問題詳情
請依下文回答第 31 題至第 35 題： Pirate spiders are members of the spider group that includes all the “orb weavers” – those that make theprototypical, circular webs we are all familiar with – but they do not make webs. In fact, they have lost the ability.They can still produce silk, which they use to build egg sacs and wrap prey. But they are anatomically incapableof spinning a web. The number of silk “spigots” on their spinnerets is dramatically small compared to theirrelatives. Instead, they invade the webs of other spiders, in a bid to lure and then kill the hapless architect. Gently, theypluck the strings of the web, enticing the host to approach. Once the host spider has ventured close enough, thepirate makes its move. First, it encloses its duped prey within its two enormous front legs. These are fringed with massive spines,called “macrosetae,” which they use to trap the host within a prison-like basket. Then, the final move: the piratebites its prey and uses its fangs to inject a powerful venom that instantly immobilises it. It is a powerfullyeffective hunting technique. “It can be riveting to watch a pirate stealthily wandering while waving its long, first pair of legs to narrow inon the location of the other spider,” says Mark Townley of the University of New Hampshire. “Despite manyhours spent feeding pirates for our studies on spinnerets, I never became jaded by the sight of them searching forand attacking prey. It was always a marvel to watch. They can wield that first pair of legs so delicately that I’veseen them touch prey spiders so lightly without them reacting in any way, not seeming to even notice.” But we do not yet fully understand how the pirate’s strategy works. In particular, it is not clear why the piratespiders pluck the strings of the host spider’s web. It has long been assumed that the plucking mimics thevibrations caused by an ensnared insect. Hence, the Latin name for pirate spiders: Mimetidae (i.e., imitator). However, not all entomologists agree that this is what the pirate spiders are doing. “The behaviour ofresident spiders towards pirate spiders and their own prey is quite different, as are the vibrations in the webcaused by these two sources,” says Carl Kloock of California State University Bakersfield. He has an alternativesuggestion. “It seems to me most likely that pirate spiders are mimicking the vibrations of web-invading spidersof the same species, and possibly spiders of different species,” says Kloock. “A spider on its web needs to defendits web – a valuable resource – from other spiders, who may try to take over the web to avoid the cost of buildingtheir own web, or simply try to steal prey from the web.”
【題組】31 Which of the following titles best describes the passage?
(A)The Spiders That Hunt Other Spiders
(B)How Spiders Get Their Prey
(C)Why Spiders Imitate Other Spiders
(D)The Secret of Spiders’ Webs
參考答案
答案：A
難度：適中0.5
統計：A(0),B(0),C(0),D(0),E(0)