Tiny transmitters(发射机) fixed on the backs of the blue-green bees have allowed scientists to follow the insects as they fly for miles in search of rare flowers.
Working in Panama,scientists caught 17 bees of the common species and fixed a 300 milligram radio light onto the back of each.The signals they sent out were used to follow their movements in and around the forest where they lived.
Professor Martin,from Princeton University,US,and the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Germany,said,“By following the radio signals,we discovered that male bees spent most of their time in small centre areas,but could take off and visit areas farther away.One male even crossed over the shipping lanes in the Panama Canal,flying at least 5km,and returned a few days later.”
Researchers have struggled to follow the movements of bees before,following bees marked with paint or using radar which doesn’t work well in forests.
“Carrying the transmitter could reduce the distance that the bees travel,but even if the flight distances we record are the shortest distances that these bees can fly,they are impressive,long-distance movements,” said Dr.Roland Kays,from New York State Museum,a co-author of the research published today in the on-line journal.“This result helps to explain how these bees’ pollination(授粉) can be so rare.” Pollination by bees and other insects is the key to the diversity and continued growth of flowers and trees in some forests.
The new study is the first to use radio transmitters to follow bees in a forest.Similar research may now be carried in temperate forests,where bees also play a vital role.The main purpose of the passage is to___
A.call on people to protect the bees for the environment |
B.explain why the bees fly far away in search of flowers |
C.introduce a modern way to follow the bees to readers |
D.encourage the public to support the scientists' research |
What was the problem when researchers tried to follow the bees in the past?
A.It was quite difficult to mark the bees |
B.The radar itself didn't work very well |
C.The bees weren't easy to be recognized |
D.Environmental limits were hard to solve |
What Dr.Roland Kays said implied that____
A.he didn't expect bees could fly so long a distance |
B.The transmitter didn't have any effects on bees at all |
C.He wanted to know how far bees could travel badly |
D.The record was in fact as exact as he had thought |
Researchers follow the movements of bees mainly to___
A.learn how far they can fly at most |
B.discover how they affect the plants |
C.correct some wrong ideas about bees |
D.get to know where they enjoy living |
A few months ago I was at a bus stop in town in the evening. The bus came on time and I took the window seat. The bus route was by the sea shore and I was enjoying the breeze (微风) while watching the sea waves. After a few minutes the bus made its next stop. A young boy and a girl got on. They were standing on my left when the bus pulled off. I looked at them curiously and realized that all the window seats were occupied (占据). They could sit but not together. Suddenly a different wave passed through my body and my inner mind gave me the advice to get up. I got up and offered them my seat. The young lady smiled kindly and said thanks. I occupied another seat and we parted our ways. I don’t remember whether I got off the bus before them or not.
Months passed by. Suddenly one day while I was standing at the same bus stop waiting some time for the bus to arrive I heard a voice.
“Excuse me, Uncle.” I looked in the direction of the voice. It was a beautiful young lady.
Puzzled, I said, “I do not recognize you.”
She said, “Do you remember you gave us your window seat?”
Puzzled, I said, “Maybe, but what is so great in that?”
She said, “If you had not given your seat that day, perhaps I would have not sat with my friend. By sitting together it helped us bridge a misunderstanding that had been between us forever. Do you know we are getting married next month?”
“Good! God bless both of you,” I replied.
The young lady again said thank you and went on her journey. I realized the importance of giving that day.Why were the young boy and the girl standing on the bus?
A.Because they wanted to enjoy the sea view. |
B.Because they couldn’t sit together. |
C.Because there were no empty seats. |
D.Because they preferred to stand. |
The underlined sentence in the first paragraph probably means that the author had a feeling that ______.
A.he wanted to do something special |
B.the sea wave made him upset |
C.a wave from the sea flooded him |
D.he wanted to make a sea wave in his heart |
The author’s act of kindness helped the young boy and the girl ______.
A.begin to talk to each other again after a quarrel |
B.sit together and become friends very soon |
C.clear up a misunderstanding between them |
D.know each other and get married |
From the story, we can conclude that ______.
A.small things can create great happenings in life |
B.it is giving rather than receiving that matters |
C.offering one’s seat to others may win respect |
D.we sometimes forget what happened in the past |
The best title for the passage would be “______”.
A.The empty seat on the bus | B.The pleasant travel |
C.The love on the bus | D.The bus ride |
There are many international organizations which work to save and protect endangered species(物种)and natural environment. If you would like more information about any of the organizations listed below, you can write to the addresses given.
Friends of the Earth(FOE) campaigns on a range of problems including rainforests,the countryside,water and air pollution and energy.![]() Friends of the Earth International Secretariat P. O. Box 19199 1000 G. D. Amsterdam The Netherlands |
Greenpeace uses peaceful but direct action to defend the environment. It campaigns to protect rainforests and sea animals,stop global![]() warming and end pollution of air,land and seas. It also opposes nuclear(核)power. Greenpeace International Keizergracht 1761016 DW Amsterdam The Netherlands |
BirdLife International is an organization which works to save endangered birds all over the world. BirdLife International Wellbrook Court Girton Road ![]() Cambridge CB3 ONA England |
![]() WWF-World Wide Fund For Nature is the world's largest private international organization for the protection of nature and endangered species. Information Officer WWF International Avenue du Mont-Blanc 1196 Gland Switzerland |
If you want to learn more about the organizations,you can .
A.call them | B.write them a letter |
C.visit them | D.send them an e-mail |
BirdLife International is an organization trying to .
A.reduce pollution | B.defend rainforests |
C.protect ocean animals | D.save endangered birds |
If you oppose(反对) nuclear power,you can join .
