Elephants are famous for their supposedly excellent memory. Now it seems that they are good at simple math too.
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have found an Asian elephant named Ashya can add small quantities together and correctly identify(識(shí)別)which is larger.
For example ,when researcher Naoko dropped three apples into one bucket and one apple into a second, then four more apples into the first and five into the second, Ashya correctly identified that the first bucket contained more apples and began munching(嚼)on her tasty prize.
Ashya chose the correct bucket 74% of the time "I even get confused when "I'm dropping the apple," Naoko told New Scientist magazine.
Elephants' counting abilities are far from unique. Chimps, pigeons(鴿子)and dolphins have shown the same abilities in lab tests, but what is more impressive for Elephants is that their ability to tell between two figures does not get worse when those numbers are more similar.
The elephants that Naoko tested were as good at telling the difference between five and six as they were at telling between five and one.
Naoko presented her findings last week at the International Society annual meeting in New York.
It is not obvious why elephants should need this mathematical ability in the wild." It is really tough to figure out why elephants would need to count," said Mya, a professor at Cornell University who studies elephants.
One possibility is that they use it to keep track of other members of their herd(獸群)so that no one is left behind. Asian elephants live in groups of six to eight." You really don't want to lose your group members," said Mya.
Another possibility is that the ability for simple math might be a by-product(副產(chǎn)品)of natural selection for a larger brain.
68.The experiments researchers have done recently show that elephants can____.
A. memorize things correctly      B. munch on apples
C. do some simple math          D. change small quantities into larger ones
69.What does the underlined word" tough" in Paragraph 8 mean?
A. Difficult        B. Impossible     C. Easy      D. Useful
70.The reason why elephants need to count is possibly that_____.
A. they want to exercise their brains
B .they often count the members of their herd
C. they hope to stay in groups
D. they have taken regular training
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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:完形填空


第二節(jié)完型填空(共20小題;每小題1.5分,滿(mǎn)分30分)
閱讀下面短文,掌握其大意,然后從36—55各題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)(A、B、C和D)中,選出最佳選項(xiàng),并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。
I was 14 when Mr. Ingram knocked on our farmhouse door in Sacred Heart. Okla. The old farmer   36  about a mile away and needed an assistant to help out grass. It was the first time I had been actually   37  for work.
Mr. Ingram was   38  with the job I did and ended up hiring me to dig potatoes. I even   39  when a   40  cow was being born.
One day he found an old truck that was   41  in the   42 , sandy soil of the melon field. Was full of melons that someone had tried to steal before their truck got stuck.
Mr. Ingram explained that the truck's owner would be returning soon, and he wanted me to   43   the truck and lean(倚靠) against it. Soon a man from a nearby village, who had a terrible   44  for fighting and stealing,   45   with his two full – grown sons. They looked   46  .
While   47   Mr. Ingram said, “Well, I see you want to buy some   48  .”
There was a long silence   49   the man answered, “Yeah, I guess so. What are you getting for them?”
“Three dollars each,”   50  said immediately. “Well, I guess that would be   51   enough if you help me get my truck out of here,” the man bargained.
It   52  out to be our biggest sale of the summer, and an unpleasant, perhaps unfortunate incident had been   53  . After they left, Mr. Ingram smiled and said to me, “Son, if you don’t   54   your enemies, you’re going to run out of friends.” Mr. Ingram died a few years later, but I have never forgotten him or what he taught me   55   my first job.
36.A.covered    B.went  C.lived D.ran
37.A.charged    B.paid  C.inquired    D.blamed
38.A.strict B.disappointed     C.unsatisfied       D.content
39.A.a(chǎn)ssisted     B.disturbed  C.included   D.existed
40.A.father       B.mother     C.baby  D.brother
41.A.struck       B.dropped    C.fallen       D.stuck
42.A.soft   B.hard  C.smooth     D.tough
43.A.glare at     B.watch       C.spot   D.stare at
44.A.honor       B.custom     C.reputation D.habit
45.A.took down       B.showed up       C.set out      D.broke up
46.A.sad   B.a(chǎn)ngry       C.happy       D.pleased
47.A.hardly      B.a(chǎn)nxiously  C.calmly      D.noisily
48.A.truck B.watermelons     C.tomatoes   D.grass
49.A.before      B.a(chǎn)fter  C.since D.unless
50.A.they  B.the sons    C.I      D.the farmed
51.A.expensive B.sure   C.friendly    D.fair
52.A.turned      B.came C.broke       D.stood
53.A.caused      B.postponed C.prevented  D.cancelled
54.A.hate  B.forgive     C.a(chǎn)dmire      D.a(chǎn)bandon
55.A.under       B.below       C.off    D.on

