An ancient species of great ape likely disappeared hundreds of thousands of years ago when climate change put their favorite fruits out of reach during dry seasons, scientists recently reported. The species is known as Gigantopithecus blacki. It once lived in southern China. It stood 3 meters tall and weighed up to 295 kilograms. It represents the largest great ape known to scientists.

“It’s just a massive animal — just really, really big,” said Renaud Joannes-Boyau. He is a researcher at Australia’s Southern Cross University. He helped write the study, which recently appeared in the publication Nature. But its size may also have been a weakness. Joannes-Boyau said, “When food starts to be scarce, it’s so big that it can’t climb trees to explore new food sources.”

The huge apes likely looked similar to the modern orangutan (红毛猩猩). It survived for around 2 million years in the forested land of China’s Guangxi area. They ate plants that included fruits and flowers — until the environment began to change. Starting about 600,000 years ago, Guangxi’s forests began producing fewer fruits. The area was experiencing more periods of dry weather. Researchers examined pollen (花粉) and sediment (沉积物) found in caves to learn more about the changes and their effects. The giant apes did not disappear quickly, the researchers say. They likely went extinct sometime between 215, 000 and 295, 000 years ago.

As the climate changed, smaller apes may have been able to climb trees to search for different food. But the researchers found that the giant apes ate more food that provided less nutrients. That less nutritious food included tree bark and thin grasses called reeds. “When the forest changed, there was not enough food preferred by the species,” said Zhang Yingqi of China’s Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology. He helped write the study.

1.What can be learned about the Gigantopithecus blacki?

A It disappeared because of too hot weather.

B It once lived in the northern part of China.

C It weighed no less than 295 kilograms.

D It was the largest great ape known to scientists.

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。根据第一段内容可知，“步氏巨猿”灭绝的原因是气候变得干燥；它们生活在中国南地区，体重高达295公斤（并非不低于295公斤）；它们是已知体型最大的灵长类动物。故选D。

2.What does the underlined word “scarce” mean?

A Special.

B Rare.

C Common.

D Typical.

解析：选B。B 词义猜测题。根据后面的“it’s so big that it can’t climb trees to explore new food sources”可知，它们的体型太大了，不能爬树去寻找新的食物来源，由此可知它们的现有食物变得稀缺。故选B。

3.What consequence did dry weather bring to China’s Guangxi area?

A Forests produced fewer fruits.

B The plants produced more flowers.

C The giant apes disappeared quickly.

D More sediment was found in caves.

解析：选A。A 细节理解题。根据第三段中的“Guangxi’s forests began producing fewer fruits. The area was experiencing more periods of dry weather.”可知，由于气候干旱，广西地区的森林果实产量开始减少。故选A。

4.What’s the best title for the passage?

A What the Largest Ape Once Fed On.

B How the Largest Ape Went Extinct.

C Why Scientists Studied the Largest Ape.

D Why the Largest Ape Lived in Guangxi.

解析：选B。B 主旨大意题。通读全文可知，本文主要介绍了科学家找到了一些证据，揭示了曾经生活在中国南方的有史以来最大的灵长类动物“步氏巨猿”灭绝的原因。故选B。