Who would have thought that millions of people would buy a product containing living insects？A businessman named Milton Levine did. He created the Uncle Milton Ant Farm more than half a century ago. Today, grandchildren of the first ant colony owners are watching ants working hard on the farm.Milton Levine was not trained in the study of insects, also known as entomology. But he knew a lot about ants, and he designed an appealing way to share his knowledge.

Mr Levine began his career as a maker of unusual toys after World War Ⅱ. He had returned to his birthplace in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania，after serving in the United States military.He got the idea for his future career from a business newsletter, which suggested that the best chances for jobs at the time were in toys. He decided to make toys. They understood that American society was about to change. The huge population increase known as the Baby Boom was beginning. There would be a huge demand for children's toys.

One day, he saw ants parading around a swimming pool.The sight made Mr Levine remember how much he had liked watching ants as a boy on his uncle's farm. Those thoughts gave him the idea for the Uncle Milton Ant Farm.

Milton Levine developed a narrow, green plastic container. The top looked like a farm, showing a farmhouse, a barn, a bridge and a windmill(風(fēng)車)．Under those images was a divider that separated the ants' underground and above­ground areas.Under that was the sand where people could watch the ants digging passageways.

The first Uncle Milton Ant Farms were an immediate success.They were sold in 1956.Two years later，two million of the educational toys had been sold.

Through the years the toys continued to attract ant­watchers. People buy Uncle Milton Ant Farms from stores and order from websites. During his life, Mr Levine saw the sale of more than twenty million of his ant colonies.

The Uncle Milton Ant Farm tells far more than how to care for the ants. For example, people receiving an Uncle Milton Ant Farm learn that the little insects are strong. Some can carry loads fifty times heavier than they are. A writer remembers owning an Uncle Milton Ant Farm when he was about five years old.He says he became very good at numbers by counting the ants.

16．Which of the following words can best describe Milton Levine?

A．Strong.  B．Creative.

C．Loyal.  D．Humorous.

17．________ may be studied in the science of entomology.

A．Roses  B．Butterflies

C．Tigers  D．Sharks

18．Milton Levine got his idea from the following EXCEPT ________．

A．a(chǎn) business newsletter

B．the Baby Boom

C．a(chǎn)nts parading

D．a(chǎn) farmhouse

19．What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

A．How to care for the ants.

B．Ants are strong and diligent.

C．The Uncle Milton Ant Farm is more than a toy.

D．The Uncle Milton Ant Farm is very popular.

本文介紹了Uncle Milton Ant Farm螞蟻農(nóng)場玩具的發(fā)明者M(jìn)ilton Levine。

16．B　推理判斷題。從他設(shè)計玩具Uncle Milton Ant Farm的相關(guān)信息可以看出他極具創(chuàng)新精神。

17．B　推理判斷題。根據(jù)第一段中的“Milton Levine was not trained in the study of insects，also known as entomology.”可知entomology是“昆蟲學(xué)”之意。根據(jù)常識可知只有butterflies(蝴蝶)屬于昆蟲，會在昆蟲學(xué)中學(xué)到，故B項(xiàng)正確。

18．D　細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第二段中的“He got the idea for his future career from a business newsletter.”“The huge population increase known as the Baby Boom was beginning.There would be a huge demand for children's toys.”以及第三段中的“…h(huán)e saw ants parading around a swimming pool.”等信息可知，他從商務(wù)通訊、嬰兒潮及螞蟻搬家中得到啟發(fā)，發(fā)明了這個螞蟻農(nóng)場玩具。D項(xiàng)沒有提到。

19．C　段落大意題。根據(jù)最后一段的中心句“The Uncle Milton Ant Farm tells far more than how to care for the ants.”可知，本段主要講這個螞蟻農(nóng)場玩具除了告訴大家怎么去照顧螞蟻外，還有更深層的教育功能。

練習(xí)冊系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

The latest research suggests a more prosaic, democratic, even puritanical view of the world. The key factor separating geniuses from the merely accomplished is not a divine spark. It’s not I.Q., a generally bad predictor of success, even in realms like chess. Instead, it’s deliberate practice. Top performers spend more hours (many more hours) rigorously practicing their craft. If you wanted to picture how a typical genius might develop, you’d take a girl who possessed a slightly above average verbal ability. It wouldn’t have to be a big talent, just enough so that she might gain some sense of distinction. Then you would want her to meet, say, a novelist, who coincidentally shared some similar biographical traits. Maybe the writer was from the same town, had the same ethnic background, or, shared the same birthday.

