Around the world, honeybee groups are dying in huge numbers: About one-third of nests collapse each year. For bees and the plants they pollinate (授粉) — as well as for beekeepers, farmers, honey lovers and everyone else who appreciates this marvelous social insect — this is a catastrophe.
Honeybee collapse has been particularly worrying because there is no one cause, but rather a thousand little cuts. The main elements include the mixed impact of pesticides (杀虫剂) applied to fields, as well as pesticides applied directly into nets to control bugs, pests and diseases; nutritional shortages caused by vast acreages of single-crop fields that lack diverse flowering plants; and commercial beekeeping itself, which destroys groups by moving most bees around the country multiple times each year to pollinate crops.
The real issue, though, is not the volume of problems, but the interactions among them. Here we find a major lesson from the bees that we ignore at our risk: the concept of synergy (协同作用), where one plus one equals three, or four, or more. A typical honeybee colony contains remains from more than 120 pesticides. Alone, each represents a benign dose (良性剂量). But together they form a poisonous soup of chemicals whose interplay (相互作用) can greatly reduce the effectiveness of bees’ immune systems, making them easier to suffer from diseases.
Observing the death of honeybees should warn us that our own well-being might be similarly threatened, and the widespread collapse of so many groups presents a clear message: We must demand that our regulatory authorities require studies on how exposure to low dosages of combined chemicals may affect human health before approving compounds.
Bees also provide some clues to how we may build a more collaborative relationship with the services that ecosystems can provide. Bees could offer some of the pollination service needed for agriculture. People discovered that crop harvests, and thus profits, are maximized if some cropland are left uncultivated for bees. Meanwhile a variety of wild plants means a healthier, more diverse bee population, which will then move to the planted fields next door in larger and more active numbers.Which of the following is NOT the cause that leads to bees dying?
| A．Lack of nutrition from enough diverse flowering plants. |
| B．The pests and diseases of the bees. |
| C．The beekeepers’ destroying without intention |
| D．The pesticides applied to crops. |
By saying “one plus one equals three, or four, or more” in Paragraph 3, the author means that ____.
| A．bees united mean they are much more powerful |
| B．bees united mean they are much more poisonous |
| C．pesticides mixed mean they are much more poisonous. |
| D．pesticides mixed mean they are much more effective. |
The lesson people can learn from bees dying is that ____________.
| A．medicine is as powerful as pesticide |
| B．our health might be threatened by pesticides |
| C．we should protect bees by reducing the usage of pesticides |
| D．medicine may be harmful to us when used together |
What is the last paragraph mainly about?
| A．Keeping a balance with nature is important |
| B．More plants mean more and healthier bees. |
| C．Bees are very important to agriculture. |
| D．Bees can bring in good higher profits to farmers |
.
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C和D中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Joanne was stuck in a traffic jam in central Birmingham at 5:30 and at 6:30 she was expected to be chairing a meeting of the tennis club．At last，the traffic was moving．She swung quickly racing to her house. As she opened the door，she nearly tripped over Sheba．
“Hey，Sheba,” she said，“I’ve got no time for you now，but I’ll take you out as soon as I get
back from tennis club.” Then she noticed Sheba seemed to be coughing or choking. Obviously，she could hardly breathe．Immediately, Joanne realized she would have to take her to the vet(兽医)
When she got there，the vet was just about to close for the day. Seeing the state of Sheba，Dr. Sterne brought her quickly into his office．
“Listen，doctor，I’m really in a rush to get to a meeting. Can I leave her with you，and go and get changed? I’ll be back in ten minutes to pick her up，and then I’ll take her on to the meeting with me. Is that OK?”
“Sure.” said the doctor.
Joanne made the quick trip back to her house in a couple of minutes．As she was once more
entering the hall，the phone by the door began to ring．
“This is Dr. Sterne,” said an anxious voice. “I want you to get out of that house immediately,” said the doctor’s voice．“I’m coming round right away，and the police will be there any time now．Wait outside!”
