Q9 to Q12:
The sloth bear, an insect-eating
animal native to Nepal, exhibits only one
behavior that is truly distinct from that of
Line other bear species: the females carry
(5) their cubs (at least part-time) until the
cubs are about nine months old, even
though the cubs can walk on their own
at six months. Cub-carrying also occurs
among some other myrmecophagous
(10) (ant-eating) mammals; therefore, one
explanation is that cub-carrying is
necessitated by myrmecophagy, since
myrmecophagy entails a low metabolic
rate and high energy expenditure in
(15) walking between food patches. How-
ever, although polar bears’ locomotion
is similarly inefficient, polar bear cubs
walk along with their mother. Further-
more, the daily movements of sloth
(20) bears and American black bears—
which are similar in size to sloth bears
and have similar-sized home ranges—
reveal similar travel rates and distances,
suggesting that if black bear cubs are
(25) able to keep up with their mother, so
too should sloth bear cubs.
An alternative explanation is defense
from predation. Black bear cubs use
trees for defense, whereas brown bears
(30) and polar bears, which regularly inhabit
treeless environments, rely on aggres-
sion to protect their cubs. Like brown
bears and polar bears (and unlike other
myrmecophagous mammals, which are
(35) noted for their passivity), sloth bears
are easily provoked to aggression.
Sloth bears also have relatively large
canine teeth, which appear to be more
functional for fighting than for foraging.
(40) Like brown bears and polar bears,
sloth bears may have evolved in an
environment with few trees. They are
especially attracted to food-rich
grasslands; although few grasslands
(45) persist today on the Indian subcontinent,
this type of habitat was once wide-
spread there. Grasslands support
high densities of tigers, which fight and
sometimes kill sloth bears; sloth bears
(50) also coexist with and have been killed
by tree-climbing leopards, and are often
confronted and chased by rhinoceroses
and elephants, which can topple trees.
Collectively these factors probably
(55) selected against tree-climbing as a
defensive strategy for sloth bear cubs.
Because sloth bears are smaller than
brown and polar bears and are under
greater threat from dangerous animals,
(60) they may have adopted the extra pre-
caution of carrying their cubs. Although
cub-carrying may also be adoptive for
myrmecophagous foraging, the behavior
of sloth bear cubs, which climb on their
(65) mother’s back at the first sign of danger,
suggests that predation was a key
stimulus.
Q12:
Which of the following is mentioned in the passage as a way in which brown bears and sloth bears are similar?
They tend to become aggressive when provoked.
They live almost exclusively in treeless environments.
They are preyed upon by animals that can climb or topple trees.
They are inefficient in their locomotion.
They have relatively large canine teeth.
Mine: A
我用的是携隐JJ的无重复版GWD，不知道是不是和大家的题目有出入，这篇文章的链接都没有看到12题的讨论，所以请大家帮我看看，感觉B很有迷惑性，当时犹豫了很久才选A，但始终说服不了自己。。。 | 
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发表于 2005-7-14 00:10:00
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