閱讀理解 訓(xùn)練題-2023屆高考英語一輪復(fù)習(xí)

閱讀理解訓(xùn)練題1.

Everytwoweeks,thetimeperiodafterwhichmanypeoplecollectapaycheck,alanguagedies.

SoconcerningisthepotentialforlanguagelossthattheNationalScienceFoundationlaunchedtheDocumentingEndangeredLanguagesprogramtoadvanceknowledgerelatedtoendangeredhumanlanguages.Thelaunchoftheprogramisevenmoreurgentgiventhefactthatabouthalfofallcurrentlanguagesbeingusedintheworldhavebeenclassifiedinvaryingdegreesofendangerment.

AttheUniversityofArizona,whichisanimportantsiteforlanguagepreservation,anumberofresearchersareinvolvedinactivitiesmeanttodocumentendangeredandlostlanguages.Othersareworkingtohelppreservelanguagesclassifiedas"moribund",meaningthatnochildrenarelearningtheirnativelanguagesastheirfirstlanguagesintheirownhomes.

AnumberofUAprograms—someofthemdecadesold—arededicatedtolanguagepreservation.Mostrecently,ChristianRuvalcaba,agraduatestudent,launched"TheLanguageCapitalProject"andcreatedmapsforcorrespondingwebsitetohelpnon-nationallanguagespeakerstofindandconnectwithoneanother.

"Languagesallowpeopletocreateanidentityforthemselvesandascommunitymembers,"saidElizabethKickham,avisitingprofessorintheUADepartmentofLinguistics."Languageissocloselytiedtoculture:itnotonlyreflectsculturalpractices,itisalsoinfluencedbythem.Languageandcultureinfluenceeachother,soit'sdifficulttoseparatethem.Youcan,butyouwilllosesomethingwhenyoudo."

"OneoftheadvantagesofstudyingattheUniversityofArizonaisthewealthoflinguisticdiversitytobefoundamongthestudentpopulation,"saidKickham,whoinvolvedherstudentsinlanguagepreservationtrainingthissemester.

"Exposuretodiversepopulations,includinglanguages,enablesaricherunderstandingofthehumanexperience,"Kickhamsaid."Languagesarebeautiful.Whenpeoplehearsomeonespeakingalanguagetheyneedn'tfeelthatthepersondoesn'tknowhowtospeakEnglishbutratherthatpersonhasawealthofresources."1.WhydidtheNationalScienceFoundationlaunchtheprogram?

A.Tobringbacklostlanguages.

B.Todevelopendangeredlanguages.

C.Toincreaseunderstandingofendangeredlanguages.

D.Toinvestigatethenumberofendangeredlanguages.

2.WhatdothemapscreatedbyRuvalcabainformpeopleabout?

A.Wherethereisawebsiteforlostlanguages.

B.Wherenon-nationallanguagespeakerslive.

C.Wheretheycanlearnthenationallanguage.

D.Wheretheycancommunicateintheirnativelanguage.

3.WhatdidKickhamwanttopointoutaccordingtowhatshesaid?

A.Theinfluenceofculturalpractices. B.Theimportanceofdiverselanguages.

C.Aneedforlanguagepreservationtraining. D.Abetterunderstandingofdifferentcultures.

4.Whatisthebesttitleforthetext?

A.LanguageLossCallsforPreservation B.LanguageReflectsHumanSelf-identity

C.PreservingNon-nationalLanguage D.IdentifyingtheCausesofLanguageLoss2.

AnewstudypublishedinthejournalNatureCommunicationshasconcludedthata100percentchangetoorganic(有機的)foodproductioninEnglandandWaleswouldactuallyleadtoagreatincreaseingreenhousegasemissions.Inturn,thiswouldcontributetofurtherclimatechange.

Althoughorganicfarmingdirectlypoursoutfeweremissionsthanconventionalfarming—around20percentlowerforcropsand4percentforfarmanimals—itproducesnotablylessfood.Astothisstudy'sfindings,totalorganicagricultureinEnglandandWaleswouldproduce40percentlessfood.Withlessfoodinthemarket,thecountrieswouldneedtoincreasefoodimports,whichwouldproducemoreglobalgreenhousegasemissions.

