Rats and other animals need to be highly tuned to social signals from others so that they can identify friends to cooperate with and enemies to avoid.To find out if this extends to non-living beings，Loleh Quinn at the University of California，San Diego，and her colleagues tested whether rats can detect social signals from robotic rats.
They housed eight adult rats with two types of robotic rat - one social and one a social - for 5 days.The robots rats were quite minimalist，resembling a chunkier version of a computer mouse with wheels - to move around and colorful markings.
During the experiment，the social robot rat followed the living rats around，played with the same toys，and opened caged doors to let trapped rats escape.Meanwhile，the asocial robot simply moved forwards and backwards and side to side.
Next the researchers trapped the robots in cages and gave the rats the opportunity to release them by pressing a lever.
Across 18 trials each，the living rats were 52 percent more likely on average to set the social robot free than the asocial one.This suggests that the rats perceived the social robot as a genuine social being.They may have bonded more with the social robot because it displayed behaviours like communal exploring and playing.This could lead to the rats better remembering having freed it earlier，and wanting the robot to return the favour when they get trapped，says Quinn.
The readiness of the rats to befriend the social robot was surprising given its minimal design.The robot was the same size as a regular rat but resembled a simple plastic box on wheels. "We'd assumed we'd have to give it a moving head and tail，facial features，and put a scene on it to make it smell like a real rat，but that wasn't necessary，" says Janet Wiles at the University of Queensland in Australia，who helped with the research.
The finding shows how sensitive rats are to social cues，even when they come from basic robots.Similarly，children tend to treat robots as if they are fellow beings，even when they display only simple social signals. "We humans seem to be fascinated by robots，and it turns out other animals are too，" says Wiles.
（1）Quinn and her colleagues conducted a test to see if rats can DD.
A．send out warning messages to their fellow
B．distinguish a friendly rat from a hostile one
C．a(chǎn)ttain sociable traits through special training
D．pick up social signals from non-living rats
（2）What did the asocial robot do during the experiment？ CC
A．It followed the social robot.
B．It played with some toys.
C．It moved around alone.
D．It set the trapped rats free.
（3）According to Quinn，the rats released the social robot because they BB.
A．tried to practice a means of escape
B．expected it to do the same in return
C．wanted to display their intelligence
D．considered that an interesting game
（4）It can be learned from the text that AA.
A．rats are more sensitive to social cues than expected
B．rats are more socially active than other animals
C．rats behave differently from children in socializing
D．rats appear to be adaptable to new surroundings
【答案】D；C；B；A
【解答】
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發(fā)布：2024/5/27 14:0:0組卷：12引用：1難度：0.7
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1．British children's writer Roald Dahl ate chocolates and sweets "pretty much every mealtime"，remembers daughter Ophelia Dahl．
After dinner，whether dining alone or entertaining guests，Dahl would pass around a little red plastic box full of Mars Bars，Milky Ways，Maltesers，Kit Kats and much more．
He knew the history of all the sweets and could tell you exactly when they were invented．1937 was a big year when Kit Kats （his favorite），Rolos and Smarties （his dog，chopper's favorite） were invented．He wrote a history of chocolate，lecturing schoolchildren to commit such dates to memory（熟記），such as 1928 when "Cadbury's Fruit and Nut Bar popped up on the scene"，saying． "Don't bother with the Kings and Queens of England．All of you should learn these dates instead．Perhaps the Headmistress（女校長(zhǎng)）will see from now on that it becomes part of the major teaching in this school．"
According to Dahl，the Golden Years of Chocolate were 1930-1937．In 1930，Roald Dahl was 14 years old．He was a student at Repton，a famous boys' boarding school in England．It was a tough environment：those in authority were more interested in controlling than educating the students．
Ironically（諷刺地），it was at this difficult period that chocolate became Dahl's passion．Near Repton was a Cadbury chocolate factory．Every so often，Cadbury would send each schoolboy a sampler（樣品）box of new chocolates to taste and grade．They were using the students---"the greatest chocolate bar experts in the world to test out their new inventions．
This was when Dahl's imagination took flight．He pictured factories with inventing rooms with pots of chocolate and fudge（軟糖）and "all sorts of other delicious fillings bubbling away on the stoves"．
"It was lovely dreaming those dreams…when I was looking for a plot for my second book for children．I remembered those little cardboard boxes（紙盒）and the newly invented chocolates inside them，and I began to write a book called Charlie and the Chocolate Factory．"
For the record，Roald Dahl did not like chocolate cake or chocolate ice cream．He said， "I prefer my chocolate straight．"
（1）What's the purpose of the first paragraph？
A．To introduce the main topic---Roald Dahl．
B．To introduce Dahl's love for chocolate．
C．To introduce main character's daily life．
D．To introduce some important characters．
（2）What can we infer from the passage about Roald Dahl？
A．He treated himself with various chocolate after dinner secretly．
B．He has a good knowledge of chocolate，especially its history．
C．He used to lecture schoolchildren of a boys' boarding school．