At that moment，a police car screeched to a stop outside the house．Two policemen got out and ran into the house．Joanne was by now completely confused and very frightened．Then the doctor arrived．
“Where’s Sheba? Is she OK?” shouted Joanne．
“She’s fine，Joanne．I took out the thing which was choking her, and she’s OK now．”
Just then, the two policemen reappeared from the house, half-carrying a white-faced man，who could hardly walk. There was blood all over him．
“My God,” said Joanne，“how did he get in there? And how did you know he was there?”
“I think he must be a burglar.” said the doctor. “I knew he was there because when I finally removed what was stuck in Sheba’s throat：it turned out to be three human fingers.”
56.Joanne wanted to get back to her home again______________．
A．to dress up for the meeting B．to phone the police station
C．to catch the badly hurt burglar D．to wait for her dog to be cured
57.From the passage we can infer that____________．
A．Sheba fought against the burglar
B．the police found the burglar had broken in
C．Joanne had planned to take her dog to the meeting at first
D．the doctor performed a difficult operation on the dog
58.The underlined word a burglar in the last paragraph probably means ____________.
A. a cleaner B. a physician C. a thief D. a murderer
59.In this passage, the writer intends to tell us that the dog is____________．
A．clever B．friendly C．frightening D．devoted
.
I was waiting for a phone call from my agent. He had left a message the night before, telling me that my show was to be cancelled. I called him several times, but each time his secretary told me that he was in a meeting and that he would call me later. So I waited and waited, but there was still no call. Three hours passing by, I became more and more impatient. I was certain that my agent didn’t care about my work, and he didn’t care about me. I was overcome with that thought. I started to shout at the phone, “Let me wait, will you? Who do you think you are?”
At that time I didn’t realize my wife was looking on. Without showing her surprise, she rushed in, seized the phone, tore off the wires, and shouted at the phone, “Yeah! Who do you think you are? Bad telephone! Bad telephone! ” And she swept it into the wastebasket.
I stood watching her, speechless .What on earth?
She stepped to the doorway and shouted at the rest of the house, “Now hear this! All objects in this room-if you do anything to upset my husband , out you go!”
Then she turned to me, kissed me, and said calmly, “Honey, you just have to learn how to take control.” With that, she left the room.
After watching a crazy woman rushing in and out, shouting at everything in sight, I noticed that something in my mood（情绪）had changed. I was laughing. How could I have trouble with that phone? Her antics helped me realize I had been driven crazy by small things. Twenty minutes later my agent did call. I was able to listen to him and talk to him calmly.
58. Why did the author shout at the telephone?
A. He was mad at the telephone. B. He was angry with his agent.
C. He was anxious about his wife. D. He was impatient with the secretary.
59. What did the author’s wife do after she heard his shouting?
A. She said nothing. B. She shouted at him.
C. She called the agent. D. She threw the phone away.
60. What made the author laugh?
A. His own behavior. B. His wife’s suggestion.
C. His changeable feelings. D. His wife’s sweet kiss.
.
Thomas Alva Edison was awarded more patents on inventions than any other American. When he died in 1931, Americans wondered how they could best show their respect for him. One suggestion was that the nation observe a minute or two of total blackout. All electric power would be shut off in homes, streets, and factories. Perhaps this suggested plan made Americans realize fully what Edison and his inventions mean to them. Electric power was too important to the country. Shutting it off for even a short time would have led to complete confusion. A blackout was impossible.
On the day of Edison's funeral, many people silently dimmed their lights. In this way they honored the man who had done more than anyone else to put the great force of electricity at his countrymen's fingertips.
55．This selection says that Thomas Edison ________.
A．was the only important American inventor B．received the first American patent
C．received more patents than any other American D．was the first American inventor
56．People decided to honor Edison when ________.
A．he made the first electric light B．electric power was 100 years
C．the country realized electricity's importance D．he died in 1931
57．The suggested plan was to ________.
A．turn off the lights in factories and schools B．observe a few minutes of total silence
C．dim all electric lights D．shut off all electricity for a short time
.
