Where Have Allthe Bees Gone? Colony collapse is a serious concern because bees playan important role in the production of about one-third of the foods we eat.Asthey feed,honeybees spread pollen from flower to flower.Without this process,aplant cant produce seedsor fruits. Itcould be that disease is causing the disappearance of the bees. To explore that possibility,Jay Evans,a researcher at the United States Department ofAgriculture Bee Research Laboratory2,examines bees taken from coloniesthat are collapsing.We know what a healthy bee should look like on theinside,and we can look for physical signs of disease, he says. And bees fromcollapsing colonies dont look very healthy. Their stomachs are worndown,compared to the stomachs of healthy bees, Evans says.It may be that aparasite is damaging the bees digestive organs. Their immune systems may not be working as they should.Moreover,they have high levels of bacteria inside theirbodies. If itturns out that a disease is contributing to colony collapse,bees genes couldexplain why some colonies have collapsed and others have not.In any group ofbees there are many different kinds of genes.The more different genes a grouphas,the higher the groups genetic diversity.So far scientists haventdetermined the role of genetic diversity in colony collapse,but its a promisingtheory,says Evans. colony-collapse:群体瘫痪。colony有殖民地的意思,在此意为:a groupof the same kind of animals,plants,or one-celled organisms living or growingtogether.一群生活或生长在一起的同种动物、植物或单细胞有机体。 the FloridaDepartment of Agriculture:佛罗里达农业局。佛罗里达是美国东南部的一个州,濒临大西洋和墨西哥湾。 What is the mystery that researchers find hard to explain? B 25-40 percent of the honeybees inthe US have died. D Honeybee hives are in disorder. A Because honeybees produce one-third of the foods we eat. C Because honeybees eat seeds of flowers. What are the possible causes of colony-collapsedisorder given by the scientists? B Diseaseand chemicals. D Changes ingenes structures. A Bees genes allow them toexpand their colonies. C Beesgenes make them fly from flower to flower. What explanation is given byJerry Hayes to the phenomenon? B The insecticide destroys the honeybees nervous system. D All of theabove. A 短文第二段的第一句提供了答案。蜜蜂传播花粉能使植物结果,因此为人类提供食物。 D 第六段的句子:beesgenes could explain why some colonies have coilapsed andothcrs have not。这是选择D的依据。选项A、B、C的内容文章中都没有出现,所以不是答案。
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