练习题 · 英文原题 · SEL-RE-TST-S3-q1
How Bees Keep Their Cool
A honeybee colony cannot simply move into the shade when summer arrives. Its home is fixed, and inside it thousands of young bees are growing in wax cells. For them to develop properly, the temperature of this nursery must be kept remarkably [BLANK 1], at about 34 or 35 degrees Celsius, whatever the weather is doing outside.
On a scorching afternoon, the whole colony goes to work. Some worker bees fly off to collect water from ponds, puddles and dripping taps. Back at the hive, they spread tiny droplets in thin films across the tops of the cells. Meanwhile, rows of other workers grip the comb near the entrance and fan their wings [BLANK 2], driving a current of air through the hive. As the air moves over the damp wax, the water evaporates and carries heat away with it, just as a breeze cools your skin when you step out of a swimming pool.
No single bee is in charge of this effort. Each one simply responds to the warmth around her, and on a very hot day the work can carry on from morning until well after dark. In its own small way, the colony's cooling system [BLANK 3] the air conditioner in your living room, yet it runs on nothing but water, wings and cooperation. It is a remarkable [BLANK 4] of teamwork.
Read the text below and choose the word that best fits each gap.
查看答案与解析（英文）
Blank 1: steady. A temperature that hardly changes is kept steady. Sturdy, rigid and solid all describe objects that are strong or hard to bend, not a temperature.
Blank 2: furiously. Furiously can mean with great energy and speed, which is how the bees fan their wings. Angrily, crossly and irately only describe a bad temper, and the bees are not cross.
Blank 3: rivals. To rival something is to be as good as it, which is the point of comparing the hive to an air conditioner. Competes would need 'with', contests means to argue against, and opposes means to be against something.
Blank 4: feat. A remarkable achievement that takes skill and effort is a feat, and 'a feat of teamwork' is the usual phrase. A deed is a single act, an exploit is a daring adventure, and a stunt is a trick done to impress.