baby ladybugs hatch(孵化), they are very hungry and will eat mites, aphids, mealybugs, green flies, and other crop－destroyers. In the 1800s, ladybugs were brought all the way from Australia to California and set free among orange trees that were dying from being eaten by insects. They completely saved all the trees.

Ladybugs go about their daily business without worrying much about anything. Very few birds or insects will eat a ladybug because it gives off a dangerous fluid (液体). Ladybugs also protect themselves by playing dead. They fall off leaves and stay still until their attacker goes away.

So the next time you see a ladybug, think about what it may be doing. Maybe it is off to save an orange tree. Maybe its next move will be to roll off a leaf and play dead or stand up to a bird about 100 times its size. Maybe it's letting you know that the weather will be good tomorrow. Who knows? Ladybugs are special that way.

8．Ladybugs were brought from Australia to California in the 1800s to ________.

A . add more ladybugs to the area

B．report the weather for farmers

C．act as a lucky sign of good crops

D．save orange trees by eating insects

9．From the passage we know that ________.

A．it' s the adult ladybug that eats most of the harmful insects

B．ladybugs often roll off a leaf and play dead to attack the birds

C．ladybugs can give off a dangerous fluid to protect themselves

D．the baby ladybug mainly eats mites, aphids, mealybugs, and oranges

10．The underlined phrase "stand up to" most probably means ________.

A．fight B．support C．admire D．watch

11．Which of the following may the author agree with?

　A．Ladybugs do harm to nature.

　 B．Ladybugs are unusual insects.

　C．Ladybugs are dangerous insects.

　D．Ladybugs eat more than they should.

　D

When students and parents are asked to rate subjects according to their importance ,the arts are unavoidably at the bottom of the list . Music is nice, people seem to say, but not important. Too often it is viewed as mere entertainment, but certainly not an education priority (优先). This view is shortsighted. In fact, music education is beneficial and important for all students.

Music tells us who we are. Because music is an expression of the beings who create it, it reflects their thinking and values, as well as the social environment it came from. Rock music represents a lifestyle just as surely as does a Schubert song. The jazz influence that George Gershwin and other musicians introduced into their music is obviously American because it came