共用题干第一篇On the Trail of the Honey Badger

共用题干

第一篇

On the Trail of the Honey Badger

On a recent field trip to the Kalahari Desert,a team of researchers learnt a lot more about honey badg-
ers（獾）.The team employed a local wildlife expert,Kitso Khama,to help them locate and follow the badg-
ers across the desert. Their main aim was to study the badgers’movements and behaviour as discreetly（谨慎
地）as possible,without frightening them away or causing them to change their natural behaviour. They also
planned to trap a few and study them close up before releasing them.In view of the animal’s reputation,
this was something that even Khama was reluctant to do.
"The problem with honey badgers is they are naturally curious animals,especially when they see something
new,"he says."That,combined with their unpredictable nature,can be a dangerous mixture.If they sense
you have food,for example,they won’tbe shy about coming right up to you for something to eat.They,re
actually quite sociable creatures around humans,but as soon as they feel they might be in danger,they can
become extremely vicious（凶恶的）.Fortunately this is rare , but it does happen."
The research confirmed many things that were already known.As expected,honey badgers ate any
creatures they could catch and kill.Even poisonous snakes,feared and avoided by most other animals,were
not safe from them.The researchers were surprised,however,by the animal’5 fondness for local melons,
probably because of their high water content.Preciously researchers thought that the animal got all of its
liquid requirements from its prey（猎物）.The team also learnt that , contrary to previous research findings,
the badgers occasionally formed loose family groups.They were also able to confirm certain results from
previous research,including the fact that female badgers never socialized with each other.
Following some of the male badgers was a challenge,since they can cover large distances in a short
space of time.Some hunting territories cover more than 500 square kilometers.Although they seem happy to
share these territories with other males,there are occasional fights over an important food source,and male
badgers can be as aggressive towards each other as they are towards other species.
As the badgers became accustomed to the presence of people,it gave the team the chance to get up
close to them without being the subject of the animals’curiosity一or their sudden aggression. The badgers’
eating patterns,which had been disrupted,returned to normal.It also allowed the team to observe more
9losely some of the other creatures that form working associations with the honey badger,as these seemed to
adopt the badgers’relaxed attitude when near humans.

Which of the following is a typical feature of male badgers? A:They don’t run very quickly. B:They defend their territory from other badgers. C: They hunt over a very large area. D:They are more aggressive than females.