专题19 凭颜色是否可以判断毒蛇- 2025年高考英语外刊时文阅读训练

高中英语外刊时文阅读训练 专题19 凭颜色是否可以判断毒蛇 Ⅰ.文章话题导入 Ⅱ.外刊原文阅读 Ш.阅读理解专项针对性练习 Ⅳ.话题高频词汇强化训练 Ⅴ.参考译文赏析 【话题·导语】 几个世纪以来，欧洲民间传说中的神话和童话一直在警告普通蝰蛇的危险，这是一种有毒的毒蛇，以其痛苦的叮咬而闻名，尽管不是特别危险。 【原文·外刊阅读】 You can’t always judge a viper by its color （文章来源：Science） For centuries, myths and fairytales from European folklore have warned of the danger of the common adder (Vipera berus), a venomous viper known for its painful—although not particularly dangerous—bite. One superstition has remained remarkably persistent even in the modern era: that fully back, or melanistic, snakes are more toxic than their multihued counterparts, a reputation that has earned them the nickname “hell adders.” But new research suggests you can’t necessarily judge a viper by its color. A comparison of the venom from melanistic and regularly colored adders found the difference between the two was negligible for snakebite victims, scientists report this month in Royal Society Open Science. Although scientists have previously compared venom across different snake species, Timothy Jackson, an evolutionary toxinologist at the University of Melbourne who wasn’t involved in the work, notes the new study is “an interesting first foray” into examining color-based variations within populations. In terms of geographical range, the common adder may be “the most successful snake on Earth,” says Tim Lüddecke, a biochemist and zoologist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology and corresponding author of the new study. It can be found in a huge variety of habitats all over Europe and East Asia, and bites occur relatively frequently. That massive range is in part due to the adder’s ability to withstand low temperatures, Lüddecke explains. The common adder is one of only two venomous snakes in Germany and the only snake known to live north of the Arctic Circle. And when it comes to cold weather, he notes, some individuals within the species are better adapted than others. Most adders are brown or gray, with a distinctive zigzag pattern down their backs that helps them blend in with their environment. Melanistic adders, by contrast, are more noticeable to birds and other predators, but their black color also absorbs more heat, allowing them to stay active longer on chilly days. Although this difference in coloration is nothing more than an adaptation to cold weather, folklore in German-speaking countries points to something more sinister. “Black animals are supposedly linked to black magic,” says Lüddecke, who grew up in northern Germany. In other regions, he says, people are so fearful of black adders that they seek them out specifically to kill them. This attitude poses a threat to Europe’s adder populations, already on the decline because of habitat destruction. Lennart Schulte, a venomics researcher in Lüddecke’s lab and lead author of the new study, says he understands why these snakes might spark panic. Black vipers tend to have red eyes, he explains, which makes the hell adder nickname seem particularly apt. The idea that differently colored snakes might produce slightly different venom isn’t entirely unreasonable, Schulte says. Venom composition and toxicity can vary widely not just between snake species, but within a species. Factors like diet and