Question

There are desert plants which survive the dry season in the form of inactive seeds. There are also desert insects which survive as inactive larvae(幼虫). In addition, difficult as it is to believe, there are desert fish which can survive through years of drought in the form of inactive eggs. These are the shrimps(虾) that live in the Mojave Desert, an extremely dry place in the south-west of the United State where shade temperatures of over 50"C are often recorded.

     The eggs of the Mojave shrimps look like grains of sand both in size and appearance. When enough spring rain falls to form a lake, once every two or five years, these eggs hatch. Then the water is soon filled with millions of shrimps which feed on tiny plant and animal organisms(有机物)growing in the desert lake. Within a week the shrimps grow from their original 1 millimeter to a length of about 1.5 centimeters.

     Throughout the time that the shrimps are rapidly maturing, the water in the lake equally rapidly evaporates(蒸发). Therefore, for the shrimps it is a race against time. By the 12th day, however, when they are about 3 centimeters long, hundreds of tiny eggs form on the underbodies of the females. Usually by this time, all that remains of the lake is a large, muddy patch of wet soil. On the 13th day the shrimps lay their eggs in the mud. Then, having ensured that their species will survive, the shrimps die as the last of the water evaporates.

     If enough rain fails the next year to form another lake, the eggs hatch, and once again the shrimps pass rapidly through their cycle of growth, adulthood, egg-laying, and death. Some years there is not enough rain to form a lake; in this case, the eggs will remain dormant for another year, or even longer if necessary.

1. The passage mainly deals with ________.

    A. the birth of the Mojave shrimps           B. the survival of desert shrimps

    C. the survival of desert life                D. life in the Mojave Desert

2. Which of the following is the MOST distinctive feature of Mojave shrimps?

    A. Their lives are brief.

    B. They feed on plant and animal organisms.

    C. Their eggs can survive years of drought.

    D. They lay their eggs in the mud.

3. By saying "for the shrimps it is a race against time"(Line 2, Para. 3) the author means that the shrimps have to ________.

   A. swim faster to avoid danger in the rapidly evaporating lake

   B. swim faster to catch the animal organisms on which they survive

   C. lay as many eggs as possible within limited time

   D. complete their life cycle within the time permitted by the environment

4. The underlined word "dormant" in the last paragraph most probably means ________.

   A. inactive               B. sleeping       C. safe           D. dead

5. It may be inferred from the passage that ________.

    A. appearance and size are most important for life to survive in the desert

    B. a species must be able to grow up quickly in order to survive

    C. shrimps are the only species with a life cycle of 13 days

    D. some species develop a unique life pattern to survive in extremely hard conditions

Answer 1

BCDAD