# The white-lipped grove snail - 科目：雅思听力真题（Part 4） - 考频：超高频 - 最近考试：2026.2.27天津大学 - 题目数：10 - 来源页：https://www.yaquan.site/paper/0494d84a-cc70-44a9-9d9f-9c89b448c078（在线机考练习与音频请访问该页面） - 数据更新：2026-10-29 ## 题目原文 00:00:00,840 Now listen carefully and answer questions thirty-one to forty. 00:00:08,160 Good afternoon. The topic I've chosen for my presentation is a snail. 00:00:14,640 Snails belong to a group of animals called mollusks, soft-bodied creatures normally protected by a hard shell. Today, I'm going to talk about a particular example, the white-lipped grove snail, and the research which is being done into it. 00:00:32,520 I'll start by giving some background information about this variety. The white-lipped snail lives on land and is air-breathing. Its shell is easy to recognize because of its clear stripe, but it varies considerably in color from pale pink to yellow. 00:00:51,760 The snail gets its rather strange name from the fact that it has a white edge or lip to its shell. 00:00:59,440 Its principal source of nutrition is plants, which are either already dead or in the process of rotting, a characteristic it shares with a number of other species of snail. 00:01:12,280 Because of this, its normal habitat is similar to other land snails, and it can be seen in urban settings such as gardens as well as uncultivated areas. 00:01:24,020 A final point about its ecology is that it also needs calcium and other minerals to keep it healthy. To get these, it frequently consumes soil, which contains these minerals. 00:01:38,300 So far, nothing I've said would seem to set this variety apart from other land-dwelling, air-breathing snails. However, as long ago as the early nineteenth century, naturalists observed that these white-lipped snails appeared to live in two strikingly separate areas, many hundreds of miles apart, namely Ireland and the Pyrenees, the large mountain range on the border of France and Spain. But what is most surprising is that there was no record of the variety being found anywhere in between these places, so the distribution seemed very strange. 00:02:20,920 This age-old puzzle has intrigued a group of present-day researchers at the University of Nottingham, and they've decided to undertake a detailed study to investigate the strange distribution pattern. 00:02:35,080 First of all, they wanted to make sure that the distribution first noticed two hundred years ago is in fact correct. 00:02:43,900 Via the Internet, they set up what is known as a mega lab, recruiting numerous volunteers across Europe to be responsible for the collection of snail specimens, which were then sent to the university lab. 00:02:58,980 Like many of these mega lab initiatives, it was generally very successful, with high rates of participation. 00:03:07,180 The research team then did a genetic analysis of the material they received. They confirmed that there were characteristics shared by the two sets of white-lipped snails from Ireland and from the Pyrenees. Most importantly, this variety does not seem to occur anywhere else. 00:03:28,540 How could this split have happened, and when? Well, fossils indicate that the white-lipped snail has been living in the Pyrenees for tens of thousands of years, but that in Ireland, its arrival was relatively recent. 00:03:45,160 This fact was very telling for the researchers. It generated a number of different theories to explain the strange distribution phenomenon. 00:03:55,780 The first theory the researchers looked at is one called convergent evolution, which basically means that the two sets of snails would have developed entirely separately by complete coincidence. But the underlying similarities between the two sets are too close to be purely a matter of chance, so this seems an unlikely explanation. 00:04:20,399 The second theory proposed is called natural migration, which would necessitate the snail swimming the sea to Ireland. This was ruled out because they hate salt and simply wouldn't have embarked on the journey across the sea, or had they tried, wouldn't have survived. 00:04:39,960 The team then started looking at different kinds of evidence, reviewing findings from various locations in the Pyrenees, which showed that mounds of white-lipped snail shells had been thrown away in caves. Clearly, these had been inhabited by Stone Age communities. 00:05:00,060 This led to the conclusion that the snails must have been used over a long period by these Stone Age humans as food. And interestingly, this was before the advent of agriculture. 