注釋：
1. colony-collapse：群體癱瘓。Colony有“殖民地”的意思，在此意為： a group of the same kind of animals, plants, or one-celled organisms living or growing together. 一群生活或生長在一起的同種動物、植物或單細(xì)胞有機體。
2. the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Bee Research Laboratory：美國農(nóng)業(yè)部蜜蜂研究實驗室。
3. the Florida Department of Agriculture：佛羅里達(dá)農(nóng)業(yè)局。佛羅里達(dá)是美國東南部的一個州，瀕臨大西洋和墨西哥灣。
練習(xí)：
1. What is the mystery that researchers find hard to explain?
A) Honeybees are flying all across the country.
B) 25-40 percent of the honeybees in the US have died.
C) Honeybees are leaving their hives and do not return.
D) Honeybee hives are in disorder.
2. Why are researchers seriously concerned with the phenomenon of colony-collapse disorder?
A) Because honeybees produce one-third of the foods we eat
B) Because honeybees feed on flowers.
C) Because honeybees eat seeds of flowers.
D) Both B and C.
3. What are the possible causes of colony-collapse disorder given by the scientists?
A) Worsening environment.
B) Disease and chemicals.
C) Dwindling number of flowers around.
D) Changes in genes’ structures.
4. According to the fifth paragraph, which of the following about bees’ genes is true?
A) Bees’ genes allow them to expand their colonies.
B) Bees genes help keep them in their hives.
C) Bees genes make them fly from flower to flower.
D) Bees genes could explain the collapse of some colonies.
5. What explanation is given by Jerry Hayes to the phenomenon?
A) Farmers apply certain chemicals to kill unwanted bees.
B)The insecticide destroys the honeybee’s nervous system.
C)The insecticide affects the honeybee’s memory.
D) All of the above.
答案與題解：
1. C 短文第一段的第一句和最后一句告訴我們，昆蟲學(xué)加家正面臨一個不可解釋的謎。第二句解釋了這個謎，給出了答案。
2. A 短文第二段的第一句提供了答案。蜜蜂傳播花粉能使植物結(jié)果，因此為人類提供食物。
3. B 第四的開頭是It could be that disease is causing the disappearance of the bees. 第五段的開頭是Another cause of colony-collapse disorder may be certain chemicals that …，這是科學(xué)家給出的兩個可能造成這種現(xiàn)象的原因。
4. D 第五段的句子：bees’ genes could explain why some colonies have collapsed and others have not。這是選擇D的依據(jù)。選項A、B、C的內(nèi)容文章中都沒有出現(xiàn)，所以不是答案。
5. D 第五段描述了另一個可能的原因，即，農(nóng)夫使用的殺蟲劑可能破壞了蜜蜂的神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)和記憶。所以D是正確選擇。
1. colony-collapse：群體癱瘓。Colony有“殖民地”的意思，在此意為： a group of the same kind of animals, plants, or one-celled organisms living or growing together. 一群生活或生長在一起的同種動物、植物或單細(xì)胞有機體。
2. the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Bee Research Laboratory：美國農(nóng)業(yè)部蜜蜂研究實驗室。
3. the Florida Department of Agriculture：佛羅里達(dá)農(nóng)業(yè)局。佛羅里達(dá)是美國東南部的一個州，瀕臨大西洋和墨西哥灣。
練習(xí)：
1. What is the mystery that researchers find hard to explain?
A) Honeybees are flying all across the country.
B) 25-40 percent of the honeybees in the US have died.
C) Honeybees are leaving their hives and do not return.
D) Honeybee hives are in disorder.
2. Why are researchers seriously concerned with the phenomenon of colony-collapse disorder?
A) Because honeybees produce one-third of the foods we eat
B) Because honeybees feed on flowers.
C) Because honeybees eat seeds of flowers.
D) Both B and C.
3. What are the possible causes of colony-collapse disorder given by the scientists?
A) Worsening environment.
B) Disease and chemicals.
C) Dwindling number of flowers around.
D) Changes in genes’ structures.
4. According to the fifth paragraph, which of the following about bees’ genes is true?
A) Bees’ genes allow them to expand their colonies.
B) Bees genes help keep them in their hives.
C) Bees genes make them fly from flower to flower.
D) Bees genes could explain the collapse of some colonies.
5. What explanation is given by Jerry Hayes to the phenomenon?
A) Farmers apply certain chemicals to kill unwanted bees.
B)The insecticide destroys the honeybee’s nervous system.
C)The insecticide affects the honeybee’s memory.
D) All of the above.
答案與題解：
1. C 短文第一段的第一句和最后一句告訴我們，昆蟲學(xué)加家正面臨一個不可解釋的謎。第二句解釋了這個謎，給出了答案。
2. A 短文第二段的第一句提供了答案。蜜蜂傳播花粉能使植物結(jié)果，因此為人類提供食物。
3. B 第四的開頭是It could be that disease is causing the disappearance of the bees. 第五段的開頭是Another cause of colony-collapse disorder may be certain chemicals that …，這是科學(xué)家給出的兩個可能造成這種現(xiàn)象的原因。
4. D 第五段的句子：bees’ genes could explain why some colonies have collapsed and others have not。這是選擇D的依據(jù)。選項A、B、C的內(nèi)容文章中都沒有出現(xiàn)，所以不是答案。
5. D 第五段描述了另一個可能的原因，即，農(nóng)夫使用的殺蟲劑可能破壞了蜜蜂的神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)和記憶。所以D是正確選擇。