Much like the popular TikTok challenge where kids resist eating snacks, cuttlefish can do the same! Cuttlefish can delay gratification(满足)—wait for a better meal rather than be tempted by the one at hand—and those that can wait longest also do better in a learning test, scientists have discovered.
This fascinating report marks the first time a link between self-control and intelligence has been found in an animal other than humans and chimpanzees. It is published this week in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The research was conducted by lead author Alexandra Schnell of University of Cambridge, at the Marine Biological Laboratory(MBL), Woods Hole.
“We used a slightly-changed version of the Stanford marshmallow(棉花糖) test in the 1970s, where children were given a choice of taking an immediate reward(1 marshmallow) or waiting to earn a delayed but better reward(2 marshmallows),” Schnell says. “Cuttlefish in the present study were all able to wait for the better reward and tolerated delays for up to 50—130 seconds, which is even comparable to what we see in large-brained vertebrates(脊椎动物) such as chimpanzees(黑猩猩), crows, and parrots.” Cuttlefish that could wait longer for a meal also showed better cognitive(认知的) performance in a learning task. In that experiment, cuttlefish were trained to associate a visual cue with a food reward. Then, the situation was the other way round, so the reward became associated with a different cue. “The cuttlefish that were quickest at learning both of those associations were better at keeping self-control.” Schnell says.
Why cuttlefish have evolved this capacity for self-control is a bit mysterious. Delayed gratification in humans is thought to strengthen social bonds between individuals—such as waiting to eat so a partner can eat first—which benefits the species as a whole. But whether it may also be a function of most animals still remains to be further explored.
1. How does the author lead to the topic?| A．By giving an example. | B．By explaining a definition. |
| C．By quoting a famous saying. | D．By introducing a research result. |
| A．The procedures and result of the experiment. |
| B．The amazing evolution of cuttlefish’s brain ability. |
| C．The background and the researchers in the experiment. |
| D．The comparison between the brains of human and cuttlefish. |
| A．Cuttlefish’s delayed gratification is linked to better cognitive performance. |
| B．The researchers later adapted the experiment for a Stanford marshmallow test. |
| C．Previous link between self-control and intelligence has been found in animals. |
| D．Four sea species have been so far confirmed with the ability to delay gratification. |
| A．Cuttlefish: The Impatient Waiter and Quick Hunter |
| B．A Test Challenging Kids: To Eat Now or To Eat Not? |
| C．Large-brained Vertebrates: Better Self Control Leads to More Rewards |
| D．Delayed Gratification: Quick-Learning Cuttlefish Pass “The Marshmallow Test” |
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【推荐1】Born at a dog kennel(养狗场) in Novosibirsk, Maru was sold to a family in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, 800 km away, when she was only 5 months old .However, 6 months later the kennel owner Alla Morozova received a call from the dog's owners informing her that they were allergic(过敏的) to animals and could no longer look after their pet. The contract said that in case the buyers no longer wanted a dog they should inform Alla first, so she could make arrangements to get it back .She had someone get Maru and accompany her on a train ride back to Novosibirsk,but 200 km into the journey, something went wrong.
“The dog had a panic attack, so she was frightened,” Alla told the Siberian Times. She had been brought by her owners, but then they disappeared somewhere .The noise of the train scared(惊吓) her, so she jumped on the compartment door,kicked the handle to open it, and jumped out of the train as it was getting close to the station in Achinsk, a city between Krasnoyarsk and Novosibirsk”. After hearing the news Alla called her former owners to tell them that Maru was all alone and scared. She asked them to help her look for the dog but they refused. “That angered me. They gave the dog away and the load fell off their shoulders,” said Alla.
But Alla wasn't about to give up on her dog She posted messages about her online and gave out leaflets(传单)asking for information. Volunteers found her in an industrial zone, "Alla said. "The dog was very fatigued. She had walked and run for two and a half days. She was lame, and her paws were broken. I'm sure that she was looking for her house. Dogs are very attached to people.” Alla added .
A friend of Alla's recently drove Maru to her kennel in Novosibirsk, where she was reunited with her mother and father. She is now undergoing treatment to recover from the suffering of walking 200 km through the Siberian wilderness.