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


Go ahead,talk to your dog.
As many a dog owner will prove, our furry friends are listening. Now, for the doubters, there is scientific proof that they understand much of what they hear. A border collie called Rico can fetch at least 200 objects by name, researchers in Germany say. The dog also appears to learn words for new objects as easily as a 3-year-old child would. Its word-learning skill is as good as that of a parrot or chimpanzee.
In one experiment, the researchers took all 200 items that Rico is supposed to know and divided them randomly into 20 sets of 10 objects each. The dog waited with one of his owners in one room, while an experimenter put a set of 10 objects into another room. Then, the owner told the dog to fetch one of the items. The dog had to go to the other room and bring the object back.
In four trials, Rico got 37 out of 40 commands right. Because the dog couldn't see anyone to get visual clues about what to bring back, the scientists concluded that he must understand the meanings of certain words.
In another experiment, the scientists took one toy that Rico had never seen before and put it in a room with seven toys whose names he already knew. The dog's owner then told him to fetch the object, using a word Rico had never heard.
In 7 out of 10 trials, Rico picked the right object, suggesting that he figured out the answer by process of elimination. A month later, he remembered half of the new names, which further impressed the researchers.
Rico is probably smarter than the average dog, the scientists say. For one thing, he's a border collie, a breed known for its mental abilities. In addition, the 9-year-old dog has been trained to retrieve toys by their names since he was 9 months old.
It's hard to know if all dogs understand at least some of the words we say. Even if they do, they can't talk back. Still, it wouldn't hurt to sweet-talk your pup every now and then. You might just get a big, wet kiss in return!
48.The passage is probably taken from a book on _____
A.pets B.environment    C.culture     D.nutrition
49.It is implied that ____
A.Rico is probably cleverer than the average dog
B.Only a few dogs can talk back to its owner
C.if a chimpanzee is trained ,it can also recognize the names of objects
D.All dogs can understand words
50.How long is it since Rico’s owner began to train him?
A.nine months  B.3years    C.over nine years      D.more than eight years
51.Rico can do all the following except _____
A.understanding the meanings of certain words.
B.picking the right object by process of elimination
C.remembering all of the new names he learned    D.retrieving toys by their names

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


The Internet is a way of life for US college students, with research showing them to be one of the most connected groups.
A recent study by Harris Interactive and 360 Youth found that 93 percent of American college students visit the Internet, and this market is expected to grow from 15.2 million in 2003 to 16.4 million in2007.
That is slow but could be the result of the already high number of college Internet users.
About 88 percent of American college students own a computer, and more than half have broadband connections. Furthermore, 76 percent own cell phones and 36 percent use their mobile devices to visit the Internet.
Study findings are that 42 percent go online mainly to communicate socially, and 72 percent of college students check emails at least once a day, with 66 percent using at least two email addresses.
The most popular online social activity is forwarding messages to friends or family, with 37 per cent of college students saying they do so.
The study also looked beyond the Internet surfing habits and into the buying habits of this group, and found them responsible for more than US$210 billion in sales last year alone.
College students have learned how to spend their money, with 93 per cent saying low prices were important when shopping.
The study also showed that 65 percent make loan payments, 41 percent of freshmen have a credit card; and 79 percent of seniors have a credit card.
A significant number of charges on those credit cards are likely to be for entertainment and leisure expenses.
45. College students in the US, as this passage shows, _______
A. don’t have to learn their lessons in their classroom
B. spend too much time visiting the Internet
C. lead an exciting life by visiting the Internet
D. waste much time visiting the Internet
46. From the fourth paragraph we can find that in the US_______.
A. most college students are from rich families
B. college students can have a computer from their college
C. cell phones will take the place of computers in college
D. mobile phones make Internet life easy for college students
47. To communicate with friends, nearly half of the college students use_______
A. letters        B. e-mails       C. telephones          D. telegraph
48. By using the Internet, college students in the US can do the following except _______.
A. reading newspapers              B. chatting with friends
C. buying goods                  D. going swimming

