Birds Can “Read” Human Gaze
We all know that people sometimes change their behavior when someone is looking their way. Now, a new study reported online on April 2nd in Current Biology shows that jackdaws (寒鸦) — birds related to crows with eyes that appear similar to human eyes — can do the same.
“Jackdaws seem to recognize the eye’s role in visual perception (视觉), or at the very least they are extremely sensitive to the way that human eyes are directed,” said Auguste von Bayern, formerly of the University of Cambridge and now at the University of Oxford.
When presented with a preferred food, hand-raised jackdaws took longer to get the reward when a person was directing his eyes towards the food than when he was looking away, according to the research team led by Nathan Emery of the University of Cambridge and Queen Mary University of London. The birds hesitated only when the person was not known to them and thus potentially threatening.
In addition, the birds were able to understand human communicative gestures, such as stare change and pointing, to help them find hidden food, they found. The birds were unsuccessful in using unmoving signals, including eye stare or head direction.
Unlike most birds, jackdaws’ eyes have a dark pupil (瞳孔) surrounded by a silvery white iris (虹膜). The researchers said they believe jackdaws are probably sensitive to human eyes because, as in humans, eyes are an important means of communication for them. The hand-raised birds examined in the study may be even better than wild jackdaws at attending to human stare and responding to the gestures of the people who have raised them.
The findings are particularly notable given that most other species examined so far, including our closest relatives, the chimpanzee and “man’s best friend,” the dog, are not particularly sensitive to eye direction and eye stare, von Bayern said. Rather, she continued, chimps and dogs seem to rely on other signals such as head or body direction in determining the looking direction of others. The results suggest that birds may deserve more respect for their mental abilities.
“We may have understated the psychological world of birds,” von Bayern said. “Jackdaws, among many other birds, form pair ties for life and need to have much in common and work together with their partner, which requires an efficient way of communicating and sensitivity to their partner’s viewpoint.”
1.A hand-raised jackdaw hesitates to take a preferred food when the feeder ______.
A. is unfamiliar to the bird B. is looking away from the food
C. holds the food in his hand D. is looking at the food
2.According to the researchers, jackdaws can notice human eye direction probably because ______.
A. their eyes also have a dark pupil
B. they are far more intelligent than other birds
C. they are mostly hand-raised by humans
D. like humans, they also use eyes to communicate
3.Why does the author refer to chimpanzees and dogs?
A. To suggest that they are much better at understanding stare change.
B. To make clear that they rely on other means in determining people’s intention.
C. To show that they communicate more frequently with humans than jackdaws.
D. To reflect how unique jackdaws are in being able to notice stare direction.
4.What does the research finding suggest?
A. We know embarrassingly less about birds than we assume.
B. Not all jackdaws are good at attending to human stare.
C. We may have understated jackdaws’ mental abilities.
D. The closer we communicate with animals, the better we understand them.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
Birds Can “Read” Human Gaze
We all know that people sometimes change their behavior when someone is looking their way. Now, a new study reported online on April 2nd in Current Biology shows that jackdaws (寒鸦) — birds related to crows with eyes that appear similar to human eyes — can do the same.
“Jackdaws seem to recognize the eye’s role in visual perception (视觉), or at the very least they are extremely sensitive to the way that human eyes are directed,” said Auguste von Bayern, formerly of the University of Cambridge and now at the University of Oxford.
When presented with a preferred food, hand-raised jackdaws took longer to get the reward when a person was directing his eyes towards the food than when he was looking away, according to the research team led by Nathan Emery of the University of Cambridge and Queen Mary University of London. The birds hesitated only when the person was not known to them and thus potentially threatening.
In addition, the birds were able to understand human communicative gestures, such as stare change and pointing, to help them find hidden food, they found. The birds were unsuccessful in using unmoving signals, including eye stare or head direction.
Unlike most birds, jackdaws’ eyes have a dark pupil (瞳孔) surrounded by a silvery white iris (虹膜). The researchers said they believe jackdaws are probably sensitive to human eyes because, as in humans, eyes are an important means of communication for them. The hand-raised birds examined in the study may be even better than wild jackdaws at attending to human stare and responding to the gestures of the people who have raised them.
