Gorillas are born with an international sign language of gestures that they use to communicate，says a new study from the University of St Andrews in Scotland.
From beating their chests to putting objects on their heads，shaking their arms，and even bouncing on all fours，the animals use more than 100 gestures to communicate with each other
Professor Richard Byrne，a psychiatrist involved in the research，says it was hard to figure out the meanings of the gestures.
“We don't really know what the animals are thinking. Often the gestures have more than one meaning，depending on the context，”says Byrne.
The study showed that the gorillas did not learn the ges??tures from each other，as had been expected，but performed them instinctively (本能地).
“Everyone had assumed different groups of gorillas would learn different gestures，”he says. “But that's not what we found. The more sites we went to ,the more we saw the same gestures being used. They seem to be naturally equipped with a pretty complex system of communication.”
The study also found that gestures were performed with close attention to the potential audience，so that silent sig??nals，for example， were only given when other apes could see them. Other gestures，such as the "disco arm shake" were only ever seen directed towards humans.
Byrne believes that the findings may explain how the human language developed.
“There has always been speculation（猜测）that the origins of the human language might lie in gestures，”he says.
“Many researchers have therefore studied the gestural communication of the great apes for clues to the evolution??ary origins of human gestures，”he adds.
Several studies have shown that great apes are capable of imitating gestures. However，the scientists found that what appeared to be copies of human actions were actually gestures the apes were already able to make themselves. They're “reusing” gestures from their own repertoire，not learning new ones.
64.According to the passage，Richard Byrne's research has found .
A. different groups of gorillas would learn different gestures
B. gorillas know the sign language from birth
C. how gorillas learn from each other
D. gorillas develop a variety of languages when growing up
65.Why can't the researchers really know the meanings of gorilla gestures?
A. Because gorillas possess the ability of making many kinds of gestures.
B. Because they haven't made deep research into the animal.
C. Because a gorilla gesture may have different meanings.
D. Because gorillas can't exactly express their thoughts.
66.If a gorilla wants to make a silent gesture towards another gorilla，he .
A. needs to know how many other gorillas are watching him
B. needs to make noise first in order to draw attention
C. will first make sure his gesture can be seen
D. will first consider whether he can carry out his gesture
67.According to the passage，many scientists study the sign language of great apes in order to .
A. find the origins of the human language
B. find ways for people to communicate with apes
C. learn how animals communicate
D. discover the meanings of animal gestures
阅读快车系列答案科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：
Scientists photographed for the first time ever _____ wild gorillas used a stick to test the depth of a pool before getting into it, according to a recent study.
A. which B. what C. that D. when
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科目：高中英语 来源：山东省潍坊市2010届高三下学期第二次模拟考试英语试卷 题型：完型填空
第二节完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）
阅读下面短文、掌握其大意，然后从36～55各题所给的四个选项(A、 B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项、并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
The poachers-illegal hunters-had finally found a buyer for their stolen goods．A meeting was 3 6 ,and when the buyer asked to see the goods, they brought out a small duffel bag and un-zippedh．Inside was a 37 one-year-old baby gorilla．The poachers had likely killed the little female's parents and 3 8 her in the forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Africa．Then they took her across the border into Rwanda, 39 to sell her as a pet．
