Question

    Some scientists believe that one of the most intelligent beings on Earth is in fact the octopus (章鱼).

Octopuses usually live at the bottom of river mouths and seas-areas which are not attractive to researchers. They are not social animals so it can be hard to study their interaction with others. And the octopus’ intelligence is not easy for humans to understand. When we observe some animals such as rats or dogs, we can often understand their behavior. Octopuses，however can seem like aliens (外星人). Scientists need to have a lot of imagination to understand what an octopus is thinking!

In the 1950s, the US Air Force sponsored scientists to study the way octopuses use their brains. They hoped that they could use this knowledge to help them build better computers. However, their brains were so complex that the scientists felt it of no significance to continue with it. Octopuses have a very complex nervous system and recent research suggests that they have some of their intelligence inside each arm, which means that each arm can “think” for itself. It also appears that they have a good memory, perhaps similar to a cat’s.

Perhaps the most striking thing about octopuses is their ability to change their color and body pattern. They do this to camouflage themselves to avoid their enemies and also to communicate with others. They can completely change their appearance in less than a second. It can change its skin to look like rocks, sand or planktron (浮游生物).

Some scientists have even suggested that these different patterns and colors are in fact a very hard language-and that each design is a different verb，adjective or noun. But nobody has been able to work out what they might be saying. There’s a long way to go to get to know the octopus completely.

1.What can we infer about the octopus’ intelligence from Paragraph 2?

A.It does not attract scientists. B.Little has been known about it.

C.It is equal to the cat’s or dog’s. D.Much has been done about it.

2.What can we say about scientists’ study on the octopus in the 1950s?

A.They had to give it up eventually. B.They used computers to help.

C.They found its arms could think. D.They judged it lived like a cat.

3.What does the underlined word “camouflage” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A.Relax. B.Strengthen. C.Hide. D.Express.

4.What does the author think of the octopuses?

A.They are the smartest animals. B.They’re easy to be seen in the sea.

C.It is useful to copy their language. D.It is difficult to understand them.

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.C

4.D

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。一些科学家认为，地球上最聪明的生物之一就是章鱼。到目前为止，人们对章鱼也是知之甚少。

1.推理判断题。第二段谈到：章鱼通常生活在河口和海洋的底部，这些地方对研究人员没有吸引力。它们不是群居动物，因此很难研究它们与其它动物的相互作用。而且章鱼的智力也不容易被人类理解。章鱼看起来像外星人。科学家需要有丰富的想象力才能理解章鱼在想什么！由这些可推知，人们对章鱼的理解很少。故选B。

2.细节理解题。根据第三段“However, their brains were so complex that the scientists felt it of no significance to continue with it.”信息可知，科学家发现章鱼的大脑是如此复杂，他们觉得继续研究下去是没有用的。由此可知他们最终放弃了研究。故选A。

3.词义猜测题。本句前面谈到：章鱼最惊人的地方在于它们改变颜色和身体形态的能力；由本句后面的“to avoid their enemies（以逃避敌人）”可知，它们这样做是为了伪装自己以躲避敌人。A. Relax放松，休息；B. Strengthen加强，增强；C. Hide隐蔽，躲避；D. Express表达。故选C。

4.细节理解题。最后一段作者谈到 “There’s a long way to go to get to know the octopus completely.（完全了解章鱼还有很长的路要走）”，可知作者认为要了解章鱼不容易。故选D。