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　　2009年考研英語完形填空真題解析

Research on animal intelligence always makes me wonder just how smart humans are. 1 the fruit-fly experiments described in Carl Zimmer’s piece in the Science Times on Tuesday. Fruit flies who were taught to be smarter than the average fruit fly 2 to live shorter lives. This suggests that 3 bulbs burn longer, that there is an 4 in not being too terrifically bright.

Intelligence, it 5 , is a high-priced option. It takes more upkeep, burns more fuel and is slow 6 the starting line because it depends on learning—a 7 process—instead of instinct. Plenty of other species are able to learn, and one of the things they've apparently learned is when to 8 .

Is there an adaptive value to 9 intelligence? That's the question behind this new research. I like it. Instead of casting a wistful glance 10 at all the species we've left in the dust I.Q.-wise, it implicitly asks what the real 11 of our own intelligence might be. This is 12 the mind of every animal I've ever met.

Research on animal intelligence also makes me wonder what experiments animals would 13 on humans if they had the chance. Every cat with an owner, 14 , is running a small cale study in operant conditioning. We believe that 15 animals ran the labs, they would test us to 16 the limits of our patience, our faithfulness, our memory for terrain. They would try to decide what intelligence in humans is really 17 , not merely how much of it there is. 18 , they would hope to study a 19 question: Are humans actually aware of the world they live in? 20 the results are inconclusive.

1. ［A］ Suppose［B］ Consider［C］ Observe［D］ Imagine

2. ［A］ tended［B］ feared［C］ happened［D］ threatened

3. ［A］ thinner［B］ stabler［C］ lighter［D］ dimmer

4. ［A］ tendency［B］ advantage［C］ inclination［D］ priority

5. ［A］ insists on［B］ sums up［C］ turns out［D］ puts forward

6. ［A］ off ［B］ behind［C］ over［D］ along

7. ［A］ incredible［B］ spontaneous［C］inevitable［D］ gradual

8. ［A］ fight［B］ doubt［C］ stop［D］ think

9. ［A］ invisible［B］ limited［C］ indefinite［D］ different

10. ［A］ upward［B］ forward［C］ afterward［D］ backward

11. ［A］ features［B］ influences［C］ results［D］ costs

12. ［A］ outside［B］ on［C］ by［D］ across

13. ［A］ deliver［B］ carry［C］ perform［D］ apply

14. ［A］ by chance［B］ in contrast［C］ as usual［D］ for instance

15. ［A］ if［B］ unless［C］ as［D］ lest

16. ［A］ moderate［B］ overcome［C］ determine［D］ reach

17. ［A］ at［B］ for［C］ after［D］ with

18. ［A］ Above all［B］ After all［C］ However［D］ Otherwise

19. ［A］ fundamental［B］ comprehensive［C］ equivalent［D］ hostile

20. ［A］ By accident［B］ In time［C］ So far［D］ Better still

文章背景

本文是一篇講述動物智能、偏重科技的文章。此文章最先刊登在2008年5月7日的《紐約時報》上，原文的標題是 The Cost of Smarts，翻譯過來是“聰明的代價”。文中通過對“果蠅”的試驗研究得出“聰明是要付出代價”的結論，最后提出引人深思的問題——人類是否真正意識到自己所生存的世界。

文章結構

本文采用了對比的方式展開文章，敘述了人類智慧發展的代價。第一二三段圍繞人類對動物智能的研究對動物以及人類自己造成的影響。文章的最后一段作者展開豐富的聯想，如果動物對人類做實驗的話，它們想從人類身上獲取什么信息呢？