As Gilbert White，Darwin ， and others observed long ago， all species appear to have theinnate capacity to increase their numbers from generation to generation. The task forecologistsis to untangle the environmentaand biologicalfactorsthat hold this intrinsiccapacity for population growth in check over the long run. The great variety of dynamicbehaviorsexhibitedby differentpopulationmakes thistaskmore difficult：sompopulations remain roughly constant from year to year; others exhibit regular cycles ofabundance and scarcity; still others vary wildly， with outbreaks and crashes that arein some cases plainly correlated with the weather， and in other cases not.To impose some order on this kaleidoscopeof patterns ， one school of thought proposesdividing populations into two groups. These ecologists posit that the relatively steadypopulations havedensity-dependent growth parameters; that is， rates ofbirth ， death ，and migrationwhich depend strongly on population density. The highly varying populationshave density-independent growth parameters， with vital rates buffeted by environmentalevents ;these rates fluctuate in a way that is wholly independent of population density.This dichotomy has its uses， but it can cause problems if taken too literally. Forone thing ， no population can be driven entirely by density-independent factors all thetime. No matter how severely or unpredictably birth， death ， and migration rates may befluctuatingaround theirlong-termaverages ， ifthere were no density-dependenteffects ，the populationwould ， in the long run ， eitherincrease or decrease without bound (barringa miracle by which gains and losses canceled exactly)。 Put another way， it may be thaton average 99 percent of all deaths in a populationarise from density-independentcauses ，and only one percent from factors varying with density.The factorsmaking up the one percentmay seem unimportant， and their cause may be correspondingly hard to determine. Yet，whether recognized or not， they will usually determine the long-term average populationdensity.In order to understand the nature of theecologist ’s investigation， we may think ofthe density-dependent effectson growth parameters as the signal ecologists are trying toisolateand interpret， one that tends to make the population increase from relativelylowvalues or decrease from relatively high ones， while the density-independent effects actto produce noise in the populationdynamics.For populationsthatremain relativelyconstant ， or that oscillate around repeated cycles， the signal can be fairly easilycharacterized and its effects described， even though the causative biological mechanismmay remain unknown. For irregularly fluctuating populations， we are likely to have toofew observations to have any hope of extracting the signal from the overwhelming noise.But it now seems clear that all populationsare regulatedby a mixture of density-dependentand density-independent effects in varying proportions.
1. The author of the text is primarily concerned with
[A] Discussing two categories of factorsthat controlpopulationgrowth and assessingtheir relative importance.
[B] Describinghow growth ratesin naturalpopulationsfluctuateover time andexplaining why these changes occur.
[C] Proposing a hypothesisconcerning population size and suggesting ways to test it.
[D] Posing a fundamental question about environmentalfactorsin populationgrowth andpresenting some currently accepted answer.
2. It can be inferred from the text that the author considers the dichotomy discussedto be
[A] Applicable only to erratically fluctuating populations.
[B] instrumental， but only if its limitations are recognized.
[C] Dangerously misleading in most circumstances.
[D] A complete and sufficient way to account for observed phenomena.
3.to the text ， allof the followingbehaviors have been exhibitedby differentpopulations EXCEPT
[A] Roughly constant population levels from year to year.
[B] Regular cycles of increases and decreases in numbers.
[C] Erratic increases in numbers correlated with the weather.
[D] Unchecked increases in numbers over many generations.
4. The discussion concerning population in the third paragraph serves primarily to
[A] Demonstrate the difficultiesecologistsface in studying density-dependentfactorslimiting population growth.
[B] Advocate more rigorous study of density-dependent factors in population growth.
[C] Prove that the death rates of any populationare never entirelydensity-independent.
[D] underline the importance of even small density-dependent factors in regulatinglong-term population densities.
5. In the text， the author does all of the following EXCEPT
[A] Cite the views of other biologists.
[B] Define a basic problem that the text addresses.
[C] Present conceptual categories used by other biologists.
[D] Describe the results of a particular study.
ABDDD
1.「答案」A
「考點解析」這是一道中心主旨題。本文的中心主旨句在第三段的首句。如果考生能夠抓住第三段的首句就等于抓住了整篇文章的論述結構。該句中的“dichotomy”(兩分法)就是正確選項中的“twocategories”。考生在解題時應首先抓住每篇文章的中心主旨句，因為這決定了對全文
結構的認識以及對原文整體的把握。
2.「答案」B
「考點解析」這是一道細節推導題。根據題干中的“dichotomy”可將本題的答案信息來源迅速確定在第二段的首句。如果考生能夠正確理解該句中“but”一詞前后的內容，就可以找出本題的正確選項B.考生在解題時一定要正確理解原文所傳達的含義，即進行正確的細節推導。
3.「答案」D
「考點解析」這是一道審題定位與中心主旨題。根據本題題干中的“differentpopulations”可將本題的答案信息來源確定在首段的第一句，因為該句中的“allspecies”實際上指的就是題干中的“differentpopulations”。從第一段的首句入手并且仔細閱讀首段的第二句，就可以找出本題的正確選項D，因為該選項所傳達的信息與原文第一段第一、二句所傳達的信息不一致。考生在解題時一定要學會迅速審題定位的能力。
4.「答案」D
「考點解析」本題是一道歸納推導題。題干已明確指出該題的答案信息來源在第三段。第三段主要陳述“density-dependentfactors”的作用，通過仔細閱讀第三段，尤其是第三段的最后三句話，考生可以得知本文作者在第三段是在強調“density-dependentfactors”的作用。可D是本題的正確選項。考生在理解原文時一定要注意掌握歸納推導的能力。
5.「答案」D
「考點解析」本題是一道寫作手法題。這是一道比較難的題目，旨在考察考生的語言功底。本文作者在論述自己的觀點時運用了各種寫作手段。選項A、B、C中所涉及的內容分別在第一段、第三段和第二段中出現。考生一定要提高對原文各種寫作手段的認識。
____thecenterofourplanetarysystemwasconsideredasheresybythechurchintheMiddleAges.
-Wehaven’theardfromJaneforalongtime.
-Whatdoyousuppose_____toher?
Thechildrenshouldgotoschoolinsteadoftosupporttheirfamilies.
Ithink____importanttolearnEnglishwell.
I’veneverbeenoutofChina___________.Whataboutyou?
