American beekeeping operations have been hit hard by what scientists call “colony（集群） collapse disorder. Almost half of their worker bees have disappeared during the past season. C.C.D. has also been reported in Israel, Europe and South America. Bees fly away from the hive and never return. Sometimes they are found dead; other times they are never found. Many crops and trees depend on pollination （授粉） by bees to help them grow.

     A new report says virus may be at least partly responsible for the disorder in honey bee colonies in the United States. This virus is called Israeli acute paralysis virus. It was first identified in Israel in 2004. Ian Lipkin at Columbia University in New York and a team reported the new findings in Science magazine. Doctor Lipkin says the virus may not be the only cause. He says it may work with other causes to produce the collapse disorder.

     The team found the virus in colonies with the help of a map of honey bee genes that was published last year. They examined thirty colonies affected by the disorder. They found evidence of the virus in twenty – five of them, and in one healthy colony. The next step is further testing of healthy hives.

     The researchers suggested that the United States may have imported the disorder in bees from Australia. They say the bees may carry the virus but not be affected.

The idea is that unlike many American bees, the ability of Australian bees to fight disease has not been hurt by the varroa mite. This insect attacks honey bees, which could make the disorder more likely to affect a hive. Australian bee producers reject these suspicions（猜想）.

And some researchers suspect that bee production in the United States is down mainly because of the weather. Honey bees gather nectar（花蜜） from flowers and trees. The sweet liquid gives them food and material to make honey. But cold weather this spring in the Midwest reduced the flow of nectar in many flowers. Many bees may have starved. Dry weather in areas of the country could also be playing a part.

Wayne Esaias is a NASA space agency scientist who keeps bees in his free time. He lives in central Maryland, where he has found that flowers are blooming a month earlier than they did in 1970, which may be partly responsible for the disorder. Wayne Esaias is organizing a group of beekeepers to document nectar flow around the country.

1．What is the author’s attitude to the causes of the bee disorder?

       A．critical                                              B．neutral（中立的）

       C．supportive                                        D．negative

2．The researchers found the virus           .

       A．with the help of C.C.D.

       B．by researching the causes of bee death

       C．with the help of a map of honey bee genes

       D．with the help of a scientist of NASA Space Agency

3．What is the passage mainly about?

       A．American beekeeping industry has been strongly influenced by the bee disorder.

       B．Studies are being carried out on the causes of the bee disorder, but questions remain.

       C．How the causes of the bee disorder in U.S have been found.

       D．The bee production in U.S is down.

4．How many possibilities may be involved in the bee disorder according to the passage?

       A．Three                  B．Four                   C．Five                    D．Six

5．We can infer that         from the passage.

       A．Israeli acute paralysis virus should be responsible for the disorder.

       B．The solution to the disorder will be found eventually.

       C．American bees are more likely to defend themselves against hurt from other insects than Australian ones.

       D．Many crop and plant production in U.S may be influenced by the bee disorder.

The discovery of the oil field, to the delight of the whole nation, will largely _______ the country’s dependence on imports of energy.

A. adjust                               B. affect                                C. settle                                D. ease

The next tax law will affect everyone, _________ those on low income.

1. A.
   particularly
2. B.
   specially
3. C.
   peculiarly
4. D.
   individually

單詞拼寫(xiě)（共10小題，每小題1分，滿分10分）
【小題1】The Great Wall of China is a         (象征) of ancient Chinese civilization.
【小題2】The flood destroyed thousands of houses and made many people       (無(wú)家可歸).
【小題3】Have you          (體驗(yàn)) real hunger?
【小題4】Hurricane is a very        (強(qiáng)烈的) wind or storm.
【小題5】An unhappy home        （環(huán)境）can affect a child’s behavior.
【小題6】The film was very          (恐怖的), I was scared to death when I was seeing it.
【小題7】Your idea is         (絕對(duì)的) impossible.
【小題8】He has just        (辭職) from the committee.
【小題9】Alexander Bell       （發(fā)明）the telephone in 1879.
【小題10】The building          (追溯到) back to 1823.

To make our digestive (消化的) system work well, we should avoid doing some things after having a meal, for example, drinking water. It is true that a person should drink 8 glasses of water every day to stay healthy. However, drinking water right after eating or even during a meal may disrupt (擾亂) digestion. It might affect the natural levels of acid and bile (酸和膽汁) that are necessary for proper digestion. What’s more, drinking cold water after eating might slow down digestion. So try to avoid drinking water at least an hour after a meal, and avoid drinking it while eating.

Though walking after eating is healthy, doing it immediately after a meal is not. Doing so will make it difficult for the digestive system to take in nutrients (營(yíng)養(yǎng)) from the food. Besides, the blood will flow towards other parts of the body, like legs, hands, etc., which will make the digestive tract not have enough amount of blood flow that is needed for proper digestion. So we should wait for at least 2 hours after eating, and then begin exercising.

Sleeping should also be avoided right after eating. This is because going to bed right after a meal will lead to improper digestion. What’s more, such a habit will also make you put on a lot of weight. Therefore, wait for an hour or two, and then go to sleep.

Many of us have the habit of drinking tea just after lunch or dinner, which is really unhealthy. The tea leaves contain a large amount of acid which prevents the protein in the food from digesting. The best time to drink tea is at least one hour after eating.

Eating fruits right after a meal may fill the stomach with air and cause discomfort. They will also take time to reach the digestive tract, disturbing the entire process of digestion. To protect your stomach from digestive problems, eat fruits before or after 1-2 hours of a meal.

In a word, if you avoid doing all the above things after eating, you will surely make your digestion easy, and you will be less likely to have digestive problems.