阅读理解【3】

　　If you look outside, you probably will see some kind of insect. If your first instinct is to kill it, take a moment to think about all of the benefits insects provide to the environment.

　　Entomologists, scientists who study insects, estimate that there are more than 800,000 species of insects found throughout the world. Only a few hundred of these insects are considered harmful. Mosquitoes, for example, are considered harmful. They bite humans and other animals, and their bites can cause skin pain and spread disease. Desert locusts also are considered harmful because they destroy crops causing billions of dollars in damage each year.

　　However, the number of helpful insect species far outweighs the number of harmful species. Some insects make up a vital part of the food chain. Many different birds, reptiles, fish and even plants eat insects. There are also about 500 insects that people in various parts of the world eat. These insects are considered delicious food and prized for their high protein, mineral, and vitamin content. Other insects produce valuable commercial products such as silk, wax, and honey.

　　Of all the insects, perhaps the most important are those that travel from flower to flower and pollinate(授粉) the plants they visit. Agriculture around the world would be very different without the bees, butterflies, moths, flies and wasps that pollinate many crops. In fact, nearly one-third of the food you eat depends on plants that are pollinated by insects!

　　While it is true that some species of insects harm or annoy us, you should not automatically reach for the bug spray when you come across an insect. You may be destroying one of the hundreds of thousands of insects that provides many benefits to human beings.

　　29. According to the passage, the most important type of insects are__________.

　　A. insects that are eaten by birds, reptiles and fish

　　B. insects that travel around and pollinate plants

　　C. insects that harm mosquitoes and stop the spread of disease

　　D. insects that are eaten by people in many countries

　　30. According to the passage, insects are eaten in some parts of the world because__________. A. they are nutritious B. they are available to cook

　　C. they are easy to breed D. they are free

　　31. According to the author, the sentence in the last paragraph “you should not automatically reach for the bug spray.” means __________.

　　A. you should not keep insects as pets

　　B. you should not breed insects for their benefit

　　C. you should not catch insects for pleasure

　　D. you should not kill insects without thinking

　　32. The main purpose of this passage is__________.

　　A. to explain why it is cruel to kill bugs

　　B. to convince people that insects are nutritious

　　C. to describe the beneficial contributions of insects

　　D. to make people aware of endangered insect species

　　阅读理解【4】

　　Every day, millions of shoppers hit the stores in full force—both online and on foot— searching for the perfect gift. Aside from purchasing holiday gifts, most people regularly buy presents for other occasions throughout the year, including weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and baby showers. This frequent experience of gift-giving can cause ambivalent feelings in gift-givers. Many enjoy the opportunity to buy presents because gift-giving offers a powerful means to build stronger bonds with one’s closest persons. At the same time, many fear the thought of buying gifts; they worry that their purchases will disappoint rather than delight the intended receivers.

　　What is surprising is that gift-givers have considerable experience acting as both gift-givers and gift-recipients, but nevertheless tend to overspend each time they set out to purchase a meaningful gift. In the present research, we propose a unique psychological explanation for this overspending problem — i.e., that gift-givers equate how much they spend with how much receivers will appreciate the gift (the more expensive the gift, the stronger a gift-recipient’s feelings of appreciation). Although a link between gift price and feelings of appreciation might seem intuitive (凭直觉得到的) to gift-givers, such an assumption may be unfounded. Indeed, we propose that gift- receivers will seldom tend to base their feelings of appreciation on the significance weight of a gift than givers assume.

　　Why do gift-givers assume that gift price is closely linked to gift-recipients’ feelings of appreciation? Perhaps givers believe that bigger (i.e., more expensive) gifts convey stronger signals of thoughtfulness and consideration. According to Camerer (1988) and others, gift-giving represents a symbolic ritual(礼节), by which gift-givers attempt to signal their positive attitudes toward the intended receiver and their willingness to invest resources in a future relationship. In this sense, gift-givers may be motivated to spend more money on a gift in order to send a “stronger signal” to their intended receiver. As for gift-receivers, they may not consider smaller and larger gifts as representing smaller and larger signals of thoughtfulness and consideration.

　　In practical terms, people spend hundreds of dollars each year on gifts, but somehow never learn to measure their gift expenses according to personal insight.

　　33. The underlined word ambivalent most nearly means__________.

　　A. unrealistic B. conflicted C. appreciative D. supportive

　　34. The authors indicate that people value gift-giving because they feel it__________.

　　A. functions as a form of self-expression.

　　B. is an inexpensive way to show appreciation.

　　C. requires the gift-receivers to return.

　　D. can serve to strengthen a relationship.

　　35. The authors refer to work by Camerer and others in order to__________.

　　A. offer an explanation B. introduce an argument

　　C. question an intension D. support a conclusion

　　参考答案：

　　21-24 DBCD 25-28 BACB 29-32 BADC 33-35 BDA