environment are the “main drivers” of these differences, but age and sex can also play a role, says Cassandra Modahl, a toxinologist at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine who wasn’t involved in the new study. It’s unclear, however, whether color by itself can have a similar impact—and so far, Schulte notes, no one had bothered to check. Lüddecke, Schulte, and colleagues analyzed venom samples from nine melanistic and nine differently colored snakes, all of them adult males kept by the German Society for Herpetology and Herpetoculture. Venom from both types of snakes contained essentially the same molecular components, they discovered—but not in the exact same quantities. The black snakes’ venom, for example, had higher levels of protein-cutting enzymes called proteases, making it slightly more toxic to living cells at certain concentrations. But these differences were so small and occurred at such low concentrations, the team found, that they are unlikely to make a difference for people who get bitten. Adders usually inject 10 to 18 milligrams of venom when biting a human, Schulte says, while the differences in toxicity were only noticeable at the microgram scale. Still, because the study only looked at venom from captive snakes, possible differences in wild snakes may have been obscured, Jackson says. For example, melanistic snakes in the wild emerge and breed earlier than multicolored ones. These slight shifts in temperature, Jackson notes, could potentially affect the speed of chemical reactions in the in their venom, causing more substantial variations in toxicity. Lüddecke and Schulte plan to keep investigating venom variation within snake species, with the ultimate goal of designing more effective antivenom treatments. They also want to debunk the hell adder myth once and for all and convince people all snakes are worthy of research and protection. 【原创·阅读理解】 1.What misconception about melanistic adders is discussed in the article? A. They are immune to cold temperatures. B. They are more venomous than multicolored adders. C. They can’t survive in habitats outside Europe. D. They have no predators. 2.What was one of the main findings of the study regarding the venom of melanistic and multicolored adders? A. They have completely different venom compositions. B. The venom from both types is identical in toxicity. C. The venom contains different molecular components. D. The differences in venom are negligible for snakebite victims. 3.Why are black adders particularly feared in some regions, according to the article? A. They are more aggressive than other snakes. B. They are associated with black magic. C. They are known to cause more fatalities. D. They are larger in size. 4.What environmental factor contributes to the success of the common adder? A. Its ability to camouflage effectively. B. Its resistance to high temperatures. C. Its capacity to withstand low temperatures. D. Its reproductive rate. 5.What do the researchers hope to achieve with their ongoing study of snake venom? A. To increase the snake population in Europe. B. To develop more effective antivenom treatments. C. To prove the superiority of melanistic snakes. D. To promote snake hunting as a sport. 【高频词汇训练】 1．