This contact would give the girl a vision of her future self. It would give her some idea of a fascinating circle she might someday join. It would also help if one of her parents died when she was 12, giving her a strong sense of insecurity and fueling a desperate need for success. Armed with this ambition, she would read novels and life stories of writers without end. This would give her a primary knowledge of her field. She’d be able to see new writing in deeper ways and quickly perceive its inner workings.

Then she would practice writing. Her practice would be slow, painstaking and error-focused. By practicing in this way, she delays the automatizing process. Her mind wants to turn conscious, newly learned skills into unconscious, automatically performed skills. By practicing slowly, by breaking skills down into tiny parts and repeating, she forces the brain to internalize a better pattern of performance. Then she would find an adviser who would provide a constant stream of feedback, viewing her performance from the outside, correcting the smallest errors, pushing her to take on tougher challenges. By now she is redoing problems―how do I get characters into a room―dozens and dozens of times. She is establishing habits of thought she can call upon in order to understand or solve future problems.

The primary trait she possesses is not some mysterious genius. It’s the ability to develop a purposeful, laborious and boring practice routine. The latest research takes some of the magic out of great achievement. But it underlines a fact that is often neglected. Public discussion is affected by genetics and what we’re “hard-wired” to do. And it’s true that genes play a role in our capabilities. But the brain is also very plastic. We construct ourselves through behavior.

 

76. The passage mainly deals with _____.

A. the function of I.Q. in cultivating a writer

B. the relationship between genius and success

C. the decisive factor in making a genius

D. the way of gaining some sense of distinction

77. By reading novels and writers’ stories, the girl could ______.

A. come to understand the inner structure of writing

B. join a fascinating circle of writers someday

C. share with a novelist her likes and dislikes

D. learn from the living examples to establish a sense of security

78. In the girl’s long painstaking training process, _____.

A. her adviser forms a primary challenging force to her success

B. her writing turns into an automatic pattern of performance

C. she acquires the magic of some great achievements

D. she comes to realize she is “hard-wired” to write

79. What can be concluded from the passage?

A. A fuelling ambition plays a leading role in one’s success.

B. A responsible adviser is more important than the knowledge of writing.

C. As to the growth of a genius, I.Q. doesn’t matter, but just his/her efforts.

D. What really matters is what you do rather than who you are.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：2011—2012學(xué)年度甘肅省蘭州一中高三9月月考英語卷 題型：填空題

 根據(jù)下列句子及所給漢語注釋，寫出空缺處各單詞的正確形式。（每空只寫一詞）
【小題1】The wedding party was delayed because of the late ______ (到達(dá)) of the minister who would marry the new couple.                               
【小題2】There being 100 students singing at the concert, you’d better have a ____ (指揮) to keep them in time.                                   
【小題3】So ______ (決心) was the disabled young man to study that a mixed university offered him an entrance prize.   
【小題4】The _________ (交換) of goods had a symbolic meaning far more important than the value of the goods themselves.
【小題5】Mary is _______ （樂觀的）about her chances of winning a gold medal.
【小題6】He has ________(總共) collected 1020 stamps.
【小題7】She looks ________(面熟) to me, but I don’t remember her name.
【小題8】Our party has now a correct ________ (政治)line.
【小題9】A national conference will be held next ____________ (周三) to discuss the economic problems.
【小題10】Children are taught to believe in the _______________ (原則) of equal opportunity for everyone.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：2014屆河南開封高三接軌考試英語卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

Exercise is one of the few factors with a positive role in long-term control of body weight. Unfortunately, that message has not gotten through to the average American, who would rather try switching to "light" beer and low-calorie bread than increase physical efforts. The Centers for Disease Control, for example, found that fewer than one-fourth of overweight adults who were trying to lose weight said they were combining exercise with their diet.

      In rejecting exercise, some people may be discouraged too much by caloric-expenditure（熱量消耗）charts; for example, one would have to quickly walk hard three miles just to work off the 275 calories in one delicious Danish pastry(小甜餅). Even exercise professionals accept half a point here. "Exercise by itself is a very tough way to lose weight," says York Onnen, program director of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

       Still, exercise's supporting role in weight reduction is vital. A study at the Boston University Medical Center of overweight police officers and other public employees confirmed that those who dieted without exercise regained almost all their old weight, while those who worked exercise into their daily routine maintained their new weight.

If you have been sedentary (極少活動的) and decide to start walking one mile a day, the added exercise could burn an extra 100 calories daily. In a year's time, assuming no increase in food intake, you could lose ten pounds. By increasing the distance of your walks gradually and making other dietary adjustments, you may lose even more weight.