Organicfarmingalsoincreasestheamountofabsorbingcarbon,aprocesswherecarbondioxide(CO2)is"absorbed"outoftheatmosphereandcapturedbyplantsandstoredinthesoil.However,evenatotalchangetoorganicfarmingwouldonlybeequaltoatinypartofthehigheremissionsfromoverseaslanduse.

"Wepredictadropintotalfoodproductionof40percentunderafullyorganicfarmingprocess,comparedtoconventionalfarming,ifwekeeptothesamenationaldiet,"Dr.AdrianWilliams,leadauthorandreaderinAgni-EnvironmentalSystemsatCranfieldUniversity,saidinastatement."Thisresultsfromlowercropquantity,becauseoutputislimitedbyalowersupplyofnitrogen,whichismainlyfromothercropsorsolidwastefromcattleonthegrassland."

Nevertheless,itisimportanttonotethatorganicfarmingstillholdssomeusefulbenefitsfortheenvironment,suchasreducingexposuretochemicalsandimprovingthevarietiesofcreatures.Inconclusion,thestudysuggeststhatorganicfarmingwillcontinuetoplayakeyroleinresolvingtheworld'senvironmentalproblems.However,it'sjustonepartofamuchwidersolution.1.WhatwilltotalorganicagriculturebringtoEngland?

A.Moremainfood. B.Morespeciescrop.

C.Morefoodimports. D.Morefreshoxygen.

2.Howdoesorganicfarmingincreasetheamountofabsorbingcarbon?

A.BytakinginCO2. B.BychangingCO2.

C.BygivingoffCO2. D.ByproducingCO2.

3.Whatisthelastparagraphmainlyabout?

A.Thewaystoreduceorganicfarming. B.Theresultscausedbyorganicfarming.

C.Thesolutiontotheenvironmentproblems. D.Theadvantagesoforganicfarming.

4.Whichofthefollowingisthebesttitleofthetext?

A.OrganicFarming,GreenFood B.OrganicFarming,OurHopeinFuture

C.OrganicFarming,aMistakeWeMade D.OrganicFarming,aDouble-edgedSword3.

Humansocietiesdevelopedfoodpreferencesbasedonwhatwasavailableandwhatthegroupdecideditlikedmost.Thosepreferenceswerethenpassedalongassociallylearnedbehaviors,values,knowledgeandcustomsthatmakeupculture.Besideshumans,manyothersocialanimalsarebelievedtoexhibitformsofcultureinvariousways,too.

Infact,accordingtoanewstudyledbyHarvardscientistLiranSamuni,bonobos(倭黑猩猩),oneofourclosestlivingrelatives,couldbethelatestadditiontothelist.

TheresearchersstudiedthehuntingandfeedinghabitsoftwoneighboringgroupsofbonobosintheDemocraticRepublicofCongo.Analyzingthedata,theysawmanysimilaritiesinthelivesofthetwobonobogroups—theEkalakalaandtheKokoalongo.Theyalsobothhavetheaccessandopportunitytohuntthesamekindofprey(獵物).This,however,ispreciselywhereresearchersnoticedastrikingdifference.

Thegroupsconsistentlypreferredtohuntandfeastontwodifferenttypesofprey.TheEkalakalagroupwentafterananomalure(鱗尾松鼠).TheKokoalongogroupontheotherhand,favoredaduiker(小羚羊).

"It'sbasicallyliketwohumanculturesexploitingacommonresourceindifferentways,"saysSamuni."Thinkabouttwocultureslivingclosetoeachotherbuthavingdifferentpreferences:onepreferschickenwhiletheotherismoreofabeef-eatingculture."

Usingstatisticalmodeling,theresearchersfoundthattheonlyvariablethatcouldreliablypredictpreypreferencewaswhetherthehunterswereteamEkalakalaorteamKokoalongo.

Theresearchershaven'tyetinvestigatedhowthebonobogroupslearnedthishuntingpreference,butthroughtheiranalysistheywereabletoruleoutecologicalfactorsorgeneticdifferences.Basically,itmeansallevidencepointstowardthisbeingalearnedsocialbehavior.

"Ifourclosestlivingrelativeshavesomeculturaltraits(特征),thenit'slikelyourancestorsalreadyhadsomecapacityforculture,"Samunisays.1.WhatdoParagraphs3and4mainlytalkabout?

