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Colony Collapse Disorder Passage
Colony collapse disorder, sometimes referredto as CCD, is a phenomenon that has garneredmuch attention over the past few years from boththe scientific community and the media alike. The05disorder, which causes entire honey bee coloniesto mysteriously disappear, is a major threat to boththe environment and the economy. Honey bees arethe world's natural pollinators, and are responsiblefor the production of about one-third of everything10we eat. Without honey bees, produce that we'reused to having in our diets, like apples, blueber-ries, strawberries, and nuts, would no longer beavailable. Honey bees also have an effect on themeat industry in the United States. They pollinate15the various types of feed used by beef and dairyfarmers. The services of the honey bee populationare invaluable, and the survival of many differentspecies depends on their well-being.When colony collapse disorder was first20recognized, beekeepers and scientists assumed thata pathogen was to blame. For example, there areseveral known viruses and pests that can kill offentire hives of honey bees quickly and be extremelyhard to prevent. Mites, fungus, and bacterial25infections are all common killers. Because of howoften they're seen in hives, farmers assumed thatthese common plights were responsible for colonycollapse disorder. However, as time passed and thedisorder was studied, researchers noticed some-30thing odd. In many cases, there were simply nodead bees to discover. While common killers of thehoney bee left telltale signs, colony collapsedisorder left nothing behind but empty hives.Scientists attributed the rapid disappearance of35the bees to a form of altruistic behavior. When abee gets sick, it flies away from the hive so as notto spread its illness to the other bees. It naturallyprioritizes the overall health of the hive over itsown. Although this behavior explained the bees'40disappearing act, the cause of the disorder is yet tobe understood and the list of possible explanationsjust keeps getting longer.One team of researchers hypothesized thatfluctuations in the earth's magnetic field might be45doing damage to the magnetoreceptors, or built-in homing devices, that bees use to find their wayhome to their hives after flying all day. Honey bees,as well as birds and fish, use the earth's magneticfield to identify their location. Sunspots, which50cause the strength of the earth's magnetic fieldto fluctuate, might be damaging the honey bee'sbiological tools.While solar activity is outside the control ofhumans, another theory about the cause of colony55collapse disorder points to the human inventionof pesticides. Pesticides, which are chemicals usedto prevent pest infestation of crops on a large scalearound the world, are often picked up by honeybees during their foraging and pollination flights.60Scientists have found that more than one pesticidecan be found in the honey of one hive. They arecurrently studying the interaction of two or morepesticides, which travel into the hives and are storedby the bees in the pollen they use for protein. While65the presence of one pesticide in a hive would cer-tainly limit the life spans of bees and impair theirnavigational skills, it could be that it is the interac-tion of two or more pesticides that cause the entirecolony to collapse. There are many ingredients70in pesticides that are not regulated by worldgovernments, and this leaves a lot of ground for beescientists to cover when doing their research.Research over time usually helps to narrowdown the field of possible causes of a disorder, but75in the case of colony collapse disorder, scientistsfeel farther away than ever from finding the rootcause and a cure. Many people around the worldare taking up the cause of keeping honey bees aliveby keeping bees in their backyards or on their80roofs. Some cities and towns have relaxed regula-tions on beekeeping in response to the honey beepopulation crisis. Hopefully, community initia-tives and research can both help to save the world'shoney bee population.
1. The passage's primary purpose is to
2. The point of view that the author takes is most reflective of that of
3. The author uses the fact that no bees are found in a hive after a colony collapses to
4. Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?
5. As used in line 27, "plights" most nearly means
6. The author's use of the word "mysteriously" in line 6 emphasizes
7. The passage most strongly suggests that which of the following is true?
8. Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?
9. According to the passage, which of the following events has occurred in response to colony collapse disorder?
10. As used in line 59, "foraging" most nearly means
11. Which sentence best describes the relationship between honey bees and human beings?
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