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Question 18-31 The effciency of the bill of the crossbill (全對！)

In the world of birds, bill design is a prime example of evolutionary fine-tuning.

Shorebirds such as oystercatchers use their bills to pry open the tightly sealed shells of

their prey; hummingbirds have stiletto-like bills to probe the deepest nectar-bearing

flowers; and kiwis smell out earthworms thanks to nostrils located at the tip of their

beaks. But few birds are more intimately tied to their source of sustenance than are

crossbills. Two species of these finches, named for the way the upper and lower parts

of their bills cross, rather than meet in the middle, reside in the evergreen forests of

North America and feed on the seeds held within the cones of coniferous trees.

The efficiency of the bill is evident when a crossbill locates a cone. Using a lateral

motion of its lower mandible, the bird separates two overlapping scales on the cone and

exposes the seed. The crossed mandibles enable the bird to exert a powerful biting

force at the bill tips, which is critical for maneuvering them between the scales and

spreading the scales apart. Next, the crossbill snakes its long tongue into the gap and

draws out the seed. Using the combined action of the bill and tongue, the bird cracks

open and discards the woody seed covering and swallows the nutritious inner kernel.

This whole process takes but a few seconds and is repeated hundreds of times a day.

The bills of different crossbill species and subspecies vary - some are stout and

deep, others more slender and shallow. As a rule, large-billed crossbills are better at

seeming seeds from large cones, while small-billed crossbills are more deft at

removing the seeds from small, thin-scaled cones. Moreover, the degree to which cones

are naturally slightly open or tightly closed helps determine which bill design is the best.

One anomaly is the subspecies of red crossbill known as the Newfoundland

crossbill. This bird has a large, robust bill, yet most of Newfoundland's conifers

have small cones, the same kind of cones that the slender-billed white-wings rely on.

18. What does the passage mainly discuss?

   (A) The importance of conifers in evergreen forests

   (B) The efficiency of the bill of the crossbill

   (C) The variety of food available in a forest

   (D) The different techniques birds use to obtain food

19. Which of the following statements best represents the type of "evolutionary fine - turning" mentioned in line1?

   (A) Different shapes of bills have evolved depending on the available food supply

   (B) White - wing crossbills have evolved from red crossbills

   (C) Newfoundland's conifers have evolved small cones

   (D) Several subspecies of crossbills have evolved from two species

20. Why does the author mention oystercatchers, hummingbirds, and kiwis in lines 2-4?

   (A) They are examples of birds that live in the forest

   (B) Their beaks are similar to the beak of the crossbill

   (C) They illustrate the relationship between bill design and food supply

   (D) They are closely related to the crossbill

21. Crossbills are a type of

   (A) shorebird

   (B) hummingbird

   (C) kiwi

   (D) finch

22. Which of the following most closely resembles the bird described in lines 6-8?

   (A)

   (B)

   (C) 圖...-.-

   (D)

23. The word "which" in line 12 refers to

   (A) seed

   (B) bird

   (C) force

   (D) bill

24. The word "gap" in line 13 is closest in meaning to

   (A) opening

   (B) flower

   (C) mouth

   (D) tree

25. The word "discards" in line 15 is closest in meaning to

   (A) eats

   (B) breaks

   (C) finds out

   (D) gets rid of

26. The word "others" in line 18 refers to

   (A) bills

   (B) species

   (C) seeds

   (D) cones

27. The word "deft" in line 19 is closest in meaning to

   (A) hungry

   (B) skilled

   (C) tired

   (D) pleasant

28. The word "robust" in line 24 is closest in meaning to

   (A) strong

   (B) colorful

   (C) unusual

   (D) sharp

29. In what way is the Newfoundland crossbill an anomaly?

   (A) It is larger than the other crossbill species

   (B) It uses a different technique to obtain food

   (C) The size of its bill does not fit the size of its food source

   (D) It does not live in evergreen forests.

30. The final paragraph of the passage will probably continue with a discussion of

   (A) other species of forest birds

   (B) the fragile ecosystem of Newfoundland

   (C) what mammals live in the forests of North America

   (D) how the Newfoundland crossbill survives with a large bill

31. Where in the passage does the author describe how a crossbill removes a seed from its cone?

   (A) The first paragraph

   (B) The second paragraph

   (C) The third paragraph

   (D) The forth paragraph

註釋

• crossbills are most intimately tied to their source of sustenance
  • bill design is a prime example of evolutionary fine-tuning: shorebirds, hummingbirds, kiwis
  • But few birds are more intimately tied to their source of sustenance than are crossbills.
• when a crossbill locates a cone
• rule: large bill → large cones
• anomaly: the Newfoundland crossbill: large bill → small cones

題解

BACD? CADAB ACDB

18. 本文主旨： crosbill

19. 第一段舉的一堆鳥例子就是說，吃的東西和 bill 形狀有關

20. 第一段舉的一堆鳥例子就是說，吃的東西和 bill 形狀有關

21. "But few birds are more ... than are crossbills." 緊接其後的是 "Two species of these finches ..." 那個 these finches 就是指 crossbills

22. crossbill 的圖 (反正就是上下鳥嘴交叉) the upper and lower parts of their bills cross, rather than meet in the middle

23. The crossed mandibles enable the bird to exert a powerful biting force at ... , which is critical for ...

24. gap ≒ opening

25. discard ≒ get rid of

26. The bills of different crossbill species and subspecies vary - some ..., others ...

27. deft ≒ skilled

28. robust ≒ strong

29. This bird has a large, robust bill, yet most of Newfoundland's conifers have small cones (do not fit!)

30. 最後一段提到了一個例外： Newfoundland 這種鳥，所以接下去的文章應該就是討論他如何在例外的情況下存活 :p

31. 第二段一整段都在講 crossbill 是如何處理 cone 的

單字

• bill 鳥嘴,喙
• prey 被捕食的動物 an animal, bird etc that is hunted and eaten by another animal
• stiletto 短劍;鑽孔錐
• nectar 花蜜
• eatrhworm 蚯蚓
• thanks to 由於;幸虧 (prep.) because of someone or something
• nostril 鼻孔 (nostril)
• tip 頂端;尖端;(鳥或飛機的)翼尖
• beak 鳥嘴
• intimate 關係密切的 (intimate) a very close connection between two things
• sustenance 食物,糧食;營養(品);生計 food that people or animals need in order to live
• lateral 側面的 relating to the sides of something, or movement to the side
• mandible (鳥喙的)上部(或下部)
• scale 鱗狀物
• exert 用(力) to use your power, influence etc in order to make something happen
• critical 關鍵性的;必不可少的;批評的,批判的 something that is critical is very important because what happens in the future depends on it
• maneuver 巧妙地操縱處理 (原意： 軍事調動、演習) to move or turn skilfully or to move or turn something skilfully

  to use cleverly planned and often dishonest methods to get the result that you want

• crack 猛擊;使碎裂 to break or to make something break, either so that it gets lines on its surface, or so that it breaks into pieces

  to hit someone or something hard

• but 當 adv： only
• stout 結實的,牢固的 strong and thick
• as a rule 一般來說 something that is normal or usually true
• deft 靈巧的,熟練的,機敏的 a deft movement is skilful, and often quick
• anomaly 不規則;異常 (a-: 相反，nomal: normal) something that is noticeable because it is different from what is usual

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