問題詳情

Question 11-20Molting is one of the most involved processes of a bird’s annual life cycle.Notwithstanding preening and constant care, the marvelously intricate structure of a bird’sFeather inevitably wears out. All adult birds molt their feathers at least once a year, andLine upon close observation, one can recognize the frayed, ragged appearance of feathers that5) are nearing the end of their useful life. Two distinct processes are involved in molting.The first step is when the old, worn feather is dropped, or shed. The second is when a newfeather grows in its place. When each feather has been shed and replaced, then the moltcan be said to be complete. This, however, is an abstraction that often does not happen:incomplete, overlapping, and arrested molts are quite common.10) Molt requires that a bird find and process enough protein to rebuild approximatelyone-third of its body weight. It is not surprising that a bird in heavy molt often seemslistless and unwell. But far from being random, molt is controlled by strong evolutionaryforces that have established an optimal time and duration. Generally, molt occurs at thetime of least stress on the bird. Many songbirds, for instance, molt in late summer, when15) the hard work of breeding is done but the weather is still warm and food still plentiful.This is why the woods in late summer often seem so quiet, when compared with theExuberant choruses of spring.Molt of the flight feathers is the most highly organized part of the process. Some species,for example, begin by dropping the outermost primary feathers on each side (to retain20) balance in the air) and wait until the replacement feathers are about one-third grown beforeshedding the next outermost, and so on. Others always start with the innermost primaryfeathers and work outward. Yet other species begin in the middle and work outward on bothweeks while the replacement feathers grow.
11.The passage mainly discusses how
(A) birds prepare for breeding
(B) bird feathers differ from species
(C) birds shed and replace their feathers
(D) birds are affected by seasonal changes

參考答案

答案：C
難度：簡單0.8
統計：A(0),B(1),C(4),D(0),E(0)

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