Gorillas are born with an international sign language of gestures that they use to communicate,says a new study from the University of St Andrews in Scotland.
From beating their chests to putting objects on their heads,shaking their arms,and even bouncing on all fours,the animals use more than 100 gestures to communicate with each other
Professor Richard Byrne,a psychiatrist involved in the research,says it was hard to figure out the meanings of the gestures.
“We don't really know what the animals are thinking. Often the gestures have more than one meaning,depending on the context,”says Byrne.
The study showed that the gorillas did not learn the ges­tures from each other,as had been expected,but performed them instinctively (本能地).
“Everyone had assumed different groups of gorillas would learn different gestures,”he says. “But that's not what we found. The more sites we went to ,the more we saw the same gestures being used. They seem to be naturally equipped with a pretty complex system of communication.”
The study also found that gestures were performed with close attention to the potential audience,so that silent sig­nals,for example, were only given when other apes could see them. Other gestures,such as the "disco arm shake" were only ever seen directed towards humans.
Byrne believes that the findings may explain how the human language developed.
“There has always been speculation(猜測(cè))that the origins of the human language might lie in gestures,”he says.
“Many researchers have therefore studied the gestural communication of the great apes for clues to the evolution­ary origins of human gestures,”he adds.
Several studies have shown that great apes are capable of imitating gestures. However,the scientists found that what appeared to be copies of human actions were actually gestures the apes were already able to make themselves. They're “reusing” gestures from their own repertoire,not learning new ones.
64.According to the passage,Richard Byrne's research has found      .
A. different groups of gorillas would learn different gestures
B. gorillas know the sign language from birth
C. how gorillas learn from each other
D. gorillas develop a variety of languages when growing up
65.Why can't the researchers really know the meanings of gorilla gestures?
A. Because gorillas possess the ability of making many kinds of gestures.
B. Because they haven't made deep research into the animal.
C. Because a gorilla gesture may have different meanings.
D. Because gorillas can't exactly express their thoughts.
66.If a gorilla wants to make a silent gesture towards another gorilla,he      .
A. needs to know how many other gorillas are watching him
B. needs to make noise first in order to draw attention
C. will first make sure his gesture can be seen
D. will first consider whether he can carry out his gesture
67.According to the passage,many scientists study the sign language of great apes in order to      .
A. find the origins of the human language
B. find ways for people to communicate with apes
C. learn how animals communicate
D. discover the meanings of animal gestures
練習(xí)冊(cè)系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


B
Advice to “sleep on it” could be well founded, scientists say. After a good night’s sleep a problem that couldn’t be solved the night before can often appear more manageable, although the evidence(證據(jù))until now has been personal experience. But researchers at the University of Luebek in Germany have designed an experiment that shows a good night’s sleep can improve insight(洞察力)and problem-solving.
“If you have some newly-got memories in your brain, sleep acts on these memories and rebuild them, so that after sleep the insight into problem which you could not solve before increases,” said Dr Jan Born, a neuroscientist(神經(jīng)病學(xué)專家)at the university. To test the theory, they taught volunteers two simple rules to help them turn some numbers into a new order.There was also a third,hidden rule,which could help them increase their speed in solving the problem.The researchers divided the volunteers into two groups:half were allowed to sleep after the training while the rest were forced to stay awake.Dr Jan Born and his team noticed that the group that had slept after the training were twice as likely to figure out the third rule as the other group.“Sleep helped,”Born said in a telephone interview.“The important thing is that you have to have a memory representation in your brain of the problem you want to solve and then you sleep,so it can act on the problem.”But Born admitted that he and his team don’t know how rebuilding of memories occurs or what governs it.Pierre Maquet and Perrine Ruby of the University of Liege in Belgium said the experimental evidence supports the suggestions that sleep can help develop creative thinking.Although the role of sleep in human creativity will still be a mystery,the research gives people good reason to fully respect their periods of sleep,they added.
60.The underlined phrase“sleep on it”in Paragraph 1 probably means_________.
A.to delay deciding something until the next day
B.to get as much sleep as possible
C.to go on sleeping without being disturbed
D.to sleep till after the time you usually get up in the morning
61.Jan Born and his team carried out the experiment through________.
A.comparison    B.interview        C.survey          D.imagination
62.It can be inferred from the passage that___________.
A.people should sleep so long as they have time
B.sleep is the only way to solve hard problems
C.people have various periods of sleep   D.people know how sleep rebuilds memories
63.What would be the best title for the passage?
A.How Sleep Works.               B.Sleep Helps Solve Problems.
C.No Evidence,But Well Founded.   D.Born’s Discovery on Sleep.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:完形填空