1. What happened to Maru when she was 11 months old?| A．She was sold to another family. |
| B．She was allergic to her owners. |
| C．She was given up by her owners. |
| D．She was well looked after by her owners. |
| A．She was frightened by its noise. |
| B．She was driven by the conductor. |
| C．She was badly treated by her owners. |
| D．She wanted to go back to her parents. |
| A．worried | B．excited |
| C．interested | D．tired |
| A．Merciless | B．Selfless |
| C．Stubborn | D．Responsible |
【推荐2】Tomatoes are the second-most eaten vegetable in the United States, following potatoes. People eat $60 billion worth worldwide every year, which is a lot.
But how should tomatoes be stored in your kitchen? Chefs and Italians have long left tomatoes at room temperature, while safety-minded types use the refrigerator. Now a new study in Frontiers in Plant Science determines once and for all what the best practices are for storage of tomato.
Researchers at the University of Gottingen grew a variety of tomatoes and then imitated the commercial three-day harvest-to-consumer storage practices. Once they arrived at “home”, the tomatoes were stored either in the refrigerator or at home temperature and then evaluated by a dozen experienced food assessors.
Those assessors were trained at identifying things such as green-grassy smell, tomato-typical smell, tomato-typical flavor, sweetness, sourness, juiciness, firmness, aftertaste…The tomatoes also underwent a great number of analysis, including taste by an “electronic tongue” known as the e-tongue.
Their findings: It doesn’t matter. No significant differences in flavor were found between refrigerators-stored and counter-stored tomatoes.
What matters is how long the tomato is at your house, the variety of the tomato, and the temperature of your refrigerator. The cultivars(品种) had a much higher impact on the flavor than the storage. You should eat them within four days. “The shorter the storage period, the better it is for the flavor and related characteristics,” says the lead author Larissa Kanski, a doctoral candidate in agricultural sciences. Make sure to pay attention to the temperature, as previous studies have shown harmful effects of storing tomatoes at 39 degrees F.
In short, for tasty tomatoes, buy tomatoes that taste good, store them however you want, and eat them within four days.
1. What’s the main idea of the text?| A．A research on how to store tomatoes in a proper way. |
| B．The key elements influencing the flavor of tomatoes. |
| C．Various storage ways of keeping tomatoes in the market. |
| D．The differences between fridge-stored and counter-stored tomatoes. |
| A．The flavor of tomatoes is changing with temperature. |
| B．It’s better to eat tomatoes within four days for good flavor. |
| C．Tomatoes’ qualities are closely related with storage patterns. |
| D．The e-tongue plays an essential part in analyzing the tomatoes. |
| A．A news report. | B．The Internet. |
| C．An advertisement. | D．A research report. |
【推荐3】A group of volunteers joined forces to form a human chain to free four dolphins which had been stranded (搁浅) in a canal for four days. The four dolphins were seen in the water near the Fossil Park, Florida, US, on Sunday. Experts from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) had monitored the dolphins’ activities in the past few days and hoped that they would swim out with the tide (潮水).
But when the dolphins struggled to leave the canal, brave volunteers joined members of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Clearwater Marine Aquarium to form a rescue team to free them. Dozens of people gathered to take videos and pictures of the kind act. A team of 14 volunteers held hands to act as a block to guide the dolphins out of the narrow channel. They shouted and patted the water with their hands to direct the dolphins to the vast waters of Riviera Bay. Dolphins find their way in the water through echolocation (回声定位). That means, by making high-frequency sounds, they can recognize the echoes of sound waves to find their way around.
Andy Garrett, a biologist of the FWC said, “We were able to keep that chain together. The dolphins were interested. They actually came over right away.” He added that when the team reached a bridge, the dolphins appeared a bit nervous and started doing some spins. “They made one real hard pass at our team and then went under the bridge and took off,” Garrett said. The operation lasted about 45 minutes and the rescue team did not use nets or any items that could stress the dolphins.
1. What can we know about the dolphins from paragraph 1?| A．They swam in groups to protect themselves. |
| B．They lived in the water near Fossil Park. |
| C．They were observed in secret by volunteers. |
| D．They were forced to stay in a canal for four days. |
| A．To make sounds to attract some people. |
| B．To guide the dolphins to larger waters. |
| C．To celebrate the success of saving dolphins. |
| D．To test the different reactions of four dolphins. |
| A．Brave and caring. | B．Absorbed and humorous. |
| C．Smart and generous. | D．Independent and energetic. |
| A．Dolphins swam to the canal to hunt for food. |
| B．Rescuers formed a human chain to save dolphins. |
| C．Volunteers trained four dolphins to find their way home. |
| D．Experts studied the ways of dolphins finding directions. |
【推荐1】Have you ever heard someone use the phrase “once in a blue moon”?