But the buyer didn't bring 40 ;he brought the police．The Rwandan authorities 41 the young gorilla to the nearby headquarters of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project．The vets（兽医）there realized that she had not been given 42 food or water, but they were much more worried about something else．"Baby gorillas simply don't 43 without their mother's constant body contact," says vet Chris Whittier．If they didn't quickly establish a 44 relationship with the baby gorilla, which her caretakers named Dunia, she 45 not survive．
Dunia needed contact, but she resisted 46 at first, shying away from people who reached for her．Three caretakers worked in shifts, taking 47 holding her, carrying her around on their backs, and cradling her while she slept．48 she became stronger,a month after she was res-cued her 49 revealed the psychological stress she carried inside-much of her hair fell out． That was a delayed 50 to the combined traumatic experiences of losing her parents and being kept-with a poor diet-by the poachers．
After six months ofloving care that included around-the-clock attention,a good diet, and a 5 1 home at the project's headquarters, Dunia was looking and acting like a 52 ,happy young gorilla should． "Dunia is sort of a shy show-off," says Whittier． "Her 53 lsgrowing and she's becoming more independent, but when she is 54 ,the first thing she does is run back to her 55 ,just like she would to her mother．"
36．A．attended B．held C．arranged D．delayed
37．A．energetic B．terrified C．dangerous D．fierce
38．A．freed B．followed C．tricked D．caught
39．A．intending B．pretending C．remembering D．wondering
40．A．luck B．benefit C．profit D．money
41．A．introduced B．persuaded C．presented D．rushed
42．A,local B．delicious C．enough D．fresh
43．A．complain B．develop C．survive D．grow
44．A．social B．physical C．mental D．special
45．A．would B．should C．might D．must
46．A．eating B．attention C．rescue D．love
47．A．turns B．efforts C．time D．advice
48．A．If B．As C．Although D．Because
49．A．health B．mind C．behavior D．appearance
50．A．reaction B．action C．expression D．description
51．A．comfortable B．natural C．private D．ordinary
52．A．shy B．healthy C．strange D．typical
53．A．satisfaction B．confidence C．interest D．patience
54．A．touched B．left C．wamed D．scared
55．A．home B．forest C．caretakers D．comer
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科目：高中英语 来源：2015届河南省许昌市五校高一第四次联考英语试卷（解析版） 题型：阅读理解
How Do Animals Catch their ZZZ's（打鼾声）？
Different creatures have developed some pretty creative ways to get their rest and stay safe． The lizard likes to sleep at the far end of small branches hanging out over a pond or lake in the rain forest． If a snake tries to slither up the branch to eat it, it will shake the branch and knock the lizard off, and the lizard will fall safely into the water． Chameleons can change color to match their surroundings in order to hide even while sleeping．
Gorillas like to sleep high in the trees． They build a new bed every night, sometimes taking up to half an hour to pile branches, twigs, and leaves into a comfortable bed． Birds also find it safe to sleep in the trees, but unless they have eggs or young chicks, they don't use a nest． They just lock their feet around a branch and hang on． A special tendon in their legs is automatically tight when they are at rest, so they won't let go and fall．
Dolphins live underwater, but must come to the surface to breathe． Scientists now believe that dolphins may sleep with only half their brain, while the other half stays awake to keep them safe and breathing． Seals also do this, lying on their sides on the surface of the water with one flipper underwater paddling to keep their noses above the surface． Some ducks may also have this ability, and actually sleep with one eye closed and one eye open．
1.How does a chameleon protect itself while sleeping?
A．By changing its body colors
B．By hanging out over a pond．
C．By sleeping with half their brain．
D．By making beds with branches．
2.Why will not birds fall when they are at rest?
A．They build nests and sleep in them．
B．They fall asleep automatically．
C．They have a loose tendon in their legs．
D．They lock their feet around a branch．
3.How do dolphins breathe?
A．They breathe underwater．
B．They come to the surface to breathe．
C．They breathe underwater or come to the surface to breathe．
D．We don't know．
4.What does the writer intend to tell us?
