Most dog owners are convinced that their four-legged friends know exactly what they mean when they use certain words like sit,stay or treat.However,researchers have always wondered whether dogs really understand human speech or if they rely on other information to get the meaning.For example,does the word“fetch”form a picture of a stick or ball in the dog’s mind,or does the dog bring back the object based on the owner’s voice or gesture? A new study by scientists at Atlanta’s Emory University seems to indicate that“man’s best friend”does indeed know what the owner is saying.
The researchers began by asking the owners of twelve dogs of various kinds to train their pets to identify two toys of different materials,such as a toy animal and a ball.Once the dogs had mastered the task,they took turns inside a special scanner.The owners then tested their dog’s language skill by first calling out the names of the toys they had been trained to recognize and then saying meaningless words such as“bobbu”and“bodmick”while holding up random objects the dogs hadn’t seen before.
The scans suggested that the parts of the dogs’ brains responsible for processing of sounds showed different brain patterns when they heard words they were familiar with,compared with the ones they had never heard before.While that was not enough to prove that the dogs were picturing their toys when they heard the word,it did indicate some sort of recognition.The researchers believe this is an important step forward in understanding how dogs process language.
Even more interesting was that the dog’s brains showed a higher level of neural(神经)activity at the sound of unknown words.This is the exact opposite of what happens in human brains,which get more active at the sound of familiar words.The researchers say the dogs may become cheerful at the sound of new words to try to understand them in the hope of delighting their masters.“Dogs want to please their owners,and perhaps also receive praise or food,”says Empty neuroscientist Gregory Burns,senior author of the study.
However,though your pet may understand human speech,the scientists recommend using visual signals and smell for training.“When people want to teach their dog a trick,they often use spoken command because that’s what humans prefer,”Prichard says.“From the dog’s view,however,a visual command might be more effective,helping the dog learn the trick faster.”
1.What’s the purpose of the new study?
A.To convince dog owners to understand their dogs.
B.To advise dog owners to treat their dogs kindly.
C.To prove dogs follow owners’order by listening.
D.To test out how dogs get information from owners.
2.What does the author intend to do in paragraph 2?
A.Inform the result of the research. B.State the process of the research.
C.Stress the importance of the research. D.Introduce the subjects of the research.
3.How do human brains and dog brains react to words ?
A.Human brains become active at unfamiliar words.
B.Dog brains become delighted at unfamiliar words.
C.Human brains are not sensitive to familiar words.
D.Dog brains show no response to familiar words.
4.What do scientists advise the owners to do in dog training?
A.Give dogs oral command. B.Teach dog new tricks.
C.Involve sight and smell. D.Encourage faster learning.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
Most dog owners are convinced that their four-legged friends know exactly what they mean when they use certain words like sit,stay or treat.However,researchers have always wondered whether dogs really understand human speech or if they rely on other information to get the meaning.For example,does the word“fetch”form a picture of a stick or ball in the dog’s mind,or does the dog bring back the object based on the owner’s voice or gesture? A new study by scientists at Atlanta’s Emory University seems to indicate that“man’s best friend”does indeed know what the owner is saying.
The researchers began by asking the owners of twelve dogs of various kinds to train their pets to identify two toys of different materials,such as a toy animal and a ball.Once the dogs had mastered the task,they took turns inside a special scanner.The owners then tested their dog’s language skill by first calling out the names of the toys they had been trained to recognize and then saying meaningless words such as“bobbu”and“bodmick”while holding up random objects the dogs hadn’t seen before.
The scans suggested that the parts of the dogs’ brains responsible for processing of sounds showed different brain patterns when they heard words they were familiar with,compared with the ones they had never heard before.While that was not enough to prove that the dogs were picturing their toys when they heard the word,it did indicate some sort of recognition.The researchers believe this is an important step forward in understanding how dogs process language.
Even more interesting was that the dog’s brains showed a higher level of neural(神经)activity at the sound of unknown words.This is the exact opposite of what happens in human brains,which get more active at the sound of familiar words.The researchers say the dogs may become cheerful at the sound of new words to try to understand them in the hope of delighting their masters.“Dogs want to please their owners,and perhaps also receive praise or food,”says Empty neuroscientist Gregory Burns,senior author of the study.
However,though your pet may understand human speech,the scientists recommend using visual signals and smell for training.“When people want to teach their dog a trick,they often use spoken command because that’s what humans prefer,”Prichard says.“From the dog’s view,however,a visual command might be more effective,helping the dog learn the trick faster.”
1.What’s the purpose of the new study?
