A
Have you ever wondered how many ants there are on earth? Scientists at the University of Hong Kong certainly have. In a new study, they estimated the number of the world's ants is about 20,000,000,000,000,000 (20 with 15 zeroes)!
That means for every human, there are nearly 2.5 million ants. If you put all the ants on a scale(秤), they'd weigh more than all the wild birds and mammals on earth.
How did they count such a big number? In the past, many scientists counted ants in different areas. They collected fallen leaves and earth and dried them to force the ants to come out for counting. Based on 465 studies that cover all continents(大陆), the new study made the estimation.
According to Wang Runxi, one of the authors, the number and distribution(分布) of ants can be valuable predictors of environmental changes.
"Ants play an important role in the ecosystem," Wang told Science and Technology Daily. "They help loosen the soil, spread seeds, break down things and form a part of the food chain(食物链). They are everywhere on earth except for the coldest places."
"Compared with big animals, little ants are more sensitive(敏感的) to environmental changes," Wang added. Most ants live in tropical(热带的) and subtropical(亚热带的) areas. But in recent years, ants have been moving towards the two poles because of global warming. Changes in forests, such as too much logging(砍伐), also affect the number of ants, the study showed.
"Our global map of ants allows us to better understand and predict ants' responses to worrying environmental changes," scientists wrote in the study.
(
A. Ants actually belong to mammals.
B. There are more ants than humans.
C. Ants on earth weigh more than humans.
D. There are nearly 2.5 million ants on earth.
(
A. They counted the ants running on the ground.
B. They picked leaves from trees and counted ants on them.
C. They dried fallen leaves and earth to make ants come out.
D. They made a fire on the fallen leaves to count the dead bodies.
(
A. Many ants have moved to warm places.
B. More ants start to live in forests.
C. More ants are moving to the two poles.
D. The number of ants is going up.
(
A. How heavy ants can be.
B. Why we should protect ants.
C. Studies on wild animals in the world.
D. Research on ants' number and importance.
Have you ever wondered how many ants there are on earth? Scientists at the University of Hong Kong certainly have. In a new study, they estimated the number of the world's ants is about 20,000,000,000,000,000 (20 with 15 zeroes)!
That means for every human, there are nearly 2.5 million ants. If you put all the ants on a scale(秤), they'd weigh more than all the wild birds and mammals on earth.
How did they count such a big number? In the past, many scientists counted ants in different areas. They collected fallen leaves and earth and dried them to force the ants to come out for counting. Based on 465 studies that cover all continents(大陆), the new study made the estimation.
According to Wang Runxi, one of the authors, the number and distribution(分布) of ants can be valuable predictors of environmental changes.
"Ants play an important role in the ecosystem," Wang told Science and Technology Daily. "They help loosen the soil, spread seeds, break down things and form a part of the food chain(食物链). They are everywhere on earth except for the coldest places."
"Compared with big animals, little ants are more sensitive(敏感的) to environmental changes," Wang added. Most ants live in tropical(热带的) and subtropical(亚热带的) areas. But in recent years, ants have been moving towards the two poles because of global warming. Changes in forests, such as too much logging(砍伐), also affect the number of ants, the study showed.
"Our global map of ants allows us to better understand and predict ants' responses to worrying environmental changes," scientists wrote in the study.
(
B
) 1. What does the study show about ants?A. Ants actually belong to mammals.
B. There are more ants than humans.
C. Ants on earth weigh more than humans.
D. There are nearly 2.5 million ants on earth.
(
C
) 2. How did scientists count ants in different areas?A. They counted the ants running on the ground.
B. They picked leaves from trees and counted ants on them.
C. They dried fallen leaves and earth to make ants come out.
D. They made a fire on the fallen leaves to count the dead bodies.
(
C
) 3. How has global warming affected ants in recent years according to Wang?A. Many ants have moved to warm places.
B. More ants start to live in forests.
C. More ants are moving to the two poles.
D. The number of ants is going up.
(
D
) 4. What is the passage mainly about?A. How heavy ants can be.
B. Why we should protect ants.
C. Studies on wild animals in the world.
D. Research on ants' number and importance.
答案：【解析】：
这是一道英语阅读理解题，主要考查学生对文章内容的理解和分析能力。题目包含了四个选择题，每个题目都需要根据文章内容来找出正确答案。
1. 第一题是细节理解题，需要找到文章中关于蚂蚁数量或重量的具体描述，并与选项进行对比。
2. 第二题也是细节理解题，需要找到文章中关于科学家如何计算蚂蚁数量的描述。
3. 第三题是推理判断题，需要根据文章中关于全球变暖对蚂蚁影响的描述，推断出蚂蚁的迁移趋势。
4. 第四题是主旨大意题，需要概括文章的主要内容，找出文章的中心思想。
【答案】：
1. B
根据文章第一段的描述，“他们估计世界上蚂蚁的数量约为20,000,000,000,000,000只，这意味着对于每一个人来说，有近250万只蚂蚁。”因此，选项B“蚂蚁的数量比人类多”是正确的。
2. C
文章第三段明确提到，“在过去，许多科学家在不同地区计算蚂蚁的数量。他们收集落叶和土壤，并将其烘干，迫使蚂蚁出来进行计算。”因此，选项C“他们烘干落叶和土壤，让蚂蚁出来”是正确的。
3. C
文章倒数第二段提到，“但近年来，由于全球变暖，蚂蚁一直在向两极迁移。”因此，选项C“更多的蚂蚁正在向两极迁移”是正确的。
4. D
整篇文章主要讲述了关于蚂蚁数量和重要性的研究，包括蚂蚁的数量、分布、对环境变化的敏感性以及在全球生态系统中的作用。因此，选项D“关于蚂蚁数量和重要性的研究”最能概括文章的主旨。
这是一道英语阅读理解题，主要考查学生对文章内容的理解和分析能力。题目包含了四个选择题，每个题目都需要根据文章内容来找出正确答案。
1. 第一题是细节理解题，需要找到文章中关于蚂蚁数量或重量的具体描述，并与选项进行对比。
2. 第二题也是细节理解题，需要找到文章中关于科学家如何计算蚂蚁数量的描述。
3. 第三题是推理判断题，需要根据文章中关于全球变暖对蚂蚁影响的描述，推断出蚂蚁的迁移趋势。
4. 第四题是主旨大意题，需要概括文章的主要内容，找出文章的中心思想。
【答案】：
1. B
根据文章第一段的描述，“他们估计世界上蚂蚁的数量约为20,000,000,000,000,000只，这意味着对于每一个人来说，有近250万只蚂蚁。”因此，选项B“蚂蚁的数量比人类多”是正确的。
2. C
文章第三段明确提到，“在过去，许多科学家在不同地区计算蚂蚁的数量。他们收集落叶和土壤，并将其烘干，迫使蚂蚁出来进行计算。”因此，选项C“他们烘干落叶和土壤，让蚂蚁出来”是正确的。
3. C
文章倒数第二段提到，“但近年来，由于全球变暖，蚂蚁一直在向两极迁移。”因此，选项C“更多的蚂蚁正在向两极迁移”是正确的。
4. D
整篇文章主要讲述了关于蚂蚁数量和重要性的研究，包括蚂蚁的数量、分布、对环境变化的敏感性以及在全球生态系统中的作用。因此，选项D“关于蚂蚁数量和重要性的研究”最能概括文章的主旨。