African grey parrots help their peers complete tasks despite no immediate benefit to themselves, researchers have found in the first study to show that birds display such apparently “selfless” behaviour.
Writing in the journal Current Biology, Brucks and colleagues report how they tested African grey parrots in a task that involved the birds passing a token, in the form of a metal ring, through a hole in their section to a neighbouring bird of the same species. This token could then be passed by the second bird to a human, via another hole, who would exchange it for a piece of nut.
The team found African grey parrots helped their neighbours by passing tokens to their neighbour when a human held out their hand, allowing the second bird to drop it through-the hole and receive a tasty treat.
The same behaviour was seen when the roles of the birds were reversed (颠倒). The more tokens a bird had previously given, the more they received in return.
However, the team stress previously the birds did not know that their favour would be rewarded, suggesting it is something of a “selfless” act.
The team say it may be due to African grey parrots gathering in huge flocks at night but splitting into smaller groups during the day to forage (觅食). Brucks said such behaviour is thought to require strong social cognitive abilities, adding that being helpful might help the birds gain a good reputation with their peers, making it more likely that they would team up for foraging and other tasks.
Dr Manon Schweinfurth, an expert in animal behaviour, said evidence of reciprocal (互惠的) behaviour in African grey parrots is quite interesting. “It has been thought that it is so cognitively demanding that only humans can show it. But we now get more and more evidence from other animals that they are able to show reciprocity,” she said.
1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．The methods of observation. | B．The comparison of the species. |
| C．One feeding behaviour of parrots. | D．One example of Brucks’ experiments. |
| A．A strong survival instinct. | B．A desire for food. |
| C．The need for social cognitive abilities. | D．Curiosity towards other species. |
| A．Only African grey parrots are capable of exhibiting reciprocal behavior. |
| B．Reciprocal behavior is the only demonstration of cognitive abilities. |
| C．Other animals may possess similar social cognitive abilities to African grey parrots. |
| D．The reciprocal behavior of African grey parrots is learned through experience. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Admiring. | C．Indifferent. | D．Surprised. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】There is certainly evidence that actors experience a blending of their real self with their assumed characters. For instance, Benedict Cumberbatch said, “My mum says I'm much more impatient with her when I'm filming Sherlock.”
Mark Seton, a researcher at the University of Sydney, has even coined the term “post-dramatic stress disorder” to describe the lasting effects experienced by actors who lose themselves in a role. “Actors may often prolong habits of the characters they have embodied,” he writes.
A recent finding doesn't involve acting, and it indicates that merely spending some time thinking about another person seemed to rub off on the volunteers’ sense of self led by Meghan Meyer at Princeton University. Across several studies, these researchers asked volunteers to first rate their own personalities, memories or physical attributes, and then to perform the same task from the perspective of another person. For instance, they might score the emotionality of various personal memories, and then rate how a friend or relative would have experienced those same events.
After taking the perspective of another, the volunteers scored themselves once again: the consistent finding was that their self-knowledge was now changed—their self-scores had shifted to become more similar to those they'd given for someone else. For instance, if they had initially said the trait term “confident” was only moderately related to themselves and then rated the term as being strongly related to a friend's personality, when they came to rescore themselves, they now tended to see themselves as more confident. Remarkably, this morphing of the self with another was still apparent even if a 24-hour gap was left between taking someone else's perspective and re-rating oneself.
“By simply thinking about another person, we may adapt our self to take the shape of that person” said Meyer and her colleagues. That our sense of self should have this quality might be a little discouraging, especially for anyone who has struggled to establish a firm sense of identity. Yet there is an optimistic message here, too. The challenge of improving ourselves—or at least seeing ourselves in a more positive light—might be a little easier than we thought. By roleplaying or acting out the kind of person we would like to become, or merely by thinking about and spending time with people who embody the kind of attributes we would like to see in ourselves, we can find that our sense of self changes in desirable ways.
“As each of us chooses who to befriend, who to model, and who to ignore” write Meyer and her colleagues, “we must make these decisions aware of how they shape not only the fabric of our social networks, but even our sense of who we are.”
