Britain’s oldest man made his first visit to London yesterday at the age of 110. Mr. John Evans had never found the time or the money – to make the trip from his house near Swansea. But, when British Rail offered him an all-expenses-paid birthday trip to the capital, he just could not refuse.

Until yesterday he had never been far from home, except for one trip to Aberdeen. Mr. Evans, who spent 60 years working as a miner in South Wales, almost made the journey to London once before, at the turn of the century. “There was a trip to the White City but it was ten shillings (1 shilling ="1/20" pound) return from Swansea – too much I thought. All my money went to the family then, “he said.

During the next two days Mr. Evans will be taken on a whistle–stop tour of London to see the sights. Top of his list is a visit to the Houses of Parliament (国会).

The only arrangement he does not care for is the wheelchair provided to move him about if he gets tired. “I don’t like the chair business – people will so think I am getting old,” he said.

His secret for a long and healthy life has been well publicized–no alcohol, no cigarette and no angry. Before setting off from Swansea with his 76-year-old son, Amwel, he quipped, “I’m glad to see they’ve given me a return ticket. ”

1.It’s reported that Mr. Evans’s healthy long life was to a certain extent due to his _____.

2.Which of the following statements is true?

3.The word “quip” in the last sentence most probably means _____.

4.What might be the best title for this passage?

When an ant dies, other ants move the dead insect out. Sometimes, the dead ant get moved away very soon—within an hour of dying. This behavior is interesting to scientists, who wonder how ants know for sure—and so soon—that another ant is dead.

One scientist recently came up with a way to explain this ant behavior. Dong-Hwan Choe is a biologist. Choe found that Argentine ants have a chemical on the outside of their bodies that signals to other ants, “I’m dead—take me away.”

But there’s a twist to Choe’s discovery. Choe says that the living ants—not just the dead ones—have this death chemical. In other words, while an ant crawls around, perhaps in a picnic or home, it’s telling other ants that it’s dead.

What keeps ants from dragging away the living ants？Choe found that Argentine ants have two additional chemicals on their bodies, and these tell nearby ants something like, “Wait—I’m not dead yet.” So Choe’s research turned up two sets of chemical signals in ants: one says, “I’m dead,” and the other set says, “I’m not dead yet.”

Other scientists have tried to figure out how ants know when another ant is dead. If an ant is knocked unconscious, for example, other ants leave it alone until it wakes up. That means ants know that unmoving ants can still be alive.

Choe suspects that when an Argentine ant dies, the chemical that says “Wait-I’m not dead yet” quickly goes away. Once that chemical is gone, only the one that says “I’m dead” is left. “It’s because the dead ant no longer smells like a living ant that it gets carried to the graveyard, not because its body releases(释放) new unique chemicals after death,” said Choe. When other ants detect the “dead” chemical without the “not dead yet” chemical, they drag away the body.

Understanding this behavior may help scientists figure out how to stop Argentine ants from invading new places and causing problems. Choe would like to find a way to use the newly discovered chemicals to spread ant killer to Argentine ant nests.

The ants’ removal behavior is important to the overall health of the nest. “Being able to quickly remove dead individuals and other possible sources of disease is extremely important to all animals living in societies, including us,” says Choe. “Think about all the effort and money that we invest daily in waste management.”

1.The underlined word “twist” in Paragraph 3 means             .

A．an unexpected change                   B．a clear mistake

C．an important key                        D．a shocking conclusion

2.Ants judge whether another one is dead or not depending on            .

A．the sense of taste                       B．the sense of smell

C．the sense of touch                      D．the sense of sight

3.The result of the research can be used to            .

A．kill troublesome pests

B．solve the problem of endangered species

C．prevent further expansion of the ants’ territory

D．keep the balance of nature

4.Why is it important to remove dead individuals?

A．Because it is easier to manage the living.

B．Because it can save money to deal with the waste.

C．Because it can provide more space for the living.

D．Because it can keep the living from suffering disease.

5.What might be the best title of the text?

A．Dead or living? It is easy to judge

B．Pulling away the dead ants is a difficult task

C．Ant nests have great undertaking capacity

D．Leaving it alone or taking it away? Ants feel puzzled

Britain's oldest man made his first visit to London yesterday at the age of 110. Mr John Evans had never found the time or the money—to make the trip from his home near Swansea. But, when British Rail offered him an all expenses paid birthday trip to the capital, he just could not refuse.

Until yesterday he had never been far from home, except for one trip to Aberdeen. Mr Evans, who spent 60 years working as a miner in South Wales, almost made the journey to London once before, at the turn of the century.“There was a trip to the White City but it was ten shillings (1 shilling=1/20 pound) return from Swansea—too much I thought. All my money went to the family then，” he said.

During the next two days Mr Evans will be taken on a whistle stop tour of London to see the sights. Top of his list is a visit to the Houses of Parliament(国会).

The only arrangement he does not care for is the wheelchair provided to move

him about if he gets tired.“I don't like the chair business—people will so think I am getting old，” he said.

