Question

The fact that ants are fascinating insects has been known for some time. Now, scientists have discovered a large number of wood ants living in an abandoned underground storehouse in Templewo, Poland, despite having no obvious source of food.

Polish zoologist Wojciech Czechowski and his team began studying the underground colony in 2013. They found the ants built a 60-cm high nest in the soil directly over the storehouse vertical air pipe. As years passed, the metal covering on the pipe eroded, leaving behind a hole that thousands of worker ants accidentally slip into each day as they go about their daily chores. The scientists say that there are no sources of food in the storehouse. This means that the insects live in a state of near starvation.

In July 2015, the researchers disturbed part of the ant nest in search of larvae (幼虫), cocoons(茧), and queens. They found nothing, leading them to suspect that the lack of food and cold temperatures made reproduction impossible and that the group tending the nest is entirely made up of non-reproductive female workers. Their population is refilled every year, by a new rain of unfortunate ants that slide down the hole. The researchers say that when they returned in January 2016, the nest had been repaired. It appears that despite the terrible conditions, the worker ants do not stop constructing their nest.

Wood ants are known for their ability to adapt to bad living conditions. In this case, the millions of worker ants trapped in the storehouse have no choice. But instead of losing hope, they are making the best of the situation—a classic example of “when life gives you lesions make lemonade.”

1.How did the wood ants arrive in the storehouse?

A. They fell down there by accident.

B. The research team brought them there.

C. The storehouse builders left them there.

D. They were attracted by the environment.

2.What does the underlined word “eroded” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A. Expanded.    B. Rotted.    C. Exploded.    D. Melted.

3.What did the researchers find in the nest?

A. Larvae.    B. Cocoons.    C. A queen.    D. Worker ants.

4.Why did the population of wood ants remain steady?

A. They had enough food.

B. They were able to reproduce.

C. They adapted to the conditions.

D. They had new comers to join them.

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.D

4.D

【解析】科学家在一个地下仓库里发现了大量的林蚁，没有食物，环境恶劣，但是依然坚强地生活了下来。生活不如意时，要苦中作乐，努力做到最好。

1.细节理解题。根据第二段As years passed, the metal covering on the pipe eroded, leaving behind a hole that thousands of worker ants accidentally slip into each day as they go about their daily chores.可知，林蚁都是偶然地掉到洞里的，最后到了地下仓库，故选A。

2.词义猜测题。根据第二段As years passed, the metal covering on the pipe eroded, leaving behind a hole，首先要充分了解这句话的含义，多年过去了，管道上的金属（），最后就剩下一个洞，因此，根据逻辑推理以及生活常识，肯定是管道上的金属腐烂了，最后就有洞的形成，故B项的rot（腐烂）符合句意，故选B。

3.推理判断题。根据第二段thousands of worker ants accidentally slip into each day as they go about their daily chores.以及第三段They found nothing, leading them to suspect that the lack of food and cold temperatures made reproduction impossible and that the group tending the nest is entirely made up of non-reproductive female workers.可知，巢穴里发现的只有工蚁，其它什么都没有，故选D。

4.推理判断题。根据倒数第二段Their population is refilled every year, by a new rain of unfortunate ants that slide down the hole.可知，每年都有一些倒霉的工蚁们不小心掉到洞里来，最后导致林蚁的数量一直都很稳定，故选D。

【名师点睛】

猜词悟义。我们要学会“顺藤摸瓜”，通过构词，语法，定义，同位，对比，因果，常识，上下文等线索确定词义。任何一篇文章中的句子在内容上都不是绝对孤立的，都跟句子所在的段落及整篇文章有关。利用上下文提供的情景和线索，进行合乎逻辑的综合分析进而推测词义，是阅读过程中的一大关键。最常见的就是利用上下文语境、常识和语法关系等推断词义。比如第2题，这个要猜的词erode，单词很简短，无法从构词法的角度猜，文中也没有定义、同位这样的一些提示，因此只能结合上下文结合前后句的意思来理解了，这句话本身的含义是“多年过去了，管道上的金属（），最后就剩下一个洞”，根据逻辑推理，前面有pipe“管道”，后面有hole“洞”而且还有时间的描述，很多年，故结合生活常识进行推理，肯定是管道腐烂了，然后就破了洞，故括号里应该是意为“腐烂的”词，答案就出来了。这种题还需多练习才能熟能生巧。