第二節(jié)完形填空 ( 滿分30分)
In South Korea, a robot made its teaching debut. Children could __36__ take their eyes off a new teacher when the instructor __37__ their classroom. __38__ with intense curiosity by the pupils, __39__ said, “How are you, my students? Let’s get __40__. Have you opened your books?”
Although the voice __41__ like human, the teacher was not. It was a robot __42__ Tiro, __43__ was recently invited for one day __44__ a human instructor with __45__ 30-minute English class at Euon Primary School in the central South Korean city of Daejon, 250 kilometres __46__ of Seoul.
Tiro asked questions __47__ English such as, “How many giraffes (長(zhǎng)頸鹿) __48__ on the board?” It also __49__ the name of the next student to participate in a __50__ task on the screen on its chest.There were a few glitches (失靈) in the experiment, __51__. Tiro, which was connected to a computer, sometimes fell into an __52__ moment of silence when something went wrong with the computer.
Still, the Tiro-run class was too short to __53__ the children. “I hope every class will have such a __54__ teacher,” ten-year-old Baek Ji Woong said.
The regular teacher was also happy with her new __55__. “I believe that robotic teachers like Tiro are going to be helpful for teachers and students alike,”Jeon Myong Jin said.
36. A. hardly         B. happily        C. only             D. merely
37. A. comes                 B. came          C. entered into               D. entered
38. A. Greeting         B. Greeted         C. Having greeted   D. To greet
39. A. the teacher          B. teacher             C. pupil                 D. the pupil
40. A. start                   B. starting         C. started            D. beginning
41. A. is sounded           B. sounding       C. sound                D. sounded
42. A. name                  B. named         C. was named        D. was called
43. A. which          B. who          C. when          D. where
44. A. help            B. assist          C. to ask          D. to assist
45. A. a                 B. an              C. the              D. /
46. A. south                  B. the south       C. in south             D. out the south
47. A. with            B. in                     C. for              D. on
48. A. have                   B. there are        C. having                     D. are there
49. A. displays                     B. displayed       C. shows               D. shown
50. A. role-playing        B. roled-playing     C. role-play           D. role-played
51. A. though                B. as though      C. therefore           D. too
52. A. embarrass           B. embarrassing     C. embarrassed     D. embarrasses
53. A. satisfy                B. satisfying      C. be satisfied        D. be satisfying
54. A. robot           B. robotic              C. robots          D. robber
55. A. teacher         B. student          C. pupil          D. assistant

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

The other day in school, we were discussing jobs. Our teacher, Mrs. Bolt said that career was very important and that it was never too early to think about your life’s work. Most of the young boys really were not too sure about what they wanted to be. But I knew exactly what I wanted to be, and when Mrs. Bolt asked me, I replied “A truck driver.”
“A truck driver?” repeated Mrs. Blot. “Why do you want to be one, Tom?”
“Because truck drivers are always on the move. They do not have to sit at desks all day. They are out on the road and they see a lot of the country. The pay is good, too. And you never have any homework.”
The class laughed.
“Well, Tom.” answered Mrs. Bolt. “You certainly sound quite enthusiastic (熱情的). I guess that you don’t like sitting at a desk or doing homework. Is that correct, Tom?”
“Yes, I guess so, ” I said.
“Well, since you are so interested in becoming a truck driver, I think you should look into the field a little further. I want you to go to the library and take out a book on truck driving. And I want you to write a paper on it and hand it in at the end of the month.”
That’s the last time I’ll never tell anybody my secret ambition (雄心).
46.Mrs. Bolt suggested Tom write a book report because         .
A.she was angry with him.
B.she wanted him to learn about the other side of truck driving.
C.she was making fun of him.
D.she wanted the whole class to follow him
47.Which of the following is NOT true?
A.The writer thinks that truck drivers are well paid.
B.What Tom said made his classmates laugh.
C.It seemed as if Tom did not enjoy doing his homework.
D.Mrs. Bolt didn’t want Tom to become a truck driver.
48.Tom wouldn’t tell about his ambition any more because          .
A.he didn’t think his ambition could come true.
B.he just got more homework to do.
C.he was laughed at by the whole class.
D.he would not be able to become a truck driver.
49.What can we infer about Mrs. Bolt?
A.She was unkind to her students.            B.She was unfit for her position.
C.She was a teacher with ripe experience.  D.She always did something strange. 

