2014-2015清华附初三12月月考阅读选编

清华附初三12月月考阅读选编

C

Working with a group of baboons (狒狒) in the Namibian desert, Dr. Alecia Carter of the Department of Zoology, Cambridge University set baboons learning tasks involving a novel food and a familiar food hidden in a box. Some baboons were given the chance to watch another baboon who already knew how to solve the task, while others had to learn for themselves. To work out how brave or anxious the baboons were, Dr. Carter presented them either with a novel food or a threat in the form of a model of a poisonous snake.

She found that personality had a major influence on learning. The braver baboons learnt, but the shy ones did not learn the task although they watched the baboon perform the task of finding the novel food just as long as the brave ones did. In fact, though they realized what to do, they were still too shy to do what the experienced baboon did.

The same held true for anxious baboons compared with calm ones. The anxious individuals learnt the task by observing others while those who were relaxed did not, even though they spent more time watching.

This mismatch between collecting social information and using it shows that personality plays a key role in social learning in animals, something that has previously been ignored in studies on how animals learn to do things. The findings

are significant because they suggest that animals may perform poorly in cognitive (认知的) tasks not because they aren’t clever enough to solve them, but because they are too shy or nervous to use the social information.

The findings may influence how we understand the formation of culture in societies through social learning. If some individuals are unable to get information from others because they don’t connect with the knowledgeable individuals, or they are too shy to use the information once they have it, information may not travel between all group members, preventing the formation of a culture based on social learning.

1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?

A. The design of Dr. Carter’s research. B. The results of Dr. Carter’s research.

C. The purpose of Dr. Carter’s research. D. The significance of Dr. Carter’s research.

2. According to the research, which baboons are more likely to complete a new learning task?

A. Those that have more experience. B. Those that can avoid potential risks.

C. Those that like to work independently. D. Those that feel anxious about learning.

3. Dr. Carter’s findings show that our culture might be formed through ______.

A. storing information B. learning from each other

C. understanding different people D. travelling between social groups

D

Humans may not have landed on Mars（火星）just yet, but that isn't shopping a European company from devising a plan to send four people to the Red Planet within the next few years. This project, called Mars One, aims to send a small group of people to Mars in 2022 and eventually establish a permanent colony on the planet.

\"Everything we need to go to Mars exists,\" said Mars One co-founder Bas Lansdorp in March 2014. \"We have the rockets to send people to Mars, the equipment to land on Mars, the robots to prepare the settlement for humans. For a one-way mission, all the technology exists.\" Yet the four astronauts（宇航员）chosen for the trip will be stuck on Mars—forever. And despite Mars One's thorough planning, there are a number of challenges that may prevent the mission from ever taking place. The biggest road block could be the mission's huge cost ($6 billion). However, Lansdorp is confident that Mars One will be able to fund the

project by selling the broadcast rights for the mission and subsequent experiences living on the planet.

Those broadcast rights will also play a part in helping to select the people who will be sent to Mars. Lansdorp said the company will hold a selection process similar to a reality show. Lansdorp is expecting at least 1 million applications from people around the world. In addition to the cost, several other potential problems could inhibit（阻止）the mission to Mars.

“It’s even more challenging to send people there with life support, with food, with air, with all the other things like books, entertainment, means of communication and of providing for their own resources for a long stay on Mars,\" said Adam Baker. senior lecturer in space engineering at Kingston University in London. “The sheer size of the rockets you'd need to do this would be absolutely colossal.”

4．According to Bas Lansdorp, which of the following is NOT TRUE?

A. For a one-way trip to Mars, all the technology exists.

B. He could not come up with the fund for Mars One.

C. We humans have the rockets to send people to Mars.

D. We humans have the equipment to land on Mars.

5．According to the passage, all the following statements are TRUE EXCEPT that _______.

A. a competition process will be held to select the four astronauts

B. the cost of Mars One could go as much as $6 billion

C. if it goes as planned, we could expect to watch Mars One on TV

D. the four astronauts could return to Earth after a few years’ stay on Mars

6．The word \"colossal” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to _______.

A. very large B. very small C. medium D. average

7．Which of the following is the best title for this passage?

A. Ready for a Round Trip to Mars

B. Ready for a Short Visit to Mars

C. Ready for a One-way Trip to Mars

D. Ready for a Walk on Mars

ADB BDAC