22、Barrier Islands
Texas has an extensive coastline that runs
along the Gulf of Mexico. If you look closely at the map, you’ll notice that there are narrow
islands located just off the coast of Texas. These are called barrier islands.
Barrier islands stretch along
about 15 percent of the world’s coastlines. They are separated from the mainland by a shallow body
of water. Some barrier islands spread out for more than 100 miles. In Texas,
some of the largest barrier islands include Galveston Island, Mustang Island,
and Padre Island.
Barrier islands are fragile(脆弱的) areas that contain an interdependent
community of land, plants, and animals. All three need each other to exist. If
one is harmed in some way, then the other two can suffer. For example, barrier
islands are in constant danger of erosion, or loss of land, from wind, waves,
and people. The steady movement of ocean waves and wind moves sand along the
beaches. This movement contributes to erosion, which changes the shape and size
of a barrier island over time. Plants not only provide animals with food and
shelter, but it also helps keep an island’s sand and
soil in place. When people pick native plants, it advances the process of
erosion. This can harm the environmental balance that keeps an island’s ecosystem healthy. For this reason, visitors to barrier islands
are usually warned to leave plants alone and to stay on roads and public
beaches so that the land, plants, and animals are not disturbed.
As their name suggests, barrier
islands provide a natural barrier that helps block the mainland from very bad
weather such as strong windstorms and hurricanes. This protection saves lives,
homes, and money every year. Barrier islands are also a major source of income
for an area’s economy.
Padre Island, for example, is visited every year by hundreds of thousands of
tourists who take advantage of its sandy beaches and beautiful waters that are
perfect for swimming, boating, and fishing. The dollars that tourists spend on
the island help financially support the region and state.
1．Paragraph 3 is mostly about _____________.
A．what barrier islands
are
like
B．how barrier islands form
C．how barrier islands
can
exist
D．why barrier islands are important
2．Which of the following can do harm to barrier
islands?
A．Keeping plants
wherever they are. B．Going wherever visitors like.
C．Fishing on public
beaches.
D．Driving about on roads.
3．We can tell from the article that the author
___________.
A．lives on Padre Island
and loves it
B．cares about the
ecosystem on barrier islands
C．wishes less and less
travelers would visit barrier islands
D．is concerned about the
beautiful waters around the islands
4．Barrier islands are important because they
___________.
A．help prevent bad
weather damaging mainland
B．bring in much more
money than mainland
C．can protect rare
plants and animals
D．provide more shelters
for people
