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  3. The gardens and fields of Britain were saved from a grim invasion this spring. Thanks to the sharp, late frosts of May, millions

The gardens and fields of Britain were saved from a grim invasion this spring. Thanks to the sharp, late frosts of May, millions

admin2017-11-08  23
问题    The gardens and fields of Britain were saved from a grim invasion this spring. Thanks to the sharp, late frosts of May, millions of giant Spanish slugs—which threatened to devastate plants across the country—were killed. But now experts fear that Spanish slugs—which was first spotted in East Anglia a year ago—may soon make an unwelcome return to our shores. They have decided to seek public help to spot a menace which one expert described as "a disaster waiting to happen".
   A group of scientists led by Dr. Ian Bedford, head of entomology (昆虫学) at the John Innes Centre, Norwich, have created a "slugwatch" website, so people can report where and when they have seen Spanish slugs. There will also be instructions on building traps to catch them. "The Spanish slug is a voracious predator. It eats crops spared by our native slugs, tolerates drier conditions, reproduces in greater numbers and even eats dead animals and excrement," said Bedford. " We want photos and sightings from members of the public to help build a picture of how widespread the Spanish slug is. The reports may also give us an idea of whether it is breeding with native species to form a hybrid with tolerance to frosts and cold from our own species."
   The species appeared in Scandinavia a few years ago, where they bred so quickly that squashed slugs on roads became a serious traffic hazard. Very soon, it looked as if Britain would follow suit. "In early spring, numbers of the slugs began to appear and it looked as if we were in trouble," said Bedford. "But the late spring frosts seemed to have killed off baby Spanish slugs and saved us—for the time being."
   Scientists stress that slugs play an important role in the ecosystem: they are natural composters, breaking down vegetation, and provide food for our hedgehogs, toads and some garden birds. However, the Spanish slug could prove to be an even greater threat. "We need to know exactly how they are distributed and that is why we have set up this website," saidBedford. " We need public help, badly."
Which of the following has the same meaning with "voracious" (Para. 2) ?
选项 A、Various.
B、Greedy.
C、Smart.
D、Powerful.
答案B
解析 根据该词后面的内容，“西班牙蛞蝓食量惊人，英国本土蛞蝓不吃的作物也照样被其消灭殆尽。西班牙蛞蝓更加耐寒、繁殖量大，甚至吃动物死尸及粪便。”可得知选项中B“贪婪的”更符合句义。D选项的powerful虽然有一定的关联，但根据整个文章对该虫的态度来判断，powerful是不对的。
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