1. The first two paragraphs mainly ______.| A．state that acting requires skills |
| B．explain the stress that an actor faces |
| C．show that a role leaves a mark on the actor |
| D．stress the importance of devoting oneself to a role |
| A．Influence. | B．Strengthen. |
| C．Confuse. | D．Determine. |
| A．brings changes to one's self-knowledge |
| B．motivates one to better understand himself |
| C．helps people deal with their identity problems |
| D．produces temporary effects on one's character |
| A．It offers instructions on making friends. |
| B．It proposes a means to improve ourselves. |
| C．It gives advice on adjusting one's emotions. |
| D．It presents a way to deal with stress disorder. |
【推荐2】A
Thanks to a young waiter, I only recently discovered that a friend of 20 years was once a yo-yo virtuoso(溜溜球大师).
“Oh, stop it!” Jackie said when I started laughing during our dinner. “I was, too. And I knew how to ‘Walk the Dog.’ ”
“Wow, really?” said our waiter, Jumario Simmons, flashing a big smile at us.
“Don’t encourage her,” I said.
“What else could you do?” he asked.
“I did ‘Round the World,’” Jackie said, now ignoring me completely. “That cradle(婴儿时期的) thing, too.”
I’d asked Jumario what he did when he wasn’t waiting on tables. The 24-year-old waiter was so smart that I knew there had to be more to his story. It turns out that he won a regional yo-yo competition last year. He also gives free lessons to kids. “It gives them something to do,” Jumario said. “Keeps them off the streets.”
One of the great things about eating out is the table talk with strangers, which reminds us that everyone has a life and a name. But the other day I heard that some restaurants are ending this talk between diners and servers. I listened to the reporter describe how their improvements are allowing customers to text orders from their tables to speed up service.
The reporter got my attention with this sentence: “Five minutes after typing ‘I’m at table 3’, a meal arrives at the table.” But there wasn’t a “please” with this order, which should have been a request, by the way. If you’ve ever waited on tables, you know that the last thing you need is yet another way for a customer to be unpleasant.
Most servers are constantly mediating(调解) between customers’ requests for substitutions and overworked cooks’ accusations of treason. Except at high-end restaurants, servers also have to hover like mothers of preschoolers so that we might consider them worthy of a large enough tip to lift their pay to minimum wage.
Texting a server from a table a few feet away is equal to moving our fingers and shouting, “Hey, you!” It was rude in 1957, and it’s rude now. You won’t ever find me texting a waiter or waitress.
1. What do we know from the text?
| A．The waiter knows Jackie well. |
| B．The waiter is good at playing yo-yo. . |
| C．Jackie plays yo-yo in her spare time. |
| D．The author has a great interest in playing yo-yo. |
| A．improve their service |
| B．reduce the cost of service |
| C．show respect for diners |
| D．stop talks between diners and servers |
| A．The pay of servers. |
| B．The work of servers. |
| C．The customers’ request. |
| D．The work of mothers of preschoolers. |
| A．indifferent | B．negative |
| C．curious | D．positive |
| A．how to wait on tables |
| B．the friendship between old friends |
| C．where to eat out |
| D．the relationship between customers and waiters |
【推荐3】Will your happiness differ if you are doing a kind action without any expectation of rewards or with an expectation of rewards? A study by University of Sussex, headed by Dr. Daniel CampbellMeikeljohn, tried to answer that question. He and his partners analyzed over 1, 000 brain scans from other studies related to reactions to making a decision based on kindness. They split the studies based on who was making a decision for altruistic (无私的) reasons and who was making a decision due to the expectation of an obvious reward. The results were interesting.
In both instances, the reward center of the brain lit up on the MRI scans (磁共振成像扫描). Yet, for those who made their decision without any rewards, other areas of the brain lit up as well. Specifically, it lit up the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (前扣带皮层区域), which scientists believe plays a role in emotional regulation. Also, it might aid in maintaining excitement related to an event that creates a positive emotional state.
In one study about the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, it is believed that this brain region could be related to depression if it isn’t developed properly or is dysfunctional. The fact that this part of the brain lights up during acts of generosity and caring without expectation of rewards shows that the altruistic individuals are getting more sustainable pleasure than those motivated by rewards. It also could aid in explaining how it helps depressive individuals feel happier after doing a kind deed.
We live in a society, and no man is a lonely island. We all need each other. For those who genuinely desire to help others regardless of repayment, maintaining a balance of helping others and yourself is very important. It is healthy and necessary to be kind to yourself, as well as to others.