A.To convince dog owners to understand their dogs.
B.To advise dog owners to treat their dogs kindly.
C.To prove dogs follow owners’order by listening.
D.To test out how dogs get information from owners.
2.What does the author intend to do in paragraph 2?
A.Inform the result of the research. B.State the process of the research.
C.Stress the importance of the research. D.Introduce the subjects of the research.
3.How do human brains and dog brains react to words ?
A.Human brains become active at unfamiliar words.
B.Dog brains become delighted at unfamiliar words.
C.Human brains are not sensitive to familiar words.
D.Dog brains show no response to familiar words.
4.What do scientists advise the owners to do in dog training?
A.Give dogs oral command. B.Teach dog new tricks.
C.Involve sight and smell. D.Encourage faster learning.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Your four-legged friends may soon have their own channel. DogTV, cable TV’s first channel for dogs, is mostly about keeping lonely dogs calm.
There are about 78 million canines(犬) in the United States. DogTV is aimed at the many of these that are left alone for long periods. Dogs are social animals and often grow anxious when left on their own. They may bark, chew shoes, and generally get into trouble. DogTV, which was launched last February, is designed to help ease their boredom and anxiety.
Creators of the cable service approached their task scientifically. The sounds, colors, and camera angles have all been adjusted for canine senses. For instance, colors are made more vivid so that dogs can see objects clearly. DogTV does not, as you might think, show Scooby-Doo and Clifford the Big Red Dog. Rather, there are three types of DogTV “shows.” The first aims to relax dogs. These segments show dogs resting to the sound of calming music. The second kind shows pleasant (for a dog) day-to-day settings, like riding in a car or walking down a street. The third type is meant to stimulate ---like a scene of two dogs playing in a field. “Dogs love watching other dogs being active on the screen,” says Beke Lubeach, a DogTV spokesperson. She says that birds, monkeys, and zebras also make dogs take notice.
Not everyone is buying it. “I think a lot of this is to make us feel better as opposed to making the pet happier,” says Dr. Ann. E. Hohenhaus of New York’s Animal Medical Center. She tells The New York Times, “Your pet needs adequate exercise and an interesting environment.” You cannot just turn on the TV and hope your dog is going to get better.
On the other hand, the Humane Society animal shelter in Escondido, California, tried out DogTV at its shelter. Sally Costello, the director, says workers observed that dogs exposed to the channel were calmer and barked less.
DogTV has been seen only in Southern California so far. But it is scheduled to go national soon. Owners of the commercial-free channel hope to charge about $5 a month for their service.
1.The following programs are often broadcast on DogTV EXCEPT________.
A. Dogs resting to the sound of calming music.
B. Programs like Cliff ford the Big Red Dog.
C. A scene of two dogs playing in a field
D. Dogs riding in a car or walking down a street
2. What does Dr. Ann E. Hohenhaus agree according to the fourth paragraph?
A. Everyone who owns dogs will buy the service.
B. DogTV can make your dogs happier and happier.
C. Dogs need more than a good animal channel.
D. DogTV makes people happier than pet dogs.
3.Which of the following is RIGHT according to the passage?
A. DogTV will only be seen in Southern California.
B. There will be many ads on the animal Channel.
C. Dog owners will enjoy the programs very much.
D. Dogs exposed to the channel will become calmer.
4.Which of the following can serve as the best title for this passage?
A. How to Make Your Dog Happier.
B. A New TV for Dogs
C. How to Keep Dogs Calm.
D. A New Channel to Calm Dogs Down
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Dog owners now have a little help understanding their furry friends . A new device called Bow-Lingual “translates” dog barks into English , Korea or Japanese.
Bow-Lingual’s Japanese inventors spent much time and money analyzing dog barks . They found that dog noises can be broken down into six different emotions : happiness , sadness , frustration , anger , assertion and desire .
Part of the Bow-Lingual device hangs on the dog’s collar . The other part is a handle-held unit for the owner . When the dogs barks , the unit displays translated phrases .
Some people have scoffed at Bow-Lingual. “Who would pay US$ 120 to read a dog’s mind?” they ask .
But those who have purchased Bow-Lingual praise the device . Pet owner Keiko Egawa , of Japan , says it helps her empathize with her dog , Harry . “Before we go to the park , he always says he wants to play,” says Egawa , “and after a walk , he always says he is hungry.”
Bow –Lingual is not yet available in Chinese . So you’d better keep studying Studio Classroom , or soon your dog may know more English than you do !
1.This passage is mainly talking about ________ .
