Question

    GPS has completely transformed how we get around. But other animals have long had their navigation (导航) systems built right in --- like ants and bees.

“We know their eyes are quite sensitive to polarized light (偏振光), and the sky has a particular pattern of polarized light, connected with the position of the sun.” says Barbara Webb, a bioroboticist at the University of Edinburgh. You can see polarized light firsthand if you take a pair of polarized sunglasses and spin them against the sky --- the light passing through the lenses changes. Webb says the insects have polarization like that built into flat sides of their compound eyes. “You can think of it as the equal of having a little polarization directional filter (滤镜) over them or lots of sunglasses pointed in different directions.”

But Webb was curious about whether there's really enough information in the sky to give insects an accurate sense of direction. So her team built a sensor modeled after a desert ant eye and put it under artificial light meant to simulate the sky. They then fed that sensor input into a model meant to copy the brains of desert ants and other insects with a sky compass. And they found that with the insects' natural sensing and processing equipment, they can likely sense compass direction down to just a couple degrees of error.

A system based on that of insects could someday be a cheap, low-energy alternative to GPS. “Insects have very tiny brains, a brain that's using hardly any energy. And yet they're still able to navigate better than we can with GPS, which is a huge system.” Webb is now working on building a robot that can, like the desert ant, use light to get its direction. Although after sundown, it may have to ask for directions.

1.What make(s) it possible for ants and bees to sense the direction?

A.Flat eyes. B.Polarization.

C.A directional filter. D.Polarized sunglasses.

2.Why did Webb and her team build a sensor?

A.To copy the brains of desert ants.

B.To model after the desert ant eye.

C.To satisfy their desire for answers.

D.To test an accurate sense of direction.

3.What is the future navigation system supposed to do?

A.To save energy. B.To be a substitute for GPS.

C.To guide the blind. D.To help GPS work better.

4.What is the main purpose of the passage?

A.To introduce an invention.

B.To praise a scientific achievement.

C.To present new scientific findings.

D.To encourage people to learn science.

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.B

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章通过对像蚂蚁、蜜蜂等昆虫的准确的方向感的研究，提到了基于此项内容进行的一项新的研究结果：昆虫内置的感知和处理设备，使得昆虫的方向感的误差很小，而天空就是它们的指南针。

1.

细节理解题。结合文章第一段Webb says the insects have polarization like that built into flat sides of their compound eyes. “You can think of it as the equal of having a little polarization directional filter (滤镜) over them or lots of sunglasses pointed in different directions.Webb says the insects have polarization like that built into flat sides of their compound eyes.” 如果你拿起一副偏振光太阳镜，将其对着天空旋转，你可以亲眼看到偏振光——穿过镜片的光线会发生变化。韦伯表示，这些昆虫复眼的小平面内就有偏振现象。据此，可以得出，蚂蚁、蜜蜂等昆虫感知方向的可能是靠偏振来定方向的。故选B项。

2.

细节理解题。根据题干关键词可以定位到文章第二段第二句So her team built a sensor modeled after a desert ant eye and put it under artificial light meant to simulate the sky. 所以她的团队模仿沙漠蚂蚁的眼睛制作了一个传感器，并把它放在模拟天空的人造光下。结合前一句But Webb was curious about whether there's really enough information in the sky to give insects an accurate sense of direction. 但是韦伯很好奇，天空中是否真的有足够的信息，来给昆虫准确的方向感。可知，为了来满足他们对答案的渴望。韦伯和他的团队制作了传感器。故选C项。

3.

细节理解题。结合最后一段第一句A system based on that of insects could someday be a cheap, low-energy alternative to GPS. 基于昆虫这种原理而建立的系统，有一天可能成为GPS廉价且低能耗的替代品。可知，将来的导航系统将取代GPS。故选B项。

4.

推理判断题。结合全文来看，文章通过对像蚂蚁、蜜蜂等昆虫的准确的方向感的研究，提到了基于此项内容进行的一项新的研究结果：昆虫内置的感知和处理设备，使得昆虫的方向感的误差很小，而天空就是它们的指南针。由此判断出短文的目的是展示新的科学发现。故选C项。