The findings are particularly notable given that most other species examined so far, including our closest relatives, the chimpanzee and “man’s best friend,” the dog, are not particularly sensitive to eye direction and eye stare, von Bayern said. Rather, she continued, chimps and dogs seem to rely on other signals such as head or body direction in determining the looking direction of others. The results suggest that birds may deserve more respect for their mental abilities.
“We may have understated the psychological world of birds,” von Bayern said. “Jackdaws, among many other birds, form pair ties for life and need to have much in common and work together with their partner, which requires an efficient way of communicating and sensitivity to their partner’s viewpoint.”
1.A hand-raised jackdaw hesitates to take a preferred food when the feeder ______.
A. is unfamiliar to the bird B. is looking away from the food
C. holds the food in his hand D. is looking at the food
2.According to the researchers, jackdaws can notice human eye direction probably because ______.
A. their eyes also have a dark pupil
B. they are far more intelligent than other birds
C. they are mostly hand-raised by humans
D. like humans, they also use eyes to communicate
3.Why does the author refer to chimpanzees and dogs?
A. To suggest that they are much better at understanding stare change.
B. To make clear that they rely on other means in determining people’s intention.
C. To show that they communicate more frequently with humans than jackdaws.
D. To reflect how unique jackdaws are in being able to notice stare direction.
4.What does the research finding suggest?
A. We know embarrassingly less about birds than we assume.
B. Not all jackdaws are good at attending to human stare.
C. We may have understated jackdaws’ mental abilities.
D. The closer we communicate with animals, the better we understand them.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
We all know that language can sometimes get lost in translation. But do you know that some facial 1. may also be2. in cross-cultural situations?
According to a study by Glasgow University, Europeans look3. a person's whole face 4. people from East Asia focus 5.on the eyes. Researchers recorded the eye movements of 13 Westerners and 13 Easterners as they observed pictures of expressive faces. They were asked to6.the pictures into the following categories: happy, sad, surprised, fearful, disgusted, angry, or neutral.
The team found East Asians focus much more attention on the eyes and also make a 7.number of mistakes. Different from Europeans, they8. to have a more difficult time ________9.________the difference between a face that looks fearful as opposed to surprised, and disgusted as opposed to angry.
"Westerners look at the eyes and the mouth10. , whereas Easterners11.the eyes and neglect the mouth," said researcher Rachael Jack. "This means that Easterners have12. in telling apart facial expressions that look similar around the eye region."
Jack said that the differences in eye movement reflected a cultural13.in the way people use their faces to express themselves. Easterners use the eyes more and the mouth 14. .
The difference in the use of text message "emoticons" (表情符号) 15.________the idea. Easterners use the eyes to16.________emotion, for example "^-^" for happy and "┬_┬" for sad. Westerners, 17., use the mouth, for example ":-)" for happy and ":-(" for sad.
The researchers said their results showed communication between people is much more18.________than previously thought. When it 19.________communicating emotions across cultures, Easterners and Westerners can find themselves20.in translation.
21. A. expressions B. appearances C. features D. differences
22. A. interesting B. confusing C. outstanding D. surprising
23. A. across B. for C. on D. into
24.A. when B. as C. while D. if
25.A. really B. mainly C. slightly D. nearly
26. A. make B. turn C. get D. put
27. A. small B. big C. fewer D. larger
28.A. need B. attempt C. tend D. intend
29. A. saying B. telling C. knowing D. judging
30.A. in a different way B. in equal measure C. in turns D. alternatively
31. A. favor B. approve C. find D. focus
32. A. difficulty B. ability C. possibility D. certainty
33. A. interest B. gap C. similarity D. concern
34. A. little B. least C. less D. more
35. A. supports B. opposes C. rejects D. counts
36. A. make B. create C. convey D. prove
37. A. therefore B. however C. although D. moreover
38. A. separated B. related C. expected D. complicated
39. A. comes to B. talks about C. turns to D. gets to
40. A. puzzling B. lost C. exciting D. upset
高二英语完形填空简单题查看答案及解析
Scientific research shows that animals can show emotions like human beings. They are sometimes lively, and sometimes bad-tempered.
A．contradictory B．instant C．appropriate D．flexible
高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
All the characteristics that distinguish birds ________ other animals can be traced to prehistoric times..
