【题目】 The Bialowieza Forest, which grows along the border of Poland and Belarus(白罗斯), is all that remains of the primeval(原始的) forest which once covered Europe. A World Heritage site since 1979, the forest covers an area of 550 square miles. Wolves prowl(潜行) beneath the ancient trees. Running closer to the ground are least weasels(伶鼬). They come in two types. One wears a brown coat all year. The other sheds its brown coat each autumn and turns bright white. It is believed to be an adaptation to help it blend in with snow.

However, there was no snow cover when biologist Karol Zub, at the Polish Academy of Sciences, observed an entirely white weasel hunting rodents(啮齿动物). 1 “At this very moment, I thought to myself. Wowl if this animal is so well visible, it must be a perfect target for predators,” Zub said.

His instincts were right 2 Zub and his colleagues analyzed weather data in the Bialowieza Forest going back to 1967. The average period with permanent snow cover decreased from about 80 days per year to 40 days. Historically, the snow cover disappears around Mar. 15. But in recent years, it disappeared by Feb. 21, more than three weeks earlier in the season. And there are fewer white weasels are about four to five times lower than then years ago.

As the number of days without permanent snow cover increased, the proportion of white weasels dropped dramatically. This crop is a case of what wildlife biologists call “camouflage(伪装) mismatch.” 3 Camouflage mismatch may cause the local extinction of white weasels, or at least a severe reduction in population.

4 Those who blend in live longer. Individuals who clash with their environment get eaten. There are 21 species known to change the color of their coats in winter. Zub predicts the other coat-changers are faring(遭遇) as badly as the humble weasel.

Life on Earth is reacting to climate change. Bears appear to be hibernating for fewer days. Tropical fish are swimming away from the equator in search of cooler waters. Some animals have moved up into the mountains to escape increased temperatures. But camouflage mismatch might be one of the worst effects. After all, it’s hard not to notice a flash of white fur in a dark forest.

【题目】DirectionsFill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

Most of us learn at primary school that there are seven continents, but the next generation of kids may be adding one more to that list.

According to a recent paper published 1 in the Geological Society of American Journal by a group of researchers, “Zealandia” is a new continent that’s hidden beneath the ocean.

Zealandia is 2 to be five million sq. km. Most of this massive area is covered by water, but its highest mountains already have their own name: New Zealand.

The small country is the only part of Zealandia that isn’t underwater, but the paper’s authors want the huge landmass to be recognized worldwide as its own continent.

“The 3 value of classifying Zealandia as a continent is much more than just an extra name on a list,” the researchers wrote in their paper.

Scientists discovered Zealandia all the way back in 1995, then started extensive research on the area 4 underwater and satellite mapping technology. After completing their work, they were 5 able to write a report suggesting that Zealandia be named a continent.

But who decides on what is a continent and what isn’t? There is, in fact, no official organization that does. Some countries’ schools teach that there are six or even five continents. This changes 6 on where in the world school is.

Due to their 7 as a “continuous expanse of land”, some classify Europe and Asia as the same continent --known as Eurasia. Schools in Russia and parts of Eastern Europe teach this.

And to make things even more 8, France and Greece, as well as other countries, classify North America and South America as simply America.

This 9 over how land is defined has even stretched into outer space. In 2006, the International Astronomical UnionIAUdecided that Pluto was no longer a planet, 76 years after its discovery in 1930. Experts argued that it no longer met the requirements needed to be called a planet alongside the eight others in our solar system. It was therefore renamed a “dwarf planet(矮行星)meaning that countless books, models and museum exhibits all over the world had to be 10.

But will the world take the same notice of Zealandia? The best way to tell is to keep an eye on our textbooks.

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