As they migrate (迁移), butterflies and moths choose the winds they want to fly with, and they change their body positions if they start floating in the wrong direction. This new finding suggests that insects may employ some of the same methods that birds use for traveling long distances. Scientists have long thought that insects were simply at the mercy of the wind.
Fascinating as their skills of flight are, migrating behavior has been difficult to study in insects because many long distant trips happen thousands of feet above ground. Only recently have scientists developed technologies that can detect (测出) such little creatures at such great heights.
To their surprise, though, the insects weren’t passive travelers on the winds. In autumn, for example, most light winds blew from the east, but the insects somehow sought out ones that carried them south and they positioned themselves to navigate directly to their wintering homes.
Even in the spring, when most winds flowed northward, the insects didn’t always go with the flow. If breezes weren’t blowing in the exact direction they wanted to go, the insects changed their body positions to pensate (补偿). Many migrating birds do the same thing.
The study also found, butterflies and moths actively flew within the air streams that pushed them along. By adding flight speeds to wind speeds, the scientists calculated that butterflies and moths can travel as fast as 100 kilometers an hour. The findings may have real-world applications. With climate warming, migrating insects are growing in number. Knowing how and when these pests move could help when farmers decide when to spray their crops.
【小题1】What’s the main idea of the text? A．Insects migrate with the seasons．B．Wind helps insects greatly in migrating．C．Windsurfing insects have real direction．D．Scientists have trouble in observing insects．【小题2】Scientists originally thought that ．A．insects always waited for their favorable windsB．insects chose the winds they wanted to rideC．insects were just blown about by the windD．insects positioned themselves in the winds【小题3】It is not easy to study the migrating behavior of the insects because ． A．the little creatures can fly very fastB．they have no regular migrating coursesC．the wind’s direction is hard to foreseeD．their flight is long and high above ground【小题4】We can learn from the text that ． A．insects fly in the way birds doB．insects travel more easily in autumnC．insects never position themselves when flying lowD．insects rest a lot when the wind pushes them along【小题5】According to the passage, the findings can ． A．increase insects in numberB．instruct farmers when to sprayC．prevent climate warmingD．help protect insectsC
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(答案→)C
解析：本文是说明文，在讲述通过科学研究发现昆虫也有方向感，根据这一发现，农民可以根据风向来判断何时用药来消灭昆虫。
【小题1】C 主旨大意。文章第一段通过蝴蝶和飞蛾会选择风向，如果方向错误，他们会改变身体的位置，This new finding suggests that insects may employ some of the same methods that birds use for traveling long distances新的研究证明，昆虫也能利用同样的方法用于长途旅行，说明昆虫也有方向感。所以选C 项。
【小题2】C细节理解题。根据第一段Scientists have long thought that insects were simply at the mercy of the wind.科学家们长久以来认为昆虫受风的控制，故选C项。
【小题3】D细节推断题。根据第二段提到Fascinating as their skills of flight are, migrating behavior has been difficult to study in insects because many long distant trips happen thousands of feet above ground.可知是因为长距离的飞行还有离地面很高，所以选D项。
【小题4】A 细节理解题。根据第一段提到This new finding suggests that insects may employ some of the same methods that birds use for traveling long distances.这个研究表明昆虫也能利用同样的与鸟一样的方法长距离的飞行，所以选A项。
【小题5】B 细节推断题。根据最后一段The findings may have real-world applications. With climate warming, migrating insects are growing in number. Knowing how and when these pests move could help when farmers decide when to spray their crops这个发现很有世界性的应用。当天气暖和时，昆虫的数量在增加，了解何时他们会移动，就可以决定何时用药来消灭他们，所以选B项。