In a paper published in the journey Science Advance, researchers describe how Matabele ants, a species of large ant known for attacking termite colonies (白蚁群落), will, after the battle, pick up injured fellow soldiers and carry them back to the nest where they can recover.
The paper is the latest in a growing body of research that this form of helping behavior, previously observed in some mammals and birds, may not require complex emotion, and may, therefore, be far more widespread in nature than previously thought.
“Here we have an example of an individual saving another individual,” says lead researcher Erik Frank who conducted the research. “We can be quite certain that the ants don’t know why they are doing what they are doing.”
It’s a behavior that pays off for the colony. Our classic conception of worker ants is that they are essentially abandoned, but Mr. Frank and his colleagues calculated that the practice of rescuing nest mates results in a colony size that is a 28.7 percent larger than it would be had the ants left their fellow soldiers for dead.
“These injured ants are able to recover from their injuries, ” says Frank. “They are essential for the safety and the betterment of the colony. ”
When a Matabele ant is injured, as often happens during battles with termites, its body will give off two smelly chemicals that tell other ants to carry it back to the nest. Indeed, the researchers found that using these chemicals to seek help from uninjured ants will effectively activate the rescue behavior, supporting their theory that the ants were acting on pure instinct(本能), not more complex emotions.
“The more we study rescue behavior in ants and other animals, the more we are going to realize that it’s not just limited to the species we’ve observed so far, ” says Karen Hollis, a professor at Mount Holyoke College, mentioning studies that found that dolphins help other injured dolphins to the surface for air, capuchin monkeys defend each other during intergroup battles, and rats free other rats that are trapped.
1.What does Frank say about Matabele ants’ helping behavior?
A. It proves they can feel sympathy. B. It exists only in some individuals.
C. It happens only termite colonies. D. It is something they were born with
2.How will the helping behavior benefit the ants?
A. It will expand the size of the colony.
B. It will help them catch more termites.
C. It will improve their fighting abilities.
D. It will help them escape enemies’ attacks.
3.How can Matabele ants know one needs rescuing?
A. Through its special noise. B. Though the smell of its blood.
C. Through its chemical signals. D. Though the search after a battle
4.What is the main purpose of the text?
A. To promote research on ants. B. To describe termites’ battles.
C. To introduce a new species. D. To report a research result
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
In a paper published in the journey Science Advance, researchers describe how Matabele ants, a species of large ant known for attacking termite colonies (白蚁群落), will, after the battle, pick up injured fellow soldiers and carry them back to the nest where they can recover.
The paper is the latest in a growing body of research that this form of helping behavior, previously observed in some mammals and birds, may not require complex emotion, and may, therefore, be far more widespread in nature than previously thought.
“Here we have an example of an individual saving another individual,” says lead researcher Erik Frank who conducted the research. “We can be quite certain that the ants don’t know why they are doing what they are doing.”
It’s a behavior that pays off for the colony. Our classic conception of worker ants is that they are essentially abandoned, but Mr. Frank and his colleagues calculated that the practice of rescuing nest mates results in a colony size that is a 28.7 percent larger than it would be had the ants left their fellow soldiers for dead.
“These injured ants are able to recover from their injuries, ” says Frank. “They are essential for the safety and the betterment of the colony. ”
When a Matabele ant is injured, as often happens during battles with termites, its body will give off two smelly chemicals that tell other ants to carry it back to the nest. Indeed, the researchers found that using these chemicals to seek help from uninjured ants will effectively activate the rescue behavior, supporting their theory that the ants were acting on pure instinct(本能), not more complex emotions.
“The more we study rescue behavior in ants and other animals, the more we are going to realize that it’s not just limited to the species we’ve observed so far, ” says Karen Hollis, a professor at Mount Holyoke College, mentioning studies that found that dolphins help other injured dolphins to the surface for air, capuchin monkeys defend each other during intergroup battles, and rats free other rats that are trapped.
1.What does Frank say about Matabele ants’ helping behavior?
A. It proves they can feel sympathy. B. It exists only in some individuals.
C. It happens only termite colonies. D. It is something they were born with
2.How will the helping behavior benefit the ants?