People use this expression to describe something that they do not do very often. For example, someone might say that he tries to avoid eating sweets because they are unhealthy, but will eat chocolate “once in a blue moon”. Or someone who does not usually like to go to the beach might say “I visit the shore once in a moon.” While many people use this phrase, not everyone knows the meaning behind it.
The first thing to know is that the moon itself is never really blue. This is just an expression fact, the phrase “blue moon” has to do with the shape of the moon, not the color.
As the moon travels around the earth, it appears to change shape. We associate names with certain shapes of the moon. For example, when we can see a small part of the moon is called a crescent moon. A crescent is a shape that looks like the tip of a fingernail. When we cannot see the moon at all, it is called a new moon. When we can see the whole moon is called a full moon. Usually, there is only one full moon every month. Sometimes, however will be two full moons in one month. When this happens, the second full moon is called a “blue moon”.
Over the next 20 years, there will only be 15 blue moons. As you can see, a blue moon every rare event. This fact has led people to use the expression “once in a blue moon” to other very rare events in their lives.
1. Which of the following would be a good example of using the phrase “once in a blue moon”?| A．Simon often tells jokes. Simon tells jokes once in a blue moon. |
| B．Tom rarely remembers to do exercise. Tom does exercise once in a blue moon. |
| C．Mary likes to go shopping every weekend. Mary goes shopping once in a blue moon. |
| D．Cindy hates to stay up, but she stays up every day. Cindy stays up once in a blue moon. |
| A．When the moon has a blue moon. |
| B．When we cannot see the moon at all. |
| C．When there are two full moons in one month. |
| D．When we can only see a small part of the moon. |
| A．Once a year. | B．Less than once a year. |
| C．More than once a year. | D．At least twice a year. |
| A．A blue moon is a very rare event. |
| B．The moon appears to change shape. |
| C．The moon itself is never really blue. |
| D．A blue moon has to do with the shape of the moon. |
【推荐2】In some ways, learning to programme a computer is similar to learning a new language. It requires learning new symbols and terms, which must be organized correctly to instruct the computer what to do. The computer code must also be clear enough that other programmers can read and understand it.
In spite of those similarities, MIT neuroscientists (神经科学家) have found that reading computer code doesn’t activate the regions of the brain that are involved in language processing. Instead, it activates a distributed network called the multiple demand network, which is also related to complex tasks such as solving maths problems or crossword puzzles.
Although reading computer code activates the multiple demand network, it appears to rely more on different parts of the network than maths or logic problems do. “Understanding computer code seems to be its own thing. It isn’t the same as language, and it isn’t the same as maths and logic,” says Anna Ivanova, an MIT graduate student and the lead author of the study.
Evelina Fedorenko is the senior author of the paper, which appears today in eLife. A major focus of her research is the relationship between language and other cognitive (认知) functions. In particular，she has been studying the question of whether other functions rely on the brain’s language network, which includes Broca’s area and other regions in the left hemisphere (半球) of the brain. In previous work, her lab has shown that music and maths don’t appear to activate this language network.
There are two schools of thought regarding how the brain learns to code, she says. One holds that in order to be good at programming，you must be good at maths. The other suggests that because of the parallels between coding and language, language skills might be more relevant. To clarify this issue, the researchers set out to study whether brain activity patterns while reading computer code would overlap (重叠) with language-related brain activity.
1. What’s paragraph 1 mainly about?| A．The computer must be instructed what to do. |
| B．Programming requires new symbols and terms. |
| C．The computer code must be clear and understandable. |
| D．There are similarities between programming and language learning. |
| A．Reading computer code is different from other cognitive tasks. |
| B．Learning languages is different from learning maths or logic. |
| C．Language, maths and logic are relatively easier to learn. |
| D．Reading computer code is more challenging. |
| A．Set up two schools to study how the brain learns to code. |
| B．Research deeper into the parallels between coding and language. |
| C．Figure out the relationship between programming and learning maths. |
| D．Compare activity patterns of reading code with those of learning language. |
| A．Health. | B．Commerce. | C．Education. | D．Medicine |
【推荐3】Thanks to the $10bn James Webb Space Telescope, we are beginning to “see” the radiant heat of the early universe like never before. On Monday night, to the excitement of professional astronomers and amateurs the world over, the telescope’s first full-colour image of deep space was released. The striking image, taken at minimally explored wavelengths and never-before-seen resolution, reveals a large number of universal objects.