1. Why did the author think the results interesting?| A．There are no differences as to the litup area of the brain. |
| B．The reward center of the brain lit up in one case alone. |
| C．The subgenual anterior cingulate cortex makes no difference. |
| D．The reward center of the brain lit up in both cases. |
| A．It might help keep calm. | B．It may make a difference to controlling emotion. |
| C．It can create positive emotion. | D．It has nothing to do with depression. |
| A．Help others regardless of yourself. | B．Treat others and yourself with kindness. |
| C．For the sake of yourself, lend a hand. | D．Practise kindness at all costs. |
【推荐1】Both honeybees and ants are social insects that live in groups called colonies. They survive by means of their collective intelligence. Their decision-making power is distributed throughout the group; that is, no one ant or bee makes decisions for the group. Instead, they work together. As Deborah M. Gordon, a biologist at Stanford University, says,” Ants aren't smart. Ant colonies are.”
The same is true for bee colonies. Although bees and ants are quite different physically, they have a lot in common in terms of their social behavior. Specifically, honeybees and ants have similar roles within the colony, both have communication systems, and both have the capacity for learning.
Ants communicate by using chemicals called pheromones, which can alert others to danger or to a food source. For example, when worker ants find a promising source, they let the rest of the colony know how to find it by leaving a trail of pheromones on the way back to the colony. The other ants pick up the message using their sense of smell. Bees, on the other hand, use movement to communicate with each other. Worker bees send messages to each other by means of a “dance”. Different speeds and movements send different messages. For example, when worker bees called scouts go out to find a new home for the colony, they return and do a dance for the other worker bees that indicates the location of the new home and how suitable it is. The faster the scouts dance, the better the new location is.
Honeybees and ants are both capable of learning. One Chinese study found that bees can be trained to learn and remember a route to a food source. The researchers also found that bees can be taught to recognize hidden objects and use the concepts of “sameness” and “difference” to accomplish certain tasks. Ants take this one step further. Recent American research has shown that ants not only have the ability to learn, but also can teach their foraging skills to other younger ants.
They observed that older ants accompany young ants in search of food and teach them the route and how to avoid obstacles.
As we can see, the social behavior of honeybees and ants is quite similar. Both coordinate(协调) complex actions and accomplish survival tasks by cooperating in groups consisting of many individuals. Unintelligent as they may be as individuals, as groups they often show amazing brilliance as they go about their everyday activities.
1. What do ants and bees have in common?| A．They live in similar-sized colonies. |
| B．They make use of collective intelligence. |
| C．They have small leadership groups that make all decisions. |
| D．They use the same methods to communicate with each other. |
| A．The quality of a new colony location. |
| B．The distance to a neighboring colony. |
| C．The discovery of a new food source. |
| D．The direction to a potential food source. |
| A．By using statistics. |
| B．By explaining reasons. |
| C．By referencing opinions. |
| D．By presenting study findings. |
| A．It allows the colony to reproduce more rapidly. |
| B．It improves work cooperation within the colony. |
| C．It reduces the division of labor among members. |
| D．It enables individuals to teach each other new skills. |
【推荐2】"Fighting like cats and dogs" is a common phrase that people use to mean people argue, fright or don't get along. If you like cartoons, you've probably seen many that describe cats and dogs fighting like sworn enemies(不共戴天的仇敌). There have even been movies made that describe cats against dogs.
As with many questions in life, there's simply no easy answer to the question of whether dogs and cats can get along. Dogs and cats are different in many ways that can make it difficult for them to get along. However, with patience and the right circumstances, cats and dogs can be best buds(兄弟).
For example, dogs tend to be social animals that are naturally playful. Cats, on the other hand, tend to be more independent. A dog that wants to play might seem aggressive and frightening to a cat. This may lead the cat to defend itself against an attack although that's really just a desire to play. Similarly, dogs - especially puppies - like to chase each other. It's a fun game. Chasing cats can be just as fun as chasing other dogs. Again, cats may interpret such playful behavior as a threat.
Even there's something dogs and cats have in common, tails, but tails can make things confusing. When a dog wags (摇摆) its tail, it's sending a friendly message: "I'm happy. Let's play." Cats, however, wag their tails when they are angry. You can see how this might lead cats and dogs to become confused if they're facing each other with wagging tails!