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


C
Wind is the movement of air from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure. In fact, wind exists because the sun unequally heats the surface of the Earth. As hot air rises, cooler air moves in to fill the gap. As long as the sun shines, the wind will blow. And as long as the wind blows, people will manage it to power their lives.
Ancient sailors used sails to capture the wind and explore the world. Farmers once used windmills to grind their grains and pump water. Today, more and more people are using wind turbines to make electricity from the breeze. Over the past decade, wind turbine use has increased at more than 25 percent a year. Still, it only provides a small part of the world's energy.
Most wind energy comes from turbines that can be as tall as a 20-story building and have three 200-foot-long (60-meter-long) blades. These devices look like giant airplane propellers(螺槳)on a stick. The wind spins the blades, which turn a shaft connected to a generator.
The biggest wind turbines generate enough electricity to supply about 600 U.S. homes. Wind farms have tens and sometimes hundreds of these turbines lined up together in particularly windy spots, like along a ridge. Smaller turbines set up in a backyard can produce enough electricity for a single home or small business.
Wind is a clean source of renewable energy that produces no air or water pollution. And since the wind is free, operational costs are nearly zero once a turbine is erected. Mass production and technology advances are making turbines cheaper, and many governments decrease tax to encourage wind-energy development.
Some people think wind turbines are ugly and complain about the noise the machines make. The slowly rotating blades(螺旋風(fēng)片) can also kill birds and bats, but not nearly as many as cars, power lines, and high-rise buildings do. The wind is also changeable: If it's not blowing, there's no electricity generated.
Nevertheless, the wind energy industry is increasing sharply. Globally, generation more than quadrupled(四倍) between 2000 and 2006. At the end of last year, global capacity was more than 70,000 megawatts. In the energy-hungry United States, a single megawatt is enough electricity to power about 250 homes. Germany has the most installed wind energy capacity, followed by Spain, the United States, India, and Denmark. Development is also fast growing in France and China.
Industry experts predict that if this pace of growth continues, by 2050 the answer to one third of the world's electricity needs will be found blowing in the wind
63. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
A. The rotating blades can kill as many birds as high-rise buildings do
B. Single families are not encouraged to build turbines.
C. The USA produces more wind power than any other country in the world.
D. The noise the turbines make may discourage people from building them.
64. The underlined word “generator” in the third paragraph probably means_______.
A. 電動(dòng)機(jī)                 B. 發(fā)電機(jī)                    C. 機(jī)翼                       D. 飛機(jī)引擎
65. If the USA wants to build wind turbines in an area with 30,000 homes, how many
should they build at least?
A. 50.                          B. 150.                         C. 250.                         D. 200.
66. All the following are the advantages of wind energy EXCEPT that_________.
A. it is environmentally friendly                        B. it is free to build and operate
C. the government supports it                                   D. the energy is clean and renewable

