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(蟻群)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.
【小題1】The younger and stronger ants do the toughest job because      .

閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的四個選項（A、B、C和D）中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項，并從答題卡上將該選項涂黑。

I sat in the all-too-quiet waiting room of the cancer center, counting the minutes until my treatment. I thought I'd  36  it two years ago, but it was back. After my   37    diagnosis, Nom and Dad had driven more than l,200 miles from their home to be with me for three  38  while I was getting over from   39   and chemotherapy(化療). When the cancer returned last, they, once again,   40    it here , too. They waited for hours while I received my treatments------Dad with his   41   and Mom with a magazine.

But now, they were   42   in Westlake.

My children are  43   and my four brothers live far from my home outside Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania.  I knew    44  of them would come if  asked, but I didn't want to  45   them,even with the intense    46  I felt.

I   47   picked one of the magazines on the end table beside me and couldn't help  wishing my  48   were there inside. One publication caught my   49  , a magazine I liked best and had   50    to ages ago. I couldn't tell you the last time when I'd read an issue. I   51   it up and I started right in with the letters to the   52  .

"I love  53   my copy every month," the first letter began. The author mentioned a daughter who  54    in Clinton, Pennsylvania. Huh, that's funny. I thought. That's my town! I read the letter to the end, where my    55   fell upon the author's signature:

"Thank you, Margie and Tom Parrish, Westlake, Louisiana"

Alone? Hardly. Margie and Tom-or as I call them, Mom and Dad-were right beside me,even now.

1.A. treated           B. beaten         C. infected              D. operated

2.A. first             B. terrible        C. invisible               D. last

3.A. days             B. months        C. years                 D. hours

4.A. illness            B. hospital       C. work                 D. surgery

5. A. made             B. put           C. hoped               D. arrived

6.A. pen               B. glasses        C.Bible                D. smile

7. A. in hospital        B. back home     C. at work              D. in town

8.A. youn             B. caring         C. struggling            D. full-grown

9.A. any              B. some          C. none                 D. both

10.A. scare             B. disappoint      C. surprise              D. trouble

11.A. loneliness         B. pride          C. happiness             D. anger

12.A. half-heartedly      B. carefully       C. seriously             D. anxiously

13.A. brothers           B. children       C. friends               D. parents

14.A. thought           B. mind          C. eye                  D. hand

15.A. referred           B. subscribed      C. turned               D. contributed

16.A.put                B.picked         C.set                   D.broke

17.A. editor             B. writer         C. producer              D. reader

18.A. editing            B. sending        C. receiving             D. organizing

19. A. studied            B. worked        C. died                 D. lived

20.A.gaze               B.touch          C.thought               D.sense

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(蟻群)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(蟻群)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