Question

    Monkeys seem to have a way with numbers.

A team of researchers trained three Rhesus monkeys to associate 26 clearly different symbols made up of numbers and selective letters with 0-25 drops of water or juice as a reward. The researchers then tested how the monkeys combined—or added—the symbols to get the reward.

Here's how Harvard Medical School scientist Margaret Livingstone, who led the team, described the experiment: In their cages the monkeys were provided with touch screens. On one part of the screen, a symbol would appear, and on the other side two symbols inside a circle were shown. For example, the number 7 would flash on one side of the screen and the other end would have 9 and 8. If the monkeys touched the left side of the screen they would be rewarded with seven drops of water or juice; if they went for the circle, they would be rewarded with the sum of the numbers—17 in this example.

After running hundreds of tests, the researchers noted that the monkeys would go for the higher values more than half the time, showing that they were performing a calculation(计算), not just remembering the value of each combination.

When the team studied the results of the experiment more closely, they noticed that the monkeys tended to underestimate(低估)a sum compared with a single symbol when the two were close in value—sometimes choosing, for example, a 13 over the sum of 8 and 6. The underestimation was systematic: When adding two numbers, the monkeys always paid attention to the larger of the two, and then added only a fraction(小部分)of the smaller number to it.

"This shows that there is a certain way number is represented in their brains, "Dr. Livingstone says. “But in this experiment what they're doing is paying more attention to the big number than the little one.”

1.What did the researchers do to the monkeys before testing them?

A.They fed them. B.They named them.

C.They trained them. D.They washed them.

2.How did the monkeys get their reward in the experiment?

A.By drawing a circle. B.By touching a screen.

C.By watching videos. D.By mixing two drinks.

3.What did Livingstone's team find about the monkeys?

A.They could perform basic addition. B.They could understand simple words.

C.They could remember numbers easily. D.They could hold their attention for long.

4.In which part of a newspaper may this text appear?

A.Science. B.Health. C.Education. D.Entertainment.

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.A

4.A

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。主要介绍了Margaret Livingstone 的实验过程及结果。该实验介绍了猴子和数字的关系。

1.

细节理解题。根据“A team of researchers trained three Rhesus monkeys to associate…… and selective letters with 0-25 drops of water or juice as a reward.”一组研究人员训练了三只恒河猴，将26个由数字和选择字母组成的明显不同的符号与0-25滴水或果汁作为奖励联系起来。研究人员随后测试了这些猴子是如何组合或添加符号来获得奖励的。可知，研究人员是先训练了猴子，然后才测试了这些猴子。故选C。

2.

细节理解题。根据“If the monkeys touched the left side of the screen they would be rewarded with seven drops of water or juice; if they went for the circle, they would be rewarded with the sum of the numbers—17 in this example.”可知在试验中猴子们是通过触摸屏来获得奖励的。故选B。

3.

推理判断题。本题为实验发现，根据“they were performing a calculation(计算), not just remembering the value of each combination.”这表明它们正在进行计算，而不仅仅是记住每个组合的值。可知，猴子可以做基本的加法。选项B中“simple word”文章中并未提及，选项C 中“easily”与文章不符，选项D 并未提及。故选A。

4.

推理判断题。本篇文章讲述的社会科学实验，因此出现在报纸的科学版面。故选A。