Where the Galapagos Islands lie today, there was once an unbroken expanse of Pacific. Then the sea began to seethe and simmer, t

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问题     Where the Galapagos Islands lie today, there was once an unbroken expanse of Pacific. Then the sea began to seethe and simmer, the earth’s crust was pierced, and matter gushed forth continuously. Lava and scoriae (loose, cinderlike lava) piled up until one day spewing volcanoes raised peaks above the brawling sea.
    Many thousands of years passed before life could settle upon the cooled land. Then wind and waves brought the first hardy seed of primitive plants. After these came others, then insects, lizards , and birds. The chance that any animal would survive the trip from the South American continent more than six hundred miles away was slight; only a few hardy species came through alive. This is why there are many gaps in the animal life of the islands.
    Those that did reach the out-of-the-way islands developed over the ages into a number of quite peculiar forms. Because conditions in the Galapagos differed from those in their original homes, the animals had to change or perish. Only in the Galapagos are there seaweed-eating marine lizards, giant tortoises, and flightless cormorants. In fact, most of the species found in the Galapagos Islands are endemics: they exist only in the archipelago.
What is the passage mainly about?

选项 A、The history of the archipelago.
B、The birth of the Galapagos.
C、Conditions of life in the islands today.
D、The unique animal life of the Galapagos.

答案D

解析 本题是一道要旨题。文中第一段介绍加拉帕戈斯群岛的由来,即是因太平洋底火山爆发而产生的岛屿;第二段说明了岛屿上生物的由来,即火山爆发数千年后从南美大陆远涉重洋而来;第三段说明了岛上动物的特殊性和地方性。由以上可以看出,本文重点讲的是加拉帕戈斯群岛上独特的动物。故选项D正确。
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