1．What was the problem the author had with his house?

　　　 A．Bats were living in the barn and wouldn’t go away.

　　　 B．The author and his son couldn’t sleep well because of the bats.

　　　 C．The author and his son might be able to stay for the season.

　　　 D．The house was still badly in need of repair.

4．According to the passage, adults eating habits differ from those of babies because 　　　　.

　　　 A．adults know better than babies what kinds of food are good for their health

　　　 B．adults usually cannot resist the temptation of various delicious foods.

　　　 C．adults’ eating habits are closely related to the social and cultural customs

　　　 D．adults have more choices of food than babies in eating patterns

二十九

My son and I were trying to sell the house we had repaired but in the barn (谷仓) there were bats and they would not leave. The barn was their home. They told us so in their own way. They hung there in the barn and seemed determined to stay for the season. “Don’t worry about it, Dad,” Patrick said, “they keep down the mosquitoes.”

Unfortunately they also kept the buyers away. When we asked a person to sell the house for us, he refused to see it because of the bats. “Bats are popular,” Patrick comforted me, “they’re ecological (生态学的).” “Isn’t there a machine you can buy that produces high frequency sounds to keep bats away?” I asked. “I don’t know,” said Patrick, “But I like bats, and whoever buys this house will probably like them too.” “Probably?” I hated that word. “How many bats are there, anyway?” “I counted about 90 last night,” said Patrick, “They were dropping out from under the edge of the roof.” “You mean there are more – outside?” “They’re everywhere, Dad. But look at it this way. When the cold weather comes, they’ll be off to Mexico. Maybe in the spring we can keep them out. Don’t worry about it,” he said for the hundredth time. “It’s not a problem.”

The bat expert I called was even more active than Patrick. “I think you’ve got a large number there,” he said in wonder, “I’ve been trying to attract bats to our house for 25 years. A single bat eats up his weight in mosquitoes and black flies three times every night. You’re a very lucky man.” I offered to share my luck with him. He could take them away. “Bats have a remarkable homing instinct (本能),” he said, “They’d fly straight back even if I transported them 100 miles. Once they have settled, you can’t stop them from coming back.” I was silent.

Finally we managed to rent the house to a young family, who were also interested in buying it. “What about the bats?” I said to Patrick.

“Oh, they love the bats,” he said. “No mosquitoes. No black flies. It’s one of the things that attracted them.” “Do you think they will really but the house?” I asked. “Probably.” “Probably? Well, if they do, I suppose I’ll have to admit that I was wrong.” “You mean you’re going to eat your words?” Patrick laughed and asked. “Yes, I am.”

3．In the classic experiment mentioned in the second paragraph, babies were 　　　　.

　　　 A．given many choices of drinks　　　　　　　　 B．provided with various kinds of baby food

　　　 C．placed and fed in a cafeteria　　　　　　　　　 D．trained to select a balanced diet

2．As far as their eating habits are concerned, babies and rats are similar in that 　　　　　.

　　　 A．both have the wisdom to choose a balanced diet

　　　 B．both prefer flavoured food and drink

　　　 C．both have the same eating patterns

　　　 D．both develop a taste for the same kinds of flavours

1．In the experiment on rats, a fragrant flavor was added to the rats’ drinking water to 　　　　.

　　　 A．encourage rats to drink vitamins – enriched water

　　　 B．find out rats’ preference in flavour

　　　 C．test whether rats know which drink is good for them

　　　 D．demonstrated the vitamins are tasteless

5．The news report mainly tells us 　　　　　.

　　　 A．illegal activities were on the move

　　　 B．some officials involved in the land scandals

　　　 C．the villagers blamed the authorities for the illegal deforestation

　　　 D．the villagers were angry at the businessman

二十八

Animals seem to have the sense to eat when they are hungry and they do not eat more than their bodies need. It has been demonstrated (证明) that rats will, when given a choice over a period of time, prefer water with vitamins to water without vitamins, even though there is no difference in taste or smell between the two water bottles. When a fragrant (芳香的) flavor (味道;佐料) was added to the vitamins – enriched fluid, the rats did seem to develop a taste for it and kept drinking it, even after the vitamins were changed to the clear water. In time, however, they broke the habit and went back to where the necessary vitamins were.

In a classic experiments, babies of 6 to 12 months old were placed in a cafeteria (自助餐厅) feeding arrangement, with a wide choice of baby food before them. They were given whatever food they pointed to or appeared interested in. We are told that at first they showed some unusual eating patterns, but that over a period of time they managed to choose a well – balanced diet.

So in choosing food, rats and babies do seem to know and act on what’s best for them. Obviously, there is a kind of “body wisdom”, which humans soon lose. Most of us do not eat as wisely as we could. Many of our food preferences are culturally determined and influenced by long established habits. Some people eat foxes, dogs and blackbirds, while we eat cows and pigs. So what people eat and how many they eat seems to be greatly influenced by what is going around them.

4．It is obvious that 　　　　　.

　　　 A．the activity of falling trees is going on

　　　 B．the authorities have arrested some criminals

　　　 C．the group observes the order of the authorities

　　　 D．the activities on Khao Duang Nok have stopped

3．　　　　 　is a person not a place .

　　　 A．Koh Samui　　　　　 B．Bor Phut 　　　　　 C．Khao Duang Nok　　 D．Decha Kangsanant

2．Villagers failed to see the men cutting down the trees in a forest because 　　　　　.

　　　 A．the traces of deforestation were apparent

　　　 B．the authorities forbade them to go there

　　　 C．the mountain blocked their views

　　　 D．the road to the forest is not easy to take

1．The underlined phrase “to no avail” in the 2nd paragraph means 　　　　　.

　　　 A．in vain 　　　　　　　 B．in astonishment 　 C．without permission D．without delay