A．The cleverest animal is the gorilla because it can make beds．
B．Differences in habitat can lead to different living habits．
C．The ways animals catch their ZZZ's are pretty much the same．
D．In order to protect themselves most animals choose not to sleep
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科目：高中英语 来源：山东省潍坊市2010届高三下学期第二次模拟考试英语试卷 题型：完型填空
第二节完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）
阅读下面短文、掌握其大意，然后从36～55各题所给的四个选项(A、 B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项、并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
The poachers-illegal hunters-had finally found a buyer for their stolen goods．A meeting was 3 6 ,and when the buyer asked to see the goods, they brought out a small duffel bag and un-zippedh．Inside was a 37 one-year-old baby gorilla．The poachers had likely killed the little female's parents and 3 8 her in the forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Africa．Then they took her across the border into Rwanda, 39 to sell her as a pet．
But the buyer didn't bring 40 ;he brought the police．The Rwandan authorities 41 the young gorilla to the nearby headquarters of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project．The vets（兽医）there realized that she had not been given 42 food or water, but they were much more worried about something else．"Baby gorillas simply don't 43 without their mother's constant body contact," says vet Chris Whittier．If they didn't quickly establish a 44 relationship with the baby gorilla, which her caretakers named Dunia, she 45 not survive．
Dunia needed contact, but she resisted 46 at first, shying away from people who reached for her．Three caretakers worked in shifts, taking 47 holding her, carrying her around on their backs, and cradling her while she slept．48 she became stronger,a month after she was res-cued her 49 revealed the psychological stress she carried inside-much of her hair fell out． That was a delayed 50 to the combined traumatic experiences of losing her parents and being kept-with a poor diet-by the poachers．
After six months ofloving care that included around-the-clock attention,a good diet, and a 5 1 home at the project's headquarters, Dunia was looking and acting like a 52 ,happy young gorilla should． "Dunia is sort of a shy show-off," says Whittier． "Her 53 lsgrowing and she's becoming more independent, but when she is 54 ,the first thing she does is run back to her 55 ,just like she would to her mother．"
36．A．attended B．held C．arranged D．delayed
37．A．energetic B．terrified C．dangerous D．fierce
38．A．freed B．followed C．tricked D．caught
39．A．intending B．pretending C．remembering D．wondering
40．A．luck B．benefit C．profit D．money
41．A．introduced B．persuaded C．presented D．rushed
42．A,local B．delicious C．enough D．fresh
43．A．complain B．develop C．survive D．grow
44．A．social B．physical C．mental D．special
45．A．would B．should C．might D．must
46．A．eating B．attention C．rescue D．love
47．A．turns B．efforts C．time D．advice
48．A．If B．As C．Although D．Because
49．A．health B．mind C．behavior D．appearance
50．A．reaction B．action C．expression D．description
51．A．comfortable B．natural C．private D．ordinary
52．A．shy B．healthy C．strange D．typical
53．A．satisfaction B．confidence C．interest D．patience
54．A．touched B．left C．wamed D．scared
55．A．home B．forest C．caretakers D．comer
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英语 来源：2010届江西省联考英语试题 题型：阅读理解
Gorillas are born with an international sign language of gestures that they use to communicate，says a new study from the University of St Andrews in Scotland.
From beating their chests to putting objects on their heads，shaking their arms，and even bouncing on all fours，the animals use more than 100 gestures to communicate with each other
Professor Richard Byrne，a psychiatrist involved in the research，says it was hard to figure out the meanings of the gestures.
“We don't really know what the animals are thinking. Often the gestures have more than one meaning，depending on the context，”says Byrne.
The study showed that the gorillas did not learn the gestures from each other，as had been expected，but performed them instinctively (本能地).
“Everyone had assumed different groups of gorillas would learn different gestures，”he says. “But that's not what we found. The more sites we went to ,the more we saw the same gestures being used. They seem to be naturally equipped with a pretty complex system of communication.”
The study also found that gestures were performed with close attention to the potential audience，so that silent signals，for example， were only given when other apes could see them. Other gestures，such as the "disco arm shake" were only ever seen directed towards humans.
Byrne believes that the findings may explain how the human language developed.
“There has always been speculation（猜测）that the origins of the human language might lie in gestures，”he says.
“Many researchers have therefore studied the gestural communication of the great apes for clues to the evolutionary origins of human gestures，”he adds.
Several studies have shown that great apes are capable of imitating gestures. However，the scientists found that what appeared to be copies of human actions were actually gestures the apes were already able to make themselves. They're “reusing” gestures from their own repertoire，not learning new ones.
64.According to the passage，Richard Byrne's research has found .
A. different groups of gorillas would learn different gestures
B. gorillas know the sign language from birth
C. how gorillas learn from each other
D. gorillas develop a variety of languages when growing up
65.Why can't the researchers really know the meanings of gorilla gestures?
A. Because gorillas possess the ability of making many kinds of gestures.
B. Because they haven't made deep research into the animal.
C. Because a gorilla gesture may have different meanings.
D. Because gorillas can't exactly express their thoughts.
66.If a gorilla wants to make a silent gesture towards another gorilla，he .
A. needs to know how many other gorillas are watching him
B. needs to make noise first in order to draw attention
C. will first make sure his gesture can be seen
D. will first consider whether he can carry out his gesture
67.According to the passage，many scientists study the sign language of great apes in order to .
A. find the origins of the human language
B. find ways for people to communicate with apes
C. learn how animals communicate
D. discover the meanings of animal gestures
查看答案和解析>>
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