A tiny Alaska village has experienced a boom in tourism in recent years as polar bears spend more time on land than on Arctic sea ice.
More than 2，000 people visited the northern Alaska village of Kaktovik in 2018 to see polar bears in the wild. The far north community lies in an area where increasingly higher temperature has sped up the movement of sea ice, the primary habitat(栖息地) of polar bears. As ice has gradually moved to deep water beyond the continental shelf, more bears are remaining on land to look for food.
Polar bears have always been a common sight on sea ice near Kaktovik, but villagers started noticing a change in the mid­1990s. More bears seemed to stay on land, and researchers began taking note of more female bears making homes in the snow on land instead of on the ice to raise their babies. U．S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists began hearing reports of the increasing number of polar bears in the area in the early 2000s. As more attention was given to the plight(困境) of polar bears about a decade ago, more tourists started heading to Kaktovik.
“The village had fewer than 50 visitors annually before 2011，” said Jennifer Reed, of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. “Today we’re talking about hundreds and hundreds of visitors, many from around the world each year，” Reed said. Most tourists visit in the fall, when bears are forced toward land because sea ice is farthest away from the shore. Bruce Inglangasak, a local hunter who sometimes offers wildlife­viewing tours, said he’s been offering polar bear tours since 2004. Most of his clients(客户) are from China and Europe, as well as from the lower 48 U．S. states. Many tourists stay several days in the village, which has two small hotels. The villagers have benefited a lot from that. In turn, they provide more effective protection for polar bears with financial support from tourism development.
12．What causes more polar bears to stay on land in Kaktovik?
A．Food shortage.
B．Climate change.
C．Habitats’ movement to shore.
D．Their preference for land.
13．How did common people feel about more sight of bears on land?
A．Excited.　　　　　　　 B．Puzzled.
C．Concerned.   D．Shocked.
14．What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A．Hotels in Kaktovik are in demand in autumn.
B．Kaktovik has about 50 visitors annually.
C．Inglangasak makes a living as a tour guide.
D．Tourism affects the balance of nature.
15．Which saying can describe the text?
A．The fittest can survive.
B．After a storm comes a calm.
C．There is always opportunity in crisis.
D．Every coin has two sides.
阅读理解D
【解题导语】　本文是一篇说明文。气候变暖导致海冰融化，北极熊登陆，为阿拉斯加的一个小村庄带来了巨大的人气，促进了当地旅游业发展，当地人又用旅游业的收入为北极熊提供积极的保护。
12．B　解析：细节理解题。根据第二段中的“The far north community lies in an area where increasingly higher temperature has sped up the movement of sea ice, the primary habitat(栖息地) of polar bears. As ice has gradually moved to deep water beyond the continental shelf, more bears are remaining on land to look for food.”可知，全球变暖加速了海冰融化，破坏了北极熊原本的栖息地，越来越多的北极熊待在陆地上以寻找食物。故选B。
13．C　解析：观点态度题。根据第三段的内容可知，随着越来越多的北极熊出现在陆地上，研究人员、生物学家等也越来越多地关注北极熊所处的这一困境，随后，更多游客前往Kaktovik。由此可推知，大众对更多北极熊登陆现象表示关注。故选C。
14．A　解析：推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“Most tourists visit in the fall”及“Many tourists stay several days in the village, which has two small hotels.”可知，大多数游客会选择在秋季去Kaktovik游览，而且很多游客会在这个小村庄待上几天，而这个小村庄只有两个小旅馆，故可推知在秋季，Kaktovik的旅馆很抢手。故选A。
15．D　解析：推理判断题。通读文章可知，因为全球气候变暖，北极熊被迫登陆来寻找食物以生存下去，这本来是北极熊的困境，然而北极熊登陆却促进了一个小村庄旅游业的发展，这对小村庄来说是一个机遇，同时，村民又利用旅游业的收入为北极熊提供更多保护。因此D项“事物都有两面性”符合语境。故选D。