A. It will expand the size of the colony.
B. It will help them catch more termites.
C. It will improve their fighting abilities.
D. It will help them escape enemies’ attacks.
3.How can Matabele ants know one needs rescuing?
A. Through its special noise. B. Though the smell of its blood.
C. Through its chemical signals. D. Though the search after a battle
4.What is the main purpose of the text?
A. To promote research on ants. B. To describe termites’ battles.
C. To introduce a new species. D. To report a research result
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
An advance in electronic publishing could make the ebook you are reading seem as dated as a silent film. Publishers hope to explore the growing success of ebooks by releasing versions with added soundtracks and musical accompaniments.
The noises in the first multimedia books released in Britain on Friday include rain hitting a window in a Sherlock Holmes tale. When the plot of a book reaches the most exciting part, background scores will create tension. In America, works by Shakespeare and Jane Austen have already been released with music and background noise so that, for example, readers can hear tea cups clinking in Mr. Darcy’s garden as they read Pride and Prejudice.
Supporters argue that sound effects are the next logical development for ebooks and will add excitement for younger readers. Critics, however, will argue that the noise will ruin the simple pleasure of having the imagination stimulated by reading.
Caroline Michel, chief executive of the literary agency, said the new generation of computer-literate readers was used to multiple sensory input. She said, “Young people have split computer screens where they may be watching television and replying to an email at the same time. If that’s what the market wants then we should respond to the market.”
Booktrack’s sound effects work by estimating the user’s reading speed. Each time you “turn” a page, the software reassesses where you have reached in the text and times the sounds to switch on accordingly. If the soundtrack becomes out of synch (同步), a click on any word will reset it.
Some authors fear that a soundtrack could destroy the peace and quiet of libraries and ruin the pleasure of reading. David Nicholls, author of One Day, the bestseller now released as a film, said, “This sounds like the opposite of reading. I have enough trouble reading an ebook because I’m constantly distracted by emails.”
Stuart MacBride, the crime writer whose novel Shatter the Bones was an ebook bestseller, sells 18% of his books as electronic downloads. He said, “If I’m reading, I will do the noise in my head. I don't need someone to tell me what tea cups clinking sounds like. That would irritate me.”
1.What’s the passage mainly about?
A.Opinions about ebooks with soundtracks.
B.Response to the need of the book market.
C.Reasons for traditional ebooks becoming outdated.
D.Suggestions on encouraging readers’ imagination.
2.What do publishers expect an ebook soundtrack to do?
A.Help to release an ebook as a film.
B.Make readers improve reading speed.
C.Add tension at a book’s exciting point.
D.Get readers familiar with the background.
3.What does the underlined sentences mean in Paragraph 6 ?
A.David enjoyed the pleasure of reading an ebook in the library.
B.Soundtrack would affect David’s concentration on reading an ebook.
C.David was constantly fascinated by checking emails when reading an ebook.
D.Soundtrack would destroy the content and characters of the story.
4.What do we know about Stuart MacBride?
A.He was a person who was easy to get irritated.
B.He didn’t like the clinking sounds of tea cups.
C.He was the most famous writer about crime stories.
D.He imagined sounds about the story when reading.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
A new paper published in Environmental Research Letters has some warning news for people living in the lower 48 states: You may be at risk from river flooding and not even know it until the water starts to rise.
In fact, the study, estimates of present and future flood risk in the United States, found that 41 million U. S. residents are at risk from flooding along rivers. That’s three times more than current estimates based on the flood maps produced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) , which primarily maps the areas at risk for 1-in-100-year floods in populous (人口众多的) river basins.
Why does the big difference come into being? As always, it’s all about the data. Generally, FEMA prioritizes risk-assessment areas based on their population; reserving expensive field-work methodologies (研究方法) for the more populous river basins, but many other rivers have not yet been mapped at all.
The size of the USA means that flood maps made in this way are incomplete. It would be too expensive and time-consuming to survey every river basin in America. The national-scale flood maps produced by FEMA leave the flood risk of many parts of the country unaccounted for.
For this research, scientists from The Nature Conservancy adopted a pioneering methodology that avoids the defects of the FEMA approach, where individual catchments (流域) are studied by making use of big data. The study used a new high-resolution model, produced by the flood-mapping organization Fathom, which copies floods on all rivers across the entire continental United States.