In Chinese folklore the bat is a (象征) of good fortune. （根据汉语提示单词拼写） 2．His (优秀的) ability won him a place in the team and also built his reputation. (根据汉语提示单词拼写) 3．Our heartfelt s goes out to the victims of the war. （根据首字母单词拼写） 4．The buildings have been designed to blend in with their s .(根据首字母单词拼写) 5．One chilly night when I was h (徒步) in the Rocky Mountains with some students, I mentioned that we were going to cross a mountain stream. (根据中英文提示单词拼写) 6．Only when applied on a global scale can the achievements of science and technology play a m role and better benefit humankind. 7．This book describes the (pain) struggles of the villagers trying to dig a well. 8．An evolutionary (infer) can then be drawn. （所给词的适当形式填空） 9．Women played a relatively (minority) role in the organization.(所给词的适当形式填空) 10．Reed, who was arrested last Friday, is charged with (possess) of a destructive device.(所给词的适当形式填空) 11．There are three (essential) different ways of dealing with the problem. (所给词的适当形式填空) 【参考译文】 你不能总是根据颜色来判断毒蛇 几个世纪以来，欧洲民间传说中的神话和童话一直在警告普通蝰蛇（Vipera berus）的危险，这是一种有毒的毒蛇，以其痛苦的叮咬而闻名，尽管不是特别危险。即使在现代，一种迷信仍然非常普遍：全背蛇或黑腹蛇比多色蛇毒性更大，这一声誉为它们赢得了“地狱蝰蛇”的绰号 但新的研究表明，你不一定能通过颜色来判断毒蛇。科学家本月在《皇家学会开放科学》杂志上报告称，对黑腹蝰蛇和有色蝰蛇的毒液进行比较后发现，对于蛇咬伤受害者来说，两者之间的差异可以忽略不计。 尽管科学家们之前已经比较了不同蛇种的毒液，但墨尔本大学的进化毒理学家Timothy Jackson没有参与这项工作，他指出，这项新研究是研究种群内基于颜色的变异的“有趣的首次尝试”。 弗劳恩霍夫分子生物学和应用生态学研究所的生物化学家和动物学家、这项新研究的通讯作者Tim Lüddecke说，就地理范围而言，普通蝰蛇可能是“地球上最成功的蛇”。它可以在欧洲和东亚的各种栖息地中找到，叮咬相对频繁。 Lüddecke解释说，这种巨大的范围部分是由于加法器能够承受低温。普通蝰蛇是德国仅有的两种毒蛇之一，也是唯一一种生活在北极圈以北的蛇。他指出，当谈到寒冷的天气时，该物种中的一些个体比其他个体适应得更好。大多数蝰蛇是棕色或灰色的，背部有一种独特的锯齿形图案，有助于它们与环境融为一体。相比之下，黑腹蝰蛇对鸟类和其他捕食者来说更为明显，但它们的黑色也能吸收更多的热量，使它们在寒冷的日子里能保持更长时间的活动。 尽管这种颜色的差异只不过是对寒冷天气的适应，但德语国家的民间传说指向了更险恶的东西。“据说黑色动物与黑魔法有关，”在德国北部长大的Lüddecke说。他说，在其他地区，人们非常害怕黑蝰蛇，以至于专门寻找它们来杀死它们。这种态度对欧洲的蝰蛇种群构成了威胁，由于栖息地的破坏，这些种群已经在减少。 Lüddecke实验室的毒液研究员、这项新研究的主要作者Lennart Schulte表示，他理解为什么这些蛇可能会引发恐慌。他解释说，黑蝰蛇的眼睛往往是红色的，这使得地狱蝰蛇的绰号看起来特别贴切。舒尔特说，不同颜色的蛇可能产生略有不同的毒液的想法并非完全不合理。毒液成分和毒性不仅在蛇物种之间，而且在一个物种内部都有很大差异。利物浦热带医学院的毒理学家Cassandra Modahl没有参与这项新研究，他说，饮食和环境等因素是这些差异的“主要驱动因素”，但年龄和性别也可能发挥作用。然而，尚不清楚颜色本身是否会产生类似的影响，舒尔特指出，到目前为止，还没有人费心去检查。 Lüddecke、Schulte及其同事分析了9条黑色素蛇和9条不同颜色的蛇的毒液样本，这些蛇都是德国疱疹学和疱疹培养学会饲养的成年雄性。他们发现，这两种蛇的毒液含有基本相同的分子成分，但数量并不完全相同。例如，黑蛇的毒液含有更高水平的被称为蛋白酶的蛋白质切割酶，使其在一定浓度下对活细胞的毒性略高。 但研究小组发现，这些差异非常小，而且发生在如此低的浓度下，以至于它们不太可能对被咬伤的人产生影响。Schulte说，添加剂在叮咬人类时通常会注射10至18毫克的毒液，而毒性的差异仅在微克级上明显。 尽管如此，由于这项研究只研究了圈养蛇的毒液，野生蛇的可能差异可能被掩盖了，杰克逊说。例如，野生黑蛇比多色蛇更早出现和繁殖。杰克逊指出，这些温度的轻微变化可能会影响它们毒液中的化学反应速度，导致毒性发生更大的变化。 Lüddecke和Schulte计划继续研究蛇种内的毒液变异，最终目标是设计更有效的抗蛇毒血清治疗方法。他们还想一劳永逸地揭穿地狱蝰蛇的神话，并说服人们所有的蛇都值得研究和保护。 原创精品资源学科网独家享有版权，侵权必究！1 1 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $$ 高中英语外刊时文阅读训练 专题19 凭颜色是否可以判断毒蛇 Ⅰ.文章话题导入 Ⅱ.外刊原文阅读 Ш.阅读理解专项针对性练习 Ⅳ.话题高频词汇强化训练 Ⅴ.参考译文赏析 【话题·导语】 几个世纪以来，欧洲民间传说中的神话和童话一直在警告普通蝰蛇的危险，这是一种有毒的毒蛇，以其痛苦的叮咬而闻名，尽管不是特别危险。 【原文·外刊阅读】 You can’t always judge a viper by its color （文章来源：Science） For centuries, myths and fairytales from European folklore have warned of the danger of the common adder (Vipera berus), a venomous viper known for its painful—although not particularly dangerous—bite. One superstition has remained remarkably persistent even in the modern era: that fully back, or melanistic, snakes are more toxic than their multihued counterparts, a reputation that has earned them the nickname “hell adders.” But new research suggests you can’t necessarily judge