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 Gentral American leaf-cutter ants has shown that the younger and stronger members are give the toughest job of cutting therough the leaves they harvest.Their sharp youn 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 suyted to their physical abilities.They become carriers and teansport the leaves back to the kingdom where they are harvested for food.
The findings by researchers from the University of Oregon and the Oregong State University support previous research showin the survival of a leaf-cutter kingdom depends on the efficiency(效率）of is workers.
“Cuting 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 rime 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 largre animals.
Like humans,leaf-cuttre ant recognize that older members of the group can still make a worhwhile contribution to society.“This study shows an advantage of social living that we are familiar with,”said Dr.Schofield.
【小题1】The younger and stronger ants do the toughest job because      .

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 Gentral American leaf-cutter ants has shown that the younger and stronger members are give the toughest job of cutting therough the leaves they harvest.Their sharp youn 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 suyted to their physical abilities.They become carriers and teansport the leaves back to the kingdom where they are harvested for food.

The findings by researchers from the University of Oregon and the Oregong State University support previous research showin the survival of a leaf-cutter kingdom depends on the efficiency(效率）of is workers.

“Cuting 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 rime 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 largre animals.

Like humans,leaf-cuttre ant recognize that older members of the group can still make a worhwhile 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      .

2.The undrelined word“blunt”in the second paragraph can be replaced by      .

3.What happens to the ants when they become old?

4.It can be learned from the passage that       .

5.What can be the best title for the passage?

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 Gentral American leaf-cutter ants has shown that the younger and stronger members are give the toughest job of cutting therough the leaves they harvest.Their sharp youn 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 suyted to their physical abilities.They become carriers and teansport the leaves back to the kingdom where they are harvested for food.
The findings by researchers from the University of Oregon and the Oregong State University support previous research showin the survival of a leaf-cutter kingdom depends on the efficiency(效率）of is workers.
“Cuting 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 rime 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 largre animals.
Like humans,leaf-cuttre ant recognize that older members of the group can still make a worhwhile contribution to society.“This study shows an advantage of social living that we are familiar with,”said Dr.Schofield.

1. 1.

   The younger and stronger ants do the toughest job because      .

   1. A.
      they can teansport the leaves effectively
   2. B.
      they have a sharp blade to cut leaves
   3. C.
      other members are busy with other work
   4. D.
      they can finish the job in a better organized way
2. 2.

   The undrelined word“blunt”in the second paragraph can be replaced by      .

   1. A.
      quite loose
   2. B.
      less sharp
   3. C.
      quite fragile
   4. D.
      more dirty
3. 3.

   What happens to the ants when they become old?

   1. A.
      They no longer hve work to do.
   2. B.
      They keep doing the same work.
   3. C.
      They have to leave and live on themselves.
   4. D.
      They are given a new worthwhile job.
4. 4.

   It can be learned from the passage that       .

   1. A.
      Dr.Schofield is the first to research leaf-cuttre ants
   2. B.
      older ants are more powerful in carrying leaves
   3. C.
      large animals can also suffer from some kind of wear
   4. D.
      leaf-cutter ants are the most lever ants in the world
5. 5.

   What can be the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      The key secret to the success of ants
   2. B.
      The developed structure of ant colony
   3. C.
      The most challenging job for leaf-cutter ants
   4. D.
      No V-shaped blade,no success of ants

The new model is the highly interactive（互动的）learning model. We could also call it the conversational model, or the tutorial model. It is computer based, with the interaction between the student, or a small group of students, and learning programs are like the conversation between a student and a skilled tutor. Distance learning will be the main delivery method.

Student interaction with the learning material on the computer will use the student's natural language; it will seem like a conversation between a student and a human tutor. This is the key point of highly interactive, or conversational, learning units. Programs will ask questions in the student’s native language, and respond reasonably to free-form student input. Multiple choice and pointing will seldom be used; they often do not allow individualization (个体化) of education.

An important aspect of this model is that the computer will frequently store information about the student, about problems and about how far individual students have progressed. These records will be used often within the programs. Thus when a student returns to the learning activity, the computer knows about that student and knows where to begin the new part.

Global education is critical for the future, to get rid of poverty, corruption (腐败), violence and war, to solve major problems such as the lack of drinkable water, and to insure a happy life for all. Education should no longer be limited to the wealthy of the world, but should be available to everyone.

In the new distance learning environment learning can take place in markets, libraries, public buildings, learning centers, and the home. Gradually schools and universities will play a smaller role in learning, both because better learning can be delivered through such highly interactive material, and because such learning will be less costly for the individual student. Motivation (动机)is particularly important in a mastery-based distance learning, as the usual threats of traditional classrooms such as that of low grades are no longer possible.

Voice input will probably be the mode(模式) for this interaction. The new voice input systems from several companies are useful, cheap, and speaker independent in highly interactive learning. Keyboards may not be needed. Speech is a natural way for humans to communicate.

Students will work in small peer groups, about four. Other contacts with people, learning circles, will be possible, directly or electronically.

68. What is not the new model also called?

A. interactive model       B. conversational model  

C. tutorial model          D. linguistic model

69. What does the model often use?

A. individualization of education            B. multiple choice and pointing

  C. questions in students’ native language      D. fixed-form student input

70. What do computers detect(检查) students about?

  A. Their future achievements      B. Their intelligences  

  C. Their problems               D. Their families

71. According to the passage, distance learning ____________ .

  A. is still expensive for ordinary students   

  B. will take place mainly in classrooms.

  C. will play a more important role in students’ learning.   

D. will still affect badly on the low-graded students

Today I felt very uncomfortable studying English as usual．My eyes were   36   and my mind was confused．I buried my head deep in the great pile of books．Many vocabulary words   37   my mind．As more and more entered，I   38   focus，and my   39   became crazy．The clock hands were pointing at twelve. I always   40   the time when I study．Without any fruitful results，I felt more   41   and tired．I   42   up and walked to the living room just to take a little break．  43   that would make me feel better．The street lamps looked like stars outside the window．A few scattered(分散的)branches   44   shadows on the French window．Something seemed more   45   and quiet than before．I walked to the   46   slowly，and let my face press against it，  47   very carefully…oh my God!!…It’s snow! It was very bright and covered up the whole   48   while I was studying English painfully, so white and so quiet．At this moment, I was so   49   that I felt like I might burst into tears．The snow was like a spring   50   into my heart，and my eyes were shining with it．All my pain and tiredness   51   at this moment，as the snow dropped into my heart．

I quickly became calm again as the excitement went away．I sat on the bed silently，and drew the   52   to one side to let the white house and white tree stay just beside my bed．I thought this must be a(n)   53   from God，because I liked snow so much．  54   I was weakest and most helpless in this world，nothing could inspire me but   55  ．I should inspire myself from such a beautiful scene．