Question

【题目】 In the long dispute over whether dogs are smarter than cats, a recent study published in the journal Learning & Behavior suggests that dogs are no more exceptional than other animals when it comes to smartness and intelligence.

The news is sure to cause the debate among dog owners and scientists who study dog behaviors. The authors reviewed existing studies and data on animal cognition (认知) and found that while dogs are smart and trainable, they are not “super smart”, despite what most dog owners will tell you. Dog research was quite popular in the 1990s and continues to be so. When it came to other animals, though, scientific studies on intelligence were barely involved in, despite evidence to suggest that horses, chimpanzees ( 黑猩猩 ) and cats had tricks of their own. Almost everything a dog claimed to do, other animals could do too.

Researchers set out to test the supposition (假设，猜想). They compared dog cognition with members of three similar groups: meat-eating animals, social hunters and farm animals. Among the animals they studied were wolves, cats, chimpanzees, dolphins, horses and pigeons. What they found was that “dog cognition does not look exceptional”. Dogs can not use tools, unlike dolphins, New Caledonian crows and chimpanzees, which have been observed using plant stems to hunt for termites (白蚁). Homing pigeons are trained to fly home, sometimes crossing hundreds of miles of unfamiliar area. At the same time, farm animals share similar characters with their dog partners. Horses, like dogs, perform complex tasks. And cats? They have more in common with dogs than one might think. Still it is much easier to show intelligence in dogs because they like to be trained. Dogs are not smarter than they are supposed to be, given what they are.

【1】What opinion does the recent study hold about dogs?

A.They can be trained to do many things.

B.They don’t have any intelligent advantage.

C.They’re lazy compared with chimpanzees.

D.They show exceptional smartness when trained.

【2】How did the researchers conduct the study?

A.By referring to existing studies and data.

B.By comparing animals’ cognition ability.

C.By questionnaire surveys on dog owners.

D.By observing different animals’ behaviors.

【3】What do we infer about cats from the last paragraph?

A.Cats can use tools to fish.

B.Cats can go home from far away.

C.Cats can learn to do complex tasks.

D.Cats are more unwilling to be trained.

【4】What is the main idea of the text?

A.Cats are smarter than they were.

B.Dogs aren’t so clever as we think.

C.Any animal is smart and trainable.

D.All animals should be treated equally.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】B

【2】B

【3】D

【4】B

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。主要讲述根据科学研究和实验表明，狗不像人们认为的那样更聪明，也并不比其他动物聪明。

【1】细节理解题。根据文章第一段In the long dispute over whether dogs are smarter than cats, a recent study published in the journal Learning & Behavior suggests that dogs are no more exceptional than other animals when it comes to smartness and intelligence. 在关于狗是否比猫聪明的长期争论中，最近发表在《学习与行为》杂志上的一项研究表明，在聪明和智力方面，狗并不比其他动物更例外。由此可知，这项研究表明狗并没有什么智力方面的优势，故选B。

【2】细节理解题。根据文章第三段第一句Researchers set out to test the supposition (假设，猜想). They compared dog cognition with members of three similar groups: meat-eating animals, social hunters and farm animals. 研究人员开始测试这一假设。它们将狗的认知与三个类似群体的成员进行了比较：食肉动物、社会猎人和农场动物。由此可知，研究人员是通过对比狗和其他动物的认知能力来进行研究的，故选B。

【3】推理判断题。根据文章最后一段And cats? They have more in common with dogs than one might think. Still it is much easier to show intelligence in dogs because they like to be trained.还有猫？ 他们和狗的共同点比人们想象的要多。然而，在狗身上表现出智慧要容易得多，因为它们喜欢被训练。因为猫和狗的共同点比较多，但是，狗却表现的更聪明，是因为狗喜欢被训练，由此推断猫不太喜欢被训练，故选D。

【4】主旨大意题。根据文章描述以及最后一句Dogs are not smarter than they are supposed to be, given what they are. 考虑到狗的特点，它们并不比人们认为的更聪明，由此可以总结为文章的中心就是描述狗并不像我们想象的那么聪明，故选B。

定位关键词适用于解答细节理解题。通过定位关键词解题，考生在阅读题干时，把题干中有标记意义的词或词组划记出来，或者选项中的关键词，然后用这个词回到原文当中定位。如小题1题干中的recent study，可以回到原文的第一段当中去，根据文章第一段In the long dispute over whether dogs are smarter than cats, a recent study published in the journal Learning & Behavior suggests that dogs are no more exceptional than other animals when it comes to smartness and intelligence. 在关于狗是否比猫聪明的长期争论中，最近发表在《学习与行为》杂志上的一项研究表明，在聪明和智力方面，狗并不比其他动物更例外。由此可知，这项研究表明狗并没有什么智力方面的优势，故选B。