E
When an ant dies, other ants take it out of the nest, often within an hour after its death. This behavior interests scientists and they wonder how ants know for sure—and so soon—that another ant is dead.
One scientist recently came up with a way to explain this ant behaviour. Dong-Hwan Choe is a biologist, a scientist who studies animals and plants. He found that ants have a chemical on the outside of their bodies that signals to other ants, “I'm dead—take me away” when it is dead.
But there's a question to answer: As we know, if an ant is dead, it stops moving. But when an ant is sleeping or knocked unconscious, it is also not moving. However, other ants don't move the living ant out of the nest. How do they know this ant is not dead? Choe found that ants have another chemical on their bodies, which tells nearby ants something like
, “Wait—I'm not dead yet”when it is not dead. Choe suspects that when an ant dies, the chemical that says, “Wait I'm not dead yet”quickly goes away. When other ants detect the“dead”chemical without the“not dead yet”chemical, they move away the body.
To test his theory , Choe and his team put different chemicals on ants. When the scientists used the “I'm dead” chemical, other ants quickly moved the treated ant away. When the scientists used the“Wait—I'm not dead yet”chemical, other ants left the treated ant alone. Choe believes this behavior shows that the“not dead yet”chemical overrides the“dead” chemical when picked up by other ants. And that when an ant dies, the “not dead yet” chemical fades away. Other nearby ants then detect the remaining“dead”chemical and remove the body from the nest.
Understanding this behavior can help scientists figure out how to stop ants 
from invading new places and causing problems.
57. What is the function of the first paragraph?
A. Leading the following paragraphs.
B. Showing the main idea of the passage.
C. Introducing the background of the passage.
D. Giving a summary of the passage.
58. Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined word “overrides” in the fourth paragraph?
A.is weaker than B. is stronger than C. is better than D. is worse than
59. What can we learn from the passage?
A. Living ants can also be taken away when they are not moving.
B. When an ant dies, it can tell others using a certain chemical.
C. A living ant can pretend to be dead using a special chemical.
D. Ants often use chemicals to communicate with each other.
60. Which of the following descriptions about Dong-Hwan Choe is right?
A. Choe did this study in order to stop ants from invading new places.
B.
Choe is a biologist who is only interested in animals, especially in ants.
C. Choe first came up with an idea to explain this ant behavior，and then did some tests to prove his theory.
D. Choe did the research on this ant behavior on his own
Long, long ago there were a lot of donkeys. The donkeys worked hard every day. They had no time to play or to relax, but they never felt appreciated for the work they did.
One day two donkeys got bored. They wanted to live a comfortable life, So the donkeys went to see a wise old man. They told him their problem. The wise old man agreed that they worked too hard, and he wanted to help the donkeys.” I have an idea,” he said.
“What is your idea?” asked the donkeys.
“I will paint you and no one will know you are donkeys” said the man.
The man went off to find some paint and he returned in just a matter of minutes. He had two pots of paint. One pot was filled with white paint, and the other black paint.
The old man first painted them white, and then painted black stripes（斑纹）over the white paint. When he finished, the donkeys did not look at all like donkeys.” You no longer look like donkeys” the old man said.” Everyone will be fooled. I will call you something else, zebras.”
The zebras went to a field to eat grass. Now they did not have to work.
Soon, other donkeys saw the zebras. They asked the zebras where they came from. When the zebras told the donkeys their secret, the donkeys all rushed to see the old man.
“Make us into zebras, too,” they pleaded. So the wise old man painted more donkeys. As he did, more and more donkeys came.
The old man could not paint fast enough. Soon the donkeys became impatient. They began to kick about, and they knocked over the paint pots.
There was no more paint. The painted donkeys ran off to become zebras. The unpainted donkeys, because of their impatience, had to return to work.