His secret for a long and healthy life has been well publicized—no alcohol, no cigarette and no anger. Before setting off from Swansea with his 76-year-old son, Amwel, he quipped, “I'm glad to see they've given me a return ticket.”

1.It was reported that Mr Evans's healthy long life was to a certain extent due to his________ .

A. wine drinking         B. proper smoking

C. mild temper           D. sense of humor 

2.Which of the following statements is true?

A.A single trip from Mr Evans's home to the White City used to be ten shillings.

B.The first place for Mr Evans to visit is the Houses of Parliament.

C.He appreciated people's arrangement of a wheelchair during his visit.

D.Mr Evans once made the journey to London at the turn of the century. 

3.The word “quip” in the last sentence most probably means  ________.

A. to make a witty remark          B. to express a happy message

C. to make a wish                 D. to tell a joke 

4.What might be the best title for this passage?

A. 110-Year-Old Tourist           B. Secret for Long and Healthy Life

C. Free Return Ticket             D. Sightseeing in London 

Britain's oldest man made his first visit to London yesterday at the age of 110. Mr. John Evans had never found the time or the money-to make the trip from his home near Swansea. But, when British Rail offered him an all-expenses-paid birthday trip to the capital, he just could not refuse.

Until yesterday he had never been far from home, except for one trip to Aberdeen. Mr. Evans, who spent 60 years working as a miner in South Wales, almost made the journey to London once before, at the turn of the century. "There was a trip to the White City but it was ten shillings (1 shilling =" 1/20" pound) return from Swansea—too much I thought. All my money went to the family then." he said.

During the next two days Mr. Evans will be taken on a whistle-stop tour of London to see the sights. Top of his list is a visit to the Houses of Parliament(国会).

The only arrangement he does not care for is the wheelchair provided to move him about if he gets tired. "I don't like the chair business--people will think I am getting old," he said.

His secret for a long and healthy life has been well publicized--no alcohol, no cigarette and no anger. Before setting off from Swansea with his 76-year-old son, Amwel, he quipped," I'm glad to see they've given me a return ticket. "

1.It was reported that Mr. Evans's healthy long life was to a certain extent due to his ______.

2. Which of the following statements is true?

3.The word "quip" in the last sentence most probably means _______.

4.What might be the best title for this passage?

When an ant dies, other ants move the dead insect out. Sometimes, the dead ant get moved away very soon—within an hour of dying. This behavior is interesting to scientists, who wonder how ants know for sure—and so soon—that another ant is dead.
One scientist recently came up with a way to explain this ant behavior. Dong-Hwan Choe is a biologist. Choe found that Argentine ants have a chemical on the outside of their bodies that signals to other ants, “I’m dead—take me away.”
But there’s a twist to Choe’s discovery. Choe says that the living ants—not just the dead ones —have this death chemical. In other words, while an ant crawls around, perhaps in a picnic or home, it’s telling other ants that it’s dead.
What keeps ants from dragging away the living ants? Choe found that Argentine ants have two additional chemicals on their bodies, and these tell nearby ants something like, “Wait—I’m not dead yet.” So Choe’s research turned up two sets of chemical signals in ants: one says, “I’m dead,” and the other set says, “I’m not dead yet.”
Other scientists have tried to figure out how ants know when another ant is dead. If an ant is knocked unconscious, for example, other ants leave it alone until it wakes up. That means ants know that unmoving ants can still be alive.
Choe suspects that when an Argentine ant dies, the chemical that says “Wait- I’m not dead yet” quickly goes away. Once that chemical is gone, only the one that says “I’m dead” is left. “It’s because the dead ant no longer smells like a living ant that it gets carried to the graveyard, not because its body releases new unique chemicals after death,” said Choe. When other ants detect the “dead” chemical without the “not dead yet” chemical, they drag away the body.
Understanding this behavior may help scientists figure out how to stop Argentine ants from invading new places and causing problems. Choe would like to find a way to use the newly discovered chemicals to spread ant killer to Argentine ant nests.
The ants’ removal behavior is important to the overall health of the nest. “Being able to quickly remove dead individuals and other possible sources of disease is extremely important to all animals living in societies, including us,” says Choe. “Think about all the effort and money that we invest daily in waste management.”
51. The underlined word “twist” in Paragraph 3 means _____.
A. an unexpected change                              B. a clear mistake
C. an important key                                        D. a shocking conclusion
52. Ants judge whether another one is dead or not depending on ______.
A. the sense of taste                                      B. the sense of smell
C. the sense of touch                                               D. the sense of sight
53. The result of the research can be used to ______.
A. kill troublesome pests
B. solve the problem of endangered species
C. prevent further expansion of the ants’ territory
D. keep the balance of nature
54. Why is it important to remove dead individuals?
A. Because it is easier to manage the living.
B. Because it can save money to deal with the waste.
C. Because it can provide more space for the living.
D. Because it can keep the living from suffering disease.
55. What might be the best title of the text?
A. Dead or living? It is easy to judge
B. Pulling away the dead ants is a difficult task
C. Ant nests have great undertaking capacity
D. Leaving it alone or taking it away? Ants feel puzzled