A few years ago I was on a bicycle trip when I got off my bike for a rest. I sat

Afew years ago I was on a bicycle trip when I got off my bike for a rest. I satdown on the grass. A few seconds later, I was covered in ants. They wereswarming all over me so I got up and brushed them off. It was a strangeexperience but I soon forgot about it.

A couple of years later, I was living in Jordan. I had just moved into a modern flat and was unpacking plates when I saw somethingmove out of the corner of my eye. I looked over at the kitchen drawer and therewas a cockroach (蟑螂) crawling out of it. I screamed. Then Igrabbed a can of insecticide and sprayed it on the cockroach. He ranunder the nearby bathroom door. It took me three days before I found thecourage to open the bathroom door to see if he was still alive. He wasn’t.

Why did I react so violently to one lone insect when a closerencounter with hundreds of ants hardly affected me? The answer is easy: becausecockroaches are creepy (令人毛骨悚然的) crawlies and ants aren’t. Creepycrawlies are those little bugs which cause feelings such as anxiety - they makeyour skin crawl.

Did you know that some people feel such a fear of bugs that itbecomes a phobia (恐惧症)? Psychologists have offered manyexplanations. Some say we associate them with dirt and disease. Or that theseare life forms that are so alien to us, that we find them disgusting for theirdissimilarity.

Insects, however, don’t follow our rules - they just do what theywant and invade our space. Unfortunately, although insects and bugs have been asuccessful animal species up to now, many of them, like many other speciesnowadays, are under threat of dying out. Entomologists warn that thiscould upset entire ecosystems and lead to all kinds of disastrous consequences.

So my advice to you is: the next time you feel the urge to stampon, splatter or spray a creepy crawly, give a thought to the planet and stop.

1... Why did the author mention theants in the beginning?

A. Because the experience with the ants presents a sharp contrast to thatwith the cockroach later.

B. Because the author wants to show her preference to the ants and herdislike for the cockroaches.

C. Because both ants andcockroaches are creepy crawlies that the author dislikes.

D. Because meeting the antsis an unusual experience that the author can hardly forget.

2.. The underlined word “insecticide” in Paragraph 2 probablymeans         .

A. a kind of fruit juice                     B.a kitchen knife

C. liquid for killing insects                D.cleanser (洗涤剂)forthe bathroom

3.. How does the author feel about bugs like cockroaches?

A. The author doesn’t mind the contact with those harmless smallcreatures.

B. The author prefers cockroaches to ants and feels guilty forkilling one.

C. They invade our space and become a threat to humans.

D. They still deserve a place for keeping the balance of thenature.

4.. Which of the following statements about bugs is NOT trueaccording to the passage?

A. Some people may be frightened so much bybugs that it leads to a psychological barrier to some degree.

B. The earth will have a better and cleaner environment if morecreepy crawlies are killed.

C. Many bugs are in danger of dying out so we should not kill themdue to fear or disgust.

D. Some bugs are extremely unpleasant that some people have astrong wish to destroy them.

试题答案

【答案】

1.A

2..C

3..D

4..B

【解析】 略