Question

    Scientists in Britain have managed to teach bees to pull strings (线) to get to food and then pass on what they have learned to others in their colony (群体) — showing a high level of intelligence despite their tiny brains.

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London said the experiments, often used to test the intelligence of apes (猿) and birds, showed for the first time that some insects are up to the task, and can also pass skills on through several generations.

The findings add to the evidence suggesting the ability for “culture spread”— the ability to learn and pass on knowledge and skills — may not be exclusive to humans.

In the research, published in the journal PLOS Biology on Tuesday, the scientists were able to train 23 out of a group of 40 bees to pull strings with their legs and feet.

The strings were attached to discs — or artificial “flowers”— containing food at their center but placed under a transparent (透明的) screen. The bees, spotting the food beneath the screen, learned to pull the “flowers” out by pulling the string with their legs and feet to be able to get to it.

From another group of bees given the chance to solve the task without any training, only two of 110 were successful.

Another group of bees was then allowed to observe the trained bees pulling the strings, and 60 percent of them successfully learned the skill. Finally, trained bees were put in colonies, and the scientists found the technique spread successfully to a majority of the colony's worker bees.

Lars Chittka, a Queen Mary University professor who guided the project, said the team is interested in figuring out the brain processes behind the bees' learning and teaching skills.

1.Which of the following can replace the underlined word “exclusive” in Paragraph 3?

A.Ordinary. B.Limited. C.Beneficial. D.Widespread.

2.What did the researchers find about bees?

A.Bees learn best in insects. B.Bees are as clever as birds.

C.Bees are born good learners. D.Bees can be trained to learn skills.

3.What may the research team focus on next?

A.What else bees can do. B.Where bees learn skills.

C.How bees teach others. D.How bees' brains work.

4.What may be the best title for the text?

A.Small Bees, Great Abilities B.Bees Can Learn and Teach

C.Bees Are Smarter D.Let Bees Learn

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.D

4.B

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章介绍了大黄蜂经过训练可以习得某种技能，还会传播所学的技能。

1.词义猜测题。第二段中提出不仅猿和鸟类有学习和传播知识的能力，一些昆虫也有这样的能力。第二段和第三段中的关键词also和add to the evidence提示，这种能力并非人类独有的。故选B。

2.细节理解题。根据第四段中的…the scientists were able to train 23 out of a group of 40 bees to pull strings with their legs and feet.可知，科学家们训练了40只蜜蜂中的23只，用它们的腿和脚来拉绳子。由此可知，科学家发现大黄蜂经过训练可以获得技能。故选D。

3.推理判断题。根据文章最后一句…the team is interested in figuring out the brain processes behind the bees' learning and teaching skills.可知，科研团队对弄清蜜蜂学习和教学技能背后的大脑过程很感兴趣，因此，接下来他们应该会研究大黄蜂大脑的工作原理。故选D。

4.主旨大意题。综合全文尤其第一段Scientists in Britain have managed to teach bees to pull strings (线) to get to food and then pass on what they have learned to others in their colony (群体) — showing a high level of intelligence despite their tiny brains.可知，文章主要介绍了一项科学发现，即大黄蜂经过训练可以学习并传播所学技能。故选B。