“We were all surprised by how many people are actually exposed to freshwater flooding in the USA,” said Oliver Wing, lead researcher on the study and a PhD student at the University of Bristol. “It’s particularly worrisome considering that most of these people aren’t even aware of the risk they face. This study helps fill that critical information gap.”
1.What did the new paper intend to tell readers?
A.The mistakes made by FEMA.
B.The serious situation of the flood.
C.The populous river basins of the USA.
D.The unseen risk of the flood in the USA.
2.Why is the map produced by FEMA incomplete?
A.It’s dangerous to research all the rivers.
B.The size of the USA is too big.
C.It ignores less populous rivers.
D.The efficiency of making it is low.
3.What does the underlined word “defects” in paragraph 5 mean?
A.Shortcomings. B.Potential.
C.Consumption. D.Contributions.
4.What attitude does Oliver Wing have to the study?
A.Critical. B.Supportive.
C.Cautious. D.Uncaring.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
_____ the fact that his initial(开始的)experiments had failed, Pro. White persisted (坚持) in his research.
A. Because of B. As to C. In spite of D. In views of
高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
The passengers were angry for the train being ______ without a notice in advance.
A. called in B. called up
C. called for D. called off
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
The soldiers fought _________ of their country’s safety.
A. in advance B. in need C. in defense D. in support
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
With the advance of human society, along with the development of modern science and technology, people are faced with an increasing number of pollutions. One of the severe pollutions is noise pollution. Many parents express their complaints over noise pollution, especially car alarms.
Anchor
Almost anyone who has lived in a big city can tell you how irritating it is to be awakened in the middle of the night by the wail of a car alarm. The loss of sleep can drive you crazy, but this is just one in a long list of problems that such high decibel noises can cause.
Jonathan
People in this noisy neighborhood in upper Manhattan are fed up with car alarms. They're angry enough at being jolted awake several times a week, but more than that they worry about what effect these alarms will have on their children. Already studies have shown that continuous exposure to high-decibel noise can cause an increase in heart rate and blood pressure.
Andrea
By the time my child can read, he will already have been exposed to the constant roar of the traffic, but the intense siren of a car alarm is way above the level of safety.
Michael
I have a valid concern. According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), exposure to noise above 85 decibels for 8 hours or more is a danger to your health. City traffic and trucks are about 90 decibels. The siren of a car alarm is about 120 decibels, about the same as a plane taking off.
The parents here are sick and tired of listening to the shrill siren of car alarms. However, it's for their children that they are most concerned. They've started a group called Parents to Silence Car Alarms. They don't think that making the owner of a car pay a fine is enough. These parents have started a campaign to have car alarms banned.
1.According to the passage, which one of the following statements is true?
A. Anchor thinks the high decibel noises only causes the loss of sleep.
B. Jonathan holds the view that exposure to decibel noises can give rise to heart disease.
C. According to NIOSH, exposure to noise above 85 for 8 hours or more threatens people's health.
D. Andrea believes the intense siren of a car alarm is acceptable.
2.According to the passage, what is the parents' attitude towards car alarms?
A. Neutral. B. Critical. C. Favorable. D. Indifferent.
3.What is the main idea of the passage?
A. People in modern society is faced with noise pollution.
B. Anyone who lives in a big city is tired of car alarms.
C. A car alarm is out of control and beyond the level of safety.
D. Parents complain about car alarms, trying to fight against them.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The price in different countries will be based________and local economic conditions.
A．in advance B．in conclusion C．on demand D．at all costs
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
单句语法填空
1.You had better book rooms at the hotel in advance in case you should find no room on your ____________ (arrive).
2.Almost all job applicants are determined to leave a good ____________ (impress) on a potential employer.
3.The closure of the factory will cause severe damage ____________ the local economy.
4.She found herself in conflict ____________ her parents over her future career.
5.With the help of the old man，the criminals were ____________ arrest.
6.The number of employees has already decreased ____________ twenty percent after the manager laid off them.
高二英语用适当的词完成句子中等难度题查看答案及解析
You’d better book the tickets in advance；________ we may miss the chance to enjoy the concert performed by the pop star.
A．however B．otherwise C therefore D．nevertheless
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析