in shallower dens when the frost line fell during an extended period of freezing temperatures.They were apparently not able to get to lower depths in time.

二、Animals and Environment托福红Delta听力中文翻译：

数亿年前，曼尼托巴省被一大片水域所覆盖。这片古老的海洋是腕足动物、三叶虫和珊瑚的家园。当这些生物死亡时，它们在海底分层定居，在那里它们被压缩并粘合在一起，经过数百万年的时间，变成了石灰岩。

无论你在哪里找到石灰岩，你都会发现裂缝、隧道和洞穴。酸性雨水通过地表裂缝渗入石灰岩层，溶解部分石灰岩，形成洞穴网络。石灰岩在地表附近和更深的地方变弱和塌陷，在石灰岩中形成落水洞或大坑。

马尼托巴省因特拉克地区的石灰石矿坑与世界上其他任何地方都不一样。是什么让这些特殊的坑如此独特？嗯，首先，大量的蛇迁移到地上的这些洞里。如果你在春天或秋天去深坑附近的任何地方，你会发现这个地区有成千上万条红边吊袜带蛇。

这是世界上最大的蛇集中地。每年有数以万计的这种蛇聚集在它们冬季巢穴的表面。它们在被称为“蛇坑”的地方冬眠后，于春季出现秋天，蛇回到坑里准备过冬。

为什么蛇会被吸引到石灰岩坑里？嗯，石灰岩基岩中的冬季巢穴使这里成为一个理想的家园。像所有爬行动物一样，蛇也是低温动物。这意味着它们主要通过吸收环境中的热量来温暖身体。这些坑是冬眠蛇的最佳位置，因为它们能保护蛇免受冬季温度的影响，有时温度会低至零下40摄氏度。

动物以多种方式与环境相互作用，例如，通过行为或生理反应，或通过进化适应。加特蛇向石灰岩坑的迁移是处理温度季节变化的行为机制的一个例子。迁移到新的地点是动物对环境不利变化的最快反应。通过在霜冻线以下聚集，蛇能够在严酷的草原冬天存活下来。

加特蛇有一个最适合生理功能的温度。然而，它们实际上可以在零下1摄氏度或零下2摄氏度这样的温度下短时间存活（仅数小时）。很明显，它们不能在整个冬天都保持冰冻状态，但为了在寒冷的气候中生存，它们已经适应了这样的情况，比如在春天或秋天的寒冷夜晚暴露在巢穴外的冰冻温度下。这种忍受短期冰冻的能力将使他们撑到早晨。

它们体内开始冻结是一种生理反应，作为向蛇发出的信号。冰冻让他们改变自己的行为，搬家，找一个温暖的地方。这种生理行为反应可能对它们的冬季巢穴也有帮助，因为如果巢穴温度降得太低，一些蛇开始结冰，这可能是所有蛇向巢穴更深、更温暖的地方移动的信号。

这些反应机制只是允许蛇应对短期冰冻的边缘能力。大约十年前，数千条蛇被困在较浅的巢穴中死亡，当时霜冻线在较长时间的冰冻期内下降。他们显然无法及时到达较低的深度。

三、Animals and Environment托福红Delta听力问题：

Q1:What is the main purpose of the lecture?

A.To trace the natural history of Manitoba’s Interlake region

B.To describe the process of limestone formation

C.To explain how one animal survives in its environment

D.To persuade students that snakes are not dangerous

Q2:What natural features of Manitoba does theprofessor discuss?

Click on two answers.

A.The large number of lakes

B.The network of limestone caves

C.The concentration of garter snakes

D.The variety of snake species

Q3:Why does the professor say this:

A.To praise the area’s beautiful winter scenery

B.To persuade students to build their own homes

C.To describe the most common use of limestone

D.To explain why so many snakes live in the region

Q4:How do the garter snakes deal with seasonal variations in temperature?

A.They grow an extra layer of skin in winter and shed it in summer.

B.They survive by migrating toward the south every winter.

C.They move into the limestone pits to escape winter temperatures.

D.They vary their food intake to maintain a constant body temperature.

Q5:What does the professor mean when he says this:

A.The snakes come out of their dens every morning.

B.The snakes can survive a night of freezing temperatures.

C.The snakes will stay frozen until all danger has passed.

D.The snakes are least active during the night.

Q6:What does the professor imply about the behavior of the snakes?

A.The snakes’behavior is a warning signal to other animals.

B.Temperature plays an important role in the snakes’behavior.

C.Scientists can observe the snakes’behavior in their winter dens.

D.The snakes are able to learn a variety of behavioral responses.

四、Animals and Environment托福红Delta听力答案：

A1:正确答案：C

A2:正确答案：BC

A3:正确答案：D

A4:正确答案：C

A5:正确答案：B

A6:正确答案：B