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


E
Everyone has heard of the San Andreas fault (斷層), which constantly threatens California and the West Coast with earthquakes. But how many people know about the equally serious New Madrid fault in Missouri?
Between December of 1811 and February of 1812, three major earthquakes occurred, all centered around the town of New Madrid, Missouri, on the Mississippi River. Property damage was severe. Buildings in the area were almost destroyed. Whole forests fell at once, and huge cracks opened in the ground, allowing smell of sulfur (硫磺)to filter upward.
The Mississippi River itself completely changed character, developing sudden rapids and whirlpools. Several times it changed its course, and once, according to some observers, it actually appeared to run backwards. Few people were killed in the New Madrid earthquakes, probably simply because few people lived in the area in 1811; but the severity of the earthquakes are shown by the fact that the shock waves rang bells in church towers in Charleston, South Carolina, on the coast. Buildings shook in New York City, and clocks were stopped in Washington, D.C.
Scientists now know that America’s two major faults are essentially different. The San Andreas is a horizontal boundary between two major land masses that are slowly moving in opposite directions. California earthquakes result when the movement of these two masses suddenly lurches (傾斜) forward.
The New Madrid fault, on the other hand, is a vertical fault; a some point, possibly hundreds of millions of years ago, rock was pushed up toward the surface, probably by volcanoes under the surface. Suddenly, the volcanoes cooled and the rock collapsed, leaving huge cracks. Even now, the rock continues to settle downwards, and sudden sinking motions trigger (觸發(fā)) earthquakes in the region. The fault itself, a large crack in this layer of rock, with dozens of other cracks that split off from it, extends from northeast Arkansas through Missouri and into southern lllinois.
Scientists who have studied the New Madrid fault say there have been numerous smaller quakes in the area since 1811; these smaller quakes indicate that larger ones are probably coming, but the scientists say have no method of predicting when a large earthquake will occur.
72. This passage is mainly about__________.
A. the New Madrid fault in Missouri
B. the San Andreas and the New Madrid faults
C. the causes of faults
D. current scientific knowledge about faults
73. The New Madrid fault is__________.
A. a horizontal fault            
B. a vertical fault
C. a more serious fault than the San Andreas fault
D. responsible for forming the Mississippi River
74. We may conclude from the passage that__________.
A. it is probably as dangerous to live in Missouri as in California
B. the New Madrid fault will eventually develop a mountain range in Missouri
C. California will become an island in future
D. A big earthquake will occur to California soon
75. This passage implies that__________.
A. horizontal faults are more dangerous than vertical faults.
B. Vertical faults are more dangerous than horizontal faults
C. Earthquakes occur only around fault areas
D. California will break into pieces by an eventual earthquake

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


(D)
Malaria, the world's most widespread parasitic(寄生蟲(chóng)引起的)disease, kills as many as three million people every year—almost all of whom are under five, very poor, and African. In most years, more than five hundred million cases of illness result from the disease, although exact numbers are difficult to assess because many people don't (or can't) seek care. It is not unusual for a family earning less than two hundred dollars a year to spend a quarter of its income on malaria treatment, and what they often get no longer works. In countries like Tanzania, Mozambique, and the Gambia, no family, village, hospital, or workplace can remain unaffected for long.
Malaria starts suddenly, with violent chills, which are soon followed by an intense fever and, often, headaches. As the parasites multiply, they take over the entire body. Malaria parasites live by eating the red blood cells they infect (感染). They can also attach themselves to blood vessels in the brain. If it doesn't kill you, malaria can happen again and again for years. The disease passed on to humans by female mosquitoes infected with one of four species of parasite. Together, the mosquito and the parasite are the most deadly couple in the history of the earth—and one of the most successful. Malaria has five thousand genes, and its ability to change rapidly to defend itself and resist new drugs has made it nearly impossible to control. Studies show that mosquitoes are passing on the virus more frequently, and there are more outbreaks in cities with large populations. Some of the disease's spread is due to global warming.
For decades, the first-choice treatment for malaria parasites in Africa has been chloroquine, a chemical which is very cheap and easy to make. Unfortunately, in most parts of the world, malaria parasites have become resistant to it. Successful alternatives that help prevent resistance are already available, but they have been in short supply and are very expensive. If these drugs should fail, nobody knows what would come next.
76. According to paragraph 1, many people don't seek care because _______.
A. they are too poor
B. it is unusual to seek care
C. they can remain unaffected for long
D. there are too many people suffering from the disease
77. People suffering from malaria _______.
A. have to kill female mosquitoes      B. have ability to defend parasites
C. have their red blood cells infected    D. have sudden fever, followed by chills
78. Which of the following may be the reason for the wide spread of the disease?
A. Its resistance to global warming.
B. Its ability to pass on the virus frequently.
C. Its outbreaks in cities with large populations.
D. Its ability to defend itself and resist new drugs.
79. It can be inferred from the passage that _______.            .
A. no drugs have been found to treat the disease
B. the alternative treatment is not easily available to most people
C. malaria has developed its ability to resist parasites
D. nobody knows what will be the drug to treat the disease
80. Which of the following questions has NOT been discussed in the passage?
A. How can we know one is suffering from malaria?
B. How many people are killed by malaria each year?
C. Why are there so many people suffering from malaria?
D. What has been done to keep people unaffected for long?

