Question

The largest campaign of killing rats in history is set to poison millions of rats on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. Scientists say the campaign planned for 2013 and 2014 will restore beautiful South Georgia to the position it once held as the world’s most important nesting sites for seabirds.

It was sailors in the late 18th century who unintentionally introduced rats to what had been a fresh environment. “If we can destroy the rats, at least 100 million birds will return to their home on South Georgia,” says Tony Martin, a biology professor at the University of Dundee who was invited to lead the project.

South Georgia is by far the largest island to get rid of animals that destroy native wildlife after being introduced deliberately or accidentally by people. Though rats and mice have done the most damage, cats, foxes, goats, deer, rabbits and other species have been targeted in the campaigns around the world.

South Georgia is seven times the size of New Zealand’s Campbell Island, currently the largest area ever killing rats. The successful war against Campbell Island rats was carried out in 2001 with 132 tons of poison dropped from five helicopters.

“New Zealand pioneered the techniques for ridding islands of rats and in fact our operation on South Georgia is based on New Zealand’s technology.” Says Martin. “Some New Zealanders will be helping our campaign, including our chief pilot, Peter Garden, who was also chief pilot for the projects at Campbell Island and Rat Island, in the Aleutian chain of the north Pacific.”

The second and third stages in 2013 and 2014 will involve dropping as much as 300 tons of poison from the air onto every part of the island where rats might live. It is a huge operation, carried out during the stormy southern autumn when the rats are hungry and the risks of poisoning native wildlife are less than in the spring and summer months. “Ideally we’d do in winter but the weather makes that too risky,” Martin says.

The ecological payback will be priceless. But Martin says, “The full benefits will take decades to arrive, because some of these birds are slow to hatch.”

1.According to the passage, how did the rats appear on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia?

A. They were introduced there by sailors accidentally.

B. They escaped there from Campbell Island.

C. They were attracted there by wildlife.

D. They were brought in by people deliberately.

2.Which of the following is True about Peter Garden?

A. He is in charge of the campaign on the sub-Antarctic island.

B. He will be the only pilot for the project on the sub-Antarctic island.

C. He will benefit a lot from the campaign on the sub-Antarctic island.

D. He made great contributions to the project at Campbell Island and Rat Island.

3.The operation of ridding South Georgia of rats is to carried out in autumn because _________.

A. the war against Campbell Island rats failed in all seasons except autumn.

B. only then do the New Zealanders to help the operation have the spare time.

C. the poison kills rats more effectively than it does in any other season.

D. rats then need more food and the operation does less harm to native wildlife.

4.What can we infer from the passage?.

A. Rats aren’t the only species to be blamed for the disappearance of wildlife.

B. The campaign of killing rats will benefit the native wildlife in a short time.

C. The first stage of killing rats on the sub-Antarctic island didn’t make great achievements.

D. The campaign in South Georgia will fully follow in the footsteps of that on Campbell Island.

Answer 1