Question

Many people may have watched the film “March of the Penguins”, which shows a real group of birds in Antarctica. Imagine a group of fat black and white birds walking in a line. Suddenly, one penguin loses his balance and falls on the ice. Every time penguins fall down, people laugh. The animals are cute!

People like the film very much. So much, in fact, that police in England think that it may be the reason behind a crime. A man went to a zoo in London and stole a baby penguin. Authorities think that the man stole the penguin after seeing the film and believe he wanted to give it away as a Christmas gift.

Michael Gauthier-Clerc, an expert studying penguins, thinks that many people like penguins but some people do not understand them. He told The New York Times newspaper, “People love the penguin’s colors, its way of standing straight upright and the way it walks.”

These things make penguins seem cute to people, but there are good reasons for all of these things. For example, penguins move from side to side when they walk and may seem to be out of balance. But Doctor Gauthier-Clerc says that the penguins waddle to save energy. The penguin’s colour also has a special purpose. It protects the penguins when they are swimming. From below, larger animals cannot see the penguin’s white underside because it looks the same as the bright sky or ice. And from above, other animals cannot see the penguin’s black back against the dark ocean floor.

The penguins’ colors protect them in nature. But scientists have found that some of these physical details also have an effect on humans. They make animals seem cute to people. Scientists believe that humans are very sensitive to things that are cute, such as human baby and even objects that may look like parts of a baby.

Recent studies show that cute images affect the brain in a special way. A study done at the University of Michigan tested young people’s reactions to images. It found that young people believed a message more if the message was joined by a cute picture. The researchers showed the young people two messages. One was a simple anti-smoking message. The other showed a cute animal telling them that smoking was bad. The conclusion turned out that the young people trusted the cute message more than the simple message.

1.In the film “March of the Penguins”, ________.

A. a baby penguin is stolen    B. a penguin is sent out as a gift

C. penguins are cute and attractive    D. penguins have a bad sense of balance

2.It can be inferred from the passage that _______ .

A. a walking penguin has more energy than a swimming one

B. a penguin walks in a funny way to prevent itself from falling

C. a shop selling baby products are likely to make more money

D. a website with cute pictures may attract more young visitors

3.Scientists have found that the penguins’ color can ________.

A. change at different places    B. help them keep warm

C. make people have pity on them    D. protect them from being hunted

4.The study carried out by the University of Michigan shows that _________.

A. cute messages mislead people

B. cuteness influences people’s judgment

C. humans react to anything that is cute

D. a simple message is more convincing than a cute message

Answer

1. C

2. D

3. D

4. B

【解析】

本文为说明文。文章介绍了科学家们对“可爱”的研究。最近的研究表明，可爱的图片以一种特殊的方式影响大脑。密歇根大学的一项研究测试了年轻人对图像的反应。研究发现，如果一条信息加上一张可爱的照片，年轻人会更相信它。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段中的Every time penguins fall down, people laugh. The animals are cute!（每次企鹅摔倒，人们都笑。这些动物很可爱!）可知，在电影《帝企鹅日记》中，企鹅既可爱又招人喜爱。故C选项正确。

2.推理判断题。根据最后一段中的Recent studies show that cute images affect the brain in a special way.（最近的研究表明，可爱的图片以一种特殊的方式影响大脑。）及The conclusion turned out that the young people trusted the cute message more than the simple message.（结果发现，年轻人更相信可爱的信息而不是简单的信息。）可推知，一个有可爱图片的网站可能会吸引更多的年轻访客。故D选项正确。

3.细节理解题。根据第四段中的. The penguin’s colour also has a special purpose. It protects the penguins when they are swimming. From below, larger animals cannot see the penguin’s white underside because it looks the same as the bright sky or ice. And from above, other animals cannot see the penguin’s black back against the dark ocean floor.（企鹅的颜色也有特殊的用途。它在企鹅游泳的时候保护它们。从下面看，较大的动物看不到企鹅的白色底面，因为它看起来像明亮的天空或冰。从上面看，其他动物看不到企鹅黑色的背对着黑暗的海底。）可知，科学家们发现企鹅的颜色可以保护它们不被猎杀。故D选项正确。

4.细节理解题。根据最后一段中的The conclusion turned out that the young people trusted the cute message more than the simple message.（结果发现，年轻人更相信可爱的信息而不是简单的信息。）可知，密歇根大学开展的这项研究表明，可爱程度会影响人们的判断。故B选项正确。