Question

【题目】 It is well known that male humpback whales(座头鲸)are skilled singers.Their songs are thought to attract females in high frequency sounds while to compete with other males in low frequency sounds.Research led by the Wildlife Conservation Society has now made a new discovery.

The study looked at the songs of two humpback whale populations, based on sound recordings collected from 2013 to 2018.One group was based in the South Atlantic, off the coast of Gabon, and the other in the Indian Ocean near Madagascar.Analysis of the recordings showed that the two groups picked up musical ideas from each other and borrowed phrases and themes into their latest song.This suggested that the males from the two groups came into contact with each other over the five years and shared songs.

To uncover this musical cooperation, researchers recorded the songs and transcribe them into more than 1,500 individual sounds and patterns, or song units.They found that the units were composed into larger phrases, which were then repeated to form themes.These themes were sung for hours at a time, or even days.By 2018, both populations have been singing largely the same songs.

"This similarity in the songs shows that these two populations come into closer contact than other southern populations, explains Dr Melinda Rekdahl, leading author of the study.As well as being an interesting phenomenon, she explains that those songs allow even greater insight into the workings of the humpback whale populations.

【1】What do people usually think of the purpose of male humpback whales' songs?

A. To have fun.

B. To attract other fish.

C. To increase the population of their group.

D. To attract females and compete with other males.

【2】How could the two groups of humpback whales in research sing similar songs?

A. They were born with those songs.

B. The researchers composed similar songs for them.

C. The male whales from the two groups learned singing from each other.

D. The male whales taught the females songs from the other group.

【3】What does the underlined word"transcribe in Paragraph 3 mean?

A. Change.B. Describe.

C. Create.D. Enjoy.

【4】What is the best title for the text?

A. A Kind of Magic Whales.B. Male Humpback Whales Share Songs.

C. The Biggest Ocean Animals.D. The Workings of Humpback Whale Populations.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】D

【2】C

【3】A

【4】B

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文，讲述了雄性座头鲸的声音，以及他们声音的传播分享。

【1】细节理解题。根据第一段“Their songs are thought to attract females in high frequency sounds while to compete with other males in low frequency sounds.” 人们认为，雄性座头鲸的歌声能在高频吸引雌性，而在低频与其他雄性竞争。吸引雌性并与其他雄性竞争。故选D项。

【2】细节理解题。根据最后一段“This similarity in the songs shows that these two populations come into closer contact than other southern populations” 这两首歌的相似性表明，这两个族群的接触比其他南方族群更为密切。可知这两组雄性鲸鱼互相学习唱歌。故选C项。

【3】词义猜测题。第三段“To uncover this musical cooperation, researchers recorded the songs and transcribe them into more than 1,500 individual sounds and patterns,”为了揭示这种音乐上的合作，研究人员记录了这些歌曲，并将它们转录成1500多个单独的声音和模式。由“songs”到“1,500 individual sounds and patterns,”是一个“转变，改变”。故选A项。

【4】主旨大意题。文章首句“It is well known that male humpback whales(座头鲸)are skilled singers.”开始到最后一的研究报告，通段通篇在研究雄性座头鲸的声音，以及他们声音的传播分享。故选B项。