A.Bow-Lingual’s inventors | B.dog barks and their different emotions |
C.talking dogs | D.a little help for dog owners |
2.Which of the following sentences is TRUE according to the passage ?
A.Dog owners now can understand their dogs better . |
B.Bow-Lingual is a new device that enables dogs to talk in English , Korean or Japanese . |
C.More and more Chinese dog owners would keep studying Studio Classroom in order to know more English than their dogs . |
D.People who have used the Bow-Lingual say it helps them better understand their dogs . |
3.What does “scoffed at” mean in the 3rd paragraph ?
A.shouted at | B.questioned at | C.laughed at | D.doubted about |
4.How do you understand the sentence “Bow-Lingual is not yet available in Chinese” in the last paragraph ?
A.Bow-Lingual has not yet appeared in Chinese market . |
B.Bow-Lingual can not yet recognized Chinese dogs’ barks . |
C.Chinese dog owners do not know yet how to use Bow-Lingual . |
D.Dog barks can not yet be translated into Chinese phrases with Bow-Lingual . |
5.The writer of this passage is most likely to be ________ .
A.a dog owner | B.a reporter | C.an advertiser | D.an expert on dog barks |
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Dog owners now have a little help understanding their furry friends.A new device(装置) called Bow-Lingual “translates” dog barks into English, Korean or Japanese.Bow-Lingual Japanese inventors spent much time and money analyzing dog barks.They found that dog noises can be broken down into six different emotions: happiness, sadness, frustration, anger, assertion and desire.
Part of the Bow-Lingual device hangs on the dog’s collar.The other part is a handle-held unit for the owner.When the dog barks, the unit displays translated phrases.
Some people have scoffed at Bow-Lingual.“Who would pay $120 to read a dog’s mind?” they ask.
But those who have purchased(购买) Bow-Lingual praise the device.Pet owner Keiko Egawa, of Japan, says it helps her sympathize(同情) with her dog Harry.“Before we go to the park, he always says he wants to play,” says Egawa, “and after a walk, he always says he is hungry.”
Bow-Lingual is not yet available(可用的) in Chinese.So you’d better keep studying Studio Classroom, or soon your dog may know more English than you do!
1.This passage is mainly talking about _____.
A.Bow-Lingual’s inventors B.dog barks and their different emotions
C.talking dogs D.a little help for dog owners
2.Which of the following sentences is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Dog owners now can understand their dogs better.
B.Bow-Lingual enables dogs to talk in English, Korean or Japanese.
C.People who have used Bow-Lingual say it helps them better understand their dogs.
D.More and more Chinese dog owners would keep studying Studio Classroom in order to know more English than their dogs.
3.What does “scoffed at” mean in the fourth paragraph?
A.Shouted at. B.Questioned about.
C.Laughed at. D.Doubted about.
4.The writer of this passage is most likely to be _____.
A.a reporter B.a dog owner
C.an advertiser D.an expert on dog barks
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Many teenagers feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their family members, especially their parents, don’t know them as well as their friends do. In large families, it is often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for advice. It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or many friends. Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone. This communication is very important in children’s growing up, because friends can discuss something difficult to say to their family members.
However, parents often try to choose their children’s friends for them. Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends. The question of “choice” is an interesting one. Have you ever thought of the following questions?
Who choose your friends?
Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?
Have you got a good friend your parents don’t like?
1. Many teenagers think their _______ know them better than their parents do.
A.friends | B. teachers | C.brothers and sisters | D. classmates |
2.When teenagers stay alone, the usual way of communication is to _________.
A.go to their friends | B.talk with their parents |
C.have a discussion with their family | D.talk with their friends on the phone |
3. Which of the following sentences is TRUE?
A.Parents should like everything their children enjoy. |
B.In all families, children can choose everything they like. |
C.Parents should try their best to understand their children better. |
D.Teenagers can only go to their friends for help. |
4. The main idea of this passage is that ___________.
A.Teenagers need friends |
B.Friends can give good advice |
C.Parents often choose their children’s friends for them |
D.Good friends can communicate with each other |
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Dog owners swear that their furry best mend is in tune with their emotions, Now it seems this sense of interspecies connection is real: dogs can smell your emotions, and adopt them as their own
We already know dogs can see and hear the signs of human emotions says Biagio D'Aniello at the University of Naples Federico II, Italy. But nobody had studied whether dogs could pick up on olfactory(嗅觉的) signals from humans.