A.Friends of the Earth |
B.World Wide Fund For Nature |
C.Greenpeace |
D.BirdLife International |
What can we learn about WWF?
A.It helps to protect nature and save endangered animals. |
B.It is the world’s largest international organization. |
C.It works for private companies and rich people. |
D.It is a private organization in the United States. |
Which is the best title for the passage?
A.Environmental Protection Organizations |
B.Global Environmental Problems |
C.Endangered Animals |
D.Friends of the Earth |
A Bite of China, featuring delicious Chinese food, has attracted countless viewers, and moved many to tears.
A Bite of China is a serious documentary providing a unique view of Chinese as well as the relations between people and food and between people and society from the view of food. The touching documentary reminds some people of their mother, and makes some realize that every grain comes from hard and laborious work. Some people see patriotism(爱国精神) in the documentary, and some consider it a great cultural export.
How did this documentary achieve a great influence beyond its subject matter in such a short time?
“It is not empty propaganda(宣传) about China’s splendid food culture. Instead, it shows the techniques used in making food and their production process as well as the lives of ordinary people, thus striking a chord(共鸣) with the audience,” an Internet user said. The success of the documentary should be owed to sincerity and reality. Nowadays, many works of art that have high investment, high technology, and magnificent scenes lack nothing but sincerity and reality.
A Bite of China shows that a commercial documentary promoting patriotism can be full of touching details, that the emotions of ordinary Chinese people should be exhibited even in publicizing(宣传) China overseas, and that even a completely commercial program can achieve both artistic and commercial success.
“We made this documentary with our respect and love for food,” said director Chen Xiaoqing. Being sincere is the most important thing for artists because they cannot move others unless they themselves are first moved, and cannot convince others unless they themselves are first convinced. Sincerity is the “secret” for making this documentary so popular, and every cultural creator should learn from its success.According to the passage, A Bite of China is _______.
A.a book | B.a film |
C.a newspaper | D.a TV program |
What can you find in A Bite of China?
A.Relations between people and food. |
B.Real lives of all Chinese people. |
C.Patriotic stories of Chinese people. |
D.processes of preparing food. |
From the passage, it can be inferred that ________.
A.The documentary is so successful that no one can surpass (超越) it. |
B.Different people can get different messages from the documentary. |
C.The documentary should have shown China’s splendid food culture. |
D.Many art works fail to reflect (反映) reality and high technology. |
The main idea of the last paragraph is that ________.
A.Director’s respect and love for food. |
B.The secret of the documentary’s success. |
C.The influence of the documentary. |
D.The popularity of the documentary. |
This is not a diet. It’s a simple way to lose weight. You don’t have to give up the food you love or join a gym. You just follow some habits thin people have. Keep them, and you’ll become thin.
◆Wake-up When you wake up in the morning, sit up slowly without using your hands. With legs straight out, lean forward(前俯) until you feel sore(酸痛的) in your back. It will use up 10 calories.
◆Start with soup Order a clear soup, and have it before the main food. In this way, you’ll feel fuller, so you’ll eat less when the main food comes.
◆An apple or more a day Apples are full of fiber(纤维) and water, so your stomach will want less. Studies show that people who eat at least three apples or pears a day may lose weight.
◆Talk it up Every time you use the cell phone, stand up and walk around. Heavy people sit on average two and a half hours more each day than thin people. This skill is very important and standing up and walking around will burn up 50 or more calories.
Use these skills, and you will have a big weight loss.The text is to encourage you to__________.
A.go on a diet |
B.give up your favorite foods |
C.join a gym |
D.follow some habits of thin people |
Which of the following ways is a good choice become thin?
A.Sit up quickly in the morning |
B.Have soup before the main food. |
C.Eat rice instead of apples |
D.Sit down when using a cell phone. |
How many skills are there in the text for people to lose weight?
A.Two | B.Three | C.Four | D.Five |
The text is most likely to be read________.
A.in a magazine | B.in a dictionary |
C.in a story-book | D.on a map |
While you are using the cell phone, what you should do to lose weight?
A.Stand up and walk around. |
B.Sit quietly. |
C.Lie on the bed. |
D.Eat an apple. |
The best way to cure sadness is not shopping, according to a recent study. The so-called shopping method has become common practice these days, but that can put your wallet under a lot of pressure. So if you are sad and feel like shopping, don’t!
According to the recent study, sadness leads to self-focus (自我为中心的) thinking. In other words, sad people are willing to spend more money on the same thing than calm people.
"It is the result of sadness and self-focus, and it turns out that sadness leads to an increase in self-focus," said Cynthia Cruder. "What we think is that sad and self-focused people are feeling pretty bad about themselves, and one way to deal with this is buying material goods."
In a perfect situation, when you know you are sad, you should avoid(避免) making decisions and spending money. Sounds simple? Sadly, it is not. Most people don’t even know they’re sad, the study shows, and they are not aware that their feelings influence their decisions.
What to do? The study showed that those who watched a tragedy(悲剧) were more likely to spend three times more money for a simple bottle of water than those who watched a comedy. The solution: well, for starters, don’t go shopping! If you can’t help it, it is probably better to see a doctor.When you can’t help shopping after feeling sad, you’d better _______.
A.talk to your friends |
B.go to the store directly |
C.go to bed and rest |
D.go to hospital and get checked out by a doctor |
We can learn from the passage that________.
A.sad and self-focused people are poor |
B.sad people make important decisions easily |
C.tragedies may make people buy more expensive goods |
D.sad people are less confident than calm people |
What would be the best title for this passage?
A.The Loss of Money Caused by Sadness |
B.Shopping is Not the Best Way to Cure Sadness |
C.A Study About How to Stay in a Good Mood |
D.How to Make Decisions When You Are Sad |