Irma

托福閱讀 練習小短文 - 雨林中的動物 (動物、氣象學科)  

文章主要在介紹雨林以及裡面的生態情況，通篇來說單字並不很困難，所以學生關鍵就成了如何理解問題和回答方向，因為托福其中一項難點就是，托福的問句並不是那麼平鋪直敘，而是包含邏輯思考以及文法理解運用的能力、單字組成，這也是美國教學的主要方式。

Rain Forest Animals

    Rain Forest refers to woodl and characterized by lush vegetation and comparatively high temperature and rainfall throughout the year. Rain forests are the world’s most biologically diverse ecosystems. Their ecosystems contain more plant and animal species than virtually any other habitat in the world. One study found more species of ants living on a single rain forest stump than exist in all of the British Isles. Besides, although their range has contracted and expanded with climate changes over the last several million years, in general, rain forests are some of the oldest ecosystems on Earth. As a result of this continuity, rain forests boast millions of different species, many of which are endemic, or unique, to rain forest habitats.

    Almost 90 percent of the rain forest animal species are insects, and of these, most are beetles. A single rain forest tree can host more than 150 species of beetles. Living high in the forest canopy, most of these beetles and other insect species have eluded scientists until recently, when technology has improved access to the upper stratum. To this day, scientists are unsure how many animal species exist in the world, largely because they have identified just a small fraction of the millions—some estimate as many as 30 million—of insects that live in the rain forest.

    Among the most fascinating rain forest insects yet encountered are leafcutter ants, remarkable because they actually cultivate their own food. These ants cut the leaves of particular plants and carry them back to their underground nests, where they fertilize them with saliva. This careful tending causes growth of a particular fungus, which the ants harvest and rely on as their sole source of food.

    In 15 sq km (6 sq mi) of rain forest, as many as 100 different mammal species may be found. These animals occupy every available niche, from burrows in the forest floor to the branches of emergent trees. Most rain forest mammals are nocturnal (active during the night) or crepuscular (active during the twilight of dusk or dawn), and they spend the heat of the day sleeping. In fact, almost half the mammals of the rain forest are bats, flying mammals known for their nighttime activity. Some rain forest mammals, including gorillas, elephants, tapirs, agoutis, and wild pigs, are ground-dwellers, but most, like their insect counterparts, live high in the treetops in the forest canopy. Canopy-dwellers have evolved an array of fascinating traits to survive in the branches of trees. For instance, some Asian rain forests are especially known for animals with the ability to glide. Borneo alone has more than 30 species of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians that can glide from one tree to another. Most rain forest monkeys in Central and South America use their specialized tails, which are capable of grasping branches, like a fifth limb while climbing, feeding, and even playing high above the forest floor.

    The three-toed sloth spends most of its life defenseless, hanging upside down from tree branches. To avoid predators, its movements are so slow that they are virtually undetectable to would-be predators, even vigilant jaguars. The sloth has also developed a relationship with a rain forest plant that makes it even more elusive to its predators: Although it has brown fur, the sloth blends in with the surrounding green canopy because a particular species of green alga lives in its fur.