“The role of the olfactory system has been largely undervalued, maybe because our own species is more focused on the visual system.” says D'Aniello. However, dogs 'sense of smelling is far superior to ours, D'Aniello and his colleagues tested whether dogs could really sniff out our emotions. First, human volunteers watched videos designed to induce fear, happiness or a neutral response and the team collected samples of their sweat. Next, the researchers presented these sweat samples to dogs ,and monitored their behavior and heart rates. Dogs exposed to fear smells showed more signs of stress than those sniffing happy or neutral smells. They also had higher heart rates, and made less social contact with strangers.
D'Aniello's study suggests humans can unconsciously, hijack their dogs' emotion by releasing smells .A second study suggests dogs can return the favour, using their expressive faces.
Juliane Kaminski at the University of Portsmouth, UK, and her colleagues have found that dogs' faces fare most expressive when they know people are looking at them.
The researchers introduced dogs to a human who was either looking at them or facing away and either offering food or nothing. The team analyzed how much the dogs' facial movements varied in the four situations. They found that the dogs' facial expressions varied most when the person was looking at them. Kaminski says there was no sign of a “dinner table effect”, which “would predict that dogs try and look super-cute when they want something from the humans”.
It's not clear precisely how dogs visually signal us and how we respond, says Monique Udell of Oregon State University in Corvallis. “This kind of research is needed to fully understand the nature of the human-dog relationship.”
1.How did D'Aniello's research team carry out their study on dog's ability of sniffing out humans' emotions?
A.By analyzing the sweat samples from the dogs.
B.By monitoring dogs' response Co the same videos
C.By letting the dogs watch the volunteers 'expressive faces.
D.By watching the dogs' reactions to the given sweat samples.
2.The underlined word "hijack" probably means?
A.Study. B.Control.
C.Find. D.Display,
3.What can we infer from the second study?
A.Dinner-table effect really exists.
B.Dogs are very sensitive to human attention.
C.Dogs showed no facial expression when offered nothing
D.Dogs' facial expressions vary most when they want attention.
4.What is still puzzling scientists according to the passage?
A.How dogs react to human smells.
B.How dogs respond to humans 'attention.
C.How dogs hear and see the signs of humans' emotions.
D.How dogs communicate with humans by the sense of slightly.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Many teenagers(青少年) feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their family members don’t know them as well as their friends do. In large families, it is quite often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for some ideas.
It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or a group of friends. Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone. This communication(交际)is very important in children’s growing up, because friends can discuss(讨论)something. These things are difficult to say to their family members.
However, parents often try to choose their children friends for them. Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends. Have you ever thought of the following questions?
Who chooses your friends?
Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?
Have you got a good friend your parents don’t like?
Your answers are welcome.
1.Many teenagers think that ____ can understand them better.
A. friends B. brothers
C. sisters D. parents
2.When teenagers have something difficult to say to their parents, they usually____.
A. stay alone at home
B. fight with their parents
C. discuss it with their friends
D. go to their brothers and sisters for help
3.The sentence (句子) “Your answers are welcome. ” means _______.
A. You are welcome to discuss the questions with us
B. We’ve got no idea, so your answers are welcome
C. Your answers are always right
D. You can give us all the right answers
4.Which of the following is the writer’s attitude(态度)?
A. Parents should choose friends for their children.
B. Children should choose everything they like.
C. Parents should understand their children better.
D. Teenagers should only go to their friends for help.
5.Why do many teenagers think their friends are the most important people?
A. Only their friends are friendly.
B. Their parents don’t love them.
C. They don’t like their family members.
D. They feel that their friends know them well and they can discuss something with each other.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Many teenagers(青少年) feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their family members don’t know them as well as their friends do. In large families, it is quite often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for some ideas.
It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or a group of friends. Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone. This communication is very important in children’s growing up, because friends can discuss something. These things are difficult to tell their family members.
However, parents often try to choose their children’s friends for them. Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends. Have you ever thought of the following questions?
Who chooses your friends?
Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?
Have you got a good friend your parents don’t like?
Your answers are welcome.
49. Many teenagers think that ____ can understand them better.
A. friends B. brothers C. sisters D. parents
50. When teenagers have something difficult to tell their parents, they usually____.
A. stay alone at home B. fight with their parents
C. discuss it with their friends D. go to their brothers and sisters for help
51. The sentence (句子) “Your answers are welcome. ” means _______.
A. You are welcome to discuss the questions with us
B. We’ve got no idea, so your answers are welcome
C. Your answers are always right
D. You can give us all the right answers
52. Which of the following is the writer’s attitude(态度)?
A. Parents should choose friends for their children.
B. Children should choose everything they like.
C. Parents should understand their children better.
D. Teenagers should only go to their friends for help.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
While every dog owner knows their dogs can read their moods perfectly, scientists have always been a little doubtful. Now thanks to some researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria, we finally have some convincing evidence.