D．He only wrote some books related to the history of chocolate．
（3）What happened during the Golden Years of Chocolate？
A．It was a great time for children to get educated．
B．Those years stopped Dahl's interest in chocolate．
C．Students could become chocolate experts then．
D．Roald Dahl's passion for chocolate was lit up then．
（4）gave Roald Dahl inspiration to write Charlie and Chocolate Factory．
A．the dream about chocolates．
B．Factories with chocolate and fudge．
C．Those boxes with chocolate．
D．Chocolate cakes and ice cream發(fā)布：2025/1/30 8:0:1組卷：0引用：1難度：0.5 -
2．Recently，a film star has been giving away free books on the London Underground．If you're a bookworm，a Harry Potter fan and a London Underground user，then it's been an exciting month for you．
Emma Watson，who starred in films based on the novels about a fictional schoolboy wizard，has been hiding books on the Tube for passengers to read through．
It's part of he Book On The Underground movement，which has a simple aim：to get more people burying themselves in literature．Books are left on trains for passengers to pick up，dip into and then leave for another lucky reader to skim．
The movement started in 2012 and drops off about 150 books a week in stations across London．Talking about Watson's participation in the project，the manager of Books On The Under ground，Cornelia Oxley，said， "The reaction has been great．It must be a mixture of how much everyone admires Emma，and how exciting it is to find something as wonderful as a new book on your journey．"
The 100 or so books Watson left for passengers to read were even more special because she left a hand-written inscription（題詞）．The books were Kaya Angelou's Mom & Me & Mom．
One person who discovered a copy of the book on the Tube said she felt like the character Charlie Bucket - a boy who finds a golden ticket to the world's greatest chocolate factory - in the Roald Dahl's classic，Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Watson became a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in the summer of 2014 and has since started reading as many books and essays on equality and feminism（饑荒） as possible．She has also started her own book club．
So．Why not take a leaf out of Emma Watson's book and leave a copy of your favorite book on a train？It could make a stranger's life richer．
（1）What does Books On The Underground aim to do？
A．To get more readers to buy their books．
B．To leave books on trains．
C．To find lucky readers．
D．To get more people to read．
（2）Which of the following statements is NOT true？
A．People's admiration for Emma Watson contributes to the success of the movement．
B．There is a golden ticket to the world's greatest chocolate factory in the book．
C．To find something wonderful on a journey is exciting．
D．Emma Watson left hand-written inscriptions on the books．
（3）What's the author's attitude towards Emma Watson's leaving books on the train？
A．critical
B．indifferent
C．supportive
D．pessimistic發(fā)布：2025/1/30 8:0:1組卷：0引用：1難度：0.5 -
3．It can be really hard to learn a new language．I had always enjoyed learning languages in school，but only recently did I start learning German．I found that I could understand and learn individual words easily，but when it came to literature，I really struggled．That was when my tutor at university suggested reading some children's books printed in the target language．
At first，I felt a bit silly going on a hunt for a book designed for someone half my age，but then I realised that everyone has to start somewhere．As children，we are given these basic texts to familiarise our brains with certain vocabulary and writing structures，and from there，we can learn and develop．I started with books which are taught to us as children in the UK．I managed to find Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl．
The beauty of reading books that were introduced to you as a child is that you are already familiar with the plot．Therefore you can work out some words with your knowledge of the story．At first，I used to read with the book in one hand and a dictionary in the other，but this did not work well．The method I would recommend is to read a chapter first and at the end of that chapter，highlight the new words and then look up the definitions．If you can wait a bit before using a dictionary，you may be surprised what you can understand merely from the context．Additionally，a lot of children's books have pictures which may give you a clue as to what or to whom the passage is referring．
If you can find a translation of the books you have read as a child，I would strongly advise reading those if you are a complete beginner．However，if you feel a bit more confident reading in English，I would personally recommend the series of 'Harry Potter' books by J．K．Rowling or any of the Roald Dahl children's books．
（1）What makes it hard for the author to learn German？
A．The author had a poor memory．
B．The author had no interest in it．
C．The author had no one to ask for help．
D．The author couldn't read books fluently．
（2）What did the author think of reading children's books in the target language at first？
A．Interesting．
B．Stupid．
C．Helpful．
D．Boring．
（3）What does the author try to express mainly in Paragraph 3？
A．How to deal with new words while reading．
B．Why it is helpful to read children's book at first．
C．How to choose a proper book to match your level．
D．How to form the habit of reading in the target language．
（4）Why does the author write this text？
A．To give tips on how to learn a new language．
B．To persuade the readers to learn a new language．
C．To stress the importance of reading in language learning．
D．To share the author's stories of learning a new language．發(fā)布：2025/1/30 8:0:1組卷：5引用：1難度：0.5
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