a viper by its color. A comparison of the venom from melanistic and regularly colored adders found the difference between the two was negligible for snakebite victims, scientists report this month in Royal Society Open Science. Although scientists have previously compared venom across different snake species, Timothy Jackson, an evolutionary toxinologist at the University of Melbourne who wasn’t involved in the work, notes the new study is “an interesting first foray” into examining color-based variations within populations. In terms of geographical range, the common adder may be “the most successful snake on Earth,” says Tim Lüddecke, a biochemist and zoologist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology and corresponding author of the new study. It can be found in a huge variety of habitats all over Europe and East Asia, and bites occur relatively frequently. That massive range is in part due to the adder’s ability to withstand low temperatures, Lüddecke explains. The common adder is one of only two venomous snakes in Germany and the only snake known to live north of the Arctic Circle. And when it comes to cold weather, he notes, some individuals within the species are better adapted than others. Most adders are brown or gray, with a distinctive zigzag pattern down their backs that helps them blend in with their environment. Melanistic adders, by contrast, are more noticeable to birds and other predators, but their black color also absorbs more heat, allowing them to stay active longer on chilly days. Although this difference in coloration is nothing more than an adaptation to cold weather, folklore in German-speaking countries points to something more sinister. “Black animals are supposedly linked to black magic,” says Lüddecke, who grew up in northern Germany. In other regions, he says, people are so fearful of black adders that they seek them out specifically to kill them. This attitude poses a threat to Europe’s adder populations, already on the decline because of habitat destruction. Lennart Schulte, a venomics researcher in Lüddecke’s lab and lead author of the new study, says he understands why these snakes might spark panic. Black vipers tend to have red eyes, he explains, which makes the hell adder nickname seem particularly apt. The idea that differently colored snakes might produce slightly different venom isn’t entirely unreasonable, Schulte says. Venom composition and toxicity can vary widely not just between snake species, but within a species. Factors like diet and environment are the “main drivers” of these differences, but age and sex can also play a role, says Cassandra Modahl, a toxinologist at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine who wasn’t involved in the new study. It’s unclear, however, whether color by itself can have a similar impact—and so far, Schulte notes, no one had bothered to check. Lüddecke, Schulte, and colleagues analyzed venom samples from nine melanistic and nine differently colored snakes, all of them adult males kept by the German Society for Herpetology and Herpetoculture. Venom from both types of snakes contained essentially the same molecular components, they discovered—but not in the exact same quantities. The black snakes’ venom, for example, had