US bees
operation keeping groups have been attacked seriously by so called Colony (群体)Collapse Disorder.Almost 1/2 of their worker bees have
vanished during the past season.This
disorder has also been reported in Israel, Europe and South America.Bees fly away from the hive and never
return.Sometimes they are
found dead; other times they are never found.Many crops and trees depend on pollination^^}) by bees to help them grow.
A new
report says a virus may be at least partly responsible for the disorder in
honey bee colonies in the United States.This virus is called Israeli acute paralysis virus.It was first found in Israel in 2004.lan Lipkin at Columbia University in New
York and a team reported the new findings in Science Magazine.Doctor Lipkin says the virus may not be
the only cause.He says it
may work with other causes to produce the collapse disorder.
The team
found the virus in colonies with the help of a map of honey bee genes that was
published last year.They
examined thirty colonies affected by the disorder.They found evidence of the virus in twenty-five of them, and in
one healthy colony.The next
step is further testing of healthy hives.
The
researchers suggested that the United States may have imported the disorder in
bees from Australia.They say the
bees may carry the virus but not be affected.
The idea
is that unlike many American bees, the ability of Australian bees to fight
disease has not been hurt by the varroa mite.This insect attacks honey bees, which could make the disorder more
likely to affect a hive.Australian
bee producers object to these suspicions.
And some
researchers suspect that bee production in the United States is down mainly
because of the weather.Honey bees
gather nectar from flowers and trees.The sweet liquid gives them food and material to make honey.But cold weather this spring in the
Midwest reduced the flow of nectar in many flowers.Many bees may have starved.Dry weather in areas of the country
could also be playing apart.
Wayne
Esaias is a NASA space agency scientist who keeps bees in his free time.He lives in central Maryland, where he
has found that flowers are blooming a month earlier than they did in 1970,
which may be partly responsible for the disorder. Wayne Esaias is organizing a
group of beekeepers to document nectar flow around the country.
1.What is
the author’s attitude toward the cause of this disorder?
A.Doubtful. B.Neutral. C.Supportive. D.Negative.
2.The
researchers found the virus sharply
by .
A.studying the published Science Magazine
B.researching the causes of bee death
C.examining some affected colony
D.exploring a connected chart
3.The
passage is mainly developed
by .
A.presenting the effect and analyzing its
causes
B.making comparisons between two countries
C.providing data and examples
D.following the time order
4.How many
possibilities may be involved in the bee disorder according to the passage?
A.Three B.Four C.Five D.Six
5.From the
passage we can infer
that .
A.American bees are more likely to defend
themselves against hurt from other insects than Australian ones
B.A collection of plants production in U.S
ay be influenced by the bee disorder
C.Israeli acute paralysis virus should be
responsible for the disorder
D.The solution to the disorder will be
found eventually