A.Thebackgroundofthestudy. B.Theprocessofthestudy.

C.Thefindingsofthestudy. D.Thechallengesofdoingthestudy.

2.HowdoesSamunilikethetwobonobogroups'differenthuntingpreferences?

A.Theyareanunusualphenomenon. B.Theyarealearnedsocialbehavior.

C.Theycontradicthumancultures. D.Theyshowbonobos'highintelligence.

3.Whichofthefollowingcouldinfluencethebonobos'preypreference?

A.Thetimingofhunting. B.Theirhuntingtechniques.

C.Thecommunitiestheybelongto. D.Theirsurroundingenvironment.

4.Whatmightthefindingsofthebonobos'huntingpreferenceindicate?

A.Whenhumansocietywasborn. B.Howhumansocietydeveloped.

C.Whathelpedhumanculturechange. D.Howhumanculturefirstappeared.4.

"Wecan'tplaytennisbecauseyoudon'thavethenet."IwasstandingonasuburbanstreetwhenEric,theboynextdoor,saidthattome.Tworacketsinhand,Ifeltmyfaceburningandangerspreadthroughmy10-year-oldbody.

"Idon'thavethenet?Youdon'thavethenet.Yourfatherandmotherdon'thavethenet,"Iyelled,firingathimwithwhatIthoughtwasahurt.IjusthadtomakehimunderstandthatIhadplentyofnet.Ericwasspeechless.Headmittedthatindeed,heandhisfamilyhadneitheratenniscourtnorthenet,butheseemedunabletomakesenseofmyreactiontothisshortcoming.

AsanewarrivaltotheUnitedStates,armedwithlimitedEnglishwords,Ihadthoughtthat"net"meant"manners".Ericdidn'twanttoplaywithmebecauseIlackedgoodmanners.ItwasonlyafterIstormedhomethatmybrother,whohadbeeninAmericaforadecade,explainedwhereIhadgonewrong.

Languagebarriersarethemostcommoncommunicationbarriers.Evenwhenwespeakthesamelanguage,understandingandbeingunderstoodcanbedifficult,nottomentioncommunicatinginaforeignlanguage.Andconfusionandamusementfollows—aphenomenonthatiscommoninsitcom.Forexample,ina1970sBritishsitcom,aforeignstudentsays"squeezeme",insteadof"excuseme",tohisyoungprincipal.

That'sthethingwithlanguages.Thoughthelanguagesaretechnicallythesame,themeanings,implicationsandinterpretationsofwordsaredifferent.Notwopeoplereallyspeakthesameone.Butinordertobeunderstood,weshouldbewillingtousemorewordsandexpressionsandhavethepatiencetofindoutmoreaboutwhatishappeningtogetawholepictureofthesituation.1.Whywastheauthorangry?

A.Ericrefusedtolendhimabat. B.HethoughtEricwasrudetohim.

C.EriclaughedathislimitedEnglish. D.Hehadtoplaytenniswithoutthenet.

2.WhatmadetheauthorfailtounderstandEricproperly?

A.Hisbadmanners. B.Hispoorbackground.

C.Hislimitedvocabulary. D.Hisviolentcharacter.

3.Whichofthefollowingcanreplacetheunderlinedword"stormed"inParagraph3?

A.Wentangrily. B.Lefthurriedly.

C.Attackedsuddenly. D.Disappearedcompletely.

4.Whatdoestheauthorthinkoflanguagebarriers?

A.Theyareworsenedbysitcoms.

B.Theycontributetoculturaldifferences.

C.Theycanbeovercomebysendingandreceivingideas.

D.Theyexistevenbetweenspeakersofthesamelanguage.5.

Thereismorethatcomeswitholderagethangrayinghairandwrinkledskin.Whenhumansreachtheirlateryears,theyfavormoreestablishedfriendsandtheirsocialcircleisreduced.

Now,forwhatappearstobethefirsttime,scientistshaveseenthesamebehaviorinanotherspecies.Twentyyearsofobservationsofchimpanzeesrevealthatoldermaleschoosetohangoutwiththeirlong-termfriendsattheexpenseofotherrelationships.