The image is yet to be fully analysed but some objects are relics (遗迹) dating to within 0.7bn years of the Big Bang, the explosion that created our universe 13.8bn years ago. A new era (时代) of astronomy, in which we can finally see the oldest objects in the universe and gain a fuller understanding of its origins, has officially begun.
Tuesday saw four more important results emerge from the Webb’s first week of observations. Chris Lintott, professor of astrophysics at Oxford University and a researcher on galaxy (星系) formation, said he was blown away by the quality and beauty of the images. “It knocked my socks off,” Lintott said on Tuesday. “I was sitting in a roomful of galaxy experts when the Stephan’s Quintet image was shown, and jaws hit the floor. The Webb is going to produce some of the most amazing pictures of the space age.”
Webb’s “first deep field”, as the image of deep space released on Monday is known, is a picture taken over 12. 5 hours. It shows the cotton-wool-like galaxy cluster (团) SMACS 0723 centrally in the foreground, plus bright white stars.
As Lintott points out, bigger light-collecting mirrors result in sharper images, of the type that Webb is now delivering. The investment in the James Webb Space Telescope’s large foldable mirror has paid off. It is hard to believe that the Earth-orbiting telescope, regarded as one of the most complex engineering projects ever attempted and nearly cancelled a decade ago, has begun operating successfully.
1. What may be most probably talked about before paragraph 1?| A．The radiant heat. | B．Some astronomers. |
| C．Some universal objects. | D．The history of mankind. |
| A．He was humble. | B．He was tolerant. |
| C．He was surprised. | D．He was prejudiced. |
| A．It is a complex project. |
| B．It is regarded useless. |
| C．It was put into use a decade ago. |
| D．It was innovated by Chris Lintott. |
| A．The story of an inventor |
| B．Chris Lintott made a breakthrough |
| C．The image of relics of the Big Bang |
| D．A new era of astronomy has begun |
【推荐1】Many of us start exercising in the hope of losing unwanted pounds. Unquestionably, aiming to be more active is a good thing. But if the main reason is to lose weight, your resolution could very well come to nothing.
For starters, exercise is typically futile for weight loss. Take walking for example. A 150-pound person who walks for 30 minutes will burn, on average, around 140 calories. That’s equal to one can of soda — not exactly a great return on your investment of time and effort. It’s much easier just to skip the soda.
When exercise is added to a diet, the results are equally unimpressive. Researchers found that a combination of dieting and exercising brought no greater weight loss than dieting alone after six months. At 12 months, the diet-and-exercise combination showed an advantage, but it was slight — about 4 pounds.
In studies where exercise has produced meaningful weight loss, participants burned at least 400 to 500 calories per session on five or more days a week. To achieve that, a 150-pound person would need to walk a minimum of 90 minutes or run 30 minutes per day. In short, sessions need to go well beyond what most of us are willing or able to do. And even if we manage to make that much effort, our bodies often compensate (抵消) by eagerness for more food and slowing down metabolism (新陈代谢), effects that over time limit how many pounds we lose.
When exercise fails to meet our weight-loss expectations, we often stop working out. Perhaps the biggest problem with exercising to drop pounds is that it turns physical activity into punishment — a price we have to pay for a slimmer body. How many times have you heard someone say “I’ll need to do extra exercise” after eating too much? We treat exercise as a form of self-punishment for being “bad.” In this case, we’re unlikely to keep doing it for very long.
The conclusion is that we’re more likely to treat exercise positively and actually do it when we focus on our well-being rather than our weight.
1. What does the underlined word “futile” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Necessary. | B．Popular. | C．Dangerous. | D．Useless. |
| A．You will burn 140 calories every day. |
| B．You will lose 4 pounds in a month. |
| C．You might have a higher metabolic rate. |
| D．You might eat more than usual. |
| A．They are unlikely to really enjoy it. |
| B．They find it too challenging physically. |
| C．They have difficulty resisting (抵抗) delicious food. |
| D．They turn their attention to their well-being. |
| A．How long should you exercise a day to lose weight? |
| B．What are the best exercises for losing weight? |
| C．Weight loss: why exercise is the wrong path |
| D．Exercise and weight loss: a pair of brothers |
【推荐2】Every week in China, millions of people will sit in front of their TVs watching teenagers compete for the title Character Hero, which is a Chinesestyle spelling bee (拼写大赛). In this challenge, young competitors must write Chinese characters by hand. To prepare for the competition, the competitors usually spend months studying dictionaries.
