As Antarctic ice continues to melt at an alarming (惊人的) rate, scientists warn that the well-being of penguins native to the area is becoming increasingly threatened.
       According to a new report, the welfare and existence of at least half of the world’s 18 penguin species will be badly affected if the warming of the Antarctic Peninsula continues. Experts say that a big part of the problem is related to food: Less ice means less krill (磷虾), a cornerstone (基石) of the Antarctic ecosystem and a mainstay of a penguin’s diet.
       “When you look at all penguins they are largely in trouble,” said Oxford University penguinologist Tom Hart, who spends a few months every year observing penguins along the Antarctic coast. “We’re so concerned because we’re seeing great changes to their populations. They’re probably not going to go extinct anytime soon, but the environment is changing very fast.”
       Emperor penguins, Adelies and chinstraps, for example, live entirely in the Antarctic. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), both emperor penguins and Adelies are considered “near threatened.” Even populations of chinstraps, not usually considered a vulnerable (易危的) species, have “declined by up to 50 percent in the last 30 years,” Hart said. “The general public doesn’t realize that penguin populations are declining so fast.”
       In an interview with the BBC in 2009, Professor Hart warned that emperor penguins could face near-extinction by the end of the century if global warming continued at its present rate.
       “Regardless of their environmental preferences, we see a connection between climate change and penguin populations through the loss of habitat of their main food source,” Dr Wayne Trivelpiece, the report’s lead author said. “As warming continues, the loss of krill will have a far-reaching effect throughout the Antarctic ecosystem.”
       Since krill feed on phytoplankton (浮游植物) that grow under ice cover, warming waters and disappearing sea ice have contributed to decreasing Antarctic krill populations. According to Al Jazeera, other recent studies have shown that krill in the Southern Ocean may have declined by about 80 percent since the 1970s.
       “Simply put, without krill, most of the life forms in the Antarctic would disappear,” National Geographic said.
32. What problem will penguins face?
A. Loss of habitat.        
B. A shortage of food.
C. Population increase.     
D. Colder environment.
33. What is Tom Hart’s attitude toward the penguins’ situation?
A. Uncaring.  
B. Optimistic.
C. Doubtful.   
D. Worried.
34. Why does the author mention chinstraps in Paragraph 4?
A. To blame human beings’ unawareness.
B. To underline the dangers penguins face.
C. To give an example of an extinct species.
D. To show how penguins react to global warming.
35. What do the last two paragraphs suggest?
A. Krill loss may have disastrous results.
B. Warming waters bring more phytoplankton.
C. Sea ice disappearance causes krill’s overproducing.
D. Phytoplankton are a key diet of Antarctic creatures. 本文是说明文。南极洲的冰层因气候变暖持续融化，这已严重影响到企鹅的生存。
32. B。细节理解题。由第二段中的a big part of the problem is related to food: Less ice means less krill ... penguin’s diet可知，由于南极冰层的持续融化，企鹅将面临的问题主要与食物有关，冰少了意味着磷虾少了，磷虾是南极洲生态系统的基石，也是企鹅的主要食物。
33. D。观点态度题。由第三段中的they are largely in trouble和We’re so concerned because we’re seeing great changes to their populations ... the environment is changing very fast可知，牛津大学的企鹅研究专家Tom Hart对企鹅的现状非常担忧。
34. B。推理判断题。由第四段中的Even populations of chinstraps, not usually considered a vulnerable species, have “declined by up to 50 percent in the last 30 years,”可知，帽带企鹅并非易危物种，但是它们的数量在过去的30年里也下降了50%；由此可知，作者提到帽带企鹅的数量大幅下降，是为了强调企鹅的处境非常危险，气候变暖给它们的生存带来极大的影响。
35. A。推理判断题。由倒数第二段中的warming waters and disappearing sea ice have contributed to decreasing Antarctic krill populations以及最后一段中的without krill, most of the life forms in the Antarctic would disappear可知，气候变暖使得南极的冰融化，这导致磷虾的数量锐减，而如果没有磷虾，南极大部分生命都会消失。