题目

阅读理解     Fire ants tunnels get dug efficiently by only a small percentage of the group doing most of the work, thus avoiding pileups in tight spaces. What about the freeloaders? They just sit around while their hard-working colleagues get things done. But might freeloaders actually be necessary for society to function efficiently? The answer could be yes—at least when it comes to fire ants and their efforts to dig nests underground.     Fire ants are highly social creatures. So, Goldman, a physicist at Georgia Tech, and his colleagues wanted to know how individual ants knew what to do without a central leader issuing orders. To find out, Goldman's team labeled individual fire ants with paint and then watched them dig their narrow tunnels—barely wide enough for two workers. It turned out that just 30 percent of the ants did 70 percent of the labor. "I was surprised that we ended up with so few workers actually doing the work at any one time." A quarter of the ants never even entered the tunnels. Others moved inside, but left without digging a single grain of dirt. These behaviors ensured the crowded tunnels did not get blocked with insect traffic, which would put the construction process to a stop.     And when the scientists removed the five hardest-working ants from the site, others immediately jumped in to take up their positions-with no reduction in the group's productivity. It seems that it doesn't matter which ants are working or freeloading at a given time, as long as there is some division of labor to keep the tunnels flowing smoothly. The findings appeared in the journal Science.     The study could have implications for robotics. Imagine groups of robots sent to search the ruins for disaster survivors or nanobots coursing through our bodies to detect illness and deliver targeted medical treatment. Such robot groups will need to avoid getting jammed up in tight spaces. （1） Why are only a few ants needed to do the digging work? A . To give full play to the able. B . To take care of the old ones. C . To improve their work efficiency. D . To free some ants to do other work. （2） How did Goldman carry out the research? A . By direct observation. B . By classification. C . By citing previous data. D . By handing out questionnaires. （3） What does Goldman's research indicate? A . Individuals matter in work. B . Many hands make light work. C . Good leadership guarantees productivity. D . Specific division of labor boosts efficiency. （4） What can be inferred from the last paragraph? A . Robots are not suitable for team work. B . Smaller robots should be used to treat patients. C . More robots have to be sent to do rescue work. D . Some robots should be programmed to freeload. 答案： C A D D

查看本题答案和解析