TPO extra2 Passage 2

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TPO36 Passage 2阅读文章和题目

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Cetacean intelligence

?We often hear that whales, dolphins, and porpoises are as intelligent as humans maybe even more so. Are they really that smart? There is no question that cetaceans are among the most intelligent of animals. Dolphins, killer whales, and pilot whales in captivity quickly learn tricks. The military has trained bottlenose dolphins to find bombs and missile heads and to work as underwater spies.

This type of learning, however, is called conditioning.■The animal simply learns that when it performs a particular behavior, it gets a reward, usually a fish. ■Many animals, including rats, birds, and even invertebrates, can be conditioned to perform tricks. ■We certainly don't think of these animals as our mental rivals. ■Unlike most other animals, however, dolphins quickly learn by observations and may spontaneously imitate human activities. One tame dolphin watched a diver cleaning an underwater viewing window, seized a feather in its beak, and began imitating the diver —complete with sound effects! Dolphins have also been seen imitating seals, turtles, and even water-skiers.

?Given the seeming intelligence of cetaceans, people are always tempted to compare them with humans and other animals. Studies on discrimination and problem-solving skills in the

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bottlenose dolphin, for instance, have concluded that its intelligence lies "somewhere between that of a dog and a chimpanzee." Such comparisons are unfair.

It is important to realize that intelligence is a very human concept and that we evaluate it in human terms. After all, not many people would consider themselves stupid because they couldn't locate and identify a fish by its echo. Why should we judge cetaceans by their ability to solve human problems?

? Both humans and cetaceans have large brains with an expanded and distinctively folded surface, the cortex. The cortex is the dominant association center of the brain, where abilities such as memory and sensory perception are centered. Cetaceans have larger brains than ours, but the ratio of brain to body weight is higher in humans.

Again, direct comparisons are misleading. In cetaceans it is mainly the portions of the brain associated with hearing and the processing of sound information that are expanded. The enlarged portions of our brain deal largely with vision and hand-eye coordination. Cetaceans and humans almost certainly perceive the world in very different ways. Their world is largely one of sounds, ours one of sights.

?As in chimpanzees, captive bottlenose dolphins have been taught American Sign Language. These dolphins have learned to communicate with trainers who use sign language to ask simple questions. Dolphins answer back by pushing a "yes" or "no" paddle. They have even been known to give spontaneous responses not taught by the trainers.

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Evidence also indicates that these dolphins can distinguish between commands that differ from each other only by their word order, a truly remarkable achievement. Nevertheless, dolphins do not seem to have a real language like ours. Unlike humans, dolphins probably cannot convey very complex messages.

?Observations of cetaceans in the wild have provided some insights on their learning abilities. Several bottlenose dolphins off western Australia, for instance, have been observed carrying large cone-shaped sponges over their beaks. They supposedly use the sponges for protection against stingrays and other hazards on the bottom as they search for fish to eat. This is the first record of the use of tools among wild cetaceans.

?Instead of "intelligence," some people prefer to speak of "awareness." In any case, cetaceans probably have a very different awareness and perception of their environment than do humans. Maybe one day we will come to understand cetaceans on their terms instead of ours, and perhaps we will discover a mental sophistication rivaling our own.

1.The author asks the question "Are they really that smart?" for which of the following reasons?

O To question the notion that humans are the most intelligent of animals.

O To introduce the discussion of intelligence that follows.

O To explain why dolphins, killer whales, and pilot whales can learn tricks.

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O To emphasize the ways that dolphins can help the military.

2. According to the passage, which of the following animals is most likely to learn by watching another animal perform an activity?( Paragraph 2)

O Rats.

O Birds.

O Invertebrates.

O Dolphins.

3. The word "tempted" in the passage is closest in meaning to

O conditioned.

O reluctant.

O inclined.

O invited.

4. According to the passage, why are the studies that conclude that dolphin intelligence is "'somewhere between that of a dog and a chimpanzee'" not correct?

0 The human method of drawing comparisons is not relevant to animal intelligence. 0 Dolphins have actually been shown to be much more intelligent than chimpanzees. 0 The studies were not conducted according to standard research methods.

0 Dolphins do not typically demonstrate conditioned responses for humans to observe.

5. The word "dominant" in the passage is closest in meaning to

O local.

O natural.

O chief.

O specific.

6. The word "spontaneous" in the passage is closest in meaning to

O sophisticated

O sensible

O appropriate

O unprompted

7. The word "insights" in the passage is closest in meaning to

O examples

O understanding

O directions

O discussion

8. Scientific observations show that cetaceans are able to do all of the following EXCEPT (Paragraph 7)

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地址：北京市海淀区海淀北二街8号 中关村SOHO A 区 2层

O use natural objects as tools for self-protection

O produce complex sounds through their blowholes

O answer spoken questions

O distinguish between very similar spoken sentences

9. The word "hazards" in the passage is closest in meaning to

O objects

O dangers

O species

O debris

10. What does the author conclude about the intelligence of cetaceans?( Paragraph 8) O It is not appropriate to judge cetacean intelligence in human terms.

O Cetaceans probably possess a mental sophistication that is as complex as that of humans.

O Although cetaceans may appear to be intelligent, they have fewer problem-solving skills than most animals.

O Their ability to learn American Sign Language indicates that cetaceans have a high level of intelligence.

11. Look at the four squares ■ that indicate where the following sentence can be added to

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the passage. Where would the sentence best fit? Click on a square [■] to insert the sentence in the passage This reward is merely one possible type of positive reinforcement that leads to more frequent repetition of the behavior in the future.

12. Directions: Select the appropriate phrases from the answer choices below and match them to the type of animal to which they relate. ONE of the answer choices will NOT be used. Write your answer choices in the spaces where they belong.

Humans(选两个)

Cetaceans(选两个)

BOTH Humans and Cetaceans(选两个)

Answer Choices(选两个)

A. The ability to converse unaided with other species

B. A brain with a cortex

C. A set of vocal cords

D. The ability to use tools

E. The ability to locate objects by using echo

F. An enlarged portion of the brain for processing sound

G. An enlarged portion of the brain for processing vision

H. The ability to learn by observation

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