UNIT 6 课时跟踪检测（三） 阅读写作融会练（word练习）-【新课程学案】新教材2023-2024学年高中英语选择性必修2 （外研版）

UNIT 6 课时跟踪检测（三） 阅读写作融会练 Ⅰ.阅读理解 The African elephant, the largest land animal remaining on Earth, is of great importance to the African ecosystem. Unlike other animals, the African elephant is to a great extent the builder of its environment. As a big plant-eater, it largely shapes the forest-and-savanna (稀树草原) surroundings in which it lives, therefore setting_the_terms of existence of millions of other animals that live in its habitat. It is the elephant's great desire for food that makes it a changer of the environment and an important builder of its habitat. In its continuous search for the 300 pounds of plants it must have every day, it kills small trees and undergrowth, and pulls branches off big trees. This results in numerous open spaces both in deep tropical forests and in the woodlands that cover part of the African savannas. In these open spaces are numerous plants in various stages of growth that attract a variety of other plant-eaters. Take the rain forests for example. In their natural state, the spreading branches overhead shut out sunlight and prevent the growth of plants on the forest floor. By pulling down trees and eating plants, elephants make open spaces, allowing new plants to grow on the forest floor. In such situations, the forests become suitable for large hoofed (有蹄的) plant-eaters to move around and for small plant-eaters to get their food as well. What worries scientists now is that the African elephant has become an endangered species. If the elephant disappears, scientists say many other animals will also disappear from vast areas of the forest and savanna, greatly changing and worsening the whole ecosystem. 语篇解读：本文是一篇说明文。文章主要讲述了非洲象对非洲生态系统的重要影响，并解释了具体原因。 1．What is the passage mainly about? A．Disappearance of African elephants. B．Forests and savannas as habitats for African elephants. C．The effect of African elephants on the ecosystem. D．The eating habit of African elephants. 解析：选C　主旨大意题。通读全文尤其是第一段第一句可知，文章主要讲述了非洲象对非洲生态系统的影响。 2．What does