四级真题2025年6月第一套 Passage One
四级真题2025年6月第一套 Passage One

①New research suggests that pandas may be at risk of dying out because they are too comfortable. Experts say too much happiness can stop the bears from searching for new mates.
②Environmentalists have long believed that building roads or homes near the bears may threaten their survival by “reducing or fragmenting their natural: habitats”, The Times reported. But the new research suggests that a “modest degree of discomfort and fragmentation” may actually help preserve panda populations.
③The research was conducted by scientists from Michigan State University. It concluded that pandas fail to wander off in search of new mates if they find their habitat too comfortable, resulting in a lack of vital genetic diversity.
④For their study—outlined in a paper in the journal Conservation Biology—the team looked at genetic diversity and spread among a Chinese panda population. The ideal level of perfectly livable habitat was found to be only 80% of an area, with the remainder either too harsh or too affected by human activity.
⑤The experts concluded that pandas should ideally “be happy enough to thrive, but not so content that they don’t want to move around and find new mates”.
⑥Their conclusions about what The Guardian described as this“sweet spot” are in line with the so-called Goldilocks principle: that there can be just the right amount of something. The concept has been applied to a wide range of disciplines, from developmental psychology to economics and engineering.
⑦Claudio Sillero, a professor of conservation biology at Oxford University, told the newspaper that the new findings could have implications beyond panda conservation.
⑧“Most large animals that ea t meat live in increasingly fragmented landscapes,” said Sillero, who was not involved in the research. “It may well be that the messy nature of their relationship with human efforts induces more animals to scatter or travel further, and might result in greater genetic connectivity and enhanced population persistence.”
⑨The most recent count of pandas found that there were more than 1,800 left in the wild, putting them on the list of vulnerable, but not endangered, species.

1.1. What do we learn from new research about pandas?

A They are losing habitat due to the building of roads and houses.

B They have stopped seeking new mates for reproduction.

C They may not adapt to the fragmentation of their habitat.

D They may cease to exist as a result of enjoying too good a life.

解析：选D。D细节理解题。第一段第一句明确指出新研究表明，熊猫可能因生活得过于舒适而面临灭绝风险。选项D与原文意思一致，故选D。根据第二段第一句可知，道路和房屋建设导致栖息地丧失是环保主义者的传统观点，非新研究结论，故排除A。根据第一段第二句可知，过度安逸会导致熊猫不再寻觅新配偶，而不是已经停止。B项与原文表述不一致，故排除。根据第二段第二句可知，适度的不适与栖息地碎片化实际上可能有助于保护熊猫种群，选项C与原文表述相反，故排除。故选D。

2.2. What can we conclude from the new research by scientists at Michigan State University?

A Environmentalists’ long-time belief regarding panda conservation may be misleading.

B Housing development near pandas’ homes may threaten their survival.

C Pandas’ natural habitats are becoming less suitable for reproduction.

D The increased panda population is attributed to the fragmentation of their habitat.

解析：选A。 A细节理解题。第二段提到，环保主义者长期以来一直认为栖息地碎片化会威胁熊猫生存，但新研究（由第三段首句可知，该研究是由密歇根州立大学的科学家开展的）表明适度的不适与栖息地碎片化可能有助于保护熊猫种群，这说明传统观点可能具有误导性，选项A与原文逻辑一致，故选A。根据第二段第一句可知，住房开发威胁生存是环保主义者的观点，并非新研究结论，故排除B。根据第三段第二句可知，若熊猫发现栖息地过于舒适，就不会迁徙寻找新配偶，并没有提到栖息地变得越来越不适合繁殖，故排除C。第二段第二句提到，栖息地适度碎片化可能有助于保护熊猫种群，并没有说种群数量增加归因于栖息地碎片化，且原文中未提及种群数量增加的原因，故排除D。故选A。

3.3. What is the experts’ conclusion regarding pandas?

A It is urgent to provide an ideal habitat for them to thrive.

B It is very important to preserve their genetic diversity.

C Their chances of finding new mates have a lot to do with their habitat.

D Their environment for survival has been continuously worsening.

解析：选C。C推理判断题。由第三段第二句可知，研究得出结论：若熊猫发现栖息地过于舒适，它们就不会迁徙寻找新配偶，从而导致关键的遗传多样性缺失。这说明专家认为熊猫寻找新配偶的机会与栖息地舒适度密切相关，选项C与原文表述含义一致，故选C。第四段第二句提到，栖息地中适宜生存的区域占比达到80%时最为理想，这暗示并非提供完全理想的栖息地就是最佳策略，A项与原文不一致，故排除。专家结论侧重栖息地与寻找配偶的关系，而保护它们的遗传多样性至关重要是该行为缺失导致的后果，而非专家在此项研究中的直接结论，故排除B。D项内容原文中未提及，故排除。故选C。

4.4. What can we infer from the passage about the Goldilocks principle?

A It needs to be confirmed by more studies on pandas.

B It applies to the preservation of pandas too.

C It has implications for future panda research.

D It can be used to locate the right spot for pandas.

解析：选B。 B推理判断题。第六段第一句明确提到，新研究结论与“金发姑娘原则”不谋而合，该原则强调事物的量需恰到好处，而由前面的内容可知密歇根州立大学的新研究结论有助于熊猫物种的保护，由此可推断“金发姑娘原则”也适用于熊猫保护，故选B。原文未提及需要进一步验证，A项内容与原文不一致，故排除。第六段第一句仅说明该原则也适用于熊猫保护，原文重点在于其适用性而非未来启示，故排除C。D项内容文中未提及，故排除。故选B。

5.5. What can the new findings do according to Professor Sillero?

A Help discover new ways for the conservation of pandas.

B Help remove pandas from the list of endangered species.

C Shed light on the conservation of most large meat-eating animals.

D Show the complexity of interactions between humans and animals.

解析：选C。 C推理判断题。根据前文可知，密歇根州立大学的新研究发现适度的不适与栖息地碎片化实际上可能有助于保护熊猫种群，而文章倒数第三段中西莱罗教授表示，这项新发现（即密歇根州立大学的新发现）的影响范围不止在熊猫保护领域。言外之意，该研究结论不仅适用于熊猫种群，还适用于其他种群。在下一段中，西莱罗教授对其言论做了进一步解释，概括起来就是，大多数大型肉食动物都生活在日益碎片化的环境中，这可能促使它们更多地分散或迁徙，从而可能提升其遗传连通性并增强其种群存续能力。也就是说，新发现不仅会促进熊猫物种保护，也为大型肉食动物保护提供了启示。由此可知，本题应选C。A项在西莱罗教授的言论中找不到依据，故排除。原文最后一段虽提及野生熊猫已从濒危名单降级至易危名单。但西莱罗教授的言论中并未提及熊猫从濒危名单移除的内容，故排除B项。西莱罗只强调该项新研究对其他物种保护同样有作用，但并未指出该研究是否有助于显示人类与动物互动关系的复杂性，故排除D项。故选C。