What is a creepy crawly?
A few years ago, I was on a bicycle trip when I got off my bike for a rest. I sat down on the grass. A few seconds later, I was covered in ants. They were swarming all over me so I got up and brushed them off. It was a strange experience but I soon forgot about it.
A couple of years later, I was living in Jordan. I had just moved into a modern flat and was unpacking plates when I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I looked over at the kitchen drawer and there was a cockroach crawling out of it. I screamed. Then I grabbed a can of insecticide and sprayed it on the cockroach. He ran under the nearby bathroom door. It took me three days before I found the courage to open the bathroom door to see if he was still alive. He wasn’t.
Why did I react so violently to one lone insect when a closer encounter with hundreds of ants hardly affected me? The answer is easy: because cockroaches are creepy crawlies and ants aren’t. Creepy crawlies are those little bugs which provoke feelings such as uneasiness, anxiety or dislike – they make your skin crawl.
Did you know that some people feel such a fear of bugs that it becomes a phobia? Psychologists have offered many explanations. Some say we associate them with dirt and disease. Or that these are life forms that are so alien to us, that we find them repulsive(令人厌恶的) for their dissimilarity.
Insects, however, don’t follow our rules – they just do what they want and invade our space. Unfortunately, although insects and bugs have been a successful animal species up to now, many of them, like many other species nowadays, are under threat of extinction. Entomologists warn that this could upset entire ecosystems and lead to all kinds of disastrous consequences.
So my plea to you is: the next time you feel the urge to stamp on, splatter or spray a creepy crawly, give a thought to the planet and stop.

1. 1.

   Why did the author mention the ants in the beginning?

   1. A.
      Because the experience with the ants presents a sharp contrast to that with the cockroach later.
   2. B.
      Because the author wants to show her preference to the ants and her dislike for the cockroach.
   3. C.
      Because both ants and cockroaches are creepy crawlies that the author dislikes.
   4. D.
      Because meeting the ants is an unusual experience that the author can hardly forget.
2. 2.

   What does “insecticide” in the second paragraph probably mean?

   1. A.
      a kind of fruit juice.                            
   2. B.
      a kitchen knife.
   3. C.
      liquid for killing insects.                       
   4. D.
      cleanser for the bathroom.                                                                                                                                                                       
3. 3.

   How does the author feel about the bugs like cockroaches?

   1. A.
      The author doesn’t mind the contact with those harmless small creatures.
   2. B.
      They make the author feel so awful that they should be killed.
   3. C.
      They invade our space and become a threat to humans.
   4. D.
      They still deserve a place for keeping the balance of the nature.
4. 4.

   Which of the following is NOT the reason why the cockroach makes the author’s skin crawl?

   1. A.
      It looks so strange and different that the author can’t accept its appearance.
   2. B.
      It can make the author feel sick and cause a strong dislike.
   3. C.
      The author may relate it to something dirty or disease at the sight of it.
   4. D.
      It reminds the author of the experience of meeting hundreds of ants.
5. 5.

   Which of the following statements about bugs is NOT true according to the passage?

   1. A.
      Some people may be frightened so much by bugs that it leads to a psychological barrier in some degree.
   2. B.
      People can enjoy a cleaner living environment if more bugs like cockroaches are killed.
   3. C.
      Many bugs are in danger of extinction so they should be placed under human’s protection.
   4. D.
      Some bugs are extremely unpleasant that people have a strong wish to destroy them.

I'm writing this letter slowly because I know you can't read fast. We don't live where we did when you left home. Your dad read in the newspaper that most accidents happened within 20 miles from our home, so we moved.
I won't be able to send you the address because the last family that lived here took the house numbers when they moved so that they wouldn't have to change their address. This place is really nice. It even has a washing machine. I'm not sure it works so well though: last week I put a load in and pulled the chain (拉链) and haven't seen them since. The weather isn't bad here. It only rained twice last week; the first time for three days and the second time for four days. About that coat you wanted me to send you, your uncle Stanley said it would be too heavy to send in the mail with the buttons on so we cut them off and put them in the pockets.
John locked his keys in the car yesterday. We were really worried because it took him two hours to get me and your father out. Your sister had a baby this morning, but I haven't found out what it is yet. The baby looks just like your brother.
Uncle Ted fell in a whiskey vat（桶）last week. Some men tried to pull him out, but he fought them off playfully and drowned. We had him cremated（焚化）and he burned for three days.
Three of your friends went off a bridge in a pick-up trunk. Ralph was driving. He rolled down the window and swam to safety. You other two friends were in back. They drowned because they couldn't get the tail gate down.
There isn't much more news at this time. Nothing much has happened.
Love,
Mom
P.S. I was going to send you some money but the envelope was already sealed.
【小题1】From the passage, we can infer that _____.