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The vast jungles of the Amazon rainforest are home to tribes (部落) mostly isolated from the outside world, whose way of life, largely unchanged for hundreds of years, is now increasingly threatened by modern civilization.
Now, scientists discover they can monitor these “uncontacted tribes” using satellites, which would allow inexpensive and safe tracking of these tribes in order to protect them from outside threats.
In order to help preserve these uncontacted Indians, researchers need accurate estimates of their populations. One way to collect this data involves flying over their villages, but such over-flights are both expensive and could fill these native peoples with fear. Another strategy involves meeting individuals on the ground, but among other risks, scientists could accidentally spread disease to members of the tribes.
Instead, scientists investigated whether satellite images could monitor uncontacted tribes. The result was inspiring. They confirmed their locations and measured the sizes of their village, houses and gardens. “We can find isolated villages with remote sensing and study them over time.” Walker told Live Science. “We can ask: Are they growing? Do they move?”
Surprisingly, based on the sizes of the houses and villages, the scientists find the population densities of these isolated villages are about 10 times greater, on average, than other villages of native Brazilian peoples. This may be due to the fact that they have to live closer together because they are not as good at clearing the forest, since they lack modern devices like chainsaws and tractors, the researchers said. The tribes may also be afraid of spreading out due to fear of being attacked by outsiders, Walker said.
The researchers now plan to focus on 29 more isolated villages to “look at their ecology— that is, distance from rivers and roads—and use this to model where else we can find more isolated villages,” Walker said.
1.Scientists don’t want to meet the Indians on the ground due to the fear that ______.
A. they can’t get accurate data
B. they could pass disease to the Indians
C. they will be attacked by the Indians
D. they will catch disease from the Indians
2.According to the passage, which of the following about the Indian tribes is NOT true?
A. They lack modern tools to cut forests.
B. Their life styles remain unchanged.
C. They live closer together for defense.
D. They are contacting the outside world.
3.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. More isolated tribes are yet to be discovered.
B. Scientists are able to find 29 Amazon tribes in total.
C. It’s easy for scientists to find isolated villages.
D. More roads should be built for the tribes.
4.Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
A. The Disappearing of the Ancient Amazon Tribes.
B. Discovery of Indian Tribes in Remote Mountains.
C. The Threatening of Modern Civilization to Tribes.
D. Research of Isolated Tribes with Modern Devices.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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The Zebra Finch: An Owner’s Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet
The zebra finch, a native of Australia, is a popular domestic pet in the United States. The bird has many attributes (特性) which allow it to be kept at home, though there are also a few negative aspects. The attributes are nest-building, breeding and a lively attitude. The potential negatives are over-breeding and the wildness of the birds.
One of the main attributes of zebra finches is their ability to breed. They are the rabbits of the domestic bird world. Once you have two birds, male and female, you will soon have six, as they breed quite easily and have strong babies, usually four at a time. An added attribute is their ability to build their own nests. You can place branch in their place along with some kind of structure, and they will create a nest on their own. It’s very pleasant to see the ways males and females divide some labors and share others, and the babies grow up quickly. Overall, zebra finches are energetic birds, and they can make every place where they live delightful lives.
On the negative side, they will breed and in-breed. Often, in-breeding does little harm and does not cause genetic defects (缺陷), as happens more often in other species. However, no one can tolerate just any population level. One has to either remove their nests altogether, which basically removes their personal living place, or check for eggs regularly once a week (the gestation period is 13 days, so even a one-week neglect can lead to births). Eggs can be replaced with false plastic eggs, and this prevents females from laying too many. If they do lay too many, they will die from mineral loss. Since these birds do not tame well, removing eggs can be an unpleasant process of repeatedly invading their personal space.
Overall, it is unfortunate that zebra finches are inexpensive birds due to their high level of breeding. They require considerable care to live happy lives. The best care-takers are true avian fanciers — people who have appropriate space for the nests and enough time to allow them to nest-build and breed without over-breeding.
1.What is the passage mainly about?