00:05:13,760 The team then looked at other types of archeological evidence from prehistoric times in Ireland and the Pyrenees, and they found evidence that very early on, there had been trade between the people living in these widely separated areas. 00:05:30,200 For all these reasons, the research team have tentatively concluded that the most likely way in which the snails traveled from east to west was in boats, and that they were transported live to keep them fresh for consumption on the journey. 00:05:48,320 The research team acknowledged that their study is in the early stages and needs further work. They recognize, for example, that they need to look at a broader sample of the snails. They also feel that other animals and plants might shed light on their research. 00:06:06,040 They have found that there is probably at least one other type of organism which shows the same distribution pattern, the clear split between the Pyrenees and Ireland. This is a species of tree which they want to look at in more detail. Perhaps its story will corroborate that of the humble migrating white-lipped snail. ## 题目与答案 ### 31. The White-lipped Grove Snail Background ·It has a distinctive shell pattern ·Its main diet is decaying 31_____ . The White-lipped Grove Snail Background ·It has a distinctive shell pattern ·Its main diet is decaying 31_____ . **答案**：plants 原文定位：Its principal source of nutrition is plants, which are either already dead or in the process of rotting 同义替换：「main diet」↔「principal source of nutrition」；「decaying」↔「dead or in the process of rotting」 ### 32. ·To obtain minerals, it also eats 32_____ . ·To obtain minerals, it also eats 32_____ . **答案**：soil 原文定位：To get these, it frequently consumes soil, which contains these minerals 同义替换：「obtain」↔「get」；「eats」↔「consumes」 ### 33. University of Nottingham study ·Via the internet, volunteers were recruited for the 33_____ of snails ·The snails' genetic materials were studied. University of Nottingham study ·Via the internet, volunteers were recruited for the 33_____ of snails ·The snails' genetic materials were studied. **答案**：collection 原文定位：Via the Internet, they set up what is known as a mega lab, recruiting numerous volunteers across Europe to be responsible for the collection of snail specimens 同义替换：「were recruited for」↔「to be responsible for」 ### 34. Findings and theories ·Convergent evolution' is very unlikely. ·Natural migration is impossible because these snails do not like 34_____ . Findings and theories ·Convergent evolution' is very unlikely. ·Natural migration is impossible because these snails do not like 34_____ . **答案**：salt 原文定位：This was ruled out because they hate salt and simply wouldn't have embarked on the journey across the sea 同义替换：「impossible」↔「ruled out」；「do not like」↔「hate」 ### 35. ·In the Pyrenees, many shells have been found in 35_____ . ·In the Pyrenees, many shells have been found in 35_____ . **答案**：cave 原文定位：mounds of white-lipped snail shells had been thrown away in caves 同义替换：「found in」↔「thrown away in」；「many」↔「mounds」 ### 36. ·This is evidence that the snails were used as 36_____ . ·This is evidence that the snails were used as 36_____ . **答案**：food 原文定位：This led to the conclusion that the snails must have been used over a long period by these Stone Age humans as food 同义替换：「evidence」↔「conclusion」 ### 37. ·There is archaeological proof of 37_____ between the two areas. ·There is archaeological proof of 37_____ between the two areas. **答案**：trade 原文定位：they found evidence that very early on, there had been trade between the people living in these widely separated areas 同义替换：「proof」↔「evidence」 ### 38. ·The snails were most possibly carried in 38_____ . ·The snails were most possibly carried in 38_____ . **答案**：boats 原文定位：The research team have tentatively concluded that the most likely way in which the snails traveled from east to west was in boats 同义替换：「possibly」↔「likely」；「carried」↔「traveled」 ### 39. Further work ·A wider 39_____ of the snails is required for the study. Further work ·A wider 39_____ of the snails is required for the study. **答案**：sample 原文定位：They recognize, for example, that they need to look at a broader sample of the snails 同义替换：「wider」↔「broader」；「required」↔「need to look at」 ### 40. · One other organism will be investigated: a particular type of 40_____ . · One other organism will be investigated: a particular type of 40_____ . **答案**：tree 原文定位：This is a species of tree which they want to look at in more detail 同义替换：「particular」↔「species」 --- 以上内容由鸭圈雅思真题库（www.yaquan.site）提供，收录近期雅思考试真题回忆，支持在线机考模式免费练习。