Theresearchersstudied78,000hoursofobservationsmadebetween1996and2016thatfollowedthesocialinteractionsof21malechimpanzeesbetweentheagesof15and58yearsold.Theyclassifiedthechimps'relationshipsdependingontheamountoftimetheysatwithothersandgroomedthem.Theythenratedthevariouspairingsasmutualfriendships,wherebothchimpsseemedtoenjoytherelationship;one-sidedfriendships,whereonechimpwasmorekeentobefriendsthantheother;andnon-friendships,whereneitherchimpshowedinterestintheother.

Whenthescientistslookedatthepatternsoffriendships,theyfoundthattheolderchimpshadmoremutualfriendshipsandfewerone-sidedfriendshipsthanyoungerchimps.Anotherfeatureseeninolderhumanswasalsospottedinthechimps.Asthemalesgotolder,theirlevelsofaggressiontailedoff,meaningtheystartedfewerfightsandtendedtointimidateothersintheirgrouplessoften.

Theobservationshavelefttheresearcherspuzzled.Accordingtoanideainpsychologyknownassocio-emotionalselectivitytheory,orSST,olderhumansprefermorepositiverelationshipsbecausetheyareawarethattimeisrunningout.Butmanyanimalexpertsarguethatchimpanzeeslackthehumansenseofmortality(生命的有限性),suggestingsomethingelseisdrivingthebehavior.

RobinDunbar,aprofessorofevolutionarypsychologyattheUniversityofOxford,said,"inhumans,thedeclineinsocialcircleswithageisduetodecliningsocialmotivationtogetoutandmeetpeoplecombinedbylackofopportunity.""Inchimpanzees,asoldermalescompetelessformates,theymayfocusonclose,reciprocal(互惠的)relationshipswithtrustedpartners,"anotherprofessorsaid.1.Whatdooldermalechimpanzeesfavor?

A.Oldfriendships. B.Newbonds.

C.Wrinkledskin. D.Grayinghair.

2.Howdidtheresearchersdrawtheirconclusionaboutchimpanzees?

A.Byturningtootherscientists. B.Byintroducinganewconcept.

C.Byformingrelationshipswiththem. D.Byanalyzingtwodecades'observations.

3.Whatdoestheunderlinedword"intimidate"inParagraph4mean?

A.Threaten. B.Motivate. C.Defend. D.Accompany.

4.Accordingtothelastparagraph,whataccountsfordecliningsocialcirclesinchimpanzees?

A.Awarenessoftime. B.Lesscompetitionformates.C.Lowmotivationforsocialization. D.Lackofthehumansenseofmortality.6.

Asthma(哮喘)attackshappenwhenpeopleareallergictosomethingintheair.Whenattackshappen,theairwaysintheirlungstightenandmakeithardtobreathe.Moretroublesome,peopledonotknowwhenanattackwillhappen.Butnow,smartphonescanhelpstopattacks.

PropellerHealthisacompanyinWisconsin.Itwantstohelpthosewithbreathingproblemsbyusingtechnologyalongwithmedicine.Thecompanyfittedaninhaler(吸入器)withaBluetoothsensor,whichconnectstoasmartphoneapp.Theinhalerisfullofmedicinethatstopsanasthmaattackwhenbreathedin.Whenthepatientusestheinhaler,thesmartphonerecordswhenandwherethepersonhasanattack.Theappthenstorestherecordsfordoctors.Theappnotonlytellsdoctorsabouttheattackbutalsohelpsthemfigureoutifthereissomethinghappeningaroundthepatientthatmakestheasthmaworse.ChrisHogg,amanageratPropellerHealth,sayscollectinginformationfromtheinhalerisimportant.TechnologylikeBluetoothsensorsisthefutureofhealthcare.Theywillhelpdoctorstodecidewhattopayattentiontowhentreatingpatients.

Smartinhalersarepartofanewdirectioninmedicaltechnologyknownas"connectedhealth".Fewerthanhalfofasthmapatientstaketheirmedicinecorrectly,saidLineNeuhauser,aprofessorstudyingasthmatreatments.ShesaidthePropellerBluetoothsensortellspeopleiftheyhavetakentheirmedicinecorrectly,whichhelpstopreventattacksandhospitalization.

Anotherbenefitofthesensoristhatthecompanycancollectinformationfrommanypeople.Then,theycanseeifcertainareassetofmoreasthmaattacksthanothers."Whenwehavealotofusersinthesameregion,wecandoalottohelpthem,"Hoggsaid.

