If you were to move to a new country with a different language and bring along the family dog, your pet would likely have a hard time understanding commands from the locals9 according to a new study looking at how dogs’ brains react to different languages.
The new study was conducted by lead author Laura Cuaya, a neurobiologist at Eotvos Lordnd University in Hungary, who recently moved from Mexico to Tokyo alongside her dog Kun-kun.
Cuaya and her team trained 18 dogs, including Kun-kun, to lie motionless in an MRI machine so the researchers could scan their brains. As the dogs were being scanned, the researchers played the dogs three different recordings: a Spanish reading from the famous children’s book The Little Prince; a Japanese reading from the same book; and a series of human noises that did not resemble speech at all. All of the dogs had been exposed to only one of the two languages, meaning one was familiar to them and the other was unfamiliar. MRI scans revealed that dogs’ brains can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar languages? making them the first-known, and so far only, non-human animals to be able to tell the difference between human languages.
During the experiments, researchers also found that older dogs showed more activity in the secondary auditory cortex of the brain, suggesting they were better at differentiating familiar and unfamiliar languages than younger dogs. “I think that the main reason that older dogs are better at differentiating languages is the amount of exposure to the language Cuaya said. “Older dogs have had more opportunities to listen to humans while they talk.”
What makes dogs unique is that they do not need to be trained to distinguish between human languages. “Their brains detected the difference naturally, perhaps due to the domestication process,” Cuaya said. “While it is possible that many species can distinguish between human languages 9 dogs are one of the few that are interested in hearing us.”
1. What does the new study find?| A．Dogs may settle into a new environment easily. |
| B．Dogs can face language barriers in a foreign country. |
| C．Dogs are more sensitive to languages than other animals. |
| D．Dogs fail to understand their owners in a new environment. |
| A．Its background. | B．Its benefit. | C．Its process. | D．Its purpose. |
| A．Domestication helps dogs better live with humans. |
| B．Dogs are closely related to humans. |
| C．Humans should be more friendly to dogs. |
| D．Training plays an important role in raising dogs. |
| A．Dogs can bring surprising health benefits |
| B．Dogs are good translators in a new environment |
| C．Dogs that are often exposed to humans are more intelligent |
| D．Dogs can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar human languages |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】With time going on, dogs have developed a special relationship with people. Recently, however, some dogs have taken a different role in people’s lives — therapy dogs.
Reading programs that use therapy dogs have been in existence for more than ten years. All therapy dogs of this program are registered with an organization that tests the dogs to make sure they have the right personality for the job.
At the start of a reading therapy session, a child and a dog are introduced. The pair is allowed to settle down in a quiet corner together.
Not every child will be able to be part of a reading therapy program that uses dogs. A few children might be allergic to dogs or afraid of them; some children might have cultural traditions that prevent them from touching a dog.
Reading therapy programs inspire learning and change for human beings. The readers benefit a lot, gaining confidence and learning that reading aloud can be a relaxing experience.
| A．As the child reads, the dog usually lies quietly and listens. |
| B．A dog’s handler also takes a class and must pass a test to work in the therapy program. |
| C．When reading to an animal, some children may become relaxed. |
| D．A therapy dog is more of a companion and is trained to help people in different ways. |
| E．But therapy animals also serve in many other areas. |
| F．In these circumstances, other animals are available, such as cats and parrots. |
| G．But how do the therapy dogs benefit from it? |
【推荐2】Kang Sung-il buys Sancho, his Pomeranian, a toy every business trip and this lunar New Year holiday will dress him up in s new $50 suit to visit ‘grandma’, Kang’s mother. Kang and his wife say children are too expensive and bring too much pressure. Instead they have chosen to shower Sancho with love and gifts.
They are not alone. South Korea’s pet industry is booming, fuelled by the same factors that have made the country’s birth rate, at 1.05 births per woman, the lowest in the world: the high cost of education and housing as well as extremely long working days.
“Social pressures in South Korea are such that parents are required to provider resources for decades from private schooling to art classes,” said Kang a 39 year old manager of a pet funeral home.
On top of education expenses, an average an household must budget roughly 12.8 years of
income to buy a mid-range home, compared to 8.8 years in 2014, data from KB Kookmin Bank shows. Adding to their stress, south Koreans work the third most hours per year among OECD (经合组织) nations, next only to Mexico and costa Rica.
Pet-owning households have rose to 28 percent of all South Korean households in 2018, compared with 18 percent in 2012, government data shows.
That in turn has resulted in a prosperous pet care industry whose offerings include tailored pet diets and high-priced photo shoots. Pet-related startup s are also popular with venture capitalists. The south Korean pet-related industry was worth 2.7 trillion won ($2.4 billion) last year, and that could more than double in size by 2027, according to the Korean Rural Economic Institute.