第三部分阅读理解（共10小题，每题2分，满分20分）
Many animals recognize their food because they see it. So do humans. When you see an apple or a piece of chocolate you know that these are things you can eat. You can also use other senses when you choose your food. You may like it because it smells good or because it tastes good. You may dislike some types of food because they do not look, smell or taste very nice. Different animals use different senses to find and choose their food. A few animals depend on only one of their senses, while most animals use more than one sense.
Although there are many different types of food, some animals spend their lives eating only one type. The giant panda（大熊猫）eats only one particular type of bamboo（竹子）. Other animals eat only one type of food even when given the choice. A kind of white butterfly（蝴蝶）will stay on the leaves of a cabbage, even though there are plenty of other vegetables in the garden. However, most animals have a more varied diet（多样化饮食）. The bear eats fruits and fish. The fox eats small animals, birds and fruits. The diet of these animals will be different depending on the season.
Humans have a very varied diet. We often eat food because we like it and not because it is good for us. In countries such as France and Britain, people eat foods with too much sugar. This makes them overweight, which is bad for their health. Eating too much red meat and animal products, such as butter, can also be bad for the health. Choosing the right food, therefore, has become an area of study in modern life.
51. We can infer from the text that humans and animals _________.
A. depend on one sense in choosing food B. are not satisfied with their food
C. choose food in similar ways D. eat entirely different food
52. Which of the following eats only one type of food?
A. The white butterfly. B. The small bird.
C. The bear.D. The fox.
53. Certain animals change their choice of food when ___________.
A. the season changes B. the food color changes
C. they move to different places D. they are attracted by different smells
54. We can learn from the last paragraph that __________.
A. food is chosen for a good reason
B. French and British food is good
C. some people have few choices of food
D. some people care little about healthy diet
.
Sunday is more like Monday than it used to be. Places of business that used to keep daytime "business hours" are now open late into the night. And on the Intemet, the hour of the day and the day of the week have become irrelevant. Half a century ago in the United States, most people experienced
strong and precise dividing lines between days of rest and days of work, school time and summer time.Today the boundaries still exist but seem less clear.
The law in almost all states used to require stores to close on Sunday; in most, it no longer does. It used to keep schools open in all seasons except summer and in most, it still does. And whether the work week should strengthen its legal limits, or whether it should beco:me more¨flexible"' is often debated.How should we, as a society, organize our time? Should we go even further in relaxing the boundaries of time until we live in a world in xvhich every minute is much like every other?
These are not easy questions to ask. Part of the difficulty is that we rarely recognize the“law of time". even When we meet it face to face. We know as children that we havcto artend school a certainnumber of hours. a certain number of davs, a certain nLunbcr or x'etlrs --- bLll unless x~'e meet the truanrofficer (学监) , we may well think that we should go to school due to social customs and parents' demand, rather than abide by. As adults, we are familiar with ';extra pay for overtime work" , but less familiar with the fact tiat what constitutes (构成) "overtime" is a matter oflegal definition,
When weturn the clock forward to start daylight-saving time, have we ever thought to ourselves: '*Here is the law in action"? As we shall see, the law has a great influence on how we organize and use time: compulsoryeducation law, overtime law, and daylight-saving law as well as laws about Sunday closing,holidays, being late for work, time zones and so on. When we begin to look more closely, we will haveno trouble finding a law of time to examine and assess!
71. Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined word irrelevant?
A. different B. unrelated C. connectedD. useless
72. By saying, "Sunday is more like Monday than it used to be" . in Paragraph l, the author means that_______
A. work time is equal to rest time
B. many people have a day off on Monday
C. it is hard for people to decide when to rest
D. the line between work time and rest time is unclear
73. The author raises the questions in Paragraph 2 to introduce the fact that people_______
A. fail to make full use oftheir time
B. enjoy working overtime for extra pay
C. are unaware of the law oftime
D. welcome flexible working hours
74. According to the passage, most children tend to believe that they go to school because they_______
A. need to acquire knowledge
B. have to obey their parents
C. need to find companions
D. have to observe the law
75. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Our life is governed by the law of time.
B. How to organize time is not worth debating.
C. New ways of using time are changing our society
D. Our time schedule is decided by social customs.