Just off the coast of Southern California sits Santa Cruz Island, where a magical creature called the island fox 26 . A decade ago, this island’s ecosystem was in 27 . Wild pigs attracted golden eagles from the mainland, and those flying 28 crashed the fox population. So the Nature Conservancy launched a 29 war against the pigs, complete with helicopters and sharp shooters.
And it worked. Today, federal agencies are pulling the island fox from the Endangered Species List. It’s the fastest-ever recovery of a mammal, joining peers like the Louisiana black bear as glowing successes in the history of the Endangered Species Act.
But the recovery of Santa Cruz Island isn’t just about the fox. The Nature Conservancy has 30 war on a multitude of invasive species here, from sheep to plants to the 31 Argentine ant. “Our philosophy with the island has always been, ‘OK, 32 the threats and let the island go back to what it was,’” says ecologist Christina Boser. And it appears to be working. native plants are coming back, and the fox once again bounds about carefree.
But keeping those foxes from harm will occupy Boser and her colleagues for years to come. You see, humans are still allowed on Santa Cruz Island, and they bring dogs. So Boser has to vaccinate her foxes against various diseases. “We’re obligated to keep a pulse on the population for at least five years after the foxes are delisted,” says Boser. that includes tagging the foxes and 33 their numbers to ensure nothing goes wrong.
This is the story of the little fox that has come back, and the people who have 34 their lives to protecting it. This is the story of wildlife conservation in the age of mass 35 .
A) aggressive B) chaos C) configuration D) declared E) dedicated F) dwells G) extinction H) fierce I) hinders J) mammal K) monitoring L) predators M) remove N) tempt O) underlying
答案解析：
根据...where a magical creature called the island fox ___ .”，可知此处需要一个动词作谓语，描述岛屿狐狸的栖息状态。dwells”意为居住，栖息”，是正式用语，符合语境。所以选 F。
根据...this island’s ecosystem was in ___ .”，可知此处需要一个名词，与 in”搭配，描述生态系统当时糟糕的状态。in chaos”意为处于混乱状态”，符合后文生态系统被破坏的描述。所以选 B。
根据...and those flying ___ crashed the fox population.”，可知此处需要一个名词，指代前文提到的 golden eagles”(金雕)。金雕对于狐狸来说是捕食者”。predators”意为捕食者，掠食者”，符合语境。所以选 L。
根据...launched a ___ war against the pigs...”，可知此处需要一个以非元音因素的形容词修饰 war”。从后文 complete with helicopters and sharp shooters”(动用了直升机和神枪手)可以看出，这是一场非常激烈的战争”。fierce”意为“凶猛的、激烈的”，所以选 H。aggressive也有类似含义，但是，空格前是不定冠词a，可以排除。
根据...The Nature Conservancy has 30 war on a multitude of invasive species here...”，可知此处需要一个动词的过去分词，构成 has...done”结构。declare war on...”是固定搭配，意为向……宣战”，符合语境。所以选 D。
根据...to the ___ Argentine ant.”，可知此处需要一个形容词修饰 Argentine ant”(阿根廷蚁)。文中提到，阿根廷蚂蚁和绵羊、植物一样，都是入侵物种，空格处应该体现阿根廷蚂蚁这一外来物种对“当地物种的破坏性”，所以选A aggressive(侵略性的)，空格所在处句意为“大自然保护协会已经向许多入侵物种宣战，从绵羊到植物，再到入侵的阿根廷蚂蚁”。
根据...‘OK, ___ the threats and let the island go back to what it was,’”可知此处需要一个动词，与 let the island go back”构成并列的祈使句。要恢复岛屿原貌，首先需要移除威胁”。remove”意为移除，消除”，符合语境。所以选 M。
根据...That includes tagging the foxes and ___ their numbers...”，可知此处需要一个动词的-ing形式，与 tagging”构成并列关系。给狐狸打上标签后，下一步就是监测”它们的数量。monitoring”意为监测，监控”，符合语境。所以选 K。
根据...and the people who have ___ their lives to protecting it.”，可知此处需要一个动词的过去分词，构成 have...done”结构。dedicate one's life to...”是固定搭配，意为将一生奉献给……”，符合语境。所以选 E。
根据...This is the story of wildlife conservation in the age of mass ___ .”，可知此处需要一个名词。整篇文章讲述的是将一个物种从濒危名录中移除的故事，其背景正是当今物种大规模灭绝的时代”。mass extinction”意为大灭绝”，是生态学常用术语，符合语境。所以选 G。