A. to B. between C. for D. from
高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
——Artistic people can be very difficult sometimes.
——Well, you married one.________.
A You should know B I’ve got it
C I can’t agree more D You name it
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you can’t love others until you love yourself. Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you can’t expect someone else to love you until you love yourself. Either way, you’ve got to love yourself first and this can be tricky. Sure we all know that we’re the apple of our parents’ eyes, and that our Grandmas think we’re geniuses and our Uncle Roberts think that we will go to the Olympics, but sometimes it’s a lot harder to think such nice thoughts about ourselves. If you find that believing in yourself is a challenge, it is time you built a positive self-image and learnt to love yourself.
Self-image is your own mind’s picture of yourself. This image includes the way you look, the way you act, the way you talk and the way you think. Interestingly, our self-images are often quite different from the images others hold about us. Unfortunately, most of these images are more negative than they should be. Thus changing the way you think about yourself is the key to changing your self-image and your whole world.
The best way to defeat a passive self-image is to step back and decide to stress your successes. That is, make a list if you need to, but write down all of the great things you do every day. Don’t allow doubts to occur in it.
It very well might be that you are experiencing a negative self-image because you can’t move past one flaw or weakness that you see about yourself. Well, roll up your sleeves and make a change of it as your primary task. If you think you’re silly because you aren't good at math, find a tutor. If you think you’re weak because you can’t run a mile, get to the track and practice. If you think you’re dull because you don’t wear the latest trends, buy a few new clothes. But remember, just because you think it doesn’t mean it’s true.
The best way to get rid of a negative self-image is to realize that your image is far from objective, and to actively convince yourself of your positive qualities. Changing the way you think and working on those you need to improve will go a long way towards promoting a positive self-image. When you can pat yourself on the back, you’ll know you’re well on your way. Good luck！
1.You need to build a positive self-image when you ________.
A. dare to challenge yourself B. are unconfident about yourself
C. feel it hard to change yourself D. have a high opinion of yourself
2.According to the passage, our self-images ________.
A. have positive effects B. have different functions
C. are often changeable D. are probably untrue
3.How should you change your self-image according to the passage?
A. To change the way you think. B. To make your life successful.
C. To understand your own world. D. To keep a different image of others.
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A. How to prepare for your success.
B. How to build a positive self-image.
C. How to face challenges in your life.
D. How to develop your good qualities.
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you can’t love others until you love yourself. Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you can’t expect someone else to love you until you love yourself. Either way, you’ve got to love yourself first and this can be tricky. Surely we all know that we’re the apple of our parents’ eyes, and that our Grandmas think we’re great talents and our Uncle Roberts think that we will go to the Olympics, but sometimes it’s a lot harder to think such nice thoughts about ourselves. If you find that believing in yourself is a challenge, it is time you build a positive self-image and learn to love yourself.
Self-image is your own mind’s picture of yourself. This image includes the way you look, the way you act, the way you talk and the way you think. Interestingly, our self-images are often quite different from the images others hold about us. Unfortunately, most of these images are more negative than they should be. Thus changing the way you think about yourself is the key to changing your self-image and your whole world.
The best way to defeat a passive self-image is to step back and decide to stress your successes. That is, make a list if you need to, but write down all of the great things you do every day. Don’t allow doubts to occur in it.
It very well might be that you are experiencing a negative self-image because you can’t move past one flaw or weakness that you see about yourself. Well, roll up your sleeves and make a change of it as your primary task. If you think you’re silly because you aren’t good at math, find a tutor. If you think you’re weak because you can’t run a mile, get to the track and practice. If you think you’re dull because you don’t wear the latest trends, buy a few new clothes. But remember, just because you think it doesn’t mean it’s true.
The best way to get rid of a negative self-image is to realize that your image is far from objective, and to actively convince yourself of your positive qualities. Changing the way you think and working on those you need to improve will go a long way towards promoting a positive self-image. When you can pat yourself on the back, you’ll know you’re well on your way. Good luck!
1. What is the passage mainly about?
A. How to build a positive self-image.
B. How to face challenges in your life.
C. How to prepare for your success.
D. How to develop you good qualities.
2.You need to build a positive self-image when you .
