Ants have a reputation for strength, organization and teamwork.But researchers have now discovered that a key secret to the success of ants is their ability to identify the importance of age in the work place.
A study of Central American leaf-cutter ants has shown that the younger and stronger members are given the toughest job of cutting through the; leaves they harvest.Their sharp young teeth do this job effectively, but as they get older their teeth become relatively worn and blunt.
But rather than being retired or abandoned by the group, the ageing ants are given a new role more suited to their physical abilities.They become carriers and transport the leaves back to the kingdom where they are harvested for food.
The findings by researchers from the University of Oregon and the Oregon State University support previous research showing the survival of a leaf-cutter kingdom depends on the efficiency(效率)of its workers.
"Cutting leaves is hard work," said Dr.Robert Schofield, who led the research team."Much of the cutting is done with a V-shaped blade(刀片)between teeth on their jaws.This blade starts out as sharp as the sharpest razor blade that humans have developed." But over time the teeth become blunter and the cutting job slows down.The team estimated that, because of this age-related wear, a colony(蚁群)spent twice the energy cutting leaves than it would if all the ants had sharp blades.Its findings support the idea that wear and break can be significant problems for insects as well as larger animals.
Like humans, leaf-cutter ants recognize that older members of the group can still make a worthwhile contribution to society."This study shows an advantage of social living that we are familiar with," said Dr.Schofield.
(1)
The younger and stronger ants do the toughest job because _________.
[ ]
A.
they can transport the leaves effectively
B.
they have a sharp blade to cut leaves
C.
other members are busy with other work
D.
they can finish the job in a better organized way
(2)
The underlined word "blunt" in the second paragraph can be replaced by _________.
[ ]
A.
quite loose
B.
less sharp
C.
quite fragile
D.
more dirty
(3)
What happens to the ants when they become old?
[ ]
A.
They no longer have work to do.
B.
They keep doing the same work.
C.
They have to leave and live on themselves.
D.
They are given a new worthwhile job.
(4)
It can be learned from the passage that _________.
[ ]
A.
Dr.Schofield is the first to research leaf-cutter ants
B.
older ants are more powerful in carrying leaves
C.
large animals can also suffer from some kind of wear
D.
leaf-cutter ants are the most -lever ants in the world
As we grow up, we gradually develop a set of our own values or beliefs.These are influenced by society, our family, the education we receive and so on.Once this value system is set up, it’s not easy to change later in life.Financial experts say that every one also has their own belief of how to manage their money.According to our different values, experts put us in three categories.They are:the ant, the cricket and the snail.
◆The ant-works first
Just like ants who work heart and soul in summer in order to store food for winter, these people don’t care about enjoying the moment.They work very hard and save money they earn so that they can enjoy life when they get old and retire.The ant loves to save but they could make more out of their money if they were willing to invest in some funds and stocks(股票)with low risk.
◆The cricket-fun first?
The cricket wants to enjoy everything now and doesn’t think too much about the future.They even borrow money when they really want something.Many young people now belong to this group.These people have little savings.When they get old, they might have problems.They should learn to save and buy insurance(保险).
◆The snail-lives under pressure?
The snail refers to people who make life difficult for themselves.They take big long-term loans(贷款)from the bank in order to buy things such as luxury houses.They are happy to take big loans even though they are not sure they can afford it.This can cause problems in the future.They should plan more carefully.
(1)
One’s values may ________.
[ ]
A.
be his ways of managing money
B.
be his beliefs about society
C.
determine his family and education
D.
influence his behavior
(2)
Mr.Smith always enjoys spending a weekend with his friends, fishing, hunting and playing cards.Moreover, he spends money in a very luxurious way.So, ________.
[ ]
A.
Mr.Smith belongs to the ant type
B.
Mr.Smith belongs to the cricket type
C.
Mr.Smith belongs to the snail type
D.
it’s hard to tell which kind of person Mr.Smith is
(3)
The writer of the passage seems to be in favor of ________.
