Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)
Section A
Most animals seek shade when temperatures in the Sahara desert soar to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. But for the Saharan silver ant, 26 from their underground nests into the sun’s brutal rays to 27 for food, this is the perfect time to seek lunch. In 2015 these ants were joined in the desert by scientists from two Belgian universities, who spent a month in the 28 heat tracking the ants and digging out their nests. The goal was simple, to discover how the 29 adapted to the kind of heat that can 30 melt the bottom of shoes.
Back in Belgium, the scientists looked at the ants under an electronic microscope and found that their 31 , triangular hair reflects light like a prism (棱镜), giving them a metallic reflection and protecting them from the sun’s awful heat. When Ph.D. student Quentin Willot 32 the hair from an ant with a 33 knife and put it under a heat lamp, its temperature jumped.
The ants’ method of staying cool is 34 among animals. Willot says companies are interested in 35 these ants’ method of heat protection for human use, including everything from helping to protect the lives of firefighters to keeping homes cool in summer.
A) adapting
B) consciously
C) crawling
D) crowded
E) extreme
F) hunt
G) literally
H) moderate
I) remote
J) removed
K) species
L) specimens
M) thick
N) tiny
O) unique
答案解析：
26. 根据“Most animals seek shade...But for the Saharan silver ant...into the sun’s brutal rays”可知，大多数动物找阴凉处，而撒哈拉银蚁是爬出地下巢穴，所以选C(crawling，爬行)。
27. 根据“this is the perfect time to seek lunch”以及常识，蚂蚁出来是为了寻找食物，也就是捕猎，所以选F(hunt，捕猎)。
28. 根据“temperatures in the Sahara Desert soar to 120 degrees Fahrenheit”可知，撒哈拉沙漠温度极高，这里说科学家在这样极端的炎热中待了一个月，所以选E(extreme，极端的)。
29. 根据前文一直说的“the Saharan silver ant”可知，这里说的是这种蚂蚁物种如何适应炎热，所以选K(species，物种)。
30. 根据“melt the bottom of shoes”可知，这种炎热程度是几乎能把鞋底融化，“literally”有“确实地，简直”的意思，符合语境，所以选G(literally，确实地，简直)。
31. 根据空白所在部分的句子可知，蚂蚁的——的毛发像三棱镜一样反射光线，毛发越多，反射效果越好，因此此处英填M (thick 浓密的)
32. 根据“put it under a heat lamp”可知，是把毛发拿掉后放在热灯下，所以选J(removed，移除，拿掉)。
33. 根据语境，用小刀把蚂蚁毛发拿掉，这里用“tiny knife”(小刀)符合，没有更合适的词，“tiny”也可体现刀的小，与前文蚂蚁细小毛发相呼应，所以选N(tiny，细小的，这里指小刀)。
34. 根据后文公司对这个感兴趣可知，蚂蚁保持凉爽的方法在动物中是独特的，所以选O(unique，独特的)。
35. 根据“for human use”可知，公司是对使这种蚂蚁的防热方法适应人类使用感兴趣，“adapt...for...”是“使……适应……”，所以选A(adapting，适应)。
