I learned about life from an ant farm. When I was seven years old, my family tried to __1__ an ant farm at home. First, we put clean sand in a thin glass box, and then we brought some ants from the backyard and placed them into the __2__ home.
Shortly after the new __3__ were dropped into the glass structure, they got to work making tunnels. I was amazed that each one knew __4__ what to do. After hours of staring, I realized that the ants had particular given jobs. With my mom’s help, I kept a journal of what happened each day and __5__ the ants. My favorite was the biggest, Cinderella. I drew a picture of her in my journal, which I still have.
On day five a disaster __6__ the ant farm. While I was __7__ the ants, I had put my face so close to the structure that I accidentally tipped it over, __8__ in all the tunnels. Although the ants __9__ their earthquake, one by one they began to die. I was __10__ as I watched them give up their tunnel-building to carry the bodies to a corner of the farm. My mother reported that the ants were dying of “frustration”—feeling annoyed and impatient as they couldn’t control the situation. They simply could not __11__ the reality that their tunnels had been destroyed. Cinderella was the last to die; she did so while carrying a dead ant on her back.
Although much time has passed, I still think of that ant farm. Mom had hoped it would teach me about the natural world, __12__ it taught me much more. __13__ the years, I came to realize the ants were a study in the benefits of __14__. Working together, they were able to create a(n) __15__ world for themselves. I also learned that they should be __16__ for their hard work. Day in and day out, each labored at their task. The ant farm demonstrated that teamwork and perseverance are indeed two key __17__ to success. But there was an even larger lesson that I did not __18__ until recently: Disaster is a natural part of life, and must be __19__. Unlike the ants, humans cannot give up when they face __20__. Unlike the ants, we have to realize that if a tunnel caves in, we just have to build another.
| 小题2: | | A．empty | B．new | C．strange | D．distant |
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| 小题3: | | A．guests | B．settlers | C．friends | D．members |
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| 小题4: | | A．probably | B．roughly | C．exactly | D．normally |
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| 小题5: | | A．named | B．trained | C．compared | D．measured |
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| 小题6: | | A．affected | B．struck | C．kicked | D．beat |
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| 小题7: | | A．removing | B．teaching | C．observing | D．collecting |
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| 小题8: | | A．turning | B．rushing | C．filling | D．caving |
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| 小题9: | | A．experienced | B．predicted | C．faced | D．survived |
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| 小题10: | | A．annoyed | B．horrified | C．moved | D．thrilled |
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| 小题11: | | A．reflect | B．ignore | C．confirm | D．stand |
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| 小题14: | | A．teamwork | B．devotion | C．responsibility | D．organization |
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| 小题15: | | A．relaxing | B．amusing | C．moving | D．amazing |
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| 小题16: | | A．supported | B．inspired | C．admired | D．admitted |
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| 小题17: | | A．certificates | B．approaches | C．ingredients | D．circumstances |
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| 小题18: | | A．give | B．realize | C．take | D．adopt |
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| 小题19: | | A．accepted | B．suffered | C．achieved | D．managed |
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| 小题20: | | A．challenges | B．barriers | C．pressure | D．disappointment |
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