American beekeeping operations have been hit hard by what scientists call Colony Collapse Disorder. Almost half of their worker bees have disappeared during the past season. C.C.D. has also been reported in Israel, Europe and South America. Bees fly away from the hive and never return. Sometimes they are found dead; other times they are never found. Many crops and trees depend on pollination （授粉） by bees to help them grow.

    A new report says virus may be at least partly responsible for the disorder in honey bee colonies in the United States. This virus is called Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus. It was first identified in Israel in 2004. Ian Lipkin at Columbia University in New York and a team reported the new findings in Science magazine. Doctor Lipkin says the virus may not be the only cause. He says it may work with other causes to produce the collapse disorder.

    The team found the virus in colonies with the help of a map of honey bee genes that was published last year. They examined thirty colonies affected by the disorder. They found evidence of the virus in twenty – five of them, and in one healthy colony. The next step is further testing of healthy hives.

    The researchers suggested that the United States may have imported the disorder in bees from Australia. They say the bees may carry the virus but not be affected.

    The idea is that unlike many American bees, the ability of Australian bees to fight disease has not been hurt by the varroa mite. This insect attacks honey bees, which could make the disorder more likely to affect a hive. Australian bee producers reject these suspicions.

    And some researchers suspect that bee production in the United States is down mainly because of the weather. Honey bees gather nectar（花蜜） from flowers and trees. The sweet liquid gives them food and material to make honey. But cold weather this spring in the Midwest reduced the flow of nectar in many flowers. Many bees may have starved. Dry weather in areas of the country could also be playing a part.

    Wayne Esaias is a NASA space agency scientist who keeps bees in his free time. He lives in central Maryland, where he has found that flowers are blooming a month earlier than they did in 1970, which may be partly responsible for the disorder. Wayne Esaias is organizing a group of beekeepers to document nectar flow around the country.

1. What is the author’s attitude to the causes of the bee disorder?

    A. critical                         B. neutral

    C. supportive                       D. negative

2. What is the passage mainly about?

    A. American beekeeping industry has been strongly influenced by the bee disorder.

    B. Studies are being carried out on the causes of the bee disorder, but questions remain.

    C. How the causes of the bee disorder in U.S have been found.

    D. The bee production in U.S is down.

3. How many possibilities may be involved in the bee disorder according to the passage?

    A. Three          B. Four           C. Five           D. Six

4.We can infer that         from the passage.

    A. Israeli acute paralysis virus should be responsible for the disorder.

    B. The solution to the disorder will be found eventually.

    C. American bees are more likely to defend themselves against hurt from other insects than Australian ones.

    D. Many crop and plant production in U.S may be influenced by the bee disorder.

Scientists are closely concerned with the structure of buildings and with the quality of building materials． The World health Organization （WHO) observes that the introduction of air conditioning and energy conservation （保护) measures have been accompanied by growing problems of indoor air quality． Some pollutants arise from insulation （隔音) products, some from moving cars, and others from modern housing materials． As many Europeans spend up to 90% of their lives in buildings, the health effects of the indoor climate are very important．

　　Some construction materials, including fiberboard, insulation foams and certain glues for man-made wood floor boards, for example, give out organic products such as formaldehyde （甲醛)． Heat and humidity increase the release of formaldehyde and the gas seriously harms the eyes． Paint, lacquer, etc． can also release dangerous gas into indoor air．

　　Construction materials can cause serious damage, especially when they contain asbestos（石棉）． Asbestos is naturally present in rock formations worldwide． It belongs to a family of mineral substances made up of solid, non-combustible（非易燃品） fiber． These properties make asbestos a highly sought-after construction material． As early as 1931, however, public health officers in the United Kingdom revealed the connection between breathing in asbestos dust and such diseases as lung cancer．

　　The land on which a building is sited may also contribute to pollution． Some kinds of granite or similar rocks contain traces of radium． As it breaks down, this naturally radioactive element produces some kind of radioactive gas that goes through tiny cracks in walls, floors and building materials, and makes its way into the building and the rooms． The better the homes are insulated, the more is the dangerous gas in indoor air． The main effect of this dangerous gas on health is to increase the risk of lung cancer．

1.What is the main idea of the passage?

    A．Some building materials pollute indoor air．

    B．Some factors cause indoor air pollution．

    C．Asbestos can cause lung cancer．

    D．The land on which houses are built contributes to indoor pollution．

2.Why are Europeans particularly concerned with building materials?

    A．Lots of building materials there are radioactive．

    B．They stay home up to 90% of their lives．

    C．They have a high rate of lung cancer．

    D．They spend most of their time indoors．

3.Why is asbestos a sought-after building material?

    A．It is a kind of insulation foam．

    B．Asbestos will not give out dangerous gas．

    C．This material is not easy to catch fire．

    D．It is rarely present in rock formations．

4.Why should we be careful about the land on which a building is to be sited?

    A．To determine whether the land is firm enough for a building to be sited on．

    B．To make sure that the land contains no radioactive material．

    C．To make certain that the land releases no formaldehyde or other gases．

    D．To check whether it contains any combustible materials．

Do you want to have a friend whom you could tell everything to, like your deepest feelings and thoughts? Or are you afraid that your friend would laugh at you, or just can’t understand what you are going through?

Anne Frank chose the first kind. She lived in Amsterdam during World War II. Her family was Jewish (犹太人) so they had to hide, or they would be caught by the German soldiers. She and her family hid away for two years before they were discovered. During this time the only true friend was her diary, which she called Kitty.

In a diary dated on Thursday 15 June, 1944, she wrote, “Dear Kitty, I wonder if it’s because I haven’t been able to be outdoors for so long that I’ve grown so mad about everything to do with nature. I can well remember that there was a time when a blue sky, the song of the birds, moonlight and flowers could never have kept me puzzled. That’s changed since I was here for a year and a half.”

1.In Anne’s opinion, the best friend is one who_______.

2.Who do you think Kitty is ?

3.Anne had grown so mad about nature. Maybe it was because ______.

4. In her diary on Thursday 15, June, 1944, Anne expressed her strong wish for ______.