Question

8．Humans aren't the only ones getting a buzz from coffee．Caffeine can improve memory among honeybees and lead to better pollination（授粉）．According to a recent study published in the journal Science．
The study was conducted by a team of researchers at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom．They found that the nectar（花蜜） of some flowers，such as those from grapefruit and lemon plants，as well as certain coffee flowers，contains low doses of caffeine．To get bees to feed on these flowers，the team trained the insects to associate food with the smell of the flowers．They also trained another group of bees to feed on nectar from flowers that were sweetened with a sugar，but did not contain caffeine．After 24 hours，the bees trained on caffeinated flowers returned to these plants three times as often as those trained on the sweetened flowers returned to the uncaffeinated plants．
Professor Geraldine Wright led the researchers．"Remembering floral traits （花部特征） is difficult for bees to perform at a fast pace as they fly from flower to flower and we found that caffeine helps the bee remember where the flowers are，"Wright said in a statement．
Improved memory led to the better pollination．That's because once bees sip the caffeine nectar，they continue to look for more coffee plants to pollinate．This also suggests that caffeine plays a role in improving the bees'ability to search for food．
Researchers found that caffeine's effect on the bee brain is similar to its effect on mammals．"The change is similar to that produced by caffeine in neurons （神经元）"associated with learning and memory in the rat brain，"Wright said．
Bee populations have declining since 2007．The dramatic drop in the insects'numbers has serious effects for ecosystems and the farming industry．Bees are needed in the reproduction of crops and spreading wild flower species．Understanding what keeps bees buzzing could help to make sure that the insects are able to remember and pollinate their favorite flowers．

56．Which of the following is mentioned in the passage？C
A．Caffeine has no effect on the rat brain．
B．Bee population has been increasing．
C．The nectar of lemon plants contains caffeine．
D．Bees dislike nectar from sweetened flowers．
57．After reading the passage，John，who works in the farming industry，will probably feelD．
A．annoyed          
B．angry               
C．nervous         
D．excited
58．Which of the following relationship is correct according to the passage？B
A．improved memory-caffeine nectar-better pollination
B．caffeine nectar-improved memory-better pollination
C．improved memory-better pollination-caffeine nectar
D．caffeine nectar-better pollination-improved memory
59．We can know from the passage thatA．
A．the rat is a mammal                      
B．caffeine has nothing to do with memory
C．bees are good at remembering floral traits      
D．Geraldine Wright did the research on his own
60．What section of a newspaper may this passage be taken from？A
A．Science              
B．Education           
C．Culture         
D．Sports．

Answer 1

分析 本文是一篇科教类阅读，文章主要介绍了发表在科学杂志上最近的一项研究．研究发现，不仅咖啡中含有咖啡因，一些花的花蜜，比如来自柠檬等的花蜜，也会含有低剂量的咖啡因．

解答 56．C细节理解题．根据第二段They found that the nectar（花蜜）of some flowers，such as those from grapefruit and lemon plants，as well as certain coffee flowers，contains low doses of caffeine．可知他们发现一些花的花蜜，比如来自柠檬等的花蜜，含有低剂量的咖啡因．故选C．
57．D推理判断题．根据最后一段的内容可知，蜜蜂对生态和农业生产有比较大的影响，所以当Jonh读完这篇文章后，当然是兴奋的，认为生活有希望了．故选D．
58．B细节排序题．根据第三段caffeine helps the bee remember where the flowers are，"Wright said in a statement．和第四段Improved memory led to the better pollination．可知咖啡因有助于蜜蜂记得花在哪，而记忆力的提高促使更好的授粉．则正确顺序为"caffeine nectar-improved memory-better pollination"．故选B．
59．A细节理解题．根据倒数第二段的内容可知，研究人员发现，咖啡因对蜜蜂大脑的影响和对哺乳动物的影响相似．比如，在大鼠脑中产生的咖啡因与学习和记忆有关． 由此可知，大鼠是哺乳动物．故选A．
60．A推理判断题．根据第一段According to a recent study published in the journal Science．可知最近的一项研究发表在科学杂志上．故选A．

点评 本文考察学生的理解推断能力以及细心程度，只要抓住文章的关键词，采用寻读的方法查找细节，就能找到正确答案．