This is why it is important to be patient. The text was written to
| A．tell an important truth about things |
| B．explain how donkeys became zebras |
| C．tell a good way to avoid hard work |
| D．explain how zebras got their stripes |
The two donkeys went to see a wise old man in order to
| A．tell him their problem | B．ask him for help |
| C．change into zebras | D．get some grass |
When the two donkeys returned, why did they no longer have to work?
| A．They didn’t eat enough grass. |
| B．They didn’t want to work. |
| C．No one knew they were donkeys. |
| D．They were no longer donkeys. |
What does the underlined word “pleaded” mean?
| A．Advised. | B．Ordered. |
| C．Agreed. | D．Begged, |
Many donkeys were not painted by the old man because
| A．no more paint was left | B．all the paint was used up |
| C．they couldn’t wait any longer | D．he was too tired to paint |
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival
Where : Becket,Massachusetts
When: June 15---- Aug.24
Each summer,this influential dance center presents a number of classes and performances by more than 50 companies from around the world. Highlights(最精彩的部分)this season include the Dance Theater of Harlem’s production of Alvin Ailey’s “The Lark Ascending”, which opens the festival.
Many events are free.Ticketed performances start at $22. jacobspillow.org.
Moab Music Festival
Where:Moab,Utah
When: Aug.29--Sept.9
This area is better known for mountain biking than for music . But since 1992, it has hosted a private festival that brings classical ,Jazz,Latin and other types of music to the land . This year there will be 16 concerts,including three “Grotto Concerts”, where guests take a 45-minutes boat ride down the Colorado River to performances.
Events start at $25. noabmusicfest.org.
Cheyenne Frontier Days
Where: Cheyenne, Wyoming
When: July19-28
There is something for everyone at this 117-year-old festival ,from an “Indian village”and Old West museum to country concerts.But the competition is still the main attraction, with cowboys (牛仔)and cowgirls competing for major money in the world’s largest outdoor stage.
Competition tickets start at $18, and concert tickets at $23 cfdrodeo.com
The Glimmerglass Festival
Where: Cooperstown,New York
When: July6--Aug.24
Each summer,opera lovers from around the country (and the world)travel to upstate New York to watch productions that include stars like Nathan Gunn and Ginger Costa-Jackson. This year’s performances include Wagner’s “The Flying Dutchman”and Verdi’s “King for a Day”, in honor of the 200th birthdays of both composers(作曲家)。
Tickets start at $26. Glimmerglass.org. If you want to enjoy a “Grotto Concert”,which date suits you best?
| A．June 15 . | B．July 19 |
| C．August 24 | D．September4 |
If you go to Cheyenne to watch a competition and enjoy a concert , how much will you pay at least?
| A．$18 | B．$22 | C．$36 | D．$41 |
If you are a big fan of Wagner, you’re advised to go to ____.
| A．Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival | B．The Glimmerglass Festival |
| C．Cheyenne Frontier Days | D．Moab Music Festival |
Which part of a website is the text probably chosen from?
| A．Education | B．Art |
| C．Business | D．Literature |
It’s 8;30, time for John to start work. So he turns on his radio. Then he eats breakfast. As he eats , he reads his e-mail and reviews his to do list. Then he sits on the sofa and thinks about an article he needs to write --- wait a minute! Radio ? Breakfast ? Sofa ?What kind of workplace is this ? Well,actually it is John’s house, and he is a telecommuter—he works at home,communicating with the workplace through the internet.
Like John,millions of people ---and their employers--- are finding that telecommuting is a great way to work . Telecommuters can follow their own schedules. They work in the comfort of their homes, where they can also look after young children or elderly parents,they save time and money by not traveling to work. Their employers save,too,because they need less office space and furniture. Studies show that telecommuters change jobs less often.This saves employers even more money.Telecommuting helps society,too,by reducing pollution and traffic problems.
