Can Apes Really Learn To “Talk”

Who are Sarah, Washoe, Koko, and Sherman? They are chimpanzees or gorillas who some scientists claim have learned how to “talk” to humans. In the past several years people have been astonished by reports that they communicate with humans. For example, Koko, a female gorilla, is said to understand and use hundreds of words. Koko, says her trainer, Francine Patterson, can carry on conversations in sign language about her feelings and plans.

Researcher Talks Back

Recently a Columbia University scientist caused an argument by challenging the conclusion that apes can in fact use language. The scientist, Dr. Herbert Terrace, thinks that the animals do not use language the way humans do. Dr. Terrace has caused such strong feelings among scientists studying ape language. Here let’s listen to an imaginary conversation between Washoe, the first chimp to learn sign language, and Koko, the gorilla.

Apes Are Talking

Koko: Did you hear what Dr. Terrace said about us? He claims we cannot create our own sentences. Instead, he says, we react to clues accidentally given by our trainer. He says we are like the famous horse Clever Hans. Hans was supposed to be able to solve arithmetic problems and then stamp out the answers with his hoof(蹄子).

If the horse was asked what two plus two was, he would stamp four times. Although the trainer did not realized it, says Dr. Terrace, the horse was picking up clues from the trainer as to when to stop stamping.

Washoe: I disagree with Dr. Terrace. My trainer, Dr. R. Allen Gardner and his wife, Beatrice, have seen me talking in sign language to other chimps.

Koko: I heard that Dr. Terrace became unimpressed with ape language after studying a chimp named Nim. Dr. Terrace found that Nim usually made signs only after being prompted (提示) by his trainer. Yet when children learn a language, they start using many words on their own. Nim usually did not do this. Even when Nim did use additional signs, he did not add any new information. The signs (words) were repeated over and over again.

Washoe: My trainer says that Nim wasn’t given much of a chance to act on his own. He had so many different trainers, he became confused. That is not the best way to get chimps to communicate.

Koko: I’ll never understand humans. But the big question is: Can we really use language?

Koko and Washoe (together): We’ll never tell.

How do scientists who study ape language respond to Dr.  Herbert  Terrace’ idea according to the 2nd part?

A. Enthusiastic.             B. Confused.                C. Angry.                      D. Sympathetic.  

Which of the following is a match according to the passage?

A. Dr. Herbert Terrace and Koko.                  B. Dr. R. Allen Garners and Washoe.

C. Clever Hans and Sherman.                           D. Francine Patterson and Nim.

Dr. Herbert Terrace suspects that _________.

A. Nim added new information while using additional signs

B. Clever Hans picked up clues accidentally given by its trainer

C. Washoe didn’t pick up any clues from its trainer when talking

D. when a child learns a language, he starts using many words on his own

Which of the following is a fact according to the passage?

A. Nim had more than one trainer.                   

B. Apes can’t create their own language.

C. The apes are supposed to form sentences.      

D. Clever Hans is supposed to solve math problems.

I had been to several doctors as a child, but I have a special place in my heart for Dr. Vincent. He was a Pediatric Cardiologist at UCLA back in 1971 who saved my life. I was eight years old at the time with a severe heart problem and I needed heart surgery. My Mom did not have the money, and without the surgery there was a real good chance I would not live to be thirteen years old. After contacting several organizations Dr. Vincent was able to get financial help for me through United Way, a Crippled Children’s Organization.
Dr. Vincent was a handsome man; he was also very gentle and caring. I remember being in the hospital for an Angiogram test, and during the procedure I was crying terribly, so the medical staff called in Dr. Vincent to calm me down, and he was able to comfort me when no one else could. Then the time came for me to have heart surgery; there was a fifty- percent chance that I would not make it through the surgery because it was experimental. At the time I was only the second or third person to have this procedure done. I was absolutely terrified, and again Dr. Vincent reassured me he would see to it that everything would be all right.
I had a lot of confidence and trust in Dr. Vincent; He came to see me after the surgery, which was extremely painful but very successful, and brought me a stuffed animal. I was so surprised to get this gift from Dr. Vincent; I gave him a hug. I guess Dr. Vincent must have known I was feeling very lonely and scared. You see, I had no family or friends visit me while I was in the hospital except for my Mom, and I am not sure why. I do know one thing; I had a wonderful doctor who took the time to help a scared little girl who felt all alone.
This was twenty eight years ago, so wherever you are Dr. Vincent, I want to thank you for not only saving my life, but you helped me live a normal productive life, and for showing me that you truly cared, for that I will be eternally grateful to you.
【小题1】Why did Dr. Vincent have a special place in her heart? Because________.

A.Dr. Vincent was handsome
B.Dr. Vincent was caring and kind
C.Dr. Vincent carried out the operation.
D.Dr. Vincent offered the money the operation needed.
【小题2】Dr. Vincent was called in during my test to ________________.
A.feed herB.comfort herC.scare herD.have the surgery.
【小题3】Which of the following is true except ___________.
A.the operation was experimental.B.she didn’t trust in Dr. Vincent
C.the operation would be extremely painfulD.she felt scared and all alone
【小题4】How did Dr. Vincent get the money for the operation?
A.He collected it in the hospital.B.He saved the money day by day
C.He got help from an organization.D.He borrowed the money from his friends

Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1904. He was famous because of the books he wrote for children. They combine funny words, pictures, and social opinions.

Dr Seuss wrote his first book for children in 1937. It is called And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street. A number of publishers refused to publish it. They said it was too different. A friend finally published it. Soon other successful books followed. Over the years, he wrote more than forty children’s books. They were fun to read. Yet his books sometimes dealt with serious subjects.

By the middle 1940s, Dr Seuss had become one of the best-loved and most successful writers of children’s books. He liked helping children. In 1954, Life magazine published a report about school children who could not read. The report said that many children’s books weren’t interesting. Dr Seuss decided to write books that were interesting and easy to read.

In 1957, Dr Seuss wrote The Cat in the Hat. He used less than 225 words to write the book. This was about the number of words a six-year-old should be able to read.

The story is about a cat who tries to entertain two children on a rainy day while their mother is away from home. The cat is not like normal cats. It talks. The book was an immediate success. It was an interesting story and was easy to read. Children loved it. Their parents loved it, too. Today many adults say it is still one of the stories they like best.

1.What’s the best title for this passage?

A. Some of Dr Seuss’ books for children.

B. What are Dr Seuss’s books mainly about?

C. Dr Seuss — a famous writer of children’s books.

D. Why are Dr Seