GUATEMALA CITY(Reuters)---- A fish that lives in mangrove swamps(红树沼泽)across the Americas can live out of water for months at a time, similar to how animals adapted(适应)to land millions of years ago, a new study shows.
The Mangrove Rivulus, a type of small killifish, lives in small pools of water in a certain type of empty nut or even old beer cans in the mangrove swamps of Belize, the United States and Brazil. When their living place dries up, they live on the land in logs(圆木), said Scott Taylor, a researcher at the Brevard Endangered Lands Program in Florida .
The fish, whose scientific name is Rivulus marmoratus, can grow as large as three inches. They group together in logs and breathe air through their skin until they can find water again.
The new scientific discovery came after a trip to Belize.
“We kicked over a log and the fish just came crowding out,” Taylor told Reuters in neighboring Guatemala by telephone. He said he will make his study on the fish known to the public in an American magazine early next year.
In lab tests, Taylor said he found the fish can live up to 66 days out of water without eating.
Some other fish can live out of water for a short period of time. The walking catfish found in Southeast Asia can stay on land for hours at a time, while lungfish found in Australia, Africa and South America can live out of water, but only in an inactive state. But no other known fish can be out of water as long as the Mangrove Rivulus and remain active, according to Patricia Wright, a biologist at Canada’s University of Guelph.
Further studies of the fish may tell how animals changed over time.
“These animals livein conditions similar to those that existed millions of years ago, when animals began making the transition(过渡)form water onto land, ” Wright said.
49. The Mangrove Rivulus is a type of fish that ________.
A. likes eating nuts
B. prefers living in dry places
C. is the longest living fish on earth
D. can stay alive for two months out of water
50. Who will write up a report on mangrove Rivulus?
A. Patricia Wright.
B. Researchers in Guatemala.
C. Scientists from Belize.
D. Scott Taylor.
51. According to the text, lungfish can __________.
A. breathe through its skin
B. move freely on dry land
C. remain alive out of water
D. be as active on land as in water
52. What can we say about the discovery of Mangrove Rivulus?
A. It was made quite by accident.
B. It was based on a lab test of sea life.
C. It was supported by an American magazine.
D. It was helped by Patricia Wright.
D
The American newspaper has been around for about three hundred years. In 1721, the printer James Franklin, Benjamin’s older brother, started the New England Courant, and that was what we might recognize today as a real newspaper. He filled his paper with stories of adventure, articles on art, on famous people, and on all sorts of political subjects.
Three centuries after the appearance of Franklin’s Courant, few believe that newspapers in their present printed from will remain alive for long. Newspaper companies are losing advertisers(广告商)，readers, market value, and in some cases, their sense of purpose at a speed that would not have been imaginable just several years ago. The chief editor(主编) of the Times said recently, “At places where they gather, editors ask one another, ‘How are you?’, as if they have just come out of the hospital or a lost law case.” An article about the newspaper appeared on the website of the Guandian, under the headline “NOT DEAD YET.”
Perhaps not, but the rise of the Internet, which has made the daily newspaper look slow and out of step with the world, has brought about a real sense of death. Some American newspapers have lost 42% of their market value in the past three years. The New York Times Company has seen its stock(股票) drop by 54% since the end of 2004, with much of the loss coming in the past year. A manager at Deutsche Bank suggested that stock-holders sell off their Times stock. The Washington Post Company has prevented the trouble only by changing part of its business to education; its testing and test-preparation service now brings in at least half the company’s income.
53. What can we learn about the New England Courant?
A. It is mainly about the stock market.
B. It marks the beginning of the American newspaper.
C. It remains a successful newspaper in America.
D. It carries articles by political leaders.
54. What can we infer about the newspaper editors?
A. They often acccept readers’ suggestions.
B. They care a lot about each other’s health.
C. They stop doing business with advertisers.
D. They face great difficulties in their business.
55. Which of the following found a new way for its development?
A. The Washington Post.
B. The Guardian.
C. The New York Times.
D. New England Courant.
56. How does the author seem to feel about the future of newspapers?
A. Satisfied.
B. Hopeful.
C. Worried.
D. Surprised.
E
It’s only 4 hours flying time from Sydney, but a world away. What better place to rest than a country where the only place people hurry is on the football field and things are done in “Fiji time”?
Viti Levu – Great Fiji – is the largest island. Here you’ll find the capital Suva and the international airport at Nadi. Vatoa, on the other hand, is a tiny island in the farthest part of Fiji. Then there are 331 other islands, many of them with places to stay.
Whit less than a million people living on islands, you’ll never feel crowded. And with a climate(气候) that changes only for five degrees between seasons, there’s never a bad time to come.
From cities to villages, from mountains to beaches, from water sports to wooden artworks, Fiji can give you more adventures and special experiences than you could find almost anywhere in the world.
Whenever you come, wherever you go, you’re sure to see some unforgettable events. From war dances to religious(宗教的) songs. From market days to religious days. It’s not just staged for tourists; it’s still a part of everyday life in Fiji. And any one of us can enjoy Fiji’s spirit by being part of the traditional(传统的) sharing of yaqona, a drink made from the root of a Fiji plant.
So why not join us for the experience of a life me?
57. Where is the international airport of Fiji?
A. In Suva.
B. In Sydney.
C. On the island of Vatoa.
D. On the island of Viti Levu.
58. What does the text tell us about Fijian people?
A. They invented “Fiji time” for visitors.
B. They stick to a traditional way of life.
C. They like to travel from place to place.
D. They love taking adventures abroad.
59. One of the things that make Fiji a tourist attraction is _______.
A. it’s comfortable hotels
B. its good weather all year round
C. its exciting football matches
D. its religious beliefs
60. Where can we most probably read this text?
A. In a personal diary.
B. In a science report.
C. In a travel magazine.
D. In a geography textbook
