雅思阅读 · The Surprising Bees of the City
互动版 · 第 1 题可直接投票作答。题型：选择题（第 1 题投票互动）+ T/F/NG + 填空。难度：中等（Passage 1-2）。
正文 Passage
When people think of bees, they picture meadows, wildflower fields and honeycomb hives in the countryside. But a growing body of research suggests that cities — long assumed to be biological deserts — may be some of the best places for bees to thrive.
In a 2025 study of ten European cities, researchers found that urban gardens, rooftop planters and even derelict industrial sites supported a surprising diversity of wild bee species. Berlin alone was home to more than 150 species — more than the entire countryside of some neighbouring regions. "We expected cities to be poor for bees," said one researcher. "Instead, we found that the variety of flowering plants in window boxes, parks and community gardens creates a mosaic of habitats that many wild species prefer over monocrop farmland."
The reason, the study suggests, is not that cities are ideal — but that modern farmland has become much worse. Intensive agriculture, with its vast fields of single crops and heavy pesticide use, offers bees little food for most of the year. A city, by contrast, offers a continuous bloom from early spring bulbs to late autumn shrubs, and a wider variety of plant species overall.
That said, urban bees face their own hazards. Concrete and asphalt surfaces absorb heat, creating what scientists call the "urban heat island" effect, which can overheat nests. Light pollution from streetlights disrupts the nocturnal navigation of some moth species and may affect bees that fly at dawn and dusk. And while gardens offer food, they also offer a confusing landscape of colours, scents and structures that can disorient foraging bees.
Still, the overall picture is encouraging. Urban beekeeping — once dismissed as a hobby for the eco-conscious — is now seen as a practical contribution to biodiversity. Cities such as Paris and Oslo have launched programmes to plant wildflower verges along roadsides, convert roundabouts into meadows, and require new buildings to include bee-friendly green roofs.
The lesson is not that cities are perfect habitats for bees, but that human-built environments, when designed with wildlife in mind, can support far more life than we assume. Even a single window box, stocked with the right flowers, can be a lifeline for a tired bee flying home after a long foraging trip.
题目 Questions
Question 1: Interactive Poll
Q1. What is the main idea of this passage?
Q1. What is the main idea of this passage?A. Urban bees are dying outB. City environments can support surprisingly diverse bee populationsC. Honeybees are better than wild beesD. Pesticides are the only threat to beesResults are visible after you voteSign in to vote（投票后可见其他读者的选择分布）
Questions 2-6: Do the following statements agree with the information given?
Write:
- TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
- FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
- NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
2. Berlin has more wild bee species than some rural areas nearby.
3. Modern farmland offers bees a wide variety of flowering plants.
4. Urban bees never face any dangers.
5. The urban heat island effect can make bee nests too hot.
6. All cities have banned beekeeping.
Questions 7-10: Complete the notes below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
- Modern intensive agriculture uses large amounts of (7) ____________.
- Streetlight light pollution may affect bees that fly at (8) ____________.
- Paris and Oslo have planted (9) ____________ along roadsides.
- A single (10) ____________ can support bees with the right flowers.
答案 Answers
| 题号 | 答案 | 定位句 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | B | 全文主旨：城市环境能支持多样的蜜蜂种群 |
| 2 | TRUE | "Berlin alone was home to more than 150 species — more than the entire countryside of some neighbouring regions" |
| 3 | FALSE | "vast fields of single crops and heavy pesticide use, offers bees little food" |
| 4 | FALSE | "urban bees face their own hazards" |
| 5 | TRUE | "can overheat nests" |
| 6 | NOT GIVEN | 文章提到巴黎、奥斯陆鼓励养蜂，没说"所有城市禁止" |
| 7 | pesticides | "heavy pesticide use" |
| 8 | dawn and dusk | "bees that fly at dawn and dusk" |
| 9 | wildflower verges | "plant wildflower verges along roadsides" |
| 10 | window box | "a single window box... can be a lifeline" |
核心词汇 Core Vocabulary
| 词 | 音标 | 中文 |
|---|---|---|
| bee / honeybee | /biː/ /ˈhʌnibiː/ | 蜜蜂 |
| species | /ˈspiːʃiːz/ | 物种 |
| habitat | /ˈhæbɪtæt/ | 栖息地 |
| monocrop | /ˈmɒnəʊkrɒp/ | 单一作物种植 |
| pesticide | /ˈpestɪsaɪd/ | 杀虫剂 |
| verge | /vɜːdʒ/ | 路边草地 |
| rooftop | /ˈruːftɒp/ | 屋顶 |
| biodiversity | /ˌbaɪəʊdaɪˈvɜːsəti/ | 生物多样性 |
| navigation | /ˌnævɪˈɡeɪʃn/ | 导航、定位 |
| forage | /ˈfɒrɪdʒ/ | 觅食 |
| disorient | /dɪsˈɔːrient/ | 使迷失方向 |
| verge | /vɜːdʒ/ | 边缘 |
| derelict | /ˈderəlɪkt/ | 废弃的、破败的 |
| shrub | /ʃrʌb/ | 灌木 |
| meadow | /ˈmedəʊ/ | 草地、草甸 |
No comments yet.