OneofPropeller'sbiggesttestsoftheirsystemwasinLouisville,Kentuck.Theygave140peopletheBluetoothsensorswithinhalers.Thestudyfoundthatbeingclosetorailroadsorfactorieswasthemaincauseofasthma.Theyalsofoundthatpublicareas,suchasschoolsandchurches,werealsocausingasthmaattacks.Afterthetest,Propellergavetheinformationtothecity,andthecityismakingrulestocleanuptheair.1.Whatistheseriousproblemfacingpeoplewithasthma?

A.Theyhavetostayathome. B.Theymaybeattackedatanytime.

C.Theyfindithardtobreatheusually. D.Theydon'tknowwhattheyareallergicto.

2.WhatdoweknowabouttheBluetoothsensorfromParagraph2?

A.Itgivespatientstimelytreatment.

B.Ittellspatientshowtokeepawayfrompoorenvironments.

C.Ithelpspatientscalltheirdoctorswhentheirasthmaattacked.

D.Ithelpsofferusefulinformationaboutpatientstodoctors.

3.WhyisPropeller'stestmentionedinthelastparagraph?

A.ToshowhowtheBluetoothsensorscanhelp.

B.ToshowthepopularityfortheBluetoothsensors.

C.Toadvisecitiestotakeactiontohandlepollution.

D.Toadvisepeoplewithasthmatokeepawayfrompublicareas.

4.What'sthebesttitleforthetext?

A.TechnologyHelpsPeopleWithAsthma B.HowtoUseBluetoothSensors

C.AsthmaHasBecomeaBigDanger D.HowtoDealWithAsthma7.

Robotsaregettingbetteratdoinghumanjobs.That'sprobablygoodfortheeconomy—buttherearesomeseriousdownsides,too.

Machinesareexpectedtodisplaceabout20millionmanufacturingjobsacrosstheworldoverthenextdecade,accordingtoareportreleasedbyOxfordEconomics,aglobalforecastingandquantitativeanalysisfirm.

Thatmeansabout8.5%oftheglobalmanufacturingworkforcecouldbedisplacedbyrobots.Thereportalsonotesthatthemovetorobotstendstocreatenewjobsasfastasitautomatesthem;however,itcouldcontributetoincomeinequality.Theuseofrobotsisontherise:atthispoint,everynewrobotthatisinstalleddisplaces1.6manufacturingworkersonaverage,accordingtotheOxfordEconomicsmodel.

Robotsarebecomingcheaperthanmanyhumanworkers,inpartbecauseofthefallingcostsofmachines.Andtheyareincreasinglycapableoffunctioninginmorecomplexprocessesandvariedcontexts.Ontopofthat,thedemandformanufacturedgoodsisrising.

Onepotentialdownsizetotherobotrevolution:automationcouldincreaseincomeinequality."Thisgreatdisplacementwillnotbeevenlydistributedaroundtheworld,orwithincountries,"accordingtothereport."Ourresearchshowsthatthenegativeeffectsofrobotizationaredisproportionatelyfeltinthelower-incomeregionscomparedwithhigher-incomeregionsofthesamecountry."

Theworkerswhodriveknowledgeandinnovationwithinthemanufacturingindustrytendtobeconcentratedinlargercities,andthoseskillsarehardertoautomate.That'swhyurbanareaswilldealbetterwiththeincreasedautomation,accordingtothereport.

Onthewhole,theincreaseduseofautomationwilllikelycreatenewjobsatapacecomparabletothejobsthatwillbelost,whichcancelsoutfearsaboutpermanentjobdestruction,accordingtotheOxfordstudy.Thatsaid,thepoorerregionsthatareexpectedtolosethemostjobswillprobablynotbenefitequallyfromthisnewjobcreationduetoagapinskills.Thatwillleadtoincreasedincomeinequalitybetweencitiesandruralareas,aswellasbetweenregions.1.What"downside"doestheauthormainlydiscuss?

A.Peoplewillnotbeabletofindjobsinthefuture.

B.Robotswillfinallytaketheplaceofpeople.

C.Displacementbyrobotswillincreaseincomeinequality.

D.Robotsarebecomingcheaperthanmanyhumanworkers.