1. What do the underlined words “his Pomeranian” in paragraph I refer to?| A．His son. | B．His pet. |
| C．A toy. | D．Sancho’s brother. |
| A．The birth rate in South Korean is the lowest in the world. |
| B．28 percent of the South Korean families raised pets in 2018. |
| C．There are more pet-related businesses than before. |
| D．Parents send their children to private schools. |
| A．Training the pet to be a tailor. | B．Showering the pet with gifts. |
| C．Taking pictures for customers’ pets. | D．Shooting the pet with a false gun. |
| A．Costs too much | B．Is a must |
| C．Is boring | D．Brings happiness |
【推荐3】Amur tigers, also known as Siberian tigers, are interesting animals. They are the biggest cats in the world. A full-grown Amur tiger can weigh over 600 pounds. Unlike lions that live in groups, tigers are solitary animals. Tigers also have very good eyesight and hearing. Its eyesight is six times better than a human’s.
Amur tigers live in the forests located in the Russian Far East and northeastern China. They have a thick yellow fur coat with black stripes(条纹). Their stripes are like human fingerprints. Every tiger has a different and unique stripe pattern. Tigers use their striped coat to hide themselves from the animals they hunt. Their thick fur and a thick layer of fat keep them warm during the long, cold winters in the forest.
As powerful and quiet hunters, Amur tigers usually hunt at night. Sometimes these tigers travel hundreds of miles looking for food. They hunt deer and wild boar(野猪) that live in the forest. They also hunt smaller types of bears. A hungry Amur tiger can eat more than 50 pounds in one night.
Today, Amur tigers are an endangered species. People illegally hunt Amur tigers. Amur tigers are also still in danger because the forests they live in are being destroyed. Illegal logging(砍伐) and new roads destroy their forest homes. It makes it hard for the tigers to find food. It also makes it difficult for the tigers to travel for long distances. They almost disappeared forever at the beginning of the 20th century—They were hunted until only 40 tigers remained in the wild.
Countries like Russia then began to protect these big cats. They made it illegal to hunt them and tried to protect their forest habitat. After these changes, the number of Amur tigers living in the wild increased. Scientists believe there are about 540 Amur tigers living in the wild today.
1. What does the underlined word “solitary” in the first paragraph mean?| A．Scary. | B．Smart. | C．Nonsocial. | D．Big. |
| A．They feature the same stripe pattern. | B．They have bad eyesight and hearing. |
| C．They have no need to hide themselves. | D．They often go hunting when night falls. |
| A．Methods and effects of tiger protection. |
| B．The number of tigers in various countries. |
| C．The differences in the living habits of tigers. |
| D．Reasons for tigers becoming endangered animals. |
| A．Where Do Amur Tigers Live? | B．The Interesting but Endangered Amur Tigers |
| C．The World’s Largest Lions | D．How Many Tigers Are Left in the World? |
【推荐1】What3words
This free download is one of a growing number of smart phone apps that could mean the difference between life and death. What3Words divides the world into 3×3 metre squares, giving each one a unique combination of three words. This allows emergency services to reach you. It is used by the vast majority of emergency services in the UK, not to mention other control centres around the world, and has been credited with saving thousands of lives.
Lots of us use WhatsApp for messaging and calling, but do you know it also has a Live Location feature that can let a loved one know your whereabouts in case you’re in danger? You simply press the + key in a chat, select “Location” and then press “Share Live Location”, which enables any participants in the chat to see your location in real time for the duration you choose.
SkinVision
You will have to pay for this digital skin check app, but with an estimated fifth of skin cancers going undiagnosed (未诊断的) during lockdown, it could be well worth it. You simply take a photo of any suspicious spot with your phone and you’ll then receive a risk indication from SkinVision’s clinically validated (验证的) technology within 30 seconds. This might include a recommendation to see a doctor.
St John Ambulance First Aid
An app like this is more useful for saving someone else’s life than your own, but arguably it’s a must-have on your smartphone. It gives advice in dealing with emergencies, including choking, allergic reactions and performing CPR. You don’t have to have an Internet connection in order to use it.
1. Which app can inform your friend of your place in time of danger?| A．What3words. | B．WhatsApp. |
| C．Skin Vision. | D．St John Ambulance First Aid. |
| A．You have to pay for using it. |
| B．You can use it without networking. |
| C．It is widely used in the UK. |
| D．It has been credited with saving many lives. |
| A．They are apps that could save your life. |
| B．They are apps that could offer CPR training. |
| C．They are apps that could be used free of charge. |
| D．They are apps that could help you keep healthy. |
【推荐2】In valleys with thick plants, different-sized round and square buildings with faded yellow clay walls and wooden roofs, tulou lie in mountainous villages in Longyan, Fujian Province. There are more than 23,000 tulou in Yongding, which became well-known after 46 were given World Heritage status by UNESCO in 2008. “The structures were awarded because they are exceptional examples of a building of tradition and function demonstrating a particular type of communal living and defensive organization, and, in terms of their harmonious relationship with their environment, an outstanding example of human settlement,” UNESCO said.