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

.
This is my third day of the English camp here in Australia. It has been an amazing experience. I can’t believe how many different nationalities are here. Because we all speak so many different languages, we are forced to use our English in order to communicate. I really like Jim, the leader of my small group. There are only five other students in our group; Jim is very easy-going and is very good at getting all of us to chat and have fun together.
There are classes every day, but they are not boring, like my English classes at school. We learn new vocabulary every day and then must practice it immediately in conversation or in real life situations. The teachers are very professional---and very skilled at making us feel comfortable and eager to talk. The writing classes are the most difficult for me; the teacher is very strict, but I like her a lot. She has very high standards, but her step-by-step method leads us slowly but surely to her final goal.
I can feel myself growing a lot personally. In just three days, I have much more confidence than ever before to express myself in English. I’ve also noticed that I’m much more comfortable with different kinds of people---not nearly so shy as when I’m at home. It seems that being shy is just my way of hiding when I’m afraid. Here at the camp, the teachers and other leaders have kindly but firmly forced me to push past my fear. I’m learning a lot about myself. In fact, after staying here for only three days, I have realized that in the past I used my shyness as an excuse for my poor English. I’ve realized that I’m not really being shy, but I’m being afraid of embarrassment--- and my fear has hurt not only my English ability but my social skills. Here at the camp I’m not only learning English but also learning how not to be afraid.
68. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. The English Camp only offers a three-day study.
B. The writer is the leader of his small group.
C. There are altogether five members in the writer’s group.
D. The members in the English camp are from different countries.
69. What does the writer think of his English classes at school?
A. They are not boring.
B. They are dull.
C. They are interesting.
D. He likes them better than the classes in the English camp.
70. What can we learn about the writer from the passage?
A. His English used to be poor because of his shyness.
B. His English used to be poor because of his fear.
C. He doesn’t like English.
D. He is not as comfortable with different kinds of people as at home.
71. By saying “my fear has hurt not only my English ability but my social skills”, the writer means all of the following except ________.
A. he has learnt both English and social skills in the English camp
B. he has much more confidence than ever before to express himself in English now
C. he has grown a lot personally at the English Camp
D. he is not learning much about himself at the English Camp