higher levels of protein-cutting enzymes called proteases, making it slightly more toxic to living cells at certain concentrations. But these differences were so small and occurred at such low concentrations, the team found, that they are unlikely to make a difference for people who get bitten. Adders usually inject 10 to 18 milligrams of venom when biting a human, Schulte says, while the differences in toxicity were only noticeable at the microgram scale. Still, because the study only looked at venom from captive snakes, possible differences in wild snakes may have been obscured, Jackson says. For example, melanistic snakes in the wild emerge and breed earlier than multicolored ones. These slight shifts in temperature, Jackson notes, could potentially affect the speed of chemical reactions in the in their venom, causing more substantial variations in toxicity. Lüddecke and Schulte plan to keep investigating venom variation within snake species, with the ultimate goal of designing more effective antivenom treatments. They also want to debunk the hell adder myth once and for all and convince people all snakes are worthy of research and protection. 【原创·阅读理解】 1.What misconception about melanistic adders is discussed in the article? A. They are immune to cold temperatures. B. They are more venomous than multicolored adders. C. They can’t survive in habitats outside Europe. D. They have no predators. 【答案】 B 【解析】 文章提到，民间传说认为全黑的毒蛇比多色蛇更具毒性，但新研究表明这并不成立。 2.What was one of the main findings of the study regarding the venom of melanistic and multicolored adders? A. They have completely different venom compositions. B. The venom from both types is identical in toxicity. C. The venom contains different molecular components. D. The differences in venom are negligible for snakebite victims. 【答案】 D 【解析】 研究发现，尽管黑色加德尔蛇的毒液中蛋白酶含量较高，但这些差异对人类受害者来说是微不足道的。 3.Why are black adders particularly feared in some regions, according to the article? A. They are more aggressive than other snakes. B. They are associated with black magic. C. They are known to cause more fatalities. D. They are larger in size. 【答案】 B 【解析】 文章提到，黑色动物在德语国家与黑魔法有关，这种迷信使得人们对黑色加德尔蛇感到恐惧。 4.What environmental factor contributes to the success of the common adder? A. Its ability to camouflage effectively. B. Its resistance to high temperatures. C. Its capacity to withstand low temperatures. D. Its reproductive rate. 【答案】 C 【解析】 文章提到，加德尔蛇能够耐低温，这是其在多种栖息地成功生存的部分原因。 5.What do the researchers hope to achieve with their ongoing study of snake venom? A. To increase the snake population in Europe. B. To develop more effective antivenom treatments. C. To prove the superiority of melanistic snakes. D. To promote snake hunting as a sport. 【答案】 B 【解析】 研究人员计划继续研究蛇毒变异，以设计更有效的抗毒素治疗方案，同时驳斥关于黑色加德尔蛇的迷信。 【高频词汇训练】 1．In Chinese folklore the bat is a (象征) of good fortune. （根据汉语提示单词拼写） 【答案】symbol 【详解】考查名词。句意：在中国民间传说中，蝙蝠是好运的象征。根据汉语提示“象征”可知，此处为名词symbol，a symbol of为固定搭配，意为“……的象征”。故填symbol。 2．His (优秀的) ability won him a place in the team and also built his reputation. (根据汉语提示单词拼写) 【答案】outstanding 【详解】考查形容词。句意：他优秀的能力为他赢得了团队中的一席之地，也建立了他的声誉。“优秀的”应用形容词outstanding作定语，修饰名词ability，故填outstanding。 3．Our heartfelt s goes out to the victims of the war. （根据首字母单词拼写） 【答案】sympathy/ympathy 【详解】考查名词。句意：我们向战争的受害者表示衷心的同情。