# Australian parrots and their adaptation to habitat change

- 科目：雅思阅读真题（Part 2）
- 考频：中频
- 最近考试：2026.4.25/2025.4.12/2023.6.17
- 题目数：13
- 来源页：https://www.yaquan.site/paper/55b799e0-804c-4c0c-977f-ad38019b0158（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

A 
 Parrots are found across the tropic and in all southern hemisphere continents except Antarctica, but nowhere do the display such a richness of diversity and form as in Australia. One- sixth of the world's 345 parrot species are found there, and Australia has long been renowned for the number and variety of its parrots. 
 
 B 
 In the 16th century, the German cartographer Mercator made a world map that included a place, somewhere near present-day Australia, that he named Terra Psittacorum - the Land of Parrots - and the first European settlers in Australia often referred to the country as Parrot Land. In 1865, the celebrated British naturalist and wildlife artist John Gould said: "No group of birds gives Australia so tropical and benign an air as the numerous species of this great family by which it is tenanted. 
 
 C 
 Parrots are descendants of an ancient line. Due to their great diversity, and since most species inhabit Africa, Australia and South America, it seems almost certain that parrots originated millions of years ago on the ancient southern continent of Gondwana, before it broke up into the separate southern hemisphere continents we know today. Much of Gondwana comprised vast rainforests intersected by huge slow-flowing rivers and expansive lakes, but by eight million years ago, great changes were underway. The center of the continent of Australia had begun to dry out, and the rainforests that once covered it gradually contracted to the continental margins, where, to a limited extent, they still exist today. 
 
 D 
 The creatures that remained in those shrinking rainforests had to adapt to the drier conditions or face extinction. Reacting to these desperate circumstances, the parrot family, typically found in jungles in other parts of the world, has populated some of Australia's harshest environments. The parrots spread from ancestral forests through eucalypt woodlands to colonies the central deserts of Australia, and as a consequence they diversified into a wide range of species with adaptations that reflect the many changes animals and plants had to make to survive in these areas. 
 
 E 
 These evolutionary pressures helped mould keratin, the substance from which breaks are made into a range of tools capable of gathering the new food types favored by various species of parrot. The size of a parrot's short, blunt beak and the length of that beak's do curved upper section are related to the type of food each species eats. Some have comparatively long beaks that are perfect for extracting seeds from fruit; others have broader and stronger beaks that are designed for cracking hard seeds. 
 
 F 
 Differently shaped beaks are not the only adaptations that have been made during the developing relationship between parrots and their food plants. Like all of Australia's many honey eating birds, the rainbow-coloured lorikeets and the flowers on which they feed have long coevolved with features such as the shape and colour of the flowers adapted to the bird's particular needs, and physical a example, red is the most I attractive colour to birds, and thus flowers which depend on birds for pollination are more often red, and lorikeets' to gues have bristles which help them to collect as much pollen as possible. 
 
 G 
 Today, most of Australia's parrots inhabit woodland and open forest, and their numbers decline towards both deserts and wetter areas. The majority are nomadic to some degree, moving around to take advantage of feeding and breeding places. Two of the dry country parrots, the pink and grey galah and the pink, white and yellow corella have expanded their ranges in recent years. They are among the species that have adapted well to the changes brought about by European settlement forest telling created grasslands where galahs and corellas thrive. 
 
 H 
 But other parrot species did not fare so well when their environments were altered. The clearing of large areas of rainforest is probably responsible for the disappearance of the double-eyed fig parrot, and numbers of ground parrots declined when a great part of their habitat was destroyed by the draining of coastal swamps. Even some parrot species that benefited from forest clearing at first are now comforted by a shortage of nesting sites due to further man-made changes. 
 
 I 
 New conditions also sometimes favour an incoming species over one that originally inhabited the area. For example, after farmers cleared large areas of forest on Kangaroo Island off the coast of South Australia, the island was colonised by galahs. They were soon going down holes and destroying black cockatoo eggs in order to take the hole for their own use. Their success precipitated a partial collapse in the black cockatoo population when the later lost the struggle for scarce nesting hollows. 
 
 J 
 There may be no final answer to ensuring an equitable balance between parrot species. Nest box programmers help ease the shortage of nesting sites in some places, but there are not enough, they are expensive and they are not an adequate substitute by large, old trees, such as the habitat they represent and nectar, pollen and seeds they provide. Competition between parrots for nest sites is a result of the changes we humans have made to the Earth. We are the most widespread and dangerous competitors that parrots have ever had to face, but we also have the knowledge and skill to maintain the wonderfully rich diversity of Australia's parrots. All we need is the wild to do so.

## 题目与答案

### 14. An example of how one parrot species may survive at the expense of another

An example of how one parrot species may survive at the expense of another

- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F

**答案**：I

原文定位：New conditions also sometimes favour an incoming species over one that originally inhabited the area. For example, after farmers cleared large areas of forest on Kangaroo Island;galahs;destroying black cockatoo eggs in order to take the hole for their own use. Their success precipitated a partial collapse in the black cockatoo population

### 15. A description of how plants may adapt to attract birds.

A description of how plants may adapt to attract birds.

- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F

**答案**：F

原文定位：Like all of Australia's many honey eating birds, the rainbow-coloured lorikeets and the flowers on which they feed have long coevolved with features such as the shape and colour of the flowers adapted to the bird's particular needs

同义替换：「plants」↔「flowers」；「attract」↔「adapted to」；「description」↔「features」；「coevolved」↔「adapted」

### 16. Example of two parrot species which benefited from changes to the environment.

Example of two parrot species which benefited from changes to the environment.

- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F

**答案**：G

原文定位：Two of the dry country parrots;the pink and grey galah and the pink;white and yellow corella have expanded their ranges in recent years;They are among the species that have adapted well to the changes brought about by European settlement forest telling created grasslands where galahs and corellas thrive

同义替换：「benefited from」↔「adapted well to」；「environment」↔「settlement」

### 17. How the varied Australian landscape resulted in a great variety of parrot species.

How the varied Australian landscape resulted in a great variety of parrot species.

- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F

**答案**：D

原文定位：The parrots spread from ancestral forests through eucalypt woodlands to colonies the central deserts of Australia, and as a consequence they diversified into a wide range of species with adaptations that reflect the many changes animals and plants had to make to survive in these areas

同义替换：「landscape」↔「forests, woodlands, central deserts」；「resulted in」↔「as a consequence」；「great variety of」↔「diversified into a wide range of」；「adaptation」↔「survive」

### 18. A reason why most parrot species are native to the southern hemisphere.

A reason why most parrot species are native to the southern hemisphere.

- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F

**答案**：C

原文定位：Due to their great diversity, and since most species inhabit Africa, Australia and South America, it seems almost certain that parrots originated millions of years ago on the ancient southern continent of Gondwana, before it broke up into the separate southern hemisphere continents we know today

同义替换：「native」↔「inhabit」；「hemisphere」↔「continent」；「reason why」↔「due to」；「split up」↔「broke up into separate」

### 19. An example of a parrot species which did not survive changes to its habitat.

An example of a parrot species which did not survive changes to its habitat.

- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F

**答案**：H

原文定位：The clearing of large areas of rainforest is probably responsible for the disappearance of the double-eyed fig parrot, and numbers of ground parrots declined when a great part of their habitat was destroyed by the draining of coastal swamps

同义替换：「did not survive」↔「disappearance」；「changes to its habitat」↔「clearing of rainforest」；「example of a parrot species」↔「double-eyed fig parrot」

### 20. 20 The writer believes that most parrot species

20 The writer believes that most parrot species

- Move from Africa and South America to Australia.
- Had ancestors in either Africa, Australia or South America.
- Had ancestors in a continent which later split up.
- Came from a continent now covered by water.

**答案**：Had ancestors in a continent which later split up.

原文定位：Parrots originated millions of years ago on the ancient southern continent of Gondwana, before it broke up into the separate southern hemisphere continents we know today

同义替换：「ancestors」↔「originated」；「split up」↔「broke up into separate」；「hemisphere」↔「continent」

### 21. 21 What does the Writer say about parrot's beak?

21 What does the Writer say about parrot's beak?

- They are longer than those of other birds.
- They are made of a unique material.
- They are used more efficiently than those of other species.
- They are specially adapted to suit the diet.

**答案**：They are specially adapted to suit the diet.

原文定位：The size of a parrot's short, blunt beak and the length of that beak's curved upper section are related to the type of food each species eats. Some have comparatively long beaks that are perfect for extracting seeds from fruit; others have broader and stronger beaks that are designed for cracking hard seeds

同义替换：「specially adapted」↔「designed for」；「suit the diet」↔「related to the type of food」

### 22. 22 Which of the following is NOT mentioned by the writer as a disadvantage of nesting boxes?

22 Which of the following is NOT mentioned by the writer as a disadvantage of nesting boxes?

- They cost too much.
- They need to be maintained.
- They provide only shelter, not food.
- They are too few of them.

**答案**：They need to be maintained.

原文定位：Nest box programmers help ease the shortage of nesting sites in some places, but there are not enough, they are expensive and they are not an adequate substitute by large, old trees, such as the habitat they represent and nectar, pollen and seeds they provide

同义替换：「cost too much」↔「expensive」；「too few」↔「not enough」

### 23. Parrots in Australia There are 345 varieties of parrot in existence and, of these, 23_____ live in Australia.

Parrots in Australia There are 345 varieties of parrot in existence and, of these, 23_____ live in Australia.

**答案**：one-sixth

原文定位：One- sixth of the world's 345 parrot species are found there, and Australia has long been renowned for the number and variety of its parrots

同义替换：「live in」↔「found」

### 24. As early as the 24_____,

As early as the 24_____,

**答案**：16th century

原文定位：In the 16th century, the German cartographer Mercator made a world map that included a place

同义替换：「mapmaker」↔「cartographer」

### 25. the mapmaker 25_____ recognized that parrots lived in that part of the world.

the mapmaker 25_____ recognized that parrots lived in that part of the world.

**答案**：Mercator

原文定位：In the 16th century, the German cartographer Mercator made a world map

同义替换：「mapmaker」↔「cartographer」

### 26. 26_____, the famous painter of animals and birds, commented on the size and beauty of the Australian parrot family.

26_____, the famous painter of animals and birds, commented on the size and beauty of the Australian parrot family.

**答案**：John Gould

原文定位：In 1865, the celebrated British naturalist and wildlife artist John Gould said

同义替换：「painter」↔「artist」；「animals and birds」↔「wildlife」；「commented on」↔「said」；「celebrated」↔「famous」

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