For this study, biologist Corson Miller and his team exposed eleven selected dogs to digital images of women that were either angry or happy. Half the dogs were rewarded for touching the screen when shown a happy face, while the other half were given their treat for selecting those that appeared angry.
Interestingly, the dogs were not provided with the entire face. Some dogs were shown only upper halves while the others observed lower halves. That’s because the scientists believe humans show their eruptions on their entire face.
After some training on how to recognize small differences like the wrinkles between the eyes or the changes in their shape that accompany the happy or angry expressions, the dogs were mostly able to identify the correct expression not only on a familiar face but on a strange face, the researchers concluded the dogs were smart enough to read human emotions.
They also found those being trained to read angry expressions took a longer time to learn. They guess it may be because dogs find angry faces disgusting, causing them to back away quickly. However, once the smart dogs realized they were getting rewarded, the trepidation seemed to disappear. In fact, the dogs had such a good time playing the computer “game” that scientists had a hard time keeping them away from the touch screens after the study was completed.
The researchers also noticed only dogs with a male owner had a harder time understanding the expressions correctly. Since the touched screen models were all females, this confirmed what had been observed in previous studies—dogs are more efficient at reading facial expressions of people that are the same gender as their owner.
1.How did the scientists conduct the experiment?
A.By mixing the selected dogs together.
B.By rewarding only half of the dogs touching the screen.
C.By leaving dogs to women who are either happy or angry.
D.By showing digital pictures of women’s happy or angry faces.
2.What is the meaning of the underlined word “trepidation” in Paragraph 5?
A.fear and hesitation B.doubt and uncertainty
C.curiosity and eagerness D.excitement and happiness
3.According to the last paragraph, dogs with female owners ________.
A.are scared away at the male faces
B.can only read the expressions on partial faces
C.are uninterested in telling facial expressions
D.have difficulty telling the moods on the faces of males
4.What is the best title for this passage?
A.Dogs and Their Owners B.Dogs’ Mood Research
C.Dogs Identify the Moods D.Mood Changes Influence Dogs
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
While every dog owner knows their dogs can read their moods perfectly, scientists have always been a little doubtful. Now thanks to some researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria, we finally have some convincing evidence.
For this study, biologist Corson Miller and his team exposed eleven selected dogs to digital images of women that were either angry or happy. Half the dogs were rewarded for touching the screen when shown a happy face, while the other half given their treat for selecting those that appeared angry.
Interestingly, the dogs were not provided with the entire face. Some dogs were shown only upper halves while the others observed lower halves. That's because the scientists believe humans show their eruptions on their entire face.
After some training on how to recognize small differences like the wrinkles between the eyes or the changes in their shape that accompany the happy or angry expressions, the dogs were mostly able to identify the correct expression not only on a familiar face but on a strange face, the researchers concluded the dogs were smart enough to read human emotions.
They also found those being trained to read angry expressions took a longer time to learn. They guess it may be because dogs find angry faces disgusting, causing them to back away quickly. However, once the smart dogs realized they were getting rewarded, the trepidation seemed to disappear. In fact, the dogs had such a good time playing the computer "game"that scientists had a hard time keeping them away from the touch screens after the study was completed.
The researchers also noticed only dogs with a male owner had a harder time understanding the expressions correctly. Since the touched screen models were all females, this confirmed what has been observed in previous studies-dogs are more efficient at reading facial expressions of people that are the same gender as their owner.
1.How did the scientists conduct the experiment?
A. By mixing the selected dogs together.
B. By rewarding only half of the dogs touching the screen.
C. By leaving dogs to women who are either happy or angry.
D. By showing digital pictures of women's happy or angry faces.
2.The underlined word "trepidation" in Paragraph 5 probably means .
A. fear and hesitation B. curiosity and eagerness
C. excitement and happiness D. doubt and uncertainty
3.According to the last paragraph, dogs with female owners .
A. are scared away at the male faces
B. are uninterested in telling the emotions on the entire faces
C. have difficulty telling the moods on the faces of males
D. can only recognize emotions on partial faces
4.What is the best title for this passage?
A. Mood Changes Influence Dogs B. Dogs Identify the Moods
C. Dogs and Their Owners D. Dogs' Mood Research
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析