Question

    It’s a popular belief that a fish’s memory lasts for only seven seconds. It may seem sad to think that they don’t remember what they’ve eaten or where they’ve been, and they don’t identify you or any of their friends -- every moment in their life would be like seeing the world for the first time.

But don’t be so quick to feel sorry for them. A new study has found that fish have a much better memory than we used to think. In fact, certain species of fish can even remember events from as long as 12 days ago. In the study, researchers from Mac Ewan University in Canada trained a kind of fish called African cichlids to go to a certain area of their tank to get food. They then waited for 12 days before putting them back in the tank again. Researchers used computer software to monitor the fish’s movements. They found that after such a long break the fish still went to the same place where they first got food. This suggested that they could remember their past experiences.

In fact, scientists had been thinking for a long time that African cichlids might have a good memory. An earlier study showed that they behaved aggressively（挑衅地）in front of certain fish, perhaps because they remembered their past “fights”. But until the latest findings, there was no clear evidence.

Just as a good memory can make our lives easier, it also plays an important part when a fish is trying to survive in the wild. “If fish are able to remember that a certain area contains safe food, they will be able to go back to that area without putting their lives at risks,” lead researcher Trevor Hamilton told Live Science.

For a long time, fish were placed far below chimpanzees, dolphins and mice on the list of smart animals. But this study has given scientists a new understanding of their intelligence.

1.According to the article, people commonly believe that _______.

A.fish can only remember part of their past experiences

B.fish can remember things that happened long time ago

C.a fish’s memory lasts for only seven minutes

D.fish don’t recognize any of their friends

2.How can fish benefit most from a good memory? They can remember _______.

A.where to get food and survive

B.their enemies and fight

C.where to escape to when in danger

D.their friends and help each other

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A.African cichlids always treat other fish aggressively.

B.African cichlids can remember things for 12 days.

C.African cichlids don’t belong to the list of smart animals.

D.Only African cichlids have a good memory.

4.What is the article mainly about?

A.Fish having very bad memories.

B.Fish being smarter than we thought.

C.How fish improve their memory.

D.What we can learn from fish.

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.B

4.B

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章主要讲了一项新的研究发现，鱼的记忆力比我们过去认为的要好得多。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段It may seem sad to think that they don’t remember what they’ve eaten or where they’ve been, and they don’t identify you or any of their friends -- every moment in their life would be like seeing the world for the first time.（一想到它们不记得自己吃了什么，去了哪里，也不知道你或它们的朋友是谁，这似乎很可悲——它们生命中的每一刻都像是第一次看到这个世界。）由此可知人们普遍认为鱼认不出它们的朋友，故选D。

2.细节理解题。根据倒数第二段“If fish are able to remember that a certain area contains safe food, they will be able to go back to that area without putting their lives at risks,” lead researcher Trevor Hamilton told Live Science.（首席研究员特雷弗·汉密尔顿告诉《生活科学》杂志说:“如果鱼能记住某个区域含有安全的食物，它们就能回到那个区域而不会危及生命。”）由此可知，良好的记忆力对鱼有什么好处?它们可以记住哪里能找到食物生存，故选A。

3.细节理解题。根据第二段In fact, certain species of fish can even remember events from as long as 12 days ago.（事实上，某些种类的鱼甚至能记住12天前发生的事情。）由此可知，B选项“非洲慈鲷可以记住12天的事情”描述正确，故选B。

4.主旨大意题。第二段A new study has found that fish have a much better memory than we used to think.（一项新的研究发现，鱼的记忆力比我们过去认为的要好得多）是全文的主题句，结合全文内容，可知这篇文章主要讲了鱼比我们想象的更聪明，故选B。