Beesare being trained to do the job of sniffer(嗅)dogs in Scotland, UK. And they -组卷网

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Bees are being trained to do the job of sniffer(嗅)dogs in Scotland, UK. And they could be ready to get to work in five years, saving many people’s lives.

By using sugar water as reward, the researchers have been teaching bees to recognize the smell of explosives(炸药)as though it was nectar(花蜜)from a flower. The bees can detect the smell of explosives, which are used to make bombs. They can detect the landmines from about 100 m distance but that should go up to kilometres. It should happen immediately once they’re trained and sent out.

Landmines are a type of bomb hidden just below the surface of the ground, so that a per-son walking or a car driving on it sets it off. When landmines are used in wars, the land is not safe for people to return to after the war is over until all the landmines have been cleared.

In the trials, as soon as the bees are sent out of the hive, they settle almost instantly on the spot where a landmine is. Bees have an advantage in that they cannot accidentally set off landmines and can cover ground not readily accessible for dogs. When the bees find the explosives but no reward of nectar they quickly realize they have been fooled and stop detecting the explosives. They get used to it so they realize after a couple of days that they have been hoodwinked. Every few days you have to retrain them but hopefully by that time they have found the explosives.

There has been a similar trial of bees detecting explosives in the US. Bees can also be trained to sniff out drugs, chemicals and radioactive substances. Training and keeping bees is quicker and cheaper than training dogs. They are considered at least as sensitive as dogs, and dogs are known to underperform when poorly treated.

【小题1】Why should landmines be cleared after war?

A．They are too dangerous to soldiers.

B．The army gets them back to reuse.

C．They cause pollution to the soil.

D．People need to go back to their normal life.

【小题2】What is the disadvantage of bees in their work?