新高考英语二轮复习重难题型专项突破考点5 阅读理解之段落大意（原卷版）

考点5阅读理解之段落大意Part1题型详解：主旨大意之段落大意考点是高考中的必考点。这些设置题目的段落或引出话题或承上启下或总结全文。命题者的意图是明确的，他们着眼于文章中起重要作用的段落进而设题。预测在2024高考中，段落大意题会继续在高考阅读理解中呈现。Part2常见设问方式：Whatisthisparagraphmainlyabout?Themainideaofparagraph2and3isWhat’sthemainideaofparagraph...?Part3解题方法指导:1.了解篇章结构，段落大意题目仍然是概括性的题目，段落大意应围绕主题发展。2.关注段首，段尾，段落中有关转折、递进的句子。Part4真题检测2023年全国乙卷英语真题Ifyouwanttotellthehistoryofthewholeworld,ahistorythatdoesnotprivilegeonepartofhumanity,youcannotdoitthroughtextsalone,becauseonlysomeoftheworldhaseverhadtexts,whilemostoftheworld,formostofthetime,hasnot.Writingisoneofhumanity’slaterachievements,anduntilfairlyrecentlyevenmanyliterate(有文字的)societiesrecordedtheirconcernsnotonlyinwritingbutinthings.Ideallyahistorywouldbringtogethertextsandobjects,andsomechaptersofthisbookareabletodojustthat,butinmanycaseswesimplycan’t.Theclearestexampleofthisbetweenliterateandnon-literatehistoryisperhapsthefirstconflict,atBotanyBay,betweenCaptainCook’svoyageandtheAustralianAboriginals.FromtheEnglishside,wehavescientificreportsandthecaptain’srecordofthatterribleday.FromtheAustralianside,wehaveonlyawoodenshield(盾)droppedbyamaninflightafterhisfirstexperienceofgunshot.Ifwewanttoreconstructwhatwasactuallygoingonthatday,theshieldmustbequestionedandinterpretedasdeeplyandstrictlyasthewrittenreports.Inadditiontotheproblemofmiscomprehensionfrombothsides,therearevictoriesaccidentallyordeliberatelytwisted,especiallywhenonlythevictorsknowhowtowrite.Thosewhoareonthelosingsideoftenhaveonlytheirthingstotelltheirstories.TheCaribbeanTaino,theAustralianAboriginals,theAfricanpeopleofBeninandtheIncas,allofwhomappearinthisbook,canspeaktousnowoftheirpastachievementsmostpowerfullythroughtheobjectstheymade:ahistorytoldthroughthingsgivesthembackavoice.Whenweconsidercontact(联系)betweenliterateandnon-literatesocietiessuchasthese,allourfirst-handaccountsarenecessarilytwisted,onlyonehalfofadialogue.Ifwearetofindtheotherhalfofthatconversation,wehavetoreadnotjustthetexts,buttheobjects.1．Whatisthefirstparagraphmainlyabout?A．Howpasteventsshouldbepresented. B．Whathumanityisconcernedabout.C．Whetherfactsspeaklouderthanwords. D．Whywrittenlanguageisreliable.2023年新课标全国Ⅰ卷英语真题OnMarch7,1907,theEnglishstatisticianFrancisGaltonpublishedapaperwhichillustratedwhathascometobeknownasthe“wisdomofcrowds”effect.Theexperimentofestimationheconductedshowedthatinsomecases,theaverageofalargenumberofindependentestimatescouldbequiteaccurate.Thiseffectcapitalizesonthefactthatwhenpeoplemakeerrors,thoseerrorsaren’talwaysthesame.Somepeoplewilltendtooverestimate,andsometounderestimate.Whenenoughoftheseerrorsareaveragedtogether,theycanceleachotherout,resultinginamoreaccurateestimate.Ifpeoplearesimilarandtendtomakethesameerrors,thentheirerrorswon’tcanceleachotherout.Inmoretechnicalterms,thewisdomofcrowdsrequiresthatpeople’sestimatesbeindependent.Ifforwhateverreasons,people’serrorsbecomecorrelatedordependent,theaccuracyoftheestimatewillgodown.ButanewstudyledbyJoaquinNavajasofferedaninterestingtwist(转折)onthisclassicphenomenon.Thekeyfindingofthestudywasthatwhencrowdswerefurtherdividedintosmallergroupsthatwereallowedtohaveadiscussion,theaveragesfromthesegroupsweremoreaccuratethanthosefromanequalnumberofindependentindividuals.Forinstance,theaverageobtainedfromtheestimatesoffourdiscussiongroupsoffivewassignificantlymoreaccuratethantheaverageobtainedfrom20independentindividuals.Inafollow-upstudywith100universitystudents,theresearcherstriedtogetabettersenseofwhatthegroupmembersactuallydidintheirdiscussion.Didtheytendtogowiththosemostconfidentabouttheirestimates?Didtheyfollowthoseleastwillingtochangetheirminds?Thishappenedsomeofthetime,butitwasn’tthedominantresponse.Mostfrequently,thegroupsreportedthatthey“sharedargumentsandreasonedtogether”.Somehow,theseargumentsandreasoningresultedinaglobalreductioninerror.AlthoughthestudiesledbyNavajashavelimitationsandmanyquestionsremain,thepotentialimplicationsforgroupdiscussionanddecision-makingareenormous.5．Whatisparagraph2ofthetextmainlyabout?A．Themethodsofestimation. B．Theunderlyinglogicoftheeffect.C．Thecausesofpeople’serrors. D．ThedesignofGalton’sexperiment.2022年新高考全国Ⅰ卷英语真题Humanspeechcontainsmorethan2,000differentsounds,fromthecommon“m”and“a”totherareclicksofsomesouthernAfricanlanguages.Butwhyarecertainsoundsmorecommonthanothers?Aground-breaking,five-yearstudyshowsthatdiet-relatedchangesinhumanbiteledtonewspeechsoundsthatarenowfoundinhalftheworld’slanguages.Morethan30yearsago,thescholarCharlesHockettnotedthatspeechsoundscalledlabiodentals,suchas“f”and“v”,weremorecommoninthelanguagesofsocietiesthatatesofterfoods.NowateamofresearchersledbyDamiánBlasiattheUniversityofZurich,Switzerland,hasfoundhowandwhythistrendarose.Theydiscoveredthattheupperandlowerfrontteethofancienthumanadultswerealigned(对齐),makingithardtoproducelabiodentals,whichareformedbytouchingthelowerliptotheupperteeth.Later,ourjawschangedtoanoverbitestructure(结构),makingiteasiertoproducesuchsounds.TheteamshowedthatthischangeinbitewasconnectedwiththedevelopmentofagricultureintheNeolithicperiod.Foodbecameeasiertochewatthispoint.Thejawbonedidn’thavetodoasmuchworkandsodidn’tgrowtobesolarge.AnalysesofalanguagedatabasealsoconfirmedthattherewasaglobalchangeinthesoundofworldlanguagesaftertheNeolithicage,withtheuseof“f”and“v”increasingremarkablyduringthelastfewthousandyears.Thesesoundsarestillnotfoundinthelanguagesofmanyhunter-gathererpeopletoday.Thisresearchoverturnsthepopularviewthatallhumanspeechsoundswerepresentwhenhumanbeingsevolvedaround300,000yearsago.“Thesetofspeechsoundsweusehasnotnecessarilyremainedstablesincetheappearanceofhumanbeings,butratherthehugevarietyofspeechsoundsthatwefindtodayistheproductofacomplexinterplayofthingslikebiologicalchangeandculturalevolution,”saidStevenMoran,amemberoftheresearchteam.11．Whatisparagraph5mainlyabout?A．Supportingevidencefortheresearchresults.B．Potentialapplicationoftheresearchfindings.C．Afurtherexplanationoftheresearchmethods.D．Areasonabledoubtabouttheresearchprocess.2022年全国甲卷英语真题Sometimeintheearly1960s,asignificantthinghappenedinSydney,Australia.Thecitydiscovereditsharbor.Then,oneafteranother,Sydneydiscoveredlotsofthingsthatwerejustsortofthere—broadparks,superbbeaches,andaculturallydiversepopulation.Butitistheharborthatmakesthecity.AndrewReynolds,acheerfulfellowinhisearly30s,pilotsSydneyferryboatsforaliving.Ispentthewholemorningshuttlingbackandforthacrosstheharbor.AfterourthirdrunAndrewshutdowntheengine,andwewentourseparateways—heforalunchbreak,Itoexplorethecity.“I’llmisstheseoldboats,”hesaidasweparted.“Howdoyoumean?”Iasked.“Oh,they’rereplacingthemwithcatamarans.Catamaransarefaster,butthey’renotsoelegant,andthey’renotfuntopilot.Butthat’sprogress,Iguess.”EverywhereinSydneythesedays,changeandprogressarethewatchwords(口号),andtraditionsareincreasinglyrare.ShirleyFitzgerald,thecity’sofficialhistorian,toldmethatinitsrushtomodernityinthe1970s,Sydneysweptasidemuchofitspast,includingmanyofitsfinestbuildings.“Sydneyisconfusedaboutitself,”shesaid.“Wecan’tseemtomakeupourmindswhetherwewantamoderncityoratraditionalone.It’saconflictthatwearen’tgettinganybetteratresolving(解决).”Ontheotherhand,beingyoungandoldatthesametimehasitsattractions.IconsideredthiswhenImetathoughtfulyoungbusinessmannamedAnthony.“Manypeoplesaythatwelackcultureinthiscountry,”hetoldme.“WhatpeopleforgetisthattheItalians,whentheycametoAustralia,brought2000yearsoftheirculture,theGreekssome3000years,andtheChinesemorestill.We’vegotafoundationbuiltonancientculturesbutwithadriveanddynamismofayoungcountry.It’saprettyhardcombinationtobeat.”Heisright,butIcan’thelpwishingtheywouldkeepthoseoldferries.13．Whatisthefirstparagraphmainlyabout?A．Sydney’sstrikingarchitecture. B．TheculturaldiversityofSydney.C．ThekeytoSydney’sdevelopment. D．Sydney’stouristattractionsinthe1960s.2021年北京市英语高考真题Earlyfifth-centuryphilosopherSt．Augustinefamouslywrotethatheknewwhattimewasunlesssomeoneaskedhim．AlbertEinsteinaddedanotherwrinklewhenhetheorizedthattimevariesdependingonwhereyoumeasureit．Today'sstate-of-the-artatomic（原子的）clockshaveprovenEinsteinright．Evenadvancedphysicscan'tdecisivelytelluswhattimeis,becausetheanswerdependsonthequestionyou'reasking．Forgetabouttimeasanabsolute．Whatif，insteadofconsideringtimeintermsofastronomy,werelatedtimetoecology？Whatifweallowedenvironmentalconditionstosetthetempo（节奏）ofhumanlife？We'reincreasinglyawareofthefactthatwecan'tcontrolEarthsystemswithengineeringalone，andrealizingthatweneedtomoderate（调节）ouractionsifwehopetoliveinbalance．Whatifourdefinitionoftimereflectedthat？Recently，Iconceptualizedanewapproachtotimekeepingthat'sconnectedtocircumstancesonourplanet，conditionsthatmightchangeasaresultofglobalwarming．We'renowbuildingaclockattheAnchorageMuseumthatreflectsthetotalflowofseveralmajorAlaskanrivers，whicharesensitivetolocalandglobalenvironmentalchanges．We'veprogrammedittomatchanatomicclockifthewaterwayscontinuetoflowattheirpresentrate．Iftheriversrunfasterinthefutureonaverage，theclockwillgetaheadofstandardtime．Iftheyrunslower，you'llseetheoppositeeffect．Theclockregistersbothshort-termirregularitiesandlong-termtrendsinriverdynamics．It'sasortofobservatorythatrevealshowtheriversarebehavingfromtheirowntemporalframe（时间框架），andallowsustowitnessthosechangesonoursmartwatchesorphones．AnyonewhooptstogoonAlaskaMeanRiverTimewillliveinharmonywiththeplanet．Anyonewhoconsidersrivertimeinrelationtoatomictimewillencounteramajorimbalanceandmaybemotivatedtocounteractitbyconsuminglessfuelorsupportinggreenerpolicies．Evenifthismethodoftimekeepingisnovelinitsparticulars，earlyagriculturalsocietiesalsoconnectedtimetonaturalphenomena．Inpre-ClassicalGreece，forinstance，people“corrected”officialcalendarsbyshiftingdatesforwardorbackwardtoreflectthechangeofseason．Temporalconnectiontotheenvironmentwasvitaltotheirsurvival．Likewise，rivertimeandothertimekeepingsystemswe'redevelopingmayencourageenvironmentalawareness．WhenSt．Augustineadmittedhisinabilitytodefinetime，hehighlightedoneoftime'smostnoticeablequalities：Timebecomesmeaningfulonlyinadefinedcontext．Anytimekeepingsystemisvalid，andeachisaspraiseworthyasitspurpose．17．WhatisthemainideaofParagraph1？A．Timekeepingisincreasinglyrelatedtonature．B．Everyonecandefinetimeontheirownterms．C．Thequalitiesoftimevarywithhowyoumeasureit．D．Timeisamajorconcernofphilosophersandscientists．2021年浙江卷英语真题（7月）Ifyouevergettheimpressionthatyourdogcan“tell”whetheryoulookcontentorannoyed,youmaybeontosomething.Dogsmayindeedbeabletodistinguishbetweenhappyandangryhumanfaces,accordingtoanewstudy.Researcherstrainedagroupof11dogstodistinguishbetweenimages(图像)ofthesamepersonmakingeitherahappyoranangryface.Duringthetrainingstage,eachdogwasshownonlytheupperhalforthelowerhalfoftheperson’sface.Theresearchersthentestedthedogs’abilitytodistinguishbetweenhumanfacialexpressionsbyshowingthemtheotherhalfoftheperson’sfaceonimagestotallydifferentfromtheonesusedintraining.Theresearchersfoundthatthedogswereabletopicktheangryorhappyfacebytouchingapictureofitwiththeirnosesmoreoftenthanonewouldexpectbyrandomchance.Thestudyshowedtheanimalshadfiguredouthowtoapplywhattheylearnedabouthumanfacesduringtrainingtonewfacesinthetestingstage.“Wecanruleoutthatthedogssimplydistinguishbetweenthepicturesbasedonasimplecue,suchasthesightofteeth,”saidstudyauthorCorsinMuller.“Instead,ourresultssuggestthatthesuccessfuldogsrealizedthatasmilingmouthmeansthesamethingassmilingeyes,andthesameruleappliestoanangrymouthhavingthesamemeaningasangryeyes.”“Withourstudy,wethinkwecannowconfidentlyconcludethatatleastsomedogscandistinguishhumanfacialexpressions,”MullertoldLiveScience.Atthispoint,itisnotclearwhydogsseemtobeequippedwiththeabilitytorecognizedifferentfacialexpressionsinhumans.“Tous,themostlikelyexplanationappearstobethatthebasisliesintheirlivingwithhumans,whichgivesthemalotofexposuretohumanfacialexpressions,andthisexposurehasprovidedthemwithmanychancestolearntodistinguishbetweenthem,”Mullersaid.23．Whatisthelastparagraphmainlyabout?A．Asuggestionforfuturestudies. B．Apossiblereasonforthestudyfindings.C．Amajorlimitationofthestudy D．Anexplanationoftheresearchmethod.2021年全国乙卷英语真题Whenalmosteveryonehasamobilephone,whyaremorethanhalfofAustralianhomesstillpayingforalandline(座机)?Thesedaysyou’dbehardpressedtofindanyoneinAustraliaovertheageof15whodoesn’townamobilephone.Infactplentyofyoungerkidshaveoneintheirpocket.Practicallyeveryonecanmakeandreceivecallsanywhere,anytime.Still,55percentofAustralianshavealandlinephoneathomeandonlyjustoveraquarter(29%)relyonlyontheirsmartphonesaccordingtoasurvey(调查).OfthoseAustralianswhostillhavealandline,athirdconcedethatit’snotreallynecessaryandthey’rekeepingitasasecurityblanket—19percentsaytheyneveruseitwhileafurther13percentkeepitincaseofemergencies.Ithinkmyhomefallsintothatcategory.MorethanhalfofAustralianhomesarestillchoosingtostickwiththeirhomephone.Ageisnaturallyafactor(因素)—only58percentofGenerationYsstilluselandlinesnowandthen,comparedto84percentofBabyBoomerswho’veperhapshadthesamehomenumberfor50years.Ageisn’ttheonlyfactor;I’dsayit’salsotodowiththemakeupofyourhousehold.GenerationXerswithyoungfamilies,likemywifeandI,canstillfinditconvenienttohaveahomephoneratherthanprovidingamobilephoneforeveryfamilymember.Thatsaid,tobehonesttheonlypeoplewhoeverringourhomephoneareourBabyBoomersparents,tothepointwhereweplayagameandguesswhoiscallingbeforewepickupthephone(usingCallerIDwouldtakethefunoutofit).Howattachedareyoutoyourlandline?Howlonguntiltheygothewayofgasstreetlampsandmorningmilkdeliveries?24．Whatdoesparagraph2mainlytellusaboutmobilephones?A．Theirtargetusers. B．Theirwidepopularity.C．Theirmajorfunctions. D．Theircomplexdesign.Part5模拟练习2024届河南省信阳市浉河区信阳高级中学高三上学期一模英语试题Citiesaredifficulttonavigate(导航)atthebestoftimes,butforpeoplewithdisabilitiestheycanbelikecourseswithhurdlesandbringinconveniencetodisabledpeople.AUKnationaltravelsurveyfoundthatadultswithmobilitydifficultiestook39%fewertripsthanthosewithnodisabilityin2017.Yetthatcouldchangeasdevicesandcitiesgrowsmarter.Assistivetechisplayingabigroleinthetransformation.Theglobalvalueoftheindustryisexpectedtoincreasefrom$14billionin2015to$30.8billionin2024,accordingtoZionMarketResearch.OneofthethingsthatcouldtransformlivesisasmartwalkingstickdesignedbyengineersfromYoungGuruAcademy(YGA)inTurkey.TheWeWalkstickhasasensorthatdetectshurdlesabovechestlevelandusesvibrations(振动)towarntheuser.Itcanbepairedwithasmartphonetohelpnavigation,andisconnectedwithavoiceassistantandGoogleMaps.Ceylan,whohasbeenblindsincebirth,saysthatconnectingthesticktotheInternetofThingsandsmartcitysolutionsmakesituser-friendly.“Asablindperson,whenIamattheMetrostationIdon’tknowwhichismyexit...Idon’tknowwhichbusisapproaching...whichstoresarearoundme.ThatkindofinformationcanbeprovidedwiththeWeWalk,”hesays.“Thesmartwalkingstickisreallyanexcitinginitiativethatwillmakeahugedifferencetosomepeople,”saysAnnaLawson,thedirectoroftheCenterforDisabilityStudiesatLeedsUniversityintheUnitedKingdom.“Buttheyareveryexpensive...they’renotgoingtobeavailabletothevastmajorityofdisabledpeople,”sheadded.BryanMatthews,alecturerattheInstituteforTransportStudiesattheUniversityofLeeds,sharestheconcernsaboutcost.Hesaysthereshouldalsobeafocusoninclusivedesign,andanythingthathelpspeoplenavigatetheirenvironmentispositive.29．Whatdoesparagraph3mainlytalkabout?A．TheworkingprinciplesoftheWeWalkstick.B．TheintroductionoftheWeWalkstickinventors.C．ThetransformationcausedbytheWeWalkstick.D．ThebenefitsbroughtaboutbytheWeWalkstick.2023届安徽省、云南省、吉林省、黑龙江省高三下学期2月适应性测试英语试题Foryears,DavidJames,whostudiesinsectsatWashingtonStateUniversity,hadwantedtoexaminethemigration(迁徙)patternsofWestCoastmonarchbutterflies(黑脉金斑蝶).Theroutethebutterfliestravelhasbeenhardlyknownbecausethepopulationsaretoosmalltofollow.Forevery200monarchstagged(打标签)byaresearcher,onlyoneisusuallyrecoveredattheendofitstrip,Jamessays,andfindingeven200inthewildtotagisunlikely.Knowingtherouteisvitaltoconservationefforts,butJameshadnowaytofigureitout-untilhegotaphonecallfromWashingtonStatePenitentiaryinWallaWalla.Theprisonwaslookingfornewactivitiestoimprovethementalhealthofthoseservinglong-termsentences.SoJamesbeganworkingwithprisonerstoraisemonarchsthroughthewholeprocessoftheirtransformation.Theadultinsectswerethentaggedandreleasedfromtheprison.Overfiveyears,nearly10,000monarchsflewfromthefacility.ElsewhereinWashington,OregonandIdaho,researchersreleasedanotherfewthousand.Thetagsincludedemailaddresses,andsoonafterthefirstbutterfliestookoff,Jamesstartedreceivingmessagesfrompeoplewhohadspottedthem.Thebutterflies,thereportsconfirmed,winteredincoastalCalifornia.TwelveofthemlandedatLighthouseFieldStateBeachinSantaCruz.SeveralmoreheadedtoBolinasandMorroBay.TheworkhelpsresearchersidentifyidealplacestoplantmilkweedandothervegetationthatareimportanttothelifecycleofWestCoastmonarchbutterflies.Italsobroughtoutthegentlersideofsomeoftheprisoners.“Theywereveryworriedthattheyweregoingtoharmthebutterflies,”Jamessays.Watchingthemonarchchangetheirformalsotouchedthemen.“Thisbutterflychanged,”Jamesrecallsprisonerstellinghim,“andmaybewecantoo.”35．Whatisthelastparagraphmainlyabout?A．Theimpactoftheresearch.B．ThefindingsofJames’study.C．Thereleaseoftheprisoners.D．Thelifecycleofthebutterflies.2023届广东省深圳市高三年级第一次调研考试英语试题Fromcottagessurroundedbyimpressivegardenstodaysspentexploringsandybeachesanddeepwoodsfilledwithwildlife,inMyFamilyandOtherAnimals,EnglishwriterGeraldDurrellprovidedavividaccountofhisfamily’stimeontheGreekislandofCorfuinthe1930s.ComeforthearrestingdescriptionsofCorfulandscapesandstayforDurrell’slaugh-out-loudtalesofhisunusualfamily.Thisbook,Durrellwrotehumorouslyintheintroduction,“wasintendedtobeanostalgic(怀旧的)accountofnaturalhistory,butinthefirstfewpages,Imadethemistakeofintroducingmyfamily.”Durrell,laterknownforhiszookeepingandthepreservationofwildlife,wasjustachildduringhisfamily’sfive-yearstayinCorfu.Heis10-year-oldGerryinthebook—curious,passionateaboutanimalsandadetailedstorytellerofhisstrangefamily:hisimaginativeelderbrotherLarrywithhisliteraryambitions,lovestrucksisterMargo,sportybrotherLeslieandhisever-calm,lovingmother.Durrell’sattentiontodetailiswhatmakesthebooksowinning,witheverysight,soundandsmelloftheislandbroughttolife.Oneminuteyou’llbelaughingasLarry’scleverliteraryfriendswalkdowntothedaffodil-yellowcottage,thenextyou’llbecatchingyourbreathasDurrelldescribesswimmingatnightintheIonianSea:“Lyingonmybackinthesilkywater,staringatthesky,onlymovingmyhandsandfeetslightly,IwaslookingattheMilkyWaystretchinglikeasilkscarfacrosstheskyandwonderinghowmanystarsitcontained.”MyFamilyandOtherAnimalsisquitedifficulttoclassify,beingoneparttravel,onepartautobiography,onepartnaturalhistory,andonepartcomedy,withathreadofdescriptivelanguagerunningthroughoutthatsometimesraisesitnearlytopoetry.Asarealdelighttoread,it’stheperfectliteraryescapismforanyadultorolderteenagerwhoiscurrentlywalkingdownatoughroadinlife.38．Whatareparagraph4and5mainlyabout?A．Thebook’swritingfeature.B．Durrell’srichimagination.C．Someinterestingplotsofthebook.D．Somevividdescriptionsoftheisland.2023届广东省广州市普通高中毕业班综合测试（一）英语试题Beavers(海狸),likehumans,changetheirsurroundingstofittheirneeds.Knownasnature’sengineers,theyteartreesdowntobuildhomestoliveinanddamstoraisewaterlevelsforprotectionfromenemies.Damsalsoslowwater’sflowwhileblockingsediment(沉积物)thatwouldotherwiseflowdownstream.Theresultingwetlandsoftenattractwildlifediversitywherenonehadexisted.Therearechallenges,though.Beaverdamssometimescauseflooding,andmostpeopleprefertreesaliveandupright.Communitiesfaceadelicatebalancingact,learningtocoexistwithbeavers.Lastwinter,manypeopleenjoyingWinstonPathbecamebeaverfansasonefurryfamilytransformedSwallowPondintoanoasisforbirds,frogs,turtlesanddeer.Yetsuchactivitycausedconcern.Asbeaversworked,theyraisedwaterlevelsaboutfivefeet.Theincreaseddepthallowsbeaverstosurviveunderwaterifthepondicesover.ButcountyofficialswereconcernedabouthowhigherwaterwouldaffectthesoilbanksupportingWinstonPath.Tofindagoodbalancebetweenprotectingthepathandthebeavers,thecountyintroduceda“beaverbaffle”—apondleveler.Beaversoftenrushtofillholesintheirdams.Bafflesstabilizewaterlevelsbycreatingahiddenexitforhighwatertoescapethroughthedam,unnoticedbythebeavers.Peoplelovethebeaversbuttheyalsolovethematuretrees.Recently,CatherineJones,18,organizedatree-cagingevent—puttingwireclotharoundlargetreetrunkstodiscouragebeaversfrombitingthem.Italsoprotectspeoplefrominjuryduetorandomtreesfalling.“Wecoverthetreeswedon’twantthemtoeat,whileplantingperiodicallyotherstheylike,“saidJones.“Weneed-tolearntogiveupalittleofourwantstosharetheEarth’sresources.”SwallowPond’s2023projectwillrestoreproperwaterdepthandimprovewildlifeh