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  3. New research suggests that animals have a much higher level of brainpower than previously thought. If animals do have intelligen

New research suggests that animals have a much higher level of brainpower than previously thought. If animals do have intelligen

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问题     New research suggests that animals have a much higher level of brainpower than previously thought. If animals do have intelligence, how do scientists measure it? Before defining animals’ intelligence, scientists defined what is not intelligence. Instinct is not intelligence. It is a skill programmed into an animal’s brain. Rote(机械记忆)conditioning is also not intelligence. Tricks can be learned by repetition, but no real thinking is involved. Scientists believe that insight(顿悟), the ability to use tools, and communication using human language are all effective measures of the mental ability of animals.
    Scientists define insight as a flash of sudden understanding. When a young gorilla could not reach fruit from a tree, she noticed some boxes scattered about the lawn near the tree. She piled up the boxes, and then climbed on them to reach her reward. The gorilla’s insight allowed her to solve a new problem without trial and error.
    The ability to use tools is also an important sign of intelligence. Crows use sticks to get nuts out of cracks. The crow exhibits intelligence by showing it has learned what a stick can do. Likewise, seals use rocks to crack open shells in order to get at the meat.
    Many animals have learned to communicate using human language. One chimp can recognize and correctly use more than 250 abstract symbols on a keyboard. These symbols represent human words. An amazing parrot can distinguish five objects of two different types. He can understand the difference between the number, color, and kind of object. The ability to classify is a basic thinking skill. He seems to use language to express his needs and emotions. When ill and taken to the animal hospital for his first overnight stay, this parrot turned to go. "Come here!" he cried to a scientist who works with him. "I love you. I’m sorry. Wanna go back?"
    The research on animal intelligence raises important questions. If animals are smarter than once thought, would that change the way humans interact with them? Would humans stop hunting them for sport or survival? Would animals still be used for food, clothing, or medical experimentation? Finding the answer to these tough questions makes a difficult puzzle even for a large-brained, problem-solving species like our own.
Which of the following is an example of animals’ communication through the use of human language?
选项 A、Parrots can imitate sounds.
B、Gorillas scream for help.
C、A crow shouts warnings to other crows.
D、Chimps use symbols that stand for words.
答案D
解析 此题是一道细节判断题，考查考生根据文章中的相关重点细节进行分析判断的能力。问题问下面哪个是动物利用人类语言进行交流的实例。利用查阅式阅读，我们可以从文章的第四段找到相关信息，这部分指出：“许多动物已经学会用人类语言来交流了。一只黑猩猩可以认出并正确使用键盘上超过250个抽象的符号。这些符号代表人类的词语。一只令人吃惊的鹦鹉可以分辨出5个两种不同类型的物体。它可以理解数字、颜色和物体种类的差别。分类的能力是一种基本的思维能力。它似乎能用语言来表达其需要和情感。当它生病被带到动物医院要第一次在那过夜时，这只鹦鹉转身要走。“回来!”它对一个一直与它在一起工作的科学家叫道。“我爱你。对不起。想回去吗?”由此我们可以判断出本题的答案应该是D，黑猩猩利用代表词语的符号。选项A：鹦鹉能模仿不同声音；B：大猩猩尖叫求助；C：一只乌鸦对其他乌鸦发出警报叫声；这三种动物的所为都不是利用人类语言进行交流，因此均为干扰项。
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