2.Whatdotheworkersneedtodotocompetewithrobotsinthefuture?

A.Tomakerobotshelpthemwiththeharderwork.

B.Toimprovetheirinnovativeabilityandknowledge.

C.Tomovetolargercitiesormoredevelopedcountries.

D.Tomaketheirskillsfasterandeasiertobeautomated.

3.Whatisthemainideaofthelastparagraph?

A.Theincreaseduseofautomationwillcreatemorejobs.

B.Peopleneedn'tworryaboutpermanentjobdestruction.

C.Thepoorercountrieswillnotbenefitfromautomation.

D.Theincomegapbetweencitiesandruralregionswillwiden.

4.Whatcanweconcludefromthepassage?

A.Robotsshouldbebannedinthefuturebecauseofthedisadvantages.

B.Robotscandomoreandbetterthanhumansincomplicatedprocesses.

C.Theincreasingneedformanufacturedgoodspartlycontributestorobotization.

D.Thenegativeeffectsofrobotizationwillbeevenlydistributedaroundtheworld.8.

Balancingpreservationofthelandwithourdesiretotravelisachallengeforustravelers.Whenseeingcitiesfaceconstantresourceandwasteproblems,Icouldn'thelpbutthinkabouthowmuchtravelcanaffecttheenvironment.

Backinmyyouth,Iwasanenvironmentalactivist.Butovertheyears,Ileavethelightson.Iflyalot.Idrinkoutofplasticbottles.Ieatalotofmeat.AndIlovefish,especiallytuna.However,recently,I'vebegunthinkingharderabouthowtravelaffectstheenvironmentandhowIaffecttheenvironment.Indoingso,I'vetriedtobealotmoreawareofmyactions.

Idon'tknowifthereisaneasysolutiontothisproblem.Themostenvironmentallyfriendlyactivityisnottotravelatall,butthat'sunrealisticandtooextreme.There'ssomuchmoneyintravelthatIdon'tthinkthegovernmentandregulationcandomuch.Onlywhentheirprofitsarehurtwillhotels,operators,andtheindustryasawholebegintolisten.Instead,it'sallabouttheconsumers.Theonlygoodwayistogetpeopletobemoreenvironmentallyconsciousandmakebetterdecisions.

Consumershavealotofpower.Whydidmarketstartsellingonlysustainablefishandwholemilk?Consumerswantedit.Ithinkifweastravelersbegintodemandmoreenvironmentallyfriendlypracticesandavoidcompanieswithpoorenvironmentalrecords,wecanchangethings.

Now,Irecyclemore.IusefewerplasticbottlesandIshutoffthelights.Mostimportantly,Iuseoperatorsandstayatplacesthatarereducingtheirenvironmentalimpact.

Travelcandestroytheenvironmentbutitdoesn'thaveto.Wehavethepowertomakethingsbetter.Wecandosmallthingsanddemandmoreoftheplaceswestayandvisit.Wecanandshoulddemandmoreofplaces,andofourselves.1.Whydoesthewriterlisthisactionsovertheyears?

A.Toexplainhishobby.

B.Toshowheiswealthy.

C.Totellheisfondoftraveling.

D.Toindicatehehasbecomelessenvironmentallyconscious.

2.What'stherealisticwaytosolvetheproblemaccordingtoParagraph3?

A.Peopledonottravelatall.

B.Thegovernmenttakeseffectivemeasures.

C.Tourismindustryfollowsenvironmentalrules.

D.Consumersbecomemoreenvironmentallyconscious.

3.Whatcanbelearnedfromthelastparagraph?

A.Travelwillsurelydestroytheenvironment.

B.Wecangetalotfromtheplaceswetravel.

C.Fewthingstravelerscandotoprotecttheenvironment.

D.Whattravelersdocanmakeadifferencetotheenvironment.

4.Whichofthefollowingmightbethebesttitleforthetext?

A.MyExperiencesofProtectingtheEnvironment

B.CanWeBalanceTravelandtheEnvironment?

C.IsThereanEasyWaytoSolveEnvironmentalProblems?

D.HowCanWeTravelinanEnvironmentallyFriendlyWay?9.

Theaveragebear,itseems,isgettingeversmarter.First,itturnedoutthatatleastonecanuseacomb.Nowitappearsthatsomecancount,too.