Perhaps the show’s popularity should not be a surprise. Along with gunpowder and paper, many Chinese people consider the creation of Chinese calligraphy (书法) to be one of their primary contributions. Unfortunately, all over the country, Chinese people are forgetting how to write their own language without computerized help. Software on smart phones and computers allows users to type in the basic sound of the word using the Latin alphabet(字母). The correct character is chosen from a list. The result? It’s possible to recognize characters without remembering how to write them.
But there’s still hope for the paint brush. China’s Education Ministry wants children to spend more time learning how to write.
In one Beijing primary school we visited, students practice calligraphy every day inside a specially decorated classroom with traditional Chinese paintings hanging on the walls. Soft music plays as a group of six-year-old dip brush pens into black ink. They look up at the blackboard often to study their teacher’s examples before carefully trying to reproduce those characters on thin rice paper. “If adults can survive without using handwriting, why bother to teach it now? ”we ask the calligraphy teacher, Shen Bin. “The ability to write characters is part of Chinese tradition and culture”, she reasons. “Students must learn now so they don’t forget when they grow up.” says the teacher.
1. Which of the following is closest in meaning with the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2?| A．Every Chinese can write Chinese characters easily, especially with computers. |
| B．Only with the help of computers can some Chinese people write Chinese characters. |
| C．Despite the help of computers, Chinese people have forgotten how to write. |
| D．Computers are the only means to rely on to write Chinese characters for many people. |
| A．It draws great public attention across the country. |
| B．It’s the most viewed TV programs in China. |
| C．It means to spread Chinese culture to the world. |
| D．It’s open to people of all ages and all walks. |
| A．Chinese people don’t refer to dictionaries very often. |
| B．Chinese people no longer use brush pens or practice calligraphy. |
| C．Chinese people are using the Latin alphabet instead of the characters. |
| D．Chinese people needn’t write by hand as often with the help of technology. |
| A．necessary for adults to survive in China |
| B．a requirement made by the Education Ministry |
| C．helpful to keep Chinese tradition and culture alive |
| D．an ability to be developed only when you are students |
【推荐3】Time spent with friends in childhood is associated with physical health in adulthood, according to data from a multi-decade study of men. The findings show that boys who spent more time with friends as children tended to have lower blood pressure and lower Body Mass Index (体重指数) as men in their early 30s. “These findings suggest that our early social lives may have a small protective influence on our physical health in adulthood, and that it’s not just our caregivers or financial circumstances, but also our friends that may be health protectors,” says psychological scientist Jenny Cundiff.
“Although this wasn’t an experiment, it was a well-controlled longitudinal (纵观的) study with a racially diverse sample. It provides a strong clue that being socially integrated early in life is good for our health independent of a number of other factors such as personality and weight in childhood,” professor Karen Matthews of the University of Pittsburgh explains.
In many previous studies, researchers found an association between adults’ social well-being and health-related outcomes. Cundiff wondered whether this association might be evident much earlier in life, in childhood and adolescence (青春期).
To find out, Cundiff turned her attention to the longitudinal Pittsburgh Youth Study. Specifically, she looked into the information and facts about 267 individuals in Pittsburgh public schools. The participants’ parents reported how much time their children spent with their friends during an average week, beginning when the boys were about 6 years old and continuing through age 16. Analyses revealed that hoys who spent more time with their friends in childhood and adolescence had healthier blood pressure and BMI at 32. This association held even after Cundiff accounted for other potential influences, including physical health in childhood and social integration in adulthood.
The study included only one measure of social integration and did not include specific measures of physiological processes or organic function. Cundiff notes that expanding the range of measures used in future research could help to clarify the pathways linking early peer (同龄人) relationships with physical health decades later.
1. What conclusion does Jenny Cundiff draw from the study?| A．Boys tend to spend more time with friends in childhood. |
| B．Boys are generally more protective as a member of society. |
| C．Childhood friendships may have health benefits in adulthood. |
| D．Childhood experiences make a difference to one’s personality. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Inspiring. | C．Experimental. | D．Reasonable. |
| A．The field and focus of the study. |
| B．The course and result of the study. |
| C．The organizer and subject of the study. |
| D．The purpose and significance of the study. |
| A．Being short of sufficient samples. |
| B．Not involving men from diverse backgrounds. |
| C．Lacking multi-dimensional evaluation. |
| D．Not expanding the range of early peer relationships. |