A. Zebra finches over-breed by nature and its consequent ill effects.
B. Only people who love birds can take care of Zebra finches.
C. Domestic zebra finches require a lot of care to live happy lives.
D. Zebra finches never become completely tame.
2.By saying “They are the rabbits of the domestic bird world”, the writer means that both rabbits and Zebra finches ______.
A. have good ability to breed B. are difficult to be raised
C. live delightful lives D. share responsibilities
3.In paragraph 3, the word “gestation” probably means ______.
A. the period when eggs remain fresh
B. the time when finches build up their nest and lay eggs
C. the time required for the parents to create a nest
D. the time required for baby birds to develop and to be born
4.According to the passage, attributes of domestic zebra finches include ______.
A. their rareness and easiness to be tamed
B. their nest-building, sharing of responsibilities and delightful personalities
C. their in-breeding, which does not cause as much genetic harm as in other species
D. the fact that they are from Australia and have difficulty in adapting themselves
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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“Does my smile look big in this?” Future fitting-room mirrors in clothing stores could subtly adjust your reflection to make you look ─ and hence feel ─ happier, encouraging you to like what you see.
That’s the idea behind the Emotion Evoking System developed by Shigeo Yoshida and colleagues at the University of Tokyo in Japan. The system can manipulate, or in other word, control your emotions and personal preferences by presenting you with an image of your own smiling or frowning face.
The principle that physiological changes can drive emotional ones ─ that laughter comes before happiness, rather than the other way around ─ is a well-established idea.
The researchers wanted to see if this idea could be used to build a computer system that manipulates how you feel. The system works by presenting the user with a web-camera image of his or her face ─ as if they were looking in a mirror. The image is then subtly altered with software, turning the corners of the mouth up or down and changing the area around the eyes, so that the person appears to smile or frown (皱眉).
Without telling them the aim of the study, the team recruited (招募) 21 volunteers and asked them to sit in front of the screen while performing an unrelated task. When the task was complete the participants rated how they felt. When the faces on screen appeared to smile, people reported that they felt happier. On the other hand, when the image was given a sad expression, they reported feeling less happy.
Yoshida and his colleagues tested whether manipulating the volunteers’ emotional state would influence their preferences. Each person was given a scarf to wear and again presented with the altered webcam image. The volunteers that saw themselves smiling while wearing the scarf were more likely to report that they liked it, and those that saw themselves not smiling were less likely.
The system could be used to manipulate consumers’ impressions of products, say the researchers. For example, mirrors in clothing-store fitting rooms could be replaced with screens showing altered reflections. They also suggest people may be more likely to find clothes attractive if they see themselves looking happy while trying them on.
“It’s certainly an interesting area,” says Chris Creed at the University of Birmingham, UK. But he notes that using such technology in a shop would be harder than in the lab, because people will use a wide range of expressions. “Attempting to make slight differences to these and ensuring that the reflected image looks believable would be much more challenging,” he says.
Of course, there are also important moral questions surrounding such subtly manipulative technology. “You could argue that if it makes people happy what harm is it doing?” says Creed. “But I can imagine that many people may feel manipulated, uncomfortable and cheated if they found out.”
1.What’s the main purpose of the Emotion Evoking System?
A. To see whether one’s feeling can be unconsciously affected.
B. To see whether one’s facial expressions can be altered.
C. To see whether laughter comes before happiness.
D. To replace the mirrors in future clothing-store fitting rooms.
2.What can we learn about the web-camera image in the study?
A. It recorded the volunteers’ performance in the task.
B. It gave the volunteers a false image.
C. It attempted to make the volunteers feel happier.
D. It beautified the volunteers’ appearance in the mirror.
3.What does Creed mention as a limitation of the technology?
A. It only changes the areas around the mouth and the eyes.
B. It only works in clothing stores.
C. It only makes subtle changes to people’s expressions.
D. It only deals with a limited number of facial expressions.
4.What does Creed’s comment on the moral issues with this technology imply?
A. Nothing is more important than happiness.
B. Technology is unable to manipulate people.
C. People should make their decisions independently.
D. People should neglect the harm of the technology.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析