题目内容

四、阅读理解(总计20小题,每小题2分)

第一节、根据短文内容,选出最佳选项(总计15小题,每小题2分)

Can trees talk? Yes—but not in words. Scientists have reasons to believe that trees do communicate with each other. Not long ago, researchers learned some surprising things. First a willow tree(柳树) attacked in the woods by caterpillars(毛毛虫) changed the chemistry of its leaves and made them taste so terrible that the caterpillars got tired of the leaves and stopped eating       them. The even more astonishing, the tree sent out a special vapour — a signal causing its neighbours to change the chemistry of their own leaves and make them less tasty.

Communication, of course, doesn’t need to be always in words. We can talk to each other by smiling, raising our shoulders and moving our hands. We know that birds and animals use a whole vocabulary of songs, sounds, and movements. Bees dance their signals, flying in certain patterns that tell other bees where to find nectar(花蜜) for honey. So why shouldn’t trees have ways of sending messages?

56. From the passage we know that caterpillars _______.

A. like willow trees                        B. enjoy eating fallen leaves

C. can talk to other caterpillars         D. can send out a special vapour

57. Caterpillars will stop eating willow tree leaves which _______.

A. have a chemical change and become tasteless  B. have a pleasant taste

C. are being attacked                        D. are communicating

58. According to the passage, bees communicate with each other by _______.

A. talking                                               B. making unusual sounds    

C. singing songs                                D. flying certain patterns

练习册系列答案
相关题目

阅读理解

阅读下面短文,从每题所给的四个选项中,选出最佳选项。

  Economics has long been known as the dismal(凄凉的)science. But is any economist so dreary(沉闷的) as to criticize Christmas? At first glance, the holiday season in western economies seems a treat for those concerned with such vagaries(奇想、异想天开) as GDP growth. After all, everyone is spending; in America, retailers make 25% of their yearly sales and 60% of their profits between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Even so, economists find something to worry about in the nature of the purchases being made.

  Much of the holiday spending is on gifts for others. At the simplest level, giving gifts involves the giver thinking of something that the recipient would like-he tries to guess her preferences, as economists say-and then buying the gift and delivering it. Yet this guessing of preferences is no mean feat; indeed, it is often done badly. Every year, ties go unworn and books unread. And even if a gift is enjoyed, it may not be what the recipient would have bought had they spent the money themselves. Intrigued(激起……兴趣) by this mismatch between wants and gifts.

  In 1993 Joel Waldfogel, then an economist at Yale University, sought to estimate the disparity(不一致) in dollar terms. In a paper that has proved seminal(开创性的) in the literature on the issue, he asked students two questions at the end of a holiday season: first, estimate the total amount paid (by the givers) for all the holiday gifts you received; second, apart from the sentimental value of the items, if you did not have them, how much would you be willing to pay to get them? His results were gloomy: on average, a gift was valued by the recipient well below the price paid by the giver.

  The most conservative estimate put the average receiver's valuation at 90% of the buying price. The missing 10% is what economists call a deadweight loss: a waste of resources that could be averted without making anyone worse off. In other words, if the giver gave the cash value of the purchase instead of the gift itself, the recipient could then buy what she really wants, and be better off for no extra cost.

  If the results are generalized(无显著特点的), a waste of one dollar in ten represents a huge aggregate(总计) loss to society. It suggests that in America, where givers spend $ 40 billion on Christmas gifts, $ 4 billion is being lost annually in the process of gift giving. Add in birthdays, weddings and non-Christian occasions, and the figure would balloon. So should economists advocate an end to gift giving, or at least press for money to become the gift of choice?

1.Why do some people regard the holiday season in western economies a treat?

[  ]

A.Because the economic situation in US has been gloomy.

B.Because holiday spending can stimulate GDP growth.

C.Because American retailers make a quarter of their yearly sales through holiday season.

D.Because retailers can make as much profit as 60% over holiday season.

2.The purpose of Joel Waldfogel's study is to ________.

[  ]

A.prove the mismatch between wants and gifts

B.spark new ideas of economic studies on holiday spending

C.evaluate the disparity between wants and gifts in economic terms

D.discover the exact cost of holiday spending on gift giving

3.Economists think of the missing 10% of holiday spending a deadweight loss because ________.

[  ]

A.the cash value of the purchase is lower than the buying price

B.it makes many people even worse off for spending more on unwanted gifts

C.with the money the recipients can be better off for no extra cost

D.it is actually a waste of resources in economic terms

4.According to the passage altogether how much money is wasted every year on gift-giving?

[  ]

A.About $ 40 billion.

B.About $ 4 billion.

C.About 10% of the total value.

D.Much more than $ 4 billion.

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网