Question

    Dolphins are universally regarded as some of the cleverest creatures in the world. In captivity ( 圈养), they can be trained to complete complex tasks such as jumping through hoops and somersaulting through the air.

But their intelligence doesn’t stop there. In a recent study of cetaceans (鲸目动物)--a group of animals that includes dolphins and whales--researchers created a list of intelligent behaviors observed in 90 different cetacean species, reported the Guardian. For example, the smartest cetaceans hunt in groups, share knowledge through mimicry (模仿) and even care for each other's children. Some even consider their behavior to be human-like.

“There is the saying that ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ seems to be true for both whales and humans,”

Michael Muthukrishna of the London School of Economics, co-author of the study, told the Guardian.

However, cetaceans don’t just use their brain power for survival. The study suggests that dolphins might even gossip. That's because some species greet each other with specific whistles, just as humans greet each other by name, the Guardian reported. Sometimes, a group of dolphins whistles the “name” of a dolphin that isn't there. Could they be speaking about their “friend” behind its back?

For the researchers, dolphin small talk is a big deal. As they found that the most social cetaceans also have the largest brains, they argue that cetacean intelligence developed to meet the demands of complex social groups.

Known as the “cultural brain hypothesis (假设),” it had only been used to explain the intelligence of humans and other primates (灵长目动物). The new study aimed to find a common pathway for the evolution of intelligence among biologically different species.

“It is interesting to think that whale and human brains are different in their structure but have brought us to the same patterns in behavior, ” Luke Rendell, a biologist at the University of St Andrews, told the Guardian.

Indeed, we still have a lot to learn about our intelligent ocean-dwelling neighbors. “We don’ t have to look at other planets to look for aliens,” Muthukrishna told the Guardian, “because we know that underwater there are these amazing species with so many parallels to us in their complex behaviors.”

1.The recent study was intended to ______.

A.learn more about intelligent creatures of the sea

B.explain the intelligence of humans and cetaceans

C.create a list of intelligent behaviors of different cetacean species

D.see whether the intelligence of different species evolved in the same way

2.The implied  meaning of the underlined part in Paragraph 3 is that ______.

A.villagers have the responsibility  to raise any child in the village

B.like human beings, whales even help raise each other’s babies

C.cetaceans have social behaviors very similar to human beings

D.it is not easy for one villager to take care of his or her own child

3.It can be inferred from the passage that ______.

A.it is unnecessary to look for aliens and do research into them

B.some cetaceans have the same intelligence as human beings

C.both dolphins and whales greet each other with specific whistles

D.both dolphins and whales have a lot in common with humans in behaviors

4.What is the best title for this passage?

A.Aliens living underwater B.A study of intelligent dolphins

C.Intelligent creatures of the sea D.Reasons for the intelligence of sea creatures

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.D

4.C

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。主要介绍了研究者发现在海洋下面生活着类人智商的群居动物，如海豚和鲸，它们的大脑为我们研究智力的进化提供了参考。

1.

细节理解题。根据倒数第三段中“The new study aimed to find a common pathway for the evolution of intelligence among biologically different species.”这项新的研究旨在寻找生物不同物种之间智力进化的共同方式。可知这项研究的目的是为了发现不同物种的智力是否以相同的方式进化。故选D项。

2.

词义猜测题。根据第二段中“the smartest cetaceans hunt in groups, share knowledge through mimicry (模仿) and even care for each other's children.”最聪明的鲸类动物成群结队地狩猎，通过模仿来分享知识，甚至照顾彼此的孩子。并结合第三段“There is the saying that it takes a village to raise a child seems to be true for both whales and humans” 俗话说“养一个孩子需要一个村庄”对鲸鱼和人类都是如此。可知划线处意在表明像人类一样，鲸鱼甚至帮助抚养彼此的婴儿。故选B项。

3.

推理判断题。根据第二段中“For example, the smartest cetaceans hunt in groups, share knowledge through mimicry (模仿) and even care for each other's children. Some even consider their behavior to be human-like.” 最聪明的鲸类动物成群结队地狩猎，通过模仿来分享知识，甚至照顾彼此的孩子。有些行为甚至被认为是和人类很相似。结合倒数第二段中“It is interesting to think that whale and human brains are different in their structure but have brought us to the same patterns in behavior”有趣的是，鲸鱼和人脑的结构不同，但却使我们的行为模式相同。可知海豚和鲸鱼与人类在行为上有很多共同点。故选D项。

4.

主旨大意题。根据最后一段中“we still have a lot to learn about our intelligent ocean-dwelling neighbors.” 关于我们聪明的海洋生物邻居，我们还有很多要学习的知识。并结合最后一句“we know that underwater there are these amazing species with so many parallels to us in their complex behaviors.” 我们知道，水下有这些神奇的物种，它们的复杂行为与我们有许多相似之处。结合全文理解，可知全文介绍了研究者发现在海洋下面生活着类人智商的群居动物，如海豚和鲸，它们的大脑为我们研究智力的进化提供了参考。C项Intelligent creatures of the sea“海洋中的智慧生物”切合文意。故选C项