To many web-building spiders, most of whom are nearly blind, the web is their essential window on the world: their means of communicating, capturing prey, meeting mates and protecting themselves. A web-building spider without its web is like a men cast away on an island of solid rock,totally out of touch and destined to starve to death. So important is the web to an orb-web spider's survival that the animal will continue to construct new webs daily even if it is being starved. For 16 days the starving spider builds completely normal webs. Then, as the animal gets _ , it constructs a wider-meshed (, )web using fewer strands . Such webs would only trap larger prey, which is more economical from the perspective of a starving spider. The spider stores energy by recycling web protein. It simply eats its own web each evening and reuses it to produce new silk. In studies with radioactivity, labeled materials, it was found that 95 percent of web protein reappears in the next day web. Most of the energy needed for web-building is used in walking over the strands as they are laid down. Scientists are impressed by the adaptability of the spider's highly preprogrammed brain, which is larger for its size than the brain of any other invertebrate . If web-building is interrupted, or if some of the existing strands are destroyed, the spider simply goes back to see where the web is left off and then finishes building a normal web. One spider will finish building the incomplete web of another. Which of the following best expresses the main ideas of the passage? A) Secrets of Spiders' Adaptability B) Importance of Webs to Spiders C) Secrets of the Spiders' Life D) Spiders' Highly Preprogrammed Brain
B
What is an idiom? An idiom is a group of words which, when used together, has a different meaning from the one which the individual words have. For example, "---How do you know that Sid and Nancy have separated ?" "---I heard it on the grapevine ". Of course, the second speaker does not mean he heard the news about John by putting his ear to a grapevine! He is conveying the idea visually of information spreading around a widespread network, similar to a grapevine. We use idioms to express something that other words do not express as clearly or as cleverly. We often use an image or symbol to describe something as clearly as possible and thus make our point as effectively as possible. For example, "in a nutshell" suggests the idea of having all the information contained within very few words. Idioms tend to be informal and are best used in spoken rather than written English. One of the best ways to learn an idiom is by looking at the context in which it is used. This can be done by concentrating on the rest of the sentence and try to guess the meaning. Many idioms are not that difficult to understand when considered in their context. For example: We are going to have a surprise party for Tom tomorrow. It's a secret so please don't let the cat out of the bag. 'Let the cat out of the bag' is an idiom. Imagine you don't know what this idiom means; by looking at the words preceding, it should be easy to guess that the speaker does not want you to tell Tom about the surprise party. Therefore, 'let the cat out of the bag' must mean something like' reveal a secret' or 'tell a secret'. It is most probable that idioms will be seen _ . A) in a paper B) in an preface C) in a notice D) in online chatting
D
Q: Teens naturally ask parents for money for material things and entertainment.But as the need becomes more frequent, why not get a job so you can earn your own money? Working for your own money will give you a sense of accomplishment and the satisfaction of a job well done. Babysitting is a suitable job for teens.They are best suited as a mother's helper while the mother is working in another part of the house.Babysitting is not a job for girls alone.Boy babysitters are popular with families of boys.Parents rely on friends and neighbors' recommendations.Word of mouth is your best form of advertising. Pet-sitting involves caring for people's pets while the owners are on vacation or away for the day.A pet-sitter will be responsible for giving fresh food and water, walking dogs arid cleaning out cat litter boxes.Although the pet-sitter does not spend the night, he is there often enough to bring in the mail, water plants and take the garbage out.Create a flyer with your name, prices and references, and pass it out to the families in your neighborhood.. Yard work can be a seasonal job.Spring cleanup is needed for flower beds and preparing the yard for summer.Summer is the busiest time for yard work with lawn mowing , edging and trimming bushes.Fall is the time for sweeping leaves and planting seeds for spring.If you live in a northern climate, there may be snow that needs shoveling. Odd jobs can mean a variety of things, including painting, washing the pet, weeding the garden, cleaning out the basement, or helping to serve dinner at a party.Doing odd jobs may be a good match for someone with a busy schedule.Most odd jobs only take a few hours to complete. For more information, please click here. What can we learn about babysitting? A) Babysitting is the best job for teens. B) A babysitter is needed only when the mother is away. C) Parents prefer girl babysitters to boy babysitters. D) Friends or neighbors may be helpful to find a babysitting job.
A: D
Perhaps it is hard to imagine that a bad tooth could be deadly. But doctors in the Washington area say a twelveyearold boy died last month of a tooth infection that spread to his brain. They say it might have been prevented if the boy had received the dental care he needed. Experts at the National Institutes of Health say good dental care should start at birth. They say breast milk is the best food for the healthy development of teeth. Breast milk can help slow bacterial growth and acid production in the mouth. When baby's teeth begin to appear,you can clean them with a wet toothbrush. Dentists say it is important to find soft toothbrushes made especially for babies,and use them very gently. The use of fluoride to protect teeth is common in many parts of the world. This natural element is often added to drinking water supplies. The fluoride mixes with enamel ,the hard surface on teeth,to help prevent holes,or cavities from forming. But the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry points out that young children often swallow toothpaste when they brush their teeth. The group notes that swallowing fluoridated toothpaste can cause problems. So young children should be carefully supervised when they brush their teeth. And only a small amount of fluoridated toothpaste,the size of a green pea,should be used. Parents often wonder what effects sucking a thumb or sucking on a pacifier might have on their baby's teeth. Dental experts generally agree that this is fine early in life. The American Academy of Family Physicians says most kids stop sucking their thumbs by the age of four. If it continues,the group advises parents to talk to their child's dentist or doctor. It could influence the correct development of permanent teeth. The boy with a bad tooth died because _ . A) his tooth disease was very deadly B) the doctor refused to treat him properly C) he didn't receive timely treatment D) something was wrong with his brain
C