Ⅰ.阅读理解(建议用时16′) A [2016·山东诊断]A rare butterfly has been discovered in Britain for the first time in 60 years, having moved from Eastern Europe. The only previous record of a wild yellow-legged Tortoiseshell in Britain was in 1953, when it was seen just once in Sevenoaks, Kent. Several weeks ago, there were already four confirmed sightings, along the East coast in Norfolk, Suffolk and Kent, and six further reports of the butterfly in coastal areas. Conservationists are very excited about the sightings, which are rare in the butterfly world. The butterflies are thought to have flown on easterly winds across Europe in the last few weeks. The large and colourful insect mainly lives in Eastern Europe. In recent years, it has spread into Scandinavia and its number increases rapidly during warm weather. Also known as the Scarce Tortoiseshell, it has an orange and blue colour and is about one third bigger than our own Small Tortoiseshell. Butterfly Conservation was starting its annual Big Butterfly Count, a yearly survey of the butterflies across the nation. Sir David Attenborough, President of the charity, said, “The UK is a nation of amateur naturalists and we have a proud tradition of celebrating and studying our wildlife. By taking part in the Big Butterfly Count this summer, you can contribute to discovering the fantastic butterflies and other wildlife that share your garden, parks and countryside.”He added, “Butterflies_fought_back last year after a terrible 2017 but despite this, butterfly numbers were still below average. Three quarters of the UK's butterflies are in decline and one third are in danger of dying out. This is bad news for the UK's birds, bees, bats and other wildlife. |