1.What is said about the average American in the passage?

A. They tend to hate "light" beer and low-calorie bread.

B. They usually ignore the effect of exercise on losing weight.

C. Most of them were combining exercise with their diet.

D. They know the actors that play a positive role in keeping down body weight.

2."Even exercise professionals accept half a point here" means "They          ".

A. agree that the calories in a small piece of pastry can be easy to work off by exercise

B. partially believe diet plays a supporting role in weight reduction

C. are not fully convinced that dieting can help maintain one's new weight

D. are not sufficiently informed of the positive role of exercise in losing weight

3.What was confirmed by the Boston University Medical Center's study?

A. Controlling one's calorie intake is more important than doing exercise.

B. Even occasional exercise can help reduce weight.

C. Weight reduction is impossible without exercise.

D. One could lose ten pounds in a year's time if there's no increase in food intake.

4.What is the author's purpose in writing this article?

A. To stress the importance of maintaining proper weight.

B. To support the statement made by York Onnen.

C. To show the most effective way to lose weight.

D. To introduce the study of the Boston University Medical Center.

 

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：2014屆河北省高三第二次調(diào)研考試英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

The parents of a troubled teen may feel unsure as to whom to turn to in order to find help for their child. They may feel as if they have exhausted all of their options, and sometimes they are on the verge of giving up. But there is hope. Schools for troubled teens offer discipline and in some cases, drug treatment programs that can provide important life skills, and more importantly, a fresh start.

The following is a list of the most effective types of schools for troubled teens. Not every facility is a match for every child, but by knowing the differences between them, parents can make a better educated decision about where to send their teenager.

Boarding Schools

When a child is unable to deal with the relative freedom of a standard school day, boarding schools might be a good choice. At boarding schools, the child lives in a dorm setting, where almost every minute of the day is scheduled by school administrators.

Treatment Centers

When a teenager has an addiction to drugs or alcohol, a residential center that specializes in young people is an outstanding way to help them break the cycle of addiction. Treatment centers feature individual and group counseling to help identify the root causes of the drug problem and help develop the life skills needed to stay clean when the program is over.

Wilderness Programs 

Designed to help improve the discipline and self-reliance of the child, wilderness programs send kids back to nature. By placing them in a foreign and sometimes uncomfortable setting, wilderness programs hope to improve children’s behavior. Programs generally include hikes, exercise programs and team building exercises.

Boot Camps

Boot camps are the most extreme style of school for troubled teens. These facilities are modeled after actual military boot camps, where the individual must get into shape, work as part of a team, and follow a long, hard set of rules and regulations. However, boot camps might not be the best choice for a teen with a drug addiction.

1.Who would be the intended readers of the passage?

A. Teachers.              B. Parents.                            C. Students.                D. Experts.

2.As the author suggests, schools for troubled teens______.

A. can be a good choice for some desperate parents

B. can completely help and change troubled teens

C. are becoming popular with teens in trouble

D. care more about discipline than life skills

3.According to the passage, boarding schools_____.

A. provide children with more freedom

B. have their students’ time managed carefully

C. pay much attention to team building exercises

D. can make children feel safer

4.What’s the purpose of this passage?

A. To introduce schools for troubled teens.

B. To show some problems of troubled teens.

C. To teach parents how to educate their children.

D. To remind parents to care for their children.

 

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：2015屆河北省石家莊市高一10月月考英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

Do you know blood types?

Special care must be taken in selecting new blood for a badly injured person, who would be killed by the transfusion (輸血) if the blood is too different from his own.

There are four basic types of blood A. B. A B. and O. Blood type, like hair and height, comes from parents. Basically, A and B can not be mixed. AB, sometimes called the universal recipient (萬能受血者), may receive A or B,. O type, often called the universal donor (萬能輸血者), gives his blood to any other group. Patients usually receive nothing, but salt or plasma (血漿) until their blood can be matched as exactly as possible in the blood bank of a hospital. There is a relationship between your blood type and your nationality (國籍). Among Europeans, about 42 % have type A while 45 % have type O. The fewest is the type B.

1.Which of the following show the correct relationship in blood transfusion ("→"means giving blood to...)?

   

A．                 B．                 C．                 D．

2.Usually person who has been injured and lost too much blood should be given a blood transfusion______.

A．a(chǎn)fter he receives salt and plasma　          B．before he feels uncomfortable

C．when the new blood fits his body　         D．a(chǎn)s soon as accident happens

3.From this passage we can know that among Europeans ______ 13 % have the type B.

A. about 　　B. no more than 　　C. less than 　　D. at most

 

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊答案