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解


B
As a teenager of the digital era, it is really hard to say no to fantastic electronic gadgets(電子產(chǎn)品). Many of us can’t get through a day without using our mobile phones or checking our e-mails. No matter if we’re “@home”, “@school” or“@play”, living without technological toys seems more and more unthinkable.
However, although gadgets bring convenience, many of us can start to feel stressed out by them. And, a lot of electronics are fairly expensive. Fashionable gadgets come and go in the digital age in the blink of any eye. So, think twice before you pulling out your wallet.
Here are some of the most popular gadgets and their pros and cons:
Pros: Laptops have made our lives much easier. You can take your books, movies, music and homework everywhere.
Cons: They cost at least 4,000 yuan! If you only want to share photos or games with your friend, then a flash memory stick is a great cheap alternative.
Pros: As well as carrying your favourite music, a video MP3 player can play up to 150 hours of movies and TV programmes.
Cons: The price—sometimes more than 2,000 yuan—is the first concern. Secondly, though music is really important to young people, ask yourself if video is really necessary. A regular MP3 player is a lot cheaper. And remember, don’t let the loud volume damage your hearing.
Pros: New mobile phones combine traditional functions with a digital camera, MP3 player and even a radio. Some can also send and receive e-mails.
Cons: Always trying to keep up with the latest model can be a waste of money. There are always new, improved phones coming out. Don’t be a fool. Do you really need all these functions? Think twice before you buy.  
60. According to the writer, which of the following statements is true?
A. Teenagers can’t live through a day without fantastic electronic gadgets.
B. Teenagers can hardly live happily without electronic gadgets.
C. Teenagers’ life is full of expensive electronic gadgets.
D. It’s all but impossible for many teenagers to live without fantastic electronic gadgets.  
61. What conclusion can we draw from the passage?
A. Never buy the most updated gadgets.  
B. You should buy the gadgets with as many functions as possible.
C. We needn’t always pay the most part to buy the most up-to-date gadgets with many functions.
D. Never buy the latest model, it’s much too expensive.
62. Choose the statement most similar in meaning to the underlined sentence in Paragraph2.
A. Fashionable gadgets are updated in the digital times in a flash.
B. Fashionable gadgets are transported everywhere in the digital age in the blink of any eye.  
C. People keep buying and throwing away expensive fashionable gadgets in the digital age in the blink of any eye.  
D. People use all kinds of fashionable gadgets all the time in the digital age.
63. What do the words “pros and cons” mean in the selection?
A. Agreements and disagreements.
B. The views that are favoured and not favoured by people.
C. Benefits and bads.  
D. Advantages and disadvantages.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Many of the world’s pollution problems have been caused by the crowding of large groups of people into the cities. Supply for the needs of the people leads to further pollution by industry. If the rapid increase of world population in countries continues at the present rate, there may be much greater harm to human beings. Some scientists speak of the increase in numbers of people as “population pollution.”
About 2,000 years ago, the world population was probably about 250 million. It reached a billion in 1850. By 1930 the population was two billion. It is now three and a half billion. It is expected to double by the year 2,000. If the population continues to grow at the same rate, there will be 25 billion in the world a hundred years from now.
Man has been using the earth’s resources more and more rapidly over the past years. Some of them are almost used up. Now many people believe that man’s greatest problem is how to control the growth of the population. The material supplies in the world will be far from enough to support the human population, in time to come, if the present rate of increase continues. Already there is overcrowding in many cities and starvation in some countries. Should man’s population keep on growing so rapidly as before? Many people believe that human survival in the future depends on the answer to this question.
59. The rapid increase in population is considered to be __________.
A. the increase of resources          B. population pollution
C. the development of mankind       D. the present rate
60. The world population will be _________ by the year 2,000.
A. 7 billion                  B. 250 million       C. 25 billion      D. 3.5 billion
61. If the present rate of increase continue, ________________.
A. the world is going to end
B. the earth won’t be able to support the growing population in the future
C. pollution has nothing to do with the rapidly increasing population
D. there would be four billion in the world a hundred years from now
62. Which of the following is WRONG according to the passage?
A. In 1850 the world population reached a billion.
B. Man must fight a battle against population pollution.
C. The world’s population is increasing with years.
D. All of the earth’s resources are gone now.

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊(cè)答案