Question

【題目】According to a team of researchers, an animals’ ability to perceive(感知)time is linked to their pace of life.

“Our results lend support to the importance of time perception in animals where the ability to perceive time in a very short time may be the difference between life and death for fast moving creatures.” commented lead author Kevin Healy from Trinity College Dublin.

The study was done with a variety of animals using a phenomenon based on the maximum speed of flashes of light an individual can see before the light source is seen as constant. Dogs, for example, have eyes with a refresh rate higher than humans.

One example of this phenomenon at work, the authors say, is the housefly and its ability to avoid being hit. The research showed flies “observe motion in a shorter time than our own eyes can achieve,” which allows them to avoid being hit.

Professor Graeme Ruxton of the University of St Andrews in Scotland, who worked jointly on the research project, said in a statement, “Having eyes that send updates to the brain at much higher frequencies than our eyes do is of no value if the brain cannot process that information equally quickly. Thus, this work highlights the impressive abilities of even the smallest animal brains. Flies might not be deep thinkers, but they can make good decisions very quickly. ”

In comparison, the tiger beetle (虎甲蟲）runs faster than its eyes can keep up, basically becoming blind, which requires it to stop periodically to re-evaluate its prey’s (獵物)position.

Our results suggest that time perception offers an as yet unstudied dimension along which animals can specialize and there is considerable range to study this system in more detail.

【1】What is the research mentioned in the passage mainly about?

A. Pace of life of animals. B. Time perception of animals.

C. Lifetime of small animals. D. Impressive abilities of animals.

【2】What does Kevin Healy’s comment mean in Para. 2?

A. The ability of animals to perceive time depends on their high moving speed.

B. The survival of fast moving animals relies on their ability to perceive time.

C. Animals with quicker pace of life have better perception of time.

D. Animals with poor ability of time perception have a shorter life.

【3】Why can houseflies avoid being hit?

A. They can think very deeply before they act.

B. They can fly much faster than their eyes can keep up.

C. They can process the information as quickly as they receive it.

D. They can send information to brain more quickly than to their eyes.

【4】What will a tiger beetle have to do to catch a moving prey?

A. Try to run as fast as it can.

B. Prevent itself from becoming blind.

C. Slow down to gain its time perception.

D. Stop occasionally to spot the prey again.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】B

【2】B

【3】C

【4】D

【解析】本文為介紹說明文。文章主要介紹了對動物時間感知的研究。

【1】推理判斷題。根據(jù)第一段的According to a team of researchers, an animals’ ability to perceive(感知) time is linked to their pace of life.（根據(jù)一組研究人員，動物的時間感知與它們的生活節(jié)奏有關）及下文對該研究的細節(jié)陳述可知，文章中提到的研究是關于動物的時間感知的。故選B。

【2】推理判斷題。根據(jù)第二段Kevin Healy所說的the ability to perceive time in a very short time may be the difference between life and death for fast moving creatures.（對于能快速移動的動物而言，在很短時間內感知時間可能就是生與死的區(qū)別）可推知，快速移動的動物的生存依賴于它們對時間的感知能力。故選B。

【3】推理判斷題。根據(jù)第四段中的The research showed flies “observe motion in a shorter time than our own eyes can achieve,” which allows them to avoid being hit.（研究顯示，蒼蠅“比我們的眼睛能在更短的時間內觀察到運動”，這讓它們能避免被襲擊）及第五段中的Flies might not be deep thinkers, but they can make good decisions very quickly.（蒼蠅可能不是深刻的思考者，但它們可以很快做出好的決定）可推知，蒼蠅能避免被襲擊，是因為它們能立即處理收到的信息。故選C。

【4】細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)倒數(shù)第二段中…the tiger beetle (虎甲蟲）runs faster than its eyes can keep up, basically becoming blind, which requires it to stop periodically to re-evaluate its prey’s (獵物)position.（虎甲蟲移動的比它的眼睛快，基本上是盲目的，這就要求它不時地停下來，重新評估它獵物的位置）可知，虎甲蟲為了抓住移動的獵物，需要不時地停下來再次確定獵物的位置。故選D。