下面是一篇gre閱讀經典的短文章實例，考生可以先做一下，然後對照答案並參照名師的點評分析。
Ingestion of food containing spores 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, 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 . 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
25. According to the passage, researchers concluded that fever in honeybee colonies ispreventative because their study showed that such fever
(這題多數同學選的C. 問的是爲什麼研究人員認爲"發熱"是保護行爲)
(A) does not occur when hive temperatures are within normal range 該行爲不發生在蜂房溫度正常的情況下.(應該非常好排除吧,升溫和蜂房原來溫度無關,只有感染了纔會升)
(B) protests adult bees from contracting chalk brood infection 防止成年蜜蜂接觸感染.(升溫的作用是防止發作,文章中沒有提到是否能隔絕傳染. )
(C) occurs prior to the death of any larvae 在任何幼蟲死亡之前發生.
(文中原話,雖然直接得有點讓人不敢選,但是確實是最佳答案.)
(D) is more likely to occur in spring than in summer 相較於在夏天,更可能在春天發生. (than是GRE閱讀中需要引起注意的詞.文中沒有明確指出,不如C來得更直接,而且有點答非所問.)
(E) does not have an effect on uninfected broods 對於沒有感染的蜜蜂沒有影響.(答非所問).
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
(這題牽涉到對文章最後一句的理解,只要取反就可以了.所以我覺得是B,這題爭議比較嚴重.其實最後一句的意思就是最終的'實驗結果(溫度迴歸)說明暫時升高的 溫度不是蜂羣的最愛---說明是不得以而爲之;而後半句溫度升高不僅僅是蜜蜂數量的增多,說明熱量不是數量上升累積的結果而是有別的什麼因素促成.換而言 之還是說明了溫度升高是有意識地保護行爲.所以回答這題的時候把這兩點的想法取反就OK了)
(A) up-regulation of temperature is a preventative measure against chalk brood 說明升溫是保護性措施. (和上述說法取反後不同吧.)
(B) honeybees are incapable of purposely raising hive temperatures 蜜蜂不能有意識地升高蜂房溫度. (正確,符合上述第二個說法取反的結果).
(C) A. apis cannot be completely eradicated through up-regulation of temperature along 說明僅僅通過升溫A不能完全被消除. (到底A有沒有被消除實驗沒有說吧.)
(D) honeybee larvae have a mechanism to alert adult honeybees to the presence of A. apis 幼蟲有能力向成年蜜蜂報警. (完全沒關係的回答吧.)
(E) honeybee larvae may benefit from increased hive temperature even when there is no A. apis present 即使沒有A,幼蟲可能從增高的溫度中獲益. (這個推測過遠了吧,如果溫度沒降下也不能說明幼蟲可能獲益吧,相較於E,B更加合適吧.)
27. According to the passage, which of the following is true of chalk brood infection among honeybee larvae?
(這題爭議同樣比較嚴重,我傾向於選D. 問的是下列關於感染的選項中哪個是符合文章意思的.)
(A) Larvae in small colonies are more likely to pass the infection to adult honeybees than are larvae in large ones. 相較於大蜂羣,小蜂羣中的幼蟲更容易把感染傳給成年蜂(文章中根本沒說病毒傳染的問題吧).
(B) Infection with chalk brood induces larvae to raise their hive’s temperature. 感染使得幼蟲升高蜂房的溫度. (這是成年蜜蜂乾的活吧.)
(C) The infection is more likely to affect larvae in winter than in spring. 相比於春天,感染更容易在冬天發生.(雖然冬天看上去溫度低,但是文章說是春天,我們不能以自己先入爲主的來做題.)
(D) Larvae fail to develop symptoms of the disease when their brood –comb temperature remains within the normal range. 在蜂羣溫度正常的時候幼蟲身上沒有任何感染的病症.(文章中說到過在病症出來之前成年蜂就開始增加蜂房的溫度了,說明沒出病症的時候蜂房溫度是正常的.)
(E) Infected larvae exhibit visible symptoms of disease for a significant time before death. 被感染的幼蟲在死前會有相當長的一段時間表現出可見的病症. (a significant time 完全臆測).