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

.
第二部分 閱讀理解(共20小題;每小題2分,滿(mǎn)分40分)
閱讀下列短文,從每題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)(A、B、C和D)中,選出最佳選項(xiàng),并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。
Where is that noise coming from? Not sure? Try living with your eyes closed for a few years. Blind people are better at locating sounds than people who can see, a new study says, without the benefits of vision the ears seem to work much better.
Previous studies have shown that blind people are better than others at reaching out and touching the sources of sounds that are close by. Researchers from the University of Montreal wanted to see if blind people were also better at locating sounds that are far away. Twenty-three blind people participated in the study. All had been sightless for at least 20 years. Fourteen of them had lost their vision before age 11. The rest went blind after age 16. The experiment also included 10 people who could see but were wearing blind-folds.
In one task, volunteers had to pick the direction of a sound coming from about 3 metres away. When the sound was in front of them or slightly off center in front, both groups performed equally well.
When sounds came from the side or the back, however, the blind group performed much better than the blindfolded group. The participants who had been blind since childhood did slightly better than those who lost their sight later.
Recognizing the locations of distant sounds can be a matter of life-or-death for blind people,say the researchers. Crossing the street, for instance, is much harder when you can’t see the cars coming.
Still, the researchers were surprised by how well the blind participants did, especially those who went blind after age 16. In another experiment, the scientists also found that parts of the brain that normally deal with visual information became active in locating sound in the people who were blind by age 11. These brain parts didn’t show sound-location activity in the other group of blind people or in the sighted people. The scientists now want to learn more about the working of brains of “l(fā)ate-onset” blind people.
36. The recent study shows blind people are better at telling ________________.
A. The sources of loud sounds.          B. the locations of distant sounds
C. the direction of sharp sounds         D. the distance of a sound in front of them
37. Which would be a proper title for the passage?
A. A Research on Blind People         B. Where is That Noise Coming from?
C. Hearing Better in the Dark          D. What If Living Without Your Eyes?
38. If people were asked to tell the direction of a sound from the side, who would perform best?
A. Those who are blind.                  B. Those who have gone blind since children.
C. Those who went blind at age 16.      D. Those who are blindfolded.
39. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Whether to be able to locate the sounds can be of vital importance for the blind.
B. All the volunteers in the experiment are sightless.
C. All the participants did equally well when picking sounds from whatever direction.
D. The later people become blind, the better they can perform in telling the direction of sounds.
40. What do we know about that parts of brain dealing with visual information are active in locating sounds?
A. This happens in almost all the testers.
B. This only occurs in the people who were blind after age 16.
C. It remains nothing new to the scientists any more.
D. It remains a mystery why it is so.

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


There are several reasons for hair loss in women. However, in most cases, treatment is quite effective. Female hair loss patterns in women are not as easily recognizable as they are in men. A woman may experience it temporarily due to pregnancy or illness, although they may experience it for other reasons.
Hair loss can be due to a variety of factors, including a genetic tendency (which is not genetically linked to just one parent—both parents contribute to the tendency to lose hair).
Women who are experiencing hair problems seem to have more limited choices than men. There are some female hair loss treatments that are available such as the Tricomin System which is a topical treatment that is nutrition based. Shen Min for Women is another natural treatment that contains herbs (藥草) that are said to stimulate(刺激) hair growth and even restore hair that is graying to its natural color.
The majority of the popular, proven hair loss treatments are only intended for men and are not suitable for women. True, a woman’s hair issue is different from a man’s. The biological makeup is different and the needs are different. Women have different needs and their bodies react in different ways to environmental changes, physical illness and even the treatments that are available. There are many natural treatments such as vitamin and mineral supplements that are said to stimulate hair growth, but, for the most part, these claims are currently unproven.
One of the first and most important factors to effectively treating is to get a diagnosis from a doctor. Talk to your doctor about any symptoms that you may be experiencing in addition to the thinning hair. Stress, weight loss or gain, illness and depression, all of these can be contributing factors.
50. It can be learned from the 1st paragraph that ___________.
usually hair loss is hard to heal
B . female hair loss is more common than the men’s
women tend to suffer from hair loss during the pregnant period
only illness contributes to hair loss
51.Which of the following statements matches the text about the two treatments?
A. Both are to solve the problem of male hair loss.
Tricomin System is effective in speeding the growth of the new hair
Shen Min is an updated way of treating hair loss
D. The former is nutrition-based, while the latter is medicine-based.
52. The reasons for the differences between the female and male hair loss problems do not include _______.
A. The biological structure and composition of the hair
The wants and needs
The reactions and responses to the outside changes
The approach to taking exercise
53. The natural treatments __________.
include vitamin and mineral supplements    
B. are applied to keep the hair healthy
C. have been proved useful          
D. are the most commonly-used ways