Jobs that are suited to telecommuting include writing,design work, computer programming and accounting(会计). If a job involves working with information, a telecommuter can probably do it.From the passage we know that John does his job ______.
| A．By telephone | B．Through the Internet |
| C．In his office | D．Away from home |
One of the advantages of telecommuting is that you can ____.
| A．work for several employers |
| B．Enjoy a lot of traveling |
| C．Get along well with other workers |
| D．Work on your own schedule |
Telecommuters change jobs less often,so ______.
| A．their employers can save money |
| B．their employers will give them a higher pay |
| C．they can get more work experience |
| D．they will have a longer paid holiday. |
The underlined phrase “suited to”in the third paragraph probably means “______”.
| A．acceptable | B．bad for |
| C．difficult for | D．fit for |
A man once said how useless it was to put advertisements in the newspaper."Last week," he said,"my umbrella was stolen from a London church. As it was a present, I spent twice its worth in advertising, but didn't get it back."
"How did you write your advertisement?" asked one of the listeners, a merchant.
"Here it is," said the man, taking out of his pocket a slip cut from a newspaper. The other man took it and read,"Lost from the City Church last Sunday evening, a black silk umbrella.. The gentleman who finds it will receive ten shillings on leaving it at No. 10 Broad Street."
"Now," said the merchant,"I often advertise, and find that it pays me well. But the way in which an advertisement is expressed of extreme importance. Let us try for your umbrella again, and if it fails, I'll buy you a new one."
The merchant then took a slip of paper out of his pocket and wrote: "If the man who was seen to take an umbrella from the City Church last Sunday evening doesn't wish to get into trouble, he will return the umbrella to No.10 Broad Street. He is well known."
This appeared in the newspaper, and on the following morning, the man was astonished when he opened the front door. In the doorway lay at least twelve umbrellas of all sizes and colors, and his own was among them. Many of them had notes fastened to them saying that they had been taken by mistake, and begging the loser not to say anything about the matter.The result of the first advertisement was that _____.
| A．The man got his umbrella back |
| B．The man wasted some money advertising |
| C．Nobody found the missing umbrella. |
| D．The umbrella was found somewhere near the church. |
The merchant suggested that the man should ________.
| A．buy a new umbrella |
| B．go on looking for his umbrella |
| C．write another and better advertisement |
| D．report the police |
"If it fails, I'll buy you a new one," suggested that the merchant ________.
| A．was quite sure of success |
| B．wanted to buy him a new umbrella |
| C．didn't know what to do |
| D．was rich enough to buy one |
The story is mainly about _________.
| A．a useless advertisement |
| B．how to make an effective advertisement |
| C．how the man lost and found his umbrella |
| D．what the merchant did for the umbrella owner |
A farmer grew some vegetables in his garden. One day his wife was ill and he had no money. He had to sell some cabbages and carrots in the market. The next morning he took two baskets of vegetables to town. But it was raining hard that afternoon and there were few people in the street. When his vegetables were sold out, it was dark. He bought some medicine and hurried to his village.
On his way home he saw a person lying on the snow. He placed his baskets on the ground and was going to help the person to get up. At that time he found it was a dead man and there was much blood on his body. He was so afraid that he ran away quickly, without taking the baskets with him.
The next afternoon the farmer was sent to the police station. Having shown the baskets, an officer asked: “Are these yours?” “Yes, sir.” the farmer answered timidly(胆怯地)。”Have you killed the man?” “No, no, sir.” the farmer said in a hurry.” When did you see the dead man?” ”About seven last evening.” “Did you see who killed the man?” “No, Sir.” The officer brought out a knife and asked, “Have you seen it yet?” ”No, Sir.’ The officer became angry and told the policemen to beat him up and send him into prison.
That evening the officer went on trying .Pointing to the knife, he asked again,” Have you seen it yet?” ”Yes, Sir.” The officer was happy and asked,” When and where?” “I saw it here this afternoon, sir.”The farmer decided to sell the vegetables to .
| A．buy some food for his family |
| B．buy some medicine for his wife |
| C．go to see a doctor |
| D．go to the cinema |
The farmer didn’t sell out his vegetables until the evening because .
| A．they were too bad |
| B．they were very expensive |
| C．it rained hard that morning |
| D．few people liked to go out on such a bad day |
The farmer ran away quickly because .
| A．the policemen were coming towards him. |
| B．his wife was waiting for him at home |
| C．he was afraid to see a dead man. |
| D．it was so late that he couldn’t stay there any longer. |