The author thinks that the influence of hard times on society is____.[A]certain[B]positive[C]trivial[D]destructive

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第二篇

Research by the University of Exeter has revealed that ants have a big impact on their local en-vironment as a result of their activity as"ecosystem engineers"and predators.The study,published in the Journal of Animal Ecology,found that ants have two distinct effects on their local environment.
Firstly,through moving of soil by nest building activity and by collecting food they affect the level of nutrients in the soil.This can indirectly impact the local populations of many animal groups, from decomposers to species much higher up the food chain.
Secondly,they prey on a wide range of other animals,including larger prey which can be at-tacked by vast numbers of ant workers.
Dirk Sanders,an author of the study from the university's Centre for Ecology and Conservation, said:"Ants are very effective predators which thrive in huge numbers.They're also very territorial and very aggressive,defending their resources and territory against other predators.All of this means they have a strong influence on their surrounding area."
"In this research,we studied for the first time how big this impact is and the subtleties of it. What we found is that despite being predators,their presence can also lead to an increase in density and diversity of other animal groups.They genuinely play a key role in the local environment,haying a big influence on the grassland food web,"Sanders said.
The study,carried out in Germany,studied the impact of the presence of different combinations and densities of black garden ants and common red ants,both species which can be found across Eurone.including in the UK.It found that a low density of ants in an area increased the diversity and density of other animals in the local area,particularly the density of herbivores and decomposers.At higher densities ants had no or the opposite effect,showing that predation is counteracting the positive influence.
Dr Frank van Veen,another author on the study,said:"What we find is that the impact of ants on soil nutrient levels has a positive effect on animal groups at low levels,but as the number of ants increases,their predatory impacts have the bigger effect一thereby counteracting the positive influence via ecosystem engineering."
Ants are important components of ecosystems not only because they constitute a great part of the animal biomass but also because they act as ecosystem engineers.Ant biodiversity is incredibly high and these organisms are highly responsive to human impact,which obviously reduces its richness. However,it is not clear how such disturbance damages the maintenance of ant services to the ecosystem.Ants are important in below ground processes through the alteration of the physical and chemical environment and through their effects on plants,microorganisms,and other soil organisms.

What does paragraph 6 tell us?
A:Ants bring about a negative influence to an area when their population is small.
B:Ants bring about a positive influence to an area when their population is small.
C:Ants' predation counteracts the positive influence they may have on an area.
D:At higher density,ants produce a positive influence on an area.

What may be the author’s attitude toward the“Labor Market Equilibrium”？( )

A.Positive
B.Neutral
C.Ambiguous
D.Suspicious

Text 4 The great recession may be over,but this era of high joblessness is probably beginning.Before it ends,it will likely change the life course and character of a generation of young adults.And ultimately,it is likely to reshape our politics,our culture,and the character of our society for years.No one tries harder than the jobless to find silver linings in this national economic disaster.Many said that unemployment,while extremely painful,had improved them in some ways:they had become less materialistic and more financially prudent;they were more aware of the struggles of others.In limited respects,perhaps the recession will leave society better off.At the very least,it has awoken us from our national fever dream of easy riches and bigger houses,and put a necessary end to an era of reckless personal spending.But for the most part,these benefits seem thin,uncertain,and far off.In The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth,the economic historian Benjamin Friedman argues that both inside and outside the U．S.,lengthy periods of economic stagnation or decline have almost always left society more meanspirited and less inclusive,and have usually stopped or reversed the advance of rights and freedoms.Antiimmigrant sentiment typically increases,as does conflict between races and classes.Income inequality usually falls during a recession,but it has not shrunk in this one.Indeed,this period of economic weakness may reinforce class divides,and decrease opportunities to cross them—especially for young people.The research of Till Von Wachter,the economic at Columbia University,suggests that not all people graduating into a recession see their life chances dimmed:those with degrees from elite universities catch up fairly quickly to where they otherwise would have been if they had graduated in better times;it is the masses beneath them that are left behind.In the Internet age,it is particularly easy to see the resentment that has always been hidden within American society.More difficult,in the moment,is discerning precisely how these lean times are affecting society's character.In many respects,the U.S.was more socially tolerant entering this recession than at any time in its history,and a variety of national polls on social conflict since then have shown mixed results.We will have to wait and see exactly how these hard times will reshape our social fabric.But they certainly will reshape it,and all the more so the longer they extend.
The author thinks that the influence of hard times on society is____

A.certain
B.positive
C.trivial
D.destructive

What is the author’s attitude towards“seeing is believing”？( )

A.Positive
B.Dangerous
C.Negative
D.Useful