Although dogs and cats aren't really sworn enemies, dogs are hunters by nature. This means that they might hunt and chase anything that moves - including a cat. This natural behavior that could cause problems between dogs and cats can be controlled by special training called socialization when the animals meet for the first time.
1. By saying "fighting like cats and dogs", parents most probably mean that________.| A．they like neither cats nor dogs |
| B．their kids don't get on well with each other |
| C．cats and dogs fight like sworn enemies |
| D．the fights between cats and dogs are often made into movies |
| A．They couldn't understand each other. |
| B．They are worried about their behaviors. |
| C．They enjoy exactly the same hobbies. |
| D．They wag their tails too often. |
| A．Dogs are good at hunting animals. |
| B．Dogs don't like cats naturally. |
| C．Cats usually like playing with dogs. |
| D．Dogs and cats can possibly live in harmony. |
【推荐3】Even plant can run a fever， especially when they're under attack by insects or disease． But unlike human， plants can have their temperature taken from 3，000 feet away straight up． A decade ago， adopting the infrared（红外线） scanning technology developed for military purposes and other satellites， physicist Stephen Paley came up with a quick way to take the temperature of crops to determine which ones are under stress． The goal was to let farmers precisely（精确的） target pesticide（杀虫剂） spraying rather than rain poison on a whole field， which always includes plants that don't have pest problems．
Even better， Paley's Remote Scanning Services Company could detect crop problems before they became visible to the eye． Fixed on a plane flown at 3，000 feet at night， an infrared scanner measured the heat sent out by crops． The data were transformed into a color﹣coded map showing where plants were running "fevers"． Farmers could then spot﹣spray， using 50 to 70 percent less pesticide that they otherwise would．
The bad news is that Paley's company closed down in 1984， after only three years． Farmers resisted the new technology and long﹣term supporters were hard to find． But with the renewed concern about pesticides on produce and refinements（改进） in infrared scanning， Paley hopes to get back into operation． Agriculture experts have no doubt that the technology works． "This technique can be used on 75 percent of agricultural land in the United States，" says George Oerther of Texas A& M， who recently retired from the Department of Agriculture， thinks remote infrared crop scanning could be adopted by the end of the decade． But only if Paley finds the financial support which he failed to obtain 10years ago．
1. Plants will give out an increased amount of heat when they are ．| A．facing an infrared scanner |
| B．sprayed with pesticides |
| C．exposed to extreme sun rays |
| D．in poor physical condition |
| A．draw a color﹣coded map |
| B．evaluate the damage to the crops |
| C．locate the problem area |
| D．measure the size of the affected area |
| A．the lack of official support |
| B．its high cost |
| C．the lack of financial support |
| D．its failure to help increase production |
| A．full support from agricultural experts |
| B．the forceful promotion by the Department of Agriculture |
| C．the desire of farmers to improve the quality of their produce |
| D．growing concern about the over use of pesticides on crops |
【推荐1】Smartphones are getting boring. The new models are either a bit faster or have better cameras, but they are basically no different from the ones already in our pockets. This is why scientists are hoping, and working for something new, something that will change our lives just as greatly as smartphones do. At the moment, the next invention might be smart glasses.
Just imagine. Instead of having to pick up your phone and look at the screen, all of the information you need simply appears just in front of you, in your glasses. Satellite navigation (导航) directions would appear right there on the road. And your smart glasses could guide you to the right shelf in the supermarket!
Smart glasses could also be used in industry. They could show engineers the instructions they need to fix things more quickly. A doctor could carry out a difficult operation, guided in real time by someone on the other side of the world.
This may sound impossible. But most of the technologies to invent them are already there. For example, one key technology is called AR, which can make digital 3D objects appear as if they are part of the real world. We’ve used it a lot on our video calls. Similarly, huge progress has been made in spatial audio. This is when a sound is made to give it a sense of place, like what you hear in an empty room. Some high-end earphones can already do that. Future glasses will of course need to recognize (识别) your voice to do tasks. This technology has been widely used in our daily life.