JenniferVonk,fromOaklandUniversity,inMichigan,andMichaelBeran,fromGeorgiaStateUniversity,setthreeAmericanblackbearsthetaskofdistinguishingbetweennumericallylargerandsmallergroupsofdots(點)onacomputerscreen.Inreturnforafoodrewardonebear,Brutus,wouldtouchthemoreheavilydottedpatternwithhisnose.Theothers,BellaandDusty,wouldtouchthescreenwiththeirclaws.

AstheresearchersreportinAnimalBehavior,thebearsdidbestwithpatternswherethecoloreddotsdidnotmoveandwheremoreofthemalsotookupalargercoloredarea.Thiscouldbeexplainedbythebears'distinguishingthedifferentareasofcolorratherthantrulycountingthedots.However,thethreebearsmanagedtopickoutthebiggernumberofdotseveninpairsofpatternswherefewerdotstookupalargerarea.

Movingpatterns,whereeachdotfolloweditsownpatharoundthescreen,weremoreofachallenge.ButBrutus,atleast,wasnotdefeated.Heseemedtobecountingmobiledotsevenwhenthescientiststriedtomisleadhimbymovingthetotalcoloredareaofthedotsatthesametime.

Itisnotentirelysurprisingthatbearsshouldhaveahighdegreeofintelligence.Theyfacealotofchallengeswhentryingtogetfood.Theyare,however,alwaysalone,andsodonothavethecomplexsocialsystemsthatcontributetoanimalsmarts.Perhaps,then,theirmathsskilldevelopedbecausetheycannotcountontheirfriendsforhelp.1.Whattaskdidthescientistssetforthethreebears?

A.Distinguishingdifferentdotpatterns.

B.Figuringoutdifferentcolorsofdots.

C.Puttingthedotsintodifferentlycoloredgroups.

D.Pickingoutthegroupwithalargernumberofdots.

2.Forthebears,thetaskwaseasierwhen_____.

A.thecoloreddotsweremovingslowly B.thedotpatternswereregularinshape

C.thedotsfollowedapathonthescreen D.moredotscoveredalargercoloredarea

3.Whatmayexplainthebears'highdegreeofintelligence?

A.Theylearnskillsfromotheranimals. B.Theyfacelifechallengesontheirown.

C.Theyfeedonadiverserangeoffood. D.Theyhavecomplexsocialnetworks.

4.Whatcanbeasuitabletitleforthetext?

A.BearsTaughttoDistinguishColors B.NewEvidenceofBearIntelligenceFound

C.ThreeBearsLearnedHowtoCount D.TheSmartestAmericanBlackBearBrutus10.

Duringthosebarrenwintermonths,withwindowsoverlookinglong-deadgardens,leaflesstrees,andlawnsthatseemtohaveanashylookaboutthem,nothingcalmstheuneasynervesmorethanthevibrantgreenofplantssurroundingthelivingspacesofone'shome.Peoplebrowsethroughgardenstoresjusttogetasmellofchlorophyll(葉綠素)andtochooseaplantortwotobringspringbackintotheirwinter-graylives.

Nowthereisevenmoreofaneedfor"thegreen",inlightofrecentarticleswarningusofthedangersofchemicalsthatwe,ourselves,introduceintoourhomes.Eachtimewebringclotheshomefromthecleaners,wereleasethosechemicalsintotheclosed-inairofourhomes.Everycleanserreleasesitsownkindoffumes.

Someofthechemicalsareformaldehyde(甲醛),chlorine,benzene,styrene,etc.Readthelabelsonmanyhomeproducts,wheretheingredientsaren'tevenlisted!Duringthewinter,whenthosesamewindowsareshuttight,webreatheinthesechemicals—causingsymptomsmuchlikeallergies.Infact,mostpeopleprobablydismisstheeffectsofthesechemicalssimplyassomeallergyorother.ThetruthisthatweareexperiencingasyndromethatiscalledMultipleChemicalSensitivity.Now,whathasthisgottodowithgreenplants?Everythinghealthy!Researchhasbeenconductedwithtwotypesofplantsthathaveactuallyremovedmuchoftheseharmfulchemicalsfromtheair.

Thetwoplantsthatseemtobethebes