根据句意及首字母提示可知，此处使用名词sympathy“同情”，作主语。故填sympathy。 4．The buildings have been designed to blend in with their s .(根据首字母单词拼写) 【答案】surroundings/urroundings 【详解】考查名词。句意：这些建筑的设计与周围环境融为一体。根据“their”可知，空处需填名词，surrounding作名词，常用复数surroundings，表示“周围环境”。故填surroundings。 5．One chilly night when I was h (徒步) in the Rocky Mountains with some students, I mentioned that we were going to cross a mountain stream. (根据中英文提示单词拼写) 【答案】hiking/iking 【详解】考查时态。句意：在一个寒冷的夜晚，我和一些学生在落基山脉徒步旅行，我提到我们要穿过一条山间小溪。由首字母提示h可知，“徒步”是hike，由was可知，句子时态是过去进行时，空格处用hiking，故填hiking。 6．Only when applied on a global scale can the achievements of science and technology play a m role and better benefit humankind. 【答案】maximum/aximum 【详解】考查形容词。句意：只有在全球范围内加以应用，科学技术的成果才能发挥最大的作用，更好地造福人类。根据所给句子，结合首字母提示，可推出是形容词maximum“最大极限的”修饰名词role。故填maximum。 7．This book describes the (pain) struggles of the villagers trying to dig a well. 【答案】painful 【详解】考查形容词。句意；这本书描述了村民努力打井的艰难的奋斗经历。该空位于struggles名词之前，需用形容词形式，故填painful。 8．An evolutionary (infer) can then be drawn. （所给词的适当形式填空） 【答案】inference 【详解】考查名词。句意：这样就可以得出一个进化推论。作主语用infer的名词形式inference，由an可知，应用单数。故填inference。 9．Women played a relatively (minority) role in the organization.(所给词的适当形式填空) 【答案】minor 【详解】考查形容词。句意：在这个组织中，妇女发挥着相对次要的作用。空处应填形容词作定语，修饰名词role，minor“次要的，较小的”，形容词。故填minor。 10．Reed, who was arrested last Friday, is charged with (possess) of a destructive device.(所给词的适当形式填空) 【答案】possession 【详解】考查名词。句意：里德上周五被捕，他被控持有破坏性装置。be charged with意为“被控告”，后接名词possession，意为“持有违禁物，私藏毒品（或武器）”，为不可数名词，作宾语。故填possession。 11．There are three (essential) different ways of dealing with the problem. (所给词的适当形式填空) 【答案】essentially 【详解】考查副词。句意：处理这个问题有三种本质上不同的方法。此处应使用副词修饰形容词作状语，essentially意为“本质地”，故填essentially。 【参考译文】 你不能总是根据颜色来判断毒蛇 几个世纪以来，欧洲民间传说中的神话和童话一直在警告普通蝰蛇（Vipera berus）的危险，这是一种有毒的毒蛇，以其痛苦的叮咬而闻名，尽管不是特别危险。即使在现代，一种迷信仍然非常普遍：全背蛇或黑腹蛇比多色蛇毒性更大，这一声誉为它们赢得了“地狱蝰蛇”的绰号 但新的研究表明，你不一定能通过颜色来判断毒蛇。科学家本月在《皇家学会开放科学》杂志上报告称，对黑腹蝰蛇和有色蝰蛇的毒液进行比较后发现，对于蛇咬伤受害者来说，两者之间的差异可以忽略不计。 尽管科学家们之前已经比较了不同蛇种的毒液，但墨尔本大学的进化毒理学家Timothy Jackson没有参与这项工作，他指出，这项新研究是研究种群内基于颜色的变异的“有趣的首次尝试”。 弗劳恩霍夫分子生物学和应用生态学研究所的生物化学家和动物学家、这项新研究的通讯作者Tim Lüddecke说，就地理范围而言，普通蝰蛇可能是“地球上最成功的蛇”。它可以在欧洲和东亚的各种栖息地中找到，叮咬相对频繁。 Lüddecke解释说，这种巨大的范围部分是由于加法器能够承受低温。普通蝰蛇是德国仅有的两种毒蛇之一，也是唯一一种生活在北极圈以北的蛇。他指出，当谈到寒冷的天气时，该物种中的一些个体比其他个体适应得更好。大多数蝰蛇是棕色或灰色的，背部有一种独特的锯齿形图案，有助于它们与环境融为一体。相比之下，黑腹蝰蛇对鸟类和其他捕食者来说更为明显，但它们的黑色也能吸收更多的热量，使它们在寒冷的日子里能保持更长时间的活动。 尽管这种颜色的差异只不过是对寒冷天气的适应，但德语国家的民间传说指向了更险恶的东西。“据说黑色动物与黑魔法有关，”在德国北部长大的Lüddecke说。他说，在其他地区，人们非常害怕黑蝰蛇，以至于专门寻找它们来杀死它们。这种态度对欧洲的蝰蛇种群构成了威胁，由于栖息地的破坏，这些种群已经在减少。 Lüddecke实验室的毒液研究员、这项新研究的主要作者Lennart Schulte表示，他理解为什么这些蛇可能会引发恐慌。他解释说，黑蝰蛇的眼睛往往是红色的，这使得地狱蝰蛇的绰号看起来特别贴切。舒尔特说，不同颜色的蛇可能产生略有不同的毒液的想法并非完全不合理。毒液成分和毒性不仅在蛇物种之间，而且在一个物种内部都有很大差异。利物浦热带医学院的毒理学家Cassandra Modahl没有参与这项新研究，他说，饮食和环境等因素是这些差异的“主要驱动因素”，但年龄和性别也可能发挥作用。然而，尚不清楚颜色本身是否会产生类似的影响，舒尔特指出，到目前为止，还没有人费心去检查。 Lüddecke、Schulte及其同事分析了9条黑色素蛇和9条不同颜色的蛇的毒液样本，这些蛇都是德国疱疹学和疱疹培养学会饲养的成年雄性。他们发现，这两种蛇的毒液含有基本相同的分子成分，但数量并不完全相同。例如，黑蛇的毒液含有更高水平的被称为蛋白酶的蛋白质切割酶，使其在一定浓度下对活细胞的毒性略高。 但研究小组发现，这些差异非常小，而且发生在如此低的浓度下，以至于它们不太可能对被咬伤的人产生影响。Schulte说，添加剂在叮咬人类时通常会注射10至18毫克的毒液，而毒性的差异仅在微克级上明显。 尽管如此，由于这项研究只研究了圈养蛇的毒液，野生蛇的可能差异可能被掩盖了，杰克逊说。例如，野生黑蛇比多色蛇更早出现和繁殖。杰克逊指出，这些温度的轻微变化可能会影响它们毒液中的化学反应速度，导致毒性发生更大的变化。 Lüddecke和Schulte计划继续研究蛇种内的毒液变异，最终目标是设计更有效的抗蛇毒血清治疗方法。他们还想一劳永逸地揭穿地狱蝰蛇的神话，并说服人们所有的蛇都值得研究和保护。 原创精品资源学科网独家享有版权，侵权必究！1 1 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $$