文章标题分析： Don’t count on Dung来源：考试大
Conservationists may be miscalculating the numbers of the threatened animals such as elephants, say African and American researchers．（观点句） The error occurs because of a flaw in the way they estimate animal numbers from the piles of dung the creatures leave behind．
根据“Threatened animals”的出现推测文章可能与“生存受到威胁的动物”有关，猜测文章也是与自然环境（动物保护）有关。

直接解题：来源：考试大
1．The word “threatened” in the first paragraph could be best replaced by ___．
A．endangered
B．frightened
C．died
D．angered
1．A。分析：根据常识（环境保护，动物保护）是常见主题，所以推测A（有危险的）是答案。 也可以借助原文，文章最后的句子：Plumptre says that similar problems may also plague(使苦恼) other animal census studies that rely on indirect evidence such as nests, tracks or burrows． 该句提到“对其他动物数量的调查研究”，因此可以肯定的判断文章应该与动物保护有关，因此“threatened animals应该是“生存受到威胁的动物”。
提示：需要确认文章主题/中心可以从文章开头或/和结尾处找到相关信息。

3． Piles of dung can’t be relied upon when it comes to estimating elephant numbers because ___．
A．they are different in size．
B．They scatter all over the region
C．They are different in the rate of decay
D．They are different in quality来源：考试大
3 C。分析：问题说“不能凭借粪的堆数（来确认大象数目）”，注意文章中相关的句子，这样在上一题的答案相关句后不断发现“decay”这个词，推测C是答案。相关句内容：They also need to know the rate at which dung decays． Because it’s extremely difficult to determine these rates, however, researchers tallying(计算) elephants in one region tend to rely on standard decay rates established elsewhere．这些句子在内容上提到“科学家需要知道粪便的腐烂速度，需要依靠在其他任何地方都被认可的标准腐烂速度”，因此判断C是答案。

4．When researchers carry out a dung-pile census, according to Plumptre, the area selected should be ___
A．a small one来源：考试大
B．a protected one
C．a monitored one来源：考试大
D．so large that elephants can’t move in and out of it freely
4． D。分析：利用题干中提到的“area”作为答案线索，这样找到答案相关句：Plumptre also says that the dung-pile census should be carried out over a region similar in size to an elephants’ natural range． The usual technique of monitoring only small and protected areas distorts numbers because elephants move in and out of monitoring region, he says． (划线句大意是“通常采用的监控小面积的，受到保护的地区的做法会使大象的数字变的不真实”)，借助该句内容对比被选项判断D是答案。
提示：“避重就轻”法。来源：考试大

5． All of the following are indirect evidence EXCEPT
A．trunks
B．dung
C．nests来源：考试大
D．burrows
5．分析：利用被选项中的词语作为答案线索，这样发现涉及到这些词语的句子： Plumptre says that similar problems may also plague(使苦恼) other animal census studies that rely on indirect evidence such as nests, tracks or burrows．再结合对文章的理解：dung也是间接大象数目确认的证据，因此判断A是答案。