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


Do you love holidays but hate the increase weight that follows? You are not alone.
Holidays are happy days with pleasure and delicious foods. Many people, however, are worried about the weight that comes along with these delicious foods.
With proper planning, though, it is possible to con­trol your weight. The idea is to enjoy the holidays but not to eat too much. You don’t have to turn away from the foods that you enjoy. The following suggestions may be of some help to you. 
Do not miss meals. Before you leave home for a feast (宴會(huì)), have a small, low-fat snack(小吃). This may help to keep you from getting too excited before de­licious foods.
Begin with clear soup and fruit or vegetables. A large glass of water before you eat may help you feel full. Use a small plate; a large plate will encourage you to have more than enough.
Better not have high-fat foods. Dishes that look oily or creamy have much fat in them.
Choose lean meat (瘦肉). Fill your plate with salad and green vegetables.
If you have a sweet tooth, try mints (薄荷) and fruits. They don’t have fat content as cream and chocolate.
Don’t let exercise take a break during the holidays. A 20-minute walk after a meal can help burn off excess (過(guò)多的) calories.
68. Holidays are happy days with pleasure but they may______.
A. bring weight problems
B. bring you much trouble in your life
C. make you worried about your foods
D. make you hate delicious foods
69. In order to really enjoy your holidays without putting on weight, you’d better ___.
A. drink much water and have vegetables only
B. not eat much food in high fat
C. not accept invitations to feasts
D. turn away from delicious foods
70. According to the passage, ___ is a necessary part to stop you from putting on weight.
A. vegetables           B. water         
C. calories of energy       D. physical exercise
71. Many people can’t help putting on weight after the holidays because they ___.
A. can’t control themselves          B. go to too many feasts
C. enjoy delicious foods             D. can’t help turning away from the foods

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


E
Windows not only let light in to cut down an electricity use for lighting, but the light coming through the window also provides heat. However, windows are not something people typically associate with being a cutting edge technology. Researchers are now working on new technologies that enable a window to quickly change from clear to dark and anywhere in between with a turn of a switch.
“It took us a long time to figure out what a window really is,” says Claes Granqvist, a professor of solid—state physics at Uppsala University in Sweden.“It’s contact with the outside world. You have to have visual contact with the surrounding world to feel well.” So, windows and natural light are important for improving the way people feel when they’re stuck indoors.
Yet, windows are the weak link in a building when it comes to energy and temperature control. In the winter, cold air leaks in. When it’s hot and sunny, sunlight streams in. All of this sunlight carries lots of heat and energy. And all of this extra heat forces people to turn on their air conditioners. Producing cold air, which can feel so refreshing, actually suck up enormous amounts of electricity in buildings around the world.
Windows have been a major focus of energy research for a long time. Over the years, scientists have come up with a variety of strategies for coating, glazing, and layering windows to make them more energy efficient. Smart windows go a step further. They use some technologies involving changes of color.
Electrochromic windows use electricity to change color. For example, a sheet of glass coated with thin layers(層) of tungsten oxide(氧化鎢) works a bit like a battery. Tungsten oxide is clear when an electric charge is applied and dark when the charge is removed, that is, when the amount of voltage(電壓) is decreased, the window darkens until it’s completely dark after all electricity is taken away. So applying a voltage determines whether the window looks clear or dark.
One important feature that makes a smart window so smart is that it has a sort of “memory”. All it takes is a small shock of voltage to turn the window from one state to the other. Then, it stays that way. Transitions take from 10 seconds to a few minutes, depending on the size of the window. The development of smart windows could mean that massive air conditioning systems may no longer need.“In the future,” Granqvist says,“our buildings may look different.”
67.Which statement does not indicate the importance of windows as described in the first two paragraphs?
A.Windows can change from clear to dark to save energy.
B.Windows help to save energy by letting light in.
C.Windows help to save energy by providing heat.
D.Windows enable people to have contact with the outside world.
68.According to the passage, smart windows are windows_______.
A.that are coated                        B.that use electricity
C.the color of which can be changed        D.that have many layers
69.To make electrochromic windows change color, what is applied to the window glass?
A.Electricity.     B.Tungsten oxide.    C.A battery.         D.A voltage.
70.What will be the benefit if the research on smart windows turns out to be successful?
A.The buildings will look different.
B.Windows can be as large as you want.
C.We may not need air conditioners any more.
D.They are less expensive than traditional windows.

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