Question

    Contrary to popular belief, cultivating honey for human consumption isn’t just a matter of letting bees “do what they do” and reaping the benefits. Although the creation of honey is a natural process, humans extract far more honey from bees than they would otherwise create naturally. As a result, bees can suffer during all stages of industrialized honey production.

Honey is created when bees suck the nectar out of a flower, regurgitate it, and process it with other bees back at the hive. In their natural states, they use this honey as a food source during winter. But on honey farms, beekeepers take that honey and replace it with a cheap sugar substitute — one that’s insufficient to meet honeybees’ nutritional needs. As a result, honeybees die of over-exhaustion attempting to reproduce the honey that they require; others die of starvation or malnutrition, while others develop weakened immune systems and contract diseases.

Moreover, the negative consequences of industrial honey production extend far beyond the bees themselves. The honey industry also intensifies an existing problem, a rather catastrophic one that has the potential to wreak havoc not only on bees, but on humanity itself. As environmentalists often note, worldwide bee populations are in decline. Because of the crucial ecological role that bees play in food production, this decline is nothing short of an existential threat to human beings’ long-term food supply. It would be natural to assume that honey farming en masse, by cultivating and maintaining constant populations of honeybees, is part of the solution. But it’s not. In fact, it’s part of the problem. So, it's really time for us to see the world anew!

1.How many causes are mentioned about the death of honeybees?

A.2. B.3.

C.4. D.5.

2.What does the underlined word “intensifies” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A.Causes. B.Solves.

C.Worsens. D.Avoids.

3.What is the author's attitude towards industrial honey production?

A.Disapproving. B.Uncaring.

C.Positive. D.Doubtful.

4.Why did the author write the article?

A.To introduce a popular belief.

B.To explain the creation process of honey.

C.To raise people's awareness of protecting honeybees.

D.To show the conflicts between beekeepers and honeybees.

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.A

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇议论文。作者在文章中针对工业化生产蜂蜜这个现象进行了分析，认为工业生产蜂蜜的负面影响远远超出了蜜蜂本身。蜂蜜行业也加剧了一个现存的问题，这是一个相当灾难性的问题，它不仅有可能对蜜蜂造成严重破坏，而且会对人类本身造成严重破坏。作者不支持工业生产蜂蜜，还呼唤人们保护蜜蜂。

1.细节理解题。根据第二段中As a result, honeybees die of over-exhaustion attempting to reproduce the honey that they require; others die of starvation or malnutrition, while others develop weakened immune systems and contract diseases.可知，结果，蜜蜂因试图繁殖它们需要的蜂蜜，过度疲劳而死亡；另一些蜜蜂死于饥饿或营养不良，而另一些蜜蜂则发展出虚弱的免疫系统并染上了疾病。由此可知，文章提到了这三种蜜蜂死亡的原因。故选B项。

2.词义猜测题。根据第三段中划线词所在句The honey industry also intensifies an existing problem, a rather catastrophic one that has the potential to wreak havoc not only on bees, but on humanity itself. 可知，蜂蜜行业也intensifies了一个现存的问题，这是一个相当灾难性的问题，它不仅有可能对蜜蜂造成严重破坏，而且会对人类本身造成严重破坏。根据“这是一个相当灾难性的问题”可以猜测出划线词intensifies意为“加剧，恶化”。故选C项。

3.推理判断题。根据第三段中Moreover, the negative consequences of industrial honey production extend far beyond the bees themselves.可知，此外，工业生产蜂蜜的负面影响远远超出了蜜蜂本身。由此可知，作者是不支持工业生产蜂蜜的。故选A项。

4.推理判断题。根据第三段中It would be natural to assume that honey farming en masse, by cultivating and maintaining constant populations of honeybees, is part of the solution. But it’s not. In fact, it’s part of the problem. So, it's really time for us to see the world anew! 可知，人们很自然地会认为，通过培育和维持恒定数量的蜜蜂来进行大规模的蜂蜜种植是解决方案的一部分。但它不是。事实上，这也是问题的一部分。所以，是时候让我们重新认识这个世界了！由此可知，作者写这篇文章的目的是为了唤起人们保护蜜蜂的意识。故选C项。