A. dare to challenge yourself
B. feel it hard to change yourself
C. are unconfident about yourself
D. have a high opinion of yourself
3.How should you change your self-image according to the passage?
A. To keep a different image of others.
B. To understand your own world.
C. To change the way you think.
D. To make your life successful.
4.According to the passage, our self-images .
A. have different function B. are probably untrue
C. have positive effects D. are often changeable
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Cold weather can be hard on pets, just like it can be hard on people. Sometimes owners forget that their cats are just as used to the warm shelter (住所) as they are. Some owners will leave their animals outside for a long period of time, thinking that all animals are used to living outdoors. This can put their pets in danger of serious illness. There are things you can do to keep your animal warm and safe.
Keep your pets inside as much as you can when the weather is bad. If you have to take them out, stay outside with them. When you’re cold enough to go inside, they probably are too. If you must leave them outside for a long time, make sure they have a warm, solid shelter against the wind, thick bedding, and plenty of non-frozen water.
If left alone outside, dogs and cats can be very smart in their search for warm shelter. They can dig into snow banks or hide somewhere. Watch them closely when they are left outdoors, and provide them with shelter of good quality. Keep an eye on your pet’s water. Sometimes owners don’t realize that a water bowl has frozen and their pet can’t get anything to drink. Animals that don’t have clean and unfrozen water may drink dirty water outside, which may contain something unhealthy for them.
1. What do we learn about pets from Paragraph 1?
A. They are often forgotten by their owners.
B. They are used to living outdoors.
C. They build their own shelter.
D. They like to stay in warm places.
2. Why are pet owners asked to stay with their pets when they are out in cold weather?
A. To know when to bring them inside.
B. To keep them from eating bad food.
C. To help them find shelters.
D. To keep them company.
3.What is the purpose of this text?
A. To solve a problem.
B. To give practical advice.
C. To tell an interesting story.
D. To present a research result.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
It is sometimes said that the English are polite people. This can make life difficult for foreigners. Suppose a foreign boy asks an English girl to go out with him and she says, “If I finish my work, I’ll meet you in the cafe at 7 o’clock.” Is she saying “yes” or “no” to his invitation?
In grammatical terms, she is using the conditional structure (表示条件的句式). By using the conditional, speakers of English can avoid giving a “yes” or “no” answer to a question. It enables people to be diplomatic (婉转的). If the girl doesn’t want to go out with the boy, she won’t turn up at the cafe. She will let him understand she is still working. If she wants to go out with him, but doesn’t want to appear too easy to catch, she has achieved that with her reply. But in this case, as she uses the first conditional which shows probability, she is quite likely to turn up at the cafe. Being polite can make life very difficult!
The conditional is often used by people in the news -- politicians, for example -- who wish to avoid speaking out their ideas. This is very important if they are on their way to discuss an agreement. No one wants to give away his or her points before he or she starts. A government spokesman might say to a group of workers, “If we could pay you more, we would.” The use of the conditional here makes room for argument although the speaker is using the second conditional form, which shows improbability. So it is unlikely the workers will get their rise.
“If ” is a small word, which appears often in the English language. It can show politeness, reported speech and conditionals such as the First -- probability -- if I can come to your party, I will; the Second -- improbability -- if I saw you tomorrow, I’d give you the book; and the Third -- impossibility (meaning it is too late to change something that has happened ) -- if you have told me, I would have helped you.
60. The using of the conditional can make a speech _________.
A. clearer B. quicker C. more polite D.more exciting
61. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Language used in the news should make room to argue.
B. Usually English girls are not easy to catch.
C. English people never speak out their ideas in public.
D. The word “ if ” can show different meanings.
62. In the passage, “If we could pay you more, we would.” probably means __________.
A. the workers will make more money
B. the spokesman doesn’t give any promise
C. the spokesman keeps his word
D. the workers’ problems aren’t difficult
63. This passage is mainly talking about _________.
A. the conditional in communication
B. how to invite a girl in Britain
C. British people and their life
D. some language points in daily English
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
---Mike, you know, I have read the book twice!
---______? I have read it so many times that I can recite it now.
| A．How come | B．What do you reckon | C．What for | D．So what |
高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析