[ ]
A.
the ant
B.
the cricket
C.
the snail
D.
none of them
(4)
According to the passage, the most suitable title would be ________.
[ ]
A.
Spending Nature
B.
What Comes First
C.
How to Understand Your Values
D.
Work and Fun
阅读理解
As we grow up, we gradually develop a set of our own values or beliefs.These are influenced by society, our family, the education we receive and so on.Once this value system is set up, it’s not easy to change later in life.Financial experts say that every one also has their own belief of how to manage their money.According to our different values, experts put us in three categories.They are:the ant, the cricket and the snail.
◆The ant-works first
Just like ants who work heart and soul in summer in order to store food for winter, these people don’t care about enjoying the moment.They work very hard and save money they earn so that they can enjoy life when they get old and retire.The ant loves to save but they could make more out of their money if they were willing to invest in some funds and stocks(股票)with low risk.
◆The cricket-fun first
The cricket wants to enjoy everything now and doesn’t think too much about the future.They even borrow money when they really want something.Many young people now belong to this group.These people have little savings.When they get old, they might have problems.They should learn to save and buy insurance(保险).
◆The snail-lives under pressure
The snail refers to people who make life difficult for themselves.They take big long-term loans(贷款)from the bank in order to buy things such as luxury houses.They are happy to take big loans even though they are not sure they can afford it.This can cause problems in the future.They should plan more carefully.
(1)
One’s values may ________.
[ ]
A.
be his ways of managing money
B.
be his beliefs about society
C.
determine his family and education
D.
influence his behavior
(2)
Mr.Smith always enjoys spending a weekend with his friends, fishing, hunting and playing cards.Moreover, he spends money in a very luxurious way.So, ________.
[ ]
A.
Mr.Smith belongs to the ant type
B.
Mr.Smith belongs to the cricket type
C.
Mr.Smith belongs to the snail type
D.
it’s hard to tell which kind of person Mr.Smith is
(3)
The writer of the passage seems to be in favor of ________.
[ ]
A.
the ant
B.
the cricket
C.
the snail
D.
none of them
(4)
According to the passage, the most suitable title would be ________.
[ ]
A.
Spending Nature
B.
What Comes First
C.
How to Understand Your Values
D.
Work and Fun
阅读理解
As we grow up, we gradually develop a set of our own values or beliefs.These are influenced by society, our family, the education we receive and so on.Once this value system is set up, it's not easy to change later in life.Financial experts say that every one also has their own belief of how to manage their money.According to our different values, experts put us in three categories.They are:the ant, the cricket and the snail.
The ant-works first
Just like ants who work heart and soul in summer in order to store food for winter, these people don't care about enjoying the moment.They work very hard and save money they earn so that they can enjoy life when they get old and retire.The ant loves to save but they could make more out of their money if they were willing to invest in some funds and stocks(股票)with low risk.
The cricket-fun first
The cricket wants to enjoy everything now and doesn't think too much about the future.They even borrow money when they really want something.Many young people now belong to this group.These people have little savings.When they get old, they might have problems.They should learn to save and buy insurance(保险).
The snail-lives under pressure
The snail refers to people who make life difficult for themselves.They take big long-term loans(贷款)from the bank in order to buy things such as luxury houses.They are happy to take big loans even though they are not sure they can afford it.This can cause problems in the future.They should plan more carefully.
(1)
One’s values may _________.
[ ]
A.
be his ways of managing money
B.
be his beliefs about society
C.
determine his family and education
D.
influence his behavior
(2)
Mr.Smith always enjoys spending a weekend with his friends, fishing, hunting and playing cards.Moreover, he spends money in a very luxurious way.So, _________.
[ ]
A.
Mr.Smith belongs to the ant type
B.
Mr.Smith belongs to the cricket type
C.
Mr.Smith belongs to the snail type
D.
it’s hard to tell which kind of person Mr.Smith is
(3)
The writer of the passage seems to be in favor of _________.
[ ]
A.
the ant
B.
the cricket
C.
the snail
D.
none of them
(4)
According to the passage, the most suitable title would be _________.