The giant multi-storied tulou were built with wood and mud walls. Constructed from the 15th to 20th centuries, these massive communal homes were sited based on feng shui principles, which claim to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their environment. Tulou are also purposefully resting amid tea, tobacco, rice plantations and abundant forests of pine and bamboo.
Throughout history, tulou residents have mostly been Hakka — migrants in southern China. Population pressures created conflict between the Hakka and their neighbors, so they built their homes to double as defending. The buildings are mainly four or five stories high. The first floor serves as the kitchen, the second is used for grain storage and the upper floors act as living areas. The structures are mainly symmetrical, and their defensive features include ironclad gates, escape tunnels, narrow openings for weapons under the dark-tiled roofs, and a water well. For their defensive function, only rooms on the third floor and higher have windows, which are very small. With sufficient food, the residents could survive in the event of a lengthy conflict.
Communal living is integrity to these villages, where the closed wall design boosts social interaction. Residents gather in the courtyard for ceremonies such as ancestor worship and weddings. Tulou is such an extraordinary piece of architecture, living up to the title given by UNESCO.
1. What do we know about tulou?| A．Over 23,000 tulou were given World Heritage status. |
| B．Among 23,000 tulou, only 46 became famous globally. |
| C．They’re exceptional buildings of tradition and function. |
| D．Tulou is the most outstanding Chinese human settlement. |
| A．Escape tunnels. | B．Enough food. | C．Small windows. | D．Defensive weapons. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Unclear. | C．Negative. | D．Unconcerned. |
| A．Tulou: in Harmony with Their Environments |
| B．Tulou: Different-Sized Round and Square Buildings |
| C．Tulou: Given the World Heritage Status by UNESCO in 2008 |
| D．Tulou: a Special Chinese Structure Combining Living and Defending |
【推荐3】If you have ever had a cat, or have watched one of the many funny cat videos online, you’ll know that cats have a mind of their own. A lot of the things they do are hard to understand—they like to climb up tall furniture, fit themselves in small spaces and attack small objects for no reason at all.
Now scientists have managed to figure out what exactly is going on in the brains of our little friends. According to Tony Buffington, a professor at Ohio State University in the US, cats’ strange behavior largely comes from their way of life back in the wild. “Cats today still have many of the same instincts that allowed them to live in the wild for millions of years.” he said in a TED Talk. “To them, our homes are their jungles.”
In the wild, cats are hunters. Their bodies and great balancing abilities allow them to climb to high spots to better look at the environment. Even though they don’t have to hunt any more in human houses, they still keep the old habit of viewing the living room from, for example, the top of the refrigerator.
Cats’ hunting instinct is also what makes them attack small things like keys and USB drives. In the wild, they hunt whatever they can get, and most of the animals they kill are small.
However, cats can also be prey. This explains why they like to stay in small spaces like drawers or washing machines— they are hiding, or they think they are hiding, from more dangerous animals. This is also why cats prefer a clean box: a smelly one could easily show enemies where they are.
Knowing how cats’ minds work is not only useful for better understanding them. It may also help cats’ owners to better meet cats’ needs. For example, owners could try to make climbing easier for cats by moving their furniture around. They could also use “food puzzles” to make eating feel more like hunting instead of just giving food to the cats.
1. According to Tony Buffington, ________.| A．cats’ strange behavior is difficult for humans to understand |
| B．cats are more used to living in the wild than in humans’ homes |
| C．cats’ instincts are as helpful to them today as they were millions of year ago |
| D．cats behave strangely mainly because they still have some instincts in the wild |
| A．Cats like to climb up high because they want to hide from dangerous animals. |
| B．Cats attack keys and USB drives because they have a habit of hunting small animals. |
| C．Cats enjoy staying in small spaces because they usually live in small caves in the wild. |
| D．Cats’ preference for a clean litter box has something to do with their hunting habits. |
| A．an animal that is hunted |
| B．an animal that is too shy |
| C．an animal that keeps itself clean |
| D．an animal that likes hiding games |
| A．describe cats’ past wild experience to readers |
| B．explore the reasons for cats’ strange behavior |
| C．tell cat owners how to make life easier for cats |
| D．compare cats’ behavior in human homes with that in the wild |
