C
In 2011，a law was born.A type of ladybug (瓢虫) became the state insect of North Dakota.When the governor signed the bill into law，four kids stood behind him.These second-grade students had helped create a law!
Jaden McNeiley，Logan Redding，Megan Zimmer，and Isabel Sieg were in first grade when their idea for a law was born.They were studying the ladybug in school.
Megan and Logan were farm kids and knew something about the ladybug already.They knew that farmers had a problem with crop-eating pests called aphids (蚜虫) and that ladybugs ate aphids.The more ladybugs were around，the fewer chemicals the farmers had to use.
The kids were reading an article on the computer when they saw a link that led to a list of state insects.They clicked on the link and couldn't believe their eyes.North Dakota did not have a state insect!
The kids decided that a kind of ladybug called the convergent lady beetle should be their state insect.This ladybug was of great benefit to their farming state and it deserved a place of honor.But they had no idea how to create a law.So they asked their teacher for help.Their teacher knew their local state representative.When they all met，the representative told the kids they would have to present facts and solid reasons to convince lawmakers that North Dakota needed the ladybug as its state insect.
The students spent much of that first grade spring researching ladybugs.Their teacher ordered ladybug larvae (幼虫).They watched the larvae develop into adults.To learn more，they talked to scientists who study insects.The children say their research was hard work and they loved it.“Even if we hadn't gotten what we wanted，” says Jaden，“even if the bill hadn't passed，it was worth it.”
The students want everyone to know that kids can make a difference.“Whether you are 8 or 80，” says Isabel，“you have a voice in your community.” “Believe in your dreams，” say Jaden and Megan.“But make sure you are ready to do work to back them up!” adds Logan.
【语篇解读】 本文是记叙文。四个小学生促使瓢虫成为美国北达科他州的州虫。
29.Before studying the ladybug in school，Megan and Logan already knew________.
A.how to create a law
B.the advantages of aphids
C.the state insects of the U.S.
D.how ladybugs benefit people
答案 D [推理判断题。由第三段中的They knew that...the fewer chemicals the farmers had to use可推断，这两名学生此前就知道瓢虫有益于人类。]
30.How did the four kids feel when they saw the list of state insects?
A.Surprised. B.Excited.
C.Happy. D.Proud.
答案 A [推理判断题。由第四段末的couldn't believe their eyes.North Dakota did not have a state insect可推断，孩子们看到州虫列表时很惊讶——北达科他州居然没有州虫。]
31.Why did the four kids choose the convergent lady beetle as their state insect?
A.Because it looks beautiful.
B.Because they knew it very well.
C.Because of their teacher's advice.
D.Because of its contribution to farming.
答案 D [细节理解题。由第五段中的This ladybug was of great benefit to their farming state and it deserved a place of honor可知，他们之所以选该种瓢虫作为州虫是因为这种瓢虫对该州的农业很有好处。]
D
Nobody likes feeling lonely，and isolation (孤立) isn't only a psychological problem.Loneliness increases a person's risk of death by 26 percent，an effect comparable to the health risks posed by obesity.
So some researchers are investigating what it is，exactly，that makes lonely people stay lonely.One long-held theory has been that people become socially isolated because of their poor social skills—as they spend more time alone，the few skills they do have start to fail from lack of use.But new research suggests that this is a fundamental misunderstanding of the socially isolated.It's just that when they're in situations where they need those skills the most，they choke.
Professor Megan L.Knowles and her team tested the social skills of 86 undergraduates，showing them 24 faces on a computer screen and asking them to name the basic human emotion each face was showing：anger，fear，happiness，or sadness.In the end，the lonelier students did worse than the non-lonely students on the emotion-reading task—but only when they were told they were being tested on their social skills.When the lonely were told they were just taking a general knowledge test，they performed better than the non-lonely.
So the lonelier people are，the better they are at accurately reading facial expressions and decoding tone of voice.Lonely people may be paying closer attention to emotional cues (暗示) precisely because of their willingness to belong somewhere and form interpersonal connections，which results in technically superior social skills.
This presents a fairly new way to think about lonely people.It's not that they need to improve the basics of social skills，which they've likely already shared.Instead，lonely people may need to focus more on getting out of their own heads，so they can actually use the skills they've got to form friendships and begin to find a way out of their isolation.
【语篇解读】 本文是说明文。一项研究表明孤独的人更擅长解读人的情感。
32.According to the traditional point of view，why do lonely people stay lonely?
A.They are happy to stay alone.
B.They are difficult to get along with.
C.They have few chances to practice social skills.
D.They are likely to misunderstand others' opinion.
答案 C [细节理解题。由第二段中的One long-held theory...the few skills they do have start to fail from lack of use可知，传统观点认为，孤独的人之所以孤独是因为他们缺少与人交往的机会，导致社会技能退化。]
33.In the test mentioned in Paragraph 3，the lonely performed better when they________.
A.felt not very lonely
B.were under great pressure
C.were told it was a test on social skills
D.did not know the real purpose of the test
答案 D [细节理解题。由第三段末句When the lonely were told they were just taking a general knowledge test，they performed better than the non-lonely可知，当孤独的人不知道测试的真实意图时他们在测试中的表现更好。]
34.Compared to non-lonely people，lonely people________.
A.can better control their emotions
B.can better express their emotions
C.can better read people's emotions
D.can better handle people's emotions
答案 C [推理判断题。由第三段中的实验结果及第四段首句So the lonelier people are，the better they are at accurately reading facial expressions and decoding tone of voice可推断，孤独的人更擅长解读人们的情感。]
35.What inspiration may lonely people get from the text?
A.Be brave to make friends.
B.Show sincerity in friendship.
C.Find ways to learn social skills.
D.Make good use of your lonely time.
答案 A [推理判断题。由最后一段中的lonely people may need to focus more on getting out of their own heads，so they can actually use the skills they've got to form friendships...可推断，孤独的人应该勇敢地交友。]
