Question

    Both humans and animals have enemies. It is easy for us to know the difference between our friends and our enemies. But can other animals do the same? Elephants can! They can use their sense of vision and smell to tell the difference between people who mean a threat and those who do not. In Kenya, researchers find that elephants react differently to clothing worn by men of the Maasai and Kamba ethnic groups. Young Maasai men hunt animals and thus mean a threat to elephants; Kamba men are mainly farmers and are not a danger to elephants.

In an experiment conducted by animal scientists, elephants were first presented with clean clothing or clothing that had been worn for five days by either a Maasai or a Kamba man. When the elephants noticed the smell of clothing worn by a Maasai man, they moved away from the smell faster and took longer to relax than when they noticed the smells of either clean clothing or clothing worn by a Kamba man.

Clothing color also plays a role. In the same study, when the elephants saw red clothing not worn before, they reacted angrily, as red is typically worn by Maasai men. Rather than running away as they did with the smell, the elephants acted angrily toward the red clothing.

The researchers believe that the elephants’ emotional reactions are due to their different senses of smell and sight. Smelling a possible danger means that a threat is nearby and the best thing to do is run away and hide. Seeing a potential threat without its smell means that risk is low. Therefore, instead of showing fear and running away, the elephants express their anger and become aggressive.

1.The author wrote the text in order to tell us that elephants are _____.

A. dangerous    B. friendly    C. clever    D. naughty

2.How did the elephants react to smells in the study?

A. They attacked a man with the smell of new clothing.

B. They needed time to relax when smelling something unfamiliar.

C. They became anxious when they smelled Kamba-scented clothing.

D. They were frightened and ran away when they smelled their enemies.

3.What can be inferred about the elephants’ behavior from this text?

A. Elephants can tell enemies from friends.

B. Elephants have a sharper sense of smell than sight.

C. Elephants are more intelligent than other animals.

D. Elephants tend to attack rather than escape when in danger.

4.In which section of a magazine will the text be most probably found?

A. Business.    B. Fashion.    C. Nature.    D. News.

Answer

1. C

2. D

3. A

4. C

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文，介绍了大象是很聪明的，它们能够通过视觉和味觉来区分朋友和敌人。

1.推理判断题。根据第一段中的“They can use their sense of vision and smell to tell the difference between people who mean a threat and those who do not.”可知，文章介绍了大象能够通过视觉和味觉来区分朋友和敌人，由此可知，文章主要是想告诉读者大象是很聪明的，故C项正确。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段中的“When the elephants noticed the smell of clothing worn by a Maasai man, they moved away from the smell faster”可知，当大象注意到敌人的衣服的气味时，它们会感到害怕并讯速地跑掉，故D项正确。

3.推理判断题。根据第一段中的“They can use their sense of vision and smell to tell the difference between people who mean a threat and those who do not.”和下文的试验内容可知，大象能够通过视觉和味觉来区分朋友和敌人，故A项正确。

4.推理判断题。根据第一段中的“They can use their sense of vision and smell to tell the difference between people who mean a threat and those who do not.”可知，文章介绍了大象能够通过视觉和味觉来区分朋友和敌人，这一话题属于自然范畴，因此可能出自于杂志的自然部分，故C项正确。