Question

【题目】 Some pigs tend to be optimistic while others are pessimistic, according to a new research that is meaningful to animal welfare. The study, published in the journal Biology Letters, is the first to show that mood and personality interact in an animal, influencing judgment.

Asher, a researcher at the University of Newcastle's Institute of Neuroscience, and her team housed groups of pigs in two types of environment. One reflected standard commercial conditions and the other was cushier with more space and plenty of soft, deep straw. After the pigs got accustomed to these new homes over a few weeks, the researchers picked 18 pigs from each type to train and test their judgment.

“To do this, we trained each pig. In one corner of a training room there would be a bowl with chocolate sweets — pigs love them — and at the opposite side of the room there would be a bowl containing coffee beans, which pigs find bittertasting,” a researcher said.

Over a number of training trials, pigs learned to go to the bowl reliably when it was in the corner where they had figured out to expect chocolate sweets. On the contrary, they quickly learned to avoid the bowl when it was in the corner where they would expect to find the coffee beans.

The researchers next placed an unfamiliar bowl in different locations, to see how the pigs would react. Some gaily dashed to the bowl no matter what was inside, showing optimism that it would contain their favorite sweets. Others, however, behaved as though they expected it to contain coffee beans, displaying pessimism.

The findings suggest that a onesizefitsall answer to animal welfare issues does not exist. Even if pigs are just equal to bacon or other meat for some people, there is still cause for concern. Studies have suggested that how an animal is treated during its lifetime can directly affect meat quality and taste.

【1】What was the study trying to figure out?

A.How to make pigs happier.

B.The similarities between humans and pigs.

C.How living environment affected pigs' mood.

D.How pigs' mood and personality affected their judgment.

【2】What does the underlined word “cushier” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A.Simple.B.More comfortable.

C.Unpractical.D.Less free.

【3】What do the findings of the new research imply?

A.People should treat pigs equally.

B.People's health relies on meat quality.

C.People should meet pigs' various needs.

D.People's attitude toward pigs is totally wrong.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】D

【2】B

【3】C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章讲述了，根据一项对动物福利有意义的新研究，一些猪倾向于乐观，而另一些则悲观，动物的情绪和个性相互作用，影响着判断。

【1】

细节理解题。由第一段中的“The study, published in the journal Biology Letters, is the first to show that mood and personality interact in an animal, influencing judgment.”（这项研究，发表在《生物学快报》杂志上，首次表明：动物的情绪和个性相互作用，影响着判断。），可知研究的目的为了弄明白猪的情绪与判断的关系。故选D项。

【2】

词义猜测题。由第二段中的“One reflected standard commercial conditions and the other was cushier with more space and plenty of soft, deep straw.”（一个反映了标准的商业条件，另一个更舒适，空间更大，有大量柔软、深的稻草。）可知另一种环境空间大且舒适，cushier在此意为“更舒服”。故选B项。

【3】

推理判断题。由最后一段“The findings suggest that a onesizefitsall answer to animal welfare issues does not exist. Even if pigs are just equal to bacon or other meat for some people, there is still cause for concern. Studies have suggested that how an animal is treated during its lifetime can directly affect meat quality and taste.”（研究结果表明，动物福利问题不存在一刀切的答案。即使对某些人来说，猪只相当于熏肉或其他肉类，但仍有理由令人担忧。研究表明，一只动物在其一生中受到怎样的对待会直接影响到肉的质量和味道。）可推断出人们应该满足猪的各种需要，以保证猪肉的品质。故选C项。