20071018

Small, Smart, and Strong—Ants

by Rachel Black

Man has long considered the ant to be a hardworking, well-organized creature. This social insect lives in an ordered colony that may contain millions of inhabitants. There are currently 11,880 known species of ants in the world, many of which share common characteristics. Ants have three body segments, six legs, and can lift up to 20 times their body weight. A colony of 40,000 of these creatures has the same amount of brain cells has the same amount of brain cells as a single human brain. Don't let their size fool you, though. It is believed that ant brains have the processing power of some of the computers of the early 1980s.

Like humans, ants have specific jobs to do within society. Each colony may have one or more queens whose job is to lay eggs. The sterile worker ants care for the young, hunt for food, and protect the colony from unwanted visitors. This is important because one species might attempt to steal the pupae of another species.

Most humans seem to tolerate ants. However, in 2004, fire ants made their way to Taiwan and many people were fearful of being bitten. After all, the sting of this foreign species could cause a deadly allergic reaction. Nevertheless, ants are usually harmless organisms whose constant activity should motivate us to get off the sofa and work a little harder.

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1.

The article is describing the ants. The ants are considered that they are the most hardworking insects in the word. They are so strong that they can lift up to twenty times their body weight. Like human beings, the ants are well-organized. They always do the jobs which they have to do, and they never forget what they would do. Even though we were attacked in 2004, we still believe they can inspire us to work harder.

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a. sterile

pupae

organism

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plenty of...

characteristic

attempt to

motivate sb to V

tolerate

3.

I choose the article because I am amazing what the article refers to the ants. Although the ants are so small that we often neglect them, they are so strong that they can raise the heavy things. Did you ever notice one thing that they always take a line? They are seldom chaotic. And we really learn from the little ants, I see the traffic. They have no eyes, but they are always in order. Look at us, we even can not take a line when we want to buy a ticket to watch the movie.

The ants always do their jobs well,and they will not be lazy to work. It is not like people, human beings has the nature of lazy. We often think it doesn't matter how to have a rest.But if you wewe an ant, the idea will not come to your mind in one day. That's why I admire the ants.