2013gre考试预测：4月gre阅读备考机经（5）
新gre考试阅读机经：蜜蜂升温
蜜蜂升温
Ingestion of food containing spores(孢子) of the pathogen Ascosphaera apis causes a fatal fungal disease known as chalk brood in honeybee larvae. However, larvae must be chilled to about 30°C(normal brood-comb temperature is 33-36°C)for the disease to develop. Accordingly(因此), chalk brood is most common in spring and in small colonies. A recent study revealed that honeybees responsible for hive-temperature maintenance purposely raised the hives’ temperature when colonies were inoculated with A.apis. this “fever,” or up-regulation of temperature, occurred before any larvae died, suggesting that the response is preventative and that either honeybee workers detect the infection before symptoms are visible or larvae communicate the ingestion of the pathogen.Temperature returned to normal by the end of the study, suggesting that increased temperature is not optimal when broods are not infected, as well as that the fever does not result merely from normal colony growth (i.e., an increase in the number of workers available for temperature maintenance).
24. The primary purpose of the passage is to
(A) discuss the findings and implications of a particular study
(B) illustrate a process that formerly had been misunderstood
(C) outline the methods used to investigate a problem
(D) provide evidence to support a controversial theory
(E) contrast alternative interpretations of certain date
原文来源： 2013gre考试预测：4月gre阅读备考机经（5）
25. According to the passage, researchers concluded that fever in honeybee coloniesis preventative because their study showed that such fever
(这题多数同学选的C. 问的是为什么研究人员认为"发热"是保护行为)
(A) does not occur when hive temperatures are within normal range 该行为不发生在蜂房温度正常的情况下.(应该非常好排除吧,升温和蜂房原来温度无关,只有感染了才会升)
(B) protests adult bees from contracting chalk brood infection 防止成年蜜蜂接触感染.(升温的作用是防止发作,文章中没有提到是否能隔绝传染. )
(C) occurs prior to the death of any larvae 在任何幼虫死亡之前发生.
(文中原话,虽然直接得有点让人不敢选,但是确实是最佳答案.)
(D) is more likely to occur in spring than in summer 相较于在夏天,更可能在春天发生. (than是GRE阅读中需要引起注意的词.文中没有明确指出,不如C来得更直接,而且有点答非所问.)
(E) does not have an effect on uninfected broods 对于没有感染的蜜蜂没有影响.(答非所问).
26. The passage implies that if hive temperature had not returned to normal by the end of the study in question, a probable conclusion of the researchers would have been that
(这题牵涉到对文章最后一句的理解,只要取反就可以了.所以我觉得是B,这题争议比较严重.其实最后一句的意思就是最终的实验结果(温度回归) 说明暂时升高的温度不是蜂群的最爱---说明是不得以而为之;而后半句温度升高不仅仅是蜜蜂数量的增多,说明热量不是数量上升累积的结果而是有别的什么因素促成.换而言 之还是说明了温度升高是有意识地保护行为.所以回答这题的时候把这两点的想法取反就OK了)
(A) up-regulation of temperature is a preventative measure against chalk brood 说明升温是保护性措施. (和上述说法取反后不同吧.)
(B) honeybees are incapable of purposely raising hive temperatures 蜜蜂不能有意识地升高蜂房温度. (正确,符合上述第二个说法取反的结果).(第二种说法是说升温不是种群自然增大的结果，如果取反也不是这个吧)
(C) A. apis cannot be completely eradicated throughup-regulation of temperature along 说明仅仅通过升温A不能完全被消除. (到底A有没有被消除实验没有说吧.)
(D) honeybee larvae have a mechanism to alert adult honeybees to the presenceof A. apis 幼虫有能力向成年蜜蜂报警. (完全没关系的回答吧.)