So, why aren’t we all wearing smart glasses yet? So far, no one has invented a good way to send images (图像) of our world onto glasses. However, with the rapid development of technology, smart glasses could arrive much sooner than we think.
1. Why does the writer mention smartphones in Paragraph 1?| A．To start a story. | B．To explain an idea. |
| C．To introduce a topic. | D．To discuss a problem. |
| A．When smart glasses might be made. | B．Where smart glasses could be used. |
| C．How smart glasses would give directions. | D．Why smart glasses should be changed. |
| A．Making spatial audio. | B．Recognizing voices. |
| C．Creating digital 3D objects. | D．Sending images onto glasses. |
| A．Bored. | B．Confident. |
| C．Satisfied. | D．Uncertain. |
【推荐2】In the United States, a company is working on a project that could change the way we think about public transportation. Its planned system would move people around in steel tubes. Those passengers would be traveling at speeds of up to 1,200 kilometers per hour.
The futuristic transportation system is called Hyperloop. Workers plan to test the system next year in a specially built community called Quay valley. The town will be powered entirely by energy from the sun.
The Hyperloop transport system is the idea of businessman Elon Musk. Dirk Ahlborn is head of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies. He says his company has taken Mr. Musk's idea and is developing a system that will be safe, environmentally friendly and fast.
It’s 100 percent solar-powered... we’re not going to get up to 760 miles per hour, but we believe we can actually break the records that are exiting right now.”
This means that a four-hour drive from Los Angeles, California to Las Vegas, Nevada, could someday take only 30 minutes by Hyperloop.
The system involves a series of capsules that float inside a long tube. These containers wouldn’t need to travel along a pathway or track. The system has been designed to operate above or below ground.
Inside the tube there is a low-pressure environment very similar to an airplane that’s at high altitudes. So now the capsule travelling inside the tube doesn’t meet with as much resistance, and therefore can travel really fast with very little energy.
Dick Ahlborn and his company will use an eight-kilometer track in Quay Valley to find the best way to set up passenger traffic and repair capsules. A larger system will cost an estimated 6 — 10 billion dollars to build.
If Mr. Ahlborn and his company succeed, we may one day see these very fast Hyperloop capsules speeding through tubes around the world.
1. What do we know about the Hyperloop transport system?| A．It travels along a pathway or track. | B．It was already tested in a community. |
| C．It was developed by a businessman. | D．It is environmentally friendly. |
| A．They are solar-powered. | B．They travel at high altitudes. |
| C．There is less resistance inside the tube. | D．There is a powerful engine to drive them. |
| A．Objective. | B．Doubtful. | C．Subjective. | D．Dissatisfied. |
| A．Steel Tubs | B．A Creative Businessman |
| C．Hyperloop Transport System | D．Quay Valley |
Traditional companies didn’t want to lose any business. Quickly they made their own websites and began selling things on the Net. These are the so-called “brick and click” companies. Many stores are made of brick. And you click on your mouse to buy things with your computer. That’s where the name “brick and click” comes from.
By the late 1990’s, e-business like amazon.com, buy.com and etoys.com were in trouble. Their profits（利润） were not very high. Competition was great. Many of these business were losing lots of money. In 2000, many e-business went out of business.
Why are “brick and click” companies, like Barnes and Noble, Toys RVs and Walmart so successful? First, many customers know and trust their names. Their websites like walmart.com. are easy to remember. These companies also have lots of experience. They know how to run a successful business.
In the world of e-commerce, companies are fighting for every dollar and every customer. Will “brick and click” companies win the war? Only time will tell.
1. Which of the following would be a “brick and click” company?
| A．A restaurant. |
| B．A clothing company with no website. |
| C．A bookseller with five stores and a website. |
| D．A video seller with a big website but no stores. |
| A．They went out of business. | B．They made their websites. |
| C．They bought Internet companies. | D．They sold their companies. |
| A．Heavy competition | B．They were short of money. |
| C．They didn’t know what to do. | D．people didn’t believe in them. |
| A．people trust them | B．their names are easy to remember |
| C．they are experienced | D．all the above |
| A．All the “brick and click” companies run a successful business. |
| B．“Brick and click” companies are certain to win the business competition. |
| C．It is uncertain whether “brick and click” companies will win the competition. |
| D．Both “brick and click” companies and Internet companies will be successful in the future. |
