Question

【题目】 Smarter than We Thought

It's a popular belief that fish can't remember anything for longer than seven seconds.

It may seem sad to think that they don't remember what they've eaten or where they've been, and they don't recognize you or any of their friends—every moment in their lives would be like seeing the world for the first time.

But don't be so quick to feel sorry for them. A recent study has found that fish have much better memories than we used to think. In fact, certain kinds of fish can even remember events from as long as 12 days ago, BBC reported.

In the study, researchers from MacEwan University in Canada trained a kind of fish called African cichlids to go to a certain area of their tank to get food. They then waited for 12 days before putting them back in the tank again.

Researchers used computer software (软件) to monitor the fish's movements. They found that after such a long break the fish still went to the same place where they first got food. This suggested that they could remember their past experiences.

In fact, scientists had been thinking for a long time that African cichlids might have a good memory.

An earlier study showed that they behaved aggressively (攻击性地) in front of certain fish, perhaps because they remembered their past fights. But until the latest findings, there was no clear evidence (证据).

Just as a good memory can make our lives easier, it also plays an important part when a fish is trying to live in the wild.

"If fish are able to remember that a certain area has safe food, they will be able to go back to that area without putting their lives in danger," lead researcher Trevor Hamilton told Live Science.

For a long time, fish were placed far below chimpanzees (黑猩猩), dolphins and mice on the list of smart animals. But this study has given scientists a new understanding of their intelligence（智力).

So next time you are watching your pet fish from outside the tank, perhaps you should feel closer to them—they may remember who you are.

【1】What is a popular belief about fish?

A.Fish can remember things for a very short time.

B.Fish can only remember part of their experiences.

C.Fish can remember things that happened 12 days ago.

D.Fish can remember things for longer than three minutes.

【2】According to the passage, fish can ________with a good memory.

A.know where to escape and keep safe

B.find their enemies and fight with them

C.remember where to get food and stay alive

D.recognize their friends and help each other

【3】What can we learn from the passage?

A.Our pet fish can surely remember who we are.

B.Fish are as clever as chimpanzees, dolphins and mice.

C.Clear evidence has shown certain fish can remember their past fights.

D.African cichlids can even remember events from as long as 12 days ago.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】A

【2】C

【3】D

【解析】

以前人们都认为鱼类的记忆只能保持7秒钟，但是实验表明其实它们可以有长达12天的记忆，要比以前人们想的更聪明。

【1】

细节理解题。根据上文It's a popular belief that fish can't remember anything for longer than seven seconds. 这是一种流行的信念，鱼类的记忆不会超过7秒。可知鱼的记忆时间很短，故选A。

【2】

细节理解题。根据上文They found that after such a long break the fish still went to the same place where they first got food. This suggested that they could remember their past experiences. 他们发现，经过这么长时间的间隔，鱼还能回到第一次得到食物的地方，这表明他们可以记住他们过去的经历，可知他们知道在哪里能得到食物，从而得以生存，故选C。

【3】

推理判断题。根据上文In the study, researchers …trained a kind of fish called African cichlids to go to a certain area of their tank to get food. They then waited for 12 days before putting them back in the tank again. …They found that after such a long break the fish still went to the same place where they first got food. 来自加拿大麦科文大学的研究人员对一种名为非洲丽鱼科鱼的鱼类进行训练，令其游到鱼缸的特定区域获取食物。12天后，他们再次将这些鱼放到了这个鱼缸里。研究人员使用了电脑软件来监视鱼的活动。他们发现，在经过了这么长的一段时间后，这种鱼依然会游到它们第一次获得食物的地方。这表明非洲丽鱼科鱼甚至可以记住12天前的事件。故选D。