题目内容：

We are interested in the preservation of the biodiversity on Earth. What I’ve been working on is rats. Just looking at rats, you can understand continental drift and climate change. We’ve actually rediscovered rats that were thought to be extinct. Darwin was the last one to document them on the Galapagos Islands. People have gone there for hundreds of years and not seen one. In 1997, I went there with my mentor(导师) and another graduate student. Everyone thought I was crazy, why look for something that doesn’t exist? They wouldn’t even give us permits. Our plan was to stop on a beach for a day and then hike up to the top of an extinct volcano where very few people had been:We were on a picturesque, isolated beach. We set out the traps just to see what we might find. The next morning, I checked my traps! I immediately ran back to my mentor. When he looked in the mental trap—I will never forget his face--- It looked like he’d seen a ghost.

I certainly understand the argument: “ Who cares about an extinct rat?” but you have no idea what role that rat plays in that functioning ecosystem. People can appreciate beauty, so that’s why people love pandas and want to keep them around. You never hear, “What good is panda?” Ecologically, these rats are much more important to their ecosystem than those pandas--- not that I don’t love pandas but we have to look beyond the big and beautiful.

I teach conservation biology and evolution. In both you have to appeal to people asking “ Why is this important to me?” Some scientists refuse to do that. That’s my entire approach. I’ll ask “How many of you had a family member who was in a tornado, hurricane or flood?” .And almost every hand goes up. Climate change is suddenly very personal, and now they want to hear what you are saying. You are not looking for sympathy for the rats but for a greater understanding of the system.

1.When the author went to the Galapagos Island with his team in 1997,________.

A. they were led to an extinct volcano.

B. they were driven away from the islands

C. they were offered some useful information

D. they couldn’t be understood by other people

2.Seeing the rat in the trap, the author’s mentor felt____.

A. delighted    B. astonished

C. satisfied    D. frightened.

3.The author mentions pandas in Paragraph 2 to show______.

A. it is no use protecting pandas

B. it’s important to research on rats

C. it’s time we cared about ecosystems

D. it’s worthwhile to bring extinct rats back to life.

4.How does the author make his students focus on his lectures?

A. By letting them know the courses are closely related to them.

B. By informing them of the harm of climate change.

C. By telling them the influence of natural disasters.

D. By making them feel sorry for the rats.