Ants keep traffic flowing by changing their behavior to meet changing conditions, according to new research.
     For their experiment, researchers from the University of Toulouse and the University of Arizona focused on Argentine ants. which are only 2-3 millimeters long and frequently move from colony(栖息地) to colony depending on how far food is.  Tapping into the ants' talent for fast commutes (通勤) ,   the  researchers  constructed  bridges  between  their  colonies.   The bridges varied in width from a fifth to three-quarters of an inch.
     Then the researchers sat back and monitored the traffic. To their surprise, even when those narrower bridges were nearly overloaded. there were n0 20-ant pile-ups. And traffic remained steady regardless of how crowed the bridges were because ants could adjust to the flow of road conditions.
     "When crowding on the path increased. ants assessed it locally and adjusted their speed accordingly to avoid any interruption of traffic flow." the researchers said. "Moreover. ants avoided entering a crowded path and made sure the bridge was never overloaded. "
     The lesson for humans? The traffic problem mostly lies in our loss of the quality that the ants have. You've probably noticed it on your own commute to work. Driving is fun when there're few cars on the road-a lane-change(车道变换) here. a little acceleration there. Then traffic slows down. But some impatient drivers still constantly move between lanes.
     "Traffic jams are common in human society where some people are focusing on their own personal objectives," the researchers said. "In contrast, ants share a common goal: the survival of the colony, thus they're expected to act cooperatively to get food. "
     The research also suggests that the ever-widening of highways may never free us from traffic jams.  As long as we drive along with our own agendas, no matter how many other people are on the road, we'll always end up in a traffic jam. Indeed, less space may be a good thing. It leaves less room for personal choices and forces us to take a page from the driving handbook of ants.
28. What did the researchers do to the ants in the experiment?
    A. They fed them with much delicious food.
    B. They trained them to avoid heavy traffic.
    C. They built bridges linking their colonies.
    D. They improved their colonies constantly.
29. How did the ants behave during the experiment?
    A. They worked together to remove the road blocks.
    B. They sped up to get out of the traffic jam quickly.
    C. They made their way carefully in the given direction.
    D. They adjusted themselves for the flow of the traffic.
30. What is the biggest cause of the traffic jam in human society?
    A. Poor road construction.                       B. People's  inability to adjust.
    C. People's selfish driving.                       D. Too many vehicles on roads.
31. What is the text mainly about?
    A. What ants help us do for driving safety.
    B. What ants can teach us about traffic jams.
    C. Why ants drive much better than humans.
    D. Why ants are best at handling traffic jams.
                                 
【答案与解析】
本文是一篇说明文。研究发现，蚂蚁通过改变自己的行为来满足不断变化的道路条件以保持交通畅通。 人类应该从中得到关于交通阻塞的一些启示。
28. C 细节理解题。根据第二段“Tapping into the ants' talent for fast commutes （通勤），the researchers constructed bridges between their colonies. The bridges varied in width from a fifth to three-quarters of an meh. ”及第三段的内容可知，研究者们为蚂蚁建了连通栖息地的桥。
29. D推理判断题。根据第三、四段的内容可推断，蚂蚁通过调整自己以确保交通畅通。
30. C 推理判断题。根据第五段“The traffic problem mostly lies in our loss of the quality that the ants have." 及“Driving is fun when there⁵re few cars on the road一a lane-change（车道变换）here, a little acceleration there. Then traffic slows down. But some impatient drivers still constantly move between lanes."及第六段
【英语参考答案 第2页（共4页）】
“'Traffic jams are common in human society where some people are focusing on their own personal objectives,二可推断,人£］自私地开车是导参交通阻塞的最大因素。
31. B 主旨大意题。根据第一段及最后一段“It leaves less room for personal choices and forces us to take a page from the driving handbook of ants. ”可知，文章旨在说明我们可以从蚂蚁身上学到的关于交通阻塞的
启示。