8．Easter （复活节） is still a great day for worship，candy in baskets and running around the yard finding eggs，but every year it gets quite a bit worse for bunnies．
And no，not because the kids like to pull their ears．The culprit is climate change，and some researchers found that rising temperatures are having harmful effects on at least five species of rabbit in the US，
Take the Lower Keys Marsh rabbit，for instance．An endangered species that lives in the Lower Florida Keys，this species of cottontail is a great swimmer--it lives on the islands!--but it is already severely affected by
development and now by rising sea levels．According to the Center for Biological Diversity，an ocean level rise of only 0.6meters will send these～ys jumping to higher ground and a 0.9-meter rise would wipe out their habitat （栖息地） completely．
The snowshoe hare，on the other hand，has a color issue．Most of these rabbits change their fur color from white in the wintertime to brown in the summer，each designed to give them better cover from predators （～I～'）～As the number of days with snow decreases all across the country，however，more and more bunnies are being left in white fur during brown dirt days of both fall and spring，making them an easier mark for predators．Researchers know that the color change is controlled by the number of hours of sunlight，but whether the rabbit will be able to adapt quick enough to survive is a big question．The National Wildlife Federation has reported that hunters have noticed their numbers are already markedly down．
American pikas or rock rabbits，a relative of rabbits and hares，might be the first of these species to go extinct due to climate change．About 7-8inches long，pikas live high in the cool．damp mountains west of the Rocky Mountains．As global temperatures rise，they would naturally migrate （J～2～） to higher ground--but they already occupy the mountaintops．They can't go any higher．The National Wildlife Federation reports that they might not be able to stand the new temperatures as their habitat heats up．
The volcano rabbit has the same problem．These rabbits live on the slopes of volcanoes in Mexico，and recent studies have shown that the lower range of their habitat has already shifted upward about 700meters，but there are not suitable plants for them to move higher，so they are stuck in the middle．Scientists are concerned about their populations．
Native to the US，pygmy rabbits weigh less than 1pound and live in the American West．They are believed to be the smallest rabbits in the world．Their habitats have been destroyed by development．Several populations，such as the Columbia Basin pygmy，almost went extinct and were saved by zoo breeding programs．Pygmy rabbits also rely on winter cover by digging tunnels through the snow to escape predators，but lesser snowfall is leaving them exposed．
All of this gives new meaning to dressing up in a giant bunny costume this Easter．
41．The writer mentions Easter at the beginning of the passage in order toB
A．show the importance of Easter Day
B．introduce the issue about bunnies
C．remind people of Easter traditions
D．discuss the relationship between Easter and bunnies
42．The word"culprit"（Paragraph 2）is closest in meaning toA
A．criminal B．judge C．victim D．producer
43．According to the passage，some rabbits can now be easily discovered by predators because theyC．
A．are exposed to more skillful hunters
B．have moved to habitats with fewer plants
C．haven't adapted themselves to climate change
D．can't change their fur color into white in the fall and the spring
44．The problem faced by volcano rabbits and rock rabbits is thatD．
A．both are affected by less snow B．both are affected by rising sea levels
C．neither can find enough food D．neither can migrate to higher places
45．Which best describes the writer's tone in the passage？B．
A．Approving． B．Concerned． C．Enthusiastic． D．Doubtful．
分析 每年复活节可爱的兔子给大家带来了很多欢乐，然而随着全球温暖趋势的加剧，这种给我们带来的愉悦兔子也不可避免地受到了一定的影响．不久的将来，复活节上兔子的服饰也会因此而有所变化．
解答 41．B 目的意图题．根据第一段在全文中的作用可以看出，本段主要目的是导入主题，即：关于兔子的问题．故答案选B．
42．A 词义猜测题．根据文章第一段最后一句后半句"but every year it gets quite a bit worse for bunnies．"和第二段的第一句"And no，not because the kids like to pull their ears．"可知答案A，意思是"罪过"，符合文意．故答案为A．
43．C 细节理解题．根据第三段的整体理解和倒数第二句"but whether the rabbit will be able to adapt quick enough to survive is a big question．"的总结，可知答案为C．
44．D 细节理解题．根据文章倒数第三段的第三句"they would naturally migrate （迁徙） to higher ground-but they already occupy the mountaintops．They can't go any higher．"和倒数第二段第二句的后半部分"but there are not suitable plants for them to move higher"，可知，故答案为D．
45．B 作者态度题．根据文章的整体理解，可知推断出作者对兔子这一问题很是关切（concerned），故答案B符合文意．Approving赞同的；Enthusiastic热情的；Doubtful质疑的，均不符合语境，故排除．故答案选B．
点评 本文是一篇历史文化类阅读文章．本类题型常用的方式是夹叙夹议．叙述的目的是为了议，所以要把握其议才是主要方面．阅读这类文章，先弄清其引入的话题，再弄清里面人物对其不同的看法，然后理解作者本身对话题的观点看法或思考．
