【推荐1】Anyone who commutes (通勤) by car knows that traffic jams are an unavoidable part of life. But humans are not alone in facing potential backups.

Ants also commute —between their nest and sources of food. The survival of their colonies depends on doing this efficiently.

When humans commute, there’s a point at which cars become dense (稠密) enough to slow down the flow of traffic, causing jam. Motsch, a mathematician in Arizona State University, and his colleagues wanted to know if ants on the move could also get stuck. So they regulated traffic density by constructing bridges of various widths between a colony of Argentine ants and a source of food. Then they waited and watched. “The goal was to try to find out at what point they are going to have a traffic jam.” said Sebastien Motsch.

But it appears that that never happened. They always managed to avoid traffic jam. The flow of ants did increase at the beginning as ants started to fill the bridge and then levelled off at high densities. But it never slowed down or stopped, even when the bridge was nearly filled with ants.

The researchers then took a closer look at how the behavior of individual ants impacted traffic as a whole. And they found that when ants sense overcrowding, they adjust their speeds and avoid entering high-density areas, which prevents jams. These behaviors may be promoted by pheromones, chemicals that tell other ants where a trail is. The ants also manage to avoid colliding (碰撞) with each other at high densities, which could really slow them down. The study is in the journal eLife.

Can ants help us solve our own traffic problems? Not likely, says Motsch. That’s because when it comes to getting from point A to point B as fast as possible, human drivers put their own goals first. Individual ants have to be more cooperative in order to feed the colony. But the research could be useful in improving traffic flow for self-driving cars, which can be designed to be less like selfish humans— and more like ants.

1. What does the underlined word “this” in para.2 refer to?

A．Surviving.	B．Avoiding jams.
C．Finding food.	D．Commuting.

2. How did the researchers control the traffic density of the commuting ants?

A．By controlling the widths of their path.

B．By finding out the dense points.

C．By regulating their numbers.

D．By observing closely.

3. According to the research, ants can avoid traffic jams mainly because ________.

A．they follow a special route

B．they level off at high densities

C．they depend on their natural chemicals to adjust their speeds

D．they never stop or slow down on the way in the whole process

4. What is the best title of the passage?

A．Traffic Jams	B．Unavoidable? Not for Ants!
C．Survival of an Ant Colony	D．Difference between Human and Ants

【推荐2】Since ancient Greece, people have used zodiac signs to judge a person’s character traits.     1    

According to The Washington Post, a new study published in the journal Nature Human Behavior on Sept 17, could tell us something more about who we are. It identified four personality types: reserved, role models, average and self-centered.

    2     All these are related to the five main personality traits everyone’s believed to possess: extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability and openness.

Researchers, with the aid of computer software found that self-centered people scored higher on extroversion, but lower than average on the other four traits. ‘These are people you don’t want to hang out with,’ co-author William Revelle, professor of psychology, told the Daily Mail.

Members of the reserved group were lacking in openness and extroversion, but were more agreeable and conscientious.    3    

People defined as role models scored well in most traits, but were weak in emotional stability. ‘These are people who are dependable and open to new ideas,’ Luis Amaral, co-director of the Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems in the US, told Newsweek. ‘These are good people to be in charge of things. In fact, life is easier if you have more dealings with role models.’

Apart from these three personality types, a totally new type was found: average. This type according to Science Daily, get average scores in all traits. Females are more likely than males to fall into this type.

    4    For example, role models are usually seniors, while the traits of the self-centered type mainly fall in teenage males.

However, ‘Certain aspects are changing,’ Amaral told USA Today. ‘As people mature and grow, their personality also matures and grows. I think there is a positive message that people matures and they move to more desirable characteristics.’

A．These people are usually unwilling to try new things, but are kind and cooperative, according to the study.

B．To compare the movement of the planets and stars is a brilliant and ancient concept.

C．Even today, it seems that people are still fascinated with trying to figure out people’s personality types based on science.

D．The study also shows that there is connection between personality type, gender and age.

E．These are people who always finish the assigned task perfectly and in most cases ahead of time.

F．In this study, about 1.5 million participants were asked to rate a number of written statements.

【推荐3】A scientist believes he has discovered a direct link between people's favourite sleeping position and their personality. Professor Chris Idzikowski has described six different positions and what each one says about a person’s character. The professor, who did the research for a hotel group, said, “We are all aware of our body language when we are awake but this is the first time we have been able to see what our position says about us when we are asleep.” At the moment, Professor Idzikowski is trying to sleep in a yoga position that involves crossing your legs around your neck. He says there is no perfect position for sleeping.

1. THE STARFISH

“Starfish” sleep flat on their back with their arms raised. They are good listeners who make friends easily but do not like to be the centre of the attention.

2. THE YEARNER

“Yearners” sleep on their side with their arms raised. They are doubtful and have a very sensible approach to life.

3. THE FOETUS

The most popular position, particularly among women. They sleep curled（蜷缩）up on their side, holding on to the pillow. They appear to be tough but are actually sensitive and shy.

4. THE FREEFALLER

Only 6.5% of people prefer to sleep on their front, making this the least popular sleeping position. “Freefallers” seem very confident, although this hides a nervous personality.

5. THE LOG

The “log” position is similar to the “yearner” but with arms by the sides. “Logs” are easy-going and sociable, but can be seen as too gullible, easily to be tricked.

6. THE SOLDIER

“Soldiers”, who sleep on their back with their arms by their sides, are quiet and reserved. They set high standards for themselves and do not like noisy social situations.

1. What can we infer from Paragraph 1?

A．The yoga sleeping position is the best one.

B．People don't know their body language when awake.

C．People's sleeping position determines their personality.

D．Professor Idzikowski shows great interest in sleeping positions.

2. Which of the following sayings about the sleeping position is correct?

A．“Foetus” seem to be strong but sensitive.

B．“Yearners” sleep on their back with their arms raised.

C．“Starfish” like to be the focus of the attention.

D．“Soldiers” sleep on their side with their arms by their sides.

3. What does the underlined word gullible mean in Paragraph 6?

A．Easily annoyed.	B．Easily approached.
C．Easily cheated.	D．Easily satisfied.