[ ]
A.
Spending Nature
B.
What Comes First
C.
How to Understand Your Values
D.
Work and Fun
阅读理解
Desert ants on their expeditions for food use clues to lead themselves in the homeward direction, but with few landmarks in the poor land, scientists have wondered how the insects always take the most direct route and know exactly how far to march.
The new study shows that counting their steps is an important part of the scheme.
Over the years, scientists have proposed several theories for how ants find their way home.One is that they do it like honeybees and remember visual clues, but experiments showed ants can travel in the dark.Another theory is that because ants run at a steady pace, they could time how long it took them to get to and from.Other studies have shown that once ants find a good source of food, they teach other ants how to find it.
The ant “pedometer” technique was first proposed in 1904, but it remained untested until now.Scientists trained desert ants to walk along a straight path from their nest entrance to a feeder 30 feet away.If the nest or feeder was moved, the ants would break from their straight path after reaching the expected spot and search for their goal.
Try that on stilts.They glued stilt-like extentions to the legs of some ants to lengthen stride.The researchers shortened other ants' stride length by cutting off the ants' feet and lower legs, reducing their legs to stumps.
The ants on stilts took the right number of steps, but because of their increased stride length, marched past their goal.Stump-legged ants, meanwhile, fell short of the goal.After getting used to their new legs, the ants were able to adjust their pedometer.
(1)
What is the passage mainly about?
[ ]
A.
Ants' marching depends on counting their steps
B.
Desert ants know how to look for food
C.
The secret for ants' marching is known to all
D.
Ants know how far their food is
(2)
Apart from counting their steps, how can ants find their way?
[ ]
A.
By smelling
B.
By communicating
C.
By hearing
D.
By recognizing wind
(3)
About the ant pedometer, we know that ________.
[ ]
A.
the technique is a recent discovery
B.
ants always walk along a straight path
C.
ants often change their nest to keep the pedometer
D.
the pedometer needs changing depending on new situations
(4)
According to the passage, the “stump-legged ants”________.
[ ]
A.
have longer legs than ones on stilts
B.
have longer legs than the common ones
C.
need more steps to reach their goal
D.
can arrive at their goal as usual
阅读理解
As we grow up, we gradually develop a set of our own values or beliefs.These are influenced by society, our family, the education we receive and so on.Once this value system is set up, it's not easy to change later in life.Financial experts say that every one also has their own belief of how to manage their money.According to our different values, experts put us in three categories.They are:the ant, the cricket and the snail.
◆The ant-works first
Just like ants who work heart and soul in summer in order to store food for winter, these people don't care about enjoying the moment.They work very hard and save money they earn so that they can enjoy life when they get old and retire.The ant loves to save but they could make more out of their money if they were willing to invest in some funds and stocks(股票)with low risk.
◆The cricket-fun first
The cricket wants to enjoy everything now and doesn't think too much about the future.They even borrow money when they really want something.Many young people now belong to this group.These people have little savings.When they get old, they might have problems.They should learn to save and buy insurance(保险).
◆The snail-lives under pressure
The snail refers to people who make life difficult for themselves.They take big long-term loans(贷款)from the bank in order to buy things such as luxury houses.They are happy to take big loans even though they are not sure they can afford it.This can cause problems in the future.They should plan more carefully.
(1)
One's values may ________.
[ ]
A.
be his ways of managing money
B.
be his beliefs about society
C.
determine his family and education
D.
influence his behavior
(2)
Mr.Smith always enjoys spending a weekend with his friends, fishing, hunting and playing cards.Moreover, he spends money in a very luxurious way.So, ________.
[ ]
A.
Mr.Smith belongs to the ant type
B.
Mr.Smith belongs to the cricket type
C.
Mr.Smith belongs to the snail type
D.
it's hard to tell which kind of person Mr.Smith is
(3)
The writer of the passage seems to be in favor of ________.
[ ]
A.
the ant
B.
the cricket
C.
the snail
D.
none of them
(4)
According to the passage, the most suitable title would be ________.