雅思阅读真题（Part 2）
Part 2 · 考频：高频 · 最近考试：2024.4.29武汉大学深圳研究生院
A
Even though crocodiles have existed for 200 million years, they're anything but primitive. As crocodiles' ancestors, crocodilia came to adapt to an aquatic lifestyle. When most of the other contemporary reptiles went extinct, crocodiles were able to make it because their bodies changed and they adapted better to the climate. They witnessed the rise and fall of the dinosaurs, which once ruled the planet, and even the 65 million years of alleged mammalian dominance didn't wipe them off. Nowadays, the crocodiles and alligators are not that different from their prehistoric ancestors, which proves that they were (and still are) incredibly adaptive.
完整文章请进入机考练习查看。
答案：a historical story for the supreme survivors
原文定位：Even though crocodiles have existed for 200 million years;They witnessed the rise and fall of the dinosaurs;and even the 65 million years of alleged mammalian dominance didn't wipe them off. Nowadays, the crocodiles and alligators are not that different from their prehistoric ancestors, which proves that they were (and still are) incredibly adaptive
答案：the perfectly designed body for a great land roamer
原文定位：The first crocodile-like ancestors came into existence approximately 230 million years ago, and they had many of the features which make crocodiles natural and perfect stealth hunters: streamlined body, long tail, protective armour and long jaws. They are born with four short, webbed legs, but this does not mean that their capacity to move on the ground shall ever be underestimated. When they move, they are so fast that you won't even have any chance to try making the same mistake again by getting too close
答案：slow metabolism which makes crocodile a unique reptile
原文定位：Compared with mammals and birds, crocodiles have a slower metabolism, which makes them less vulnerable to food shortage. In the most extreme case, a crocodile can slow its metabolism down even further, to the point that it would survive without food for a whole year, enabling them to outlive mammals in relatively volatile environments
答案：shifting eating habits and food intake
原文定位：Crocodiles are successful because they are capable of switching feeding methods. It chases after fish and snatches birds at the water surface, hides in the waterside bushes in anticipation of a gazelle, and when the chance to ambush presents itself, the crocodile dashes forward, knocks the animal out with its powerful tail and then drags the prey into the water to drown
答案：the favourable feature in the impact of a drought
原文定位：In many crocodilian habitats, the hot season brings drought that dries up their hunting grounds, leaving it harder for them to regulate body temperatures. This actually allowed reptiles to rule. For instance, many crocodiles can protect themselves by digging holes and covering themselves in mud;They transform into a quiescent state called aestivation
答案：a project on a special mechanism
原文定位：The majority of crocodilian is considered to go into aestivation during the dry season. In a six-year study by Kennett and Christian, the King Crocodiles, a species of Australian freshwater crocodiles, spent nearly four months a year underground without access to water resources. Doubly labelled water was applied to detect field metabolic rates and water flux, and during some years, plasma fluid samples were taken once a month to keep track of the effects of aestivation regarding the accumulation of nitrogenous wastes and electrolyte concentrations
答案：a unique finding that was recently achieved
原文定位：The study discovered that the crocodiles' metabolic engines function slowly;Nevertheless, the concentration of waste products in blood doesn't fluctuate much… Besides, even though the crocodiles lost water reserves and body weight when underground, the losses were proportional; upon emerging, the aestivating animals had no dehydration and displayed no other harmful effects;is sure to be the answer to the crocodilian line's survival throughout history
答案：hot season
原文定位：In many crocodilian habitats, the hot season brings drought that dries up their hunting grounds, leaving it harder for them to regulate body temperatures
答案：four months
原文定位：In a six-year study by Kennett and Christian, the King Crocodiles, a species of Australian freshwater crocodiles, spent nearly four months a year underground without access to water resources
答案：water resources
原文定位：In a six-year study by Kennett and Christian, the King Crocodiles, a species of Australian freshwater crocodiles, spent nearly four months a year underground without access to water resources
答案：body weight
原文定位：Besides, even though the crocodiles lost water reserves and body weight when underground, the losses were proportional
答案：dehydration
原文定位：upon emerging, the aestivating animals had no dehydration and displayed no other harmful effects such as a slowed-down growth rate
答案：growth
原文定位：upon emerging, the aestivating animals had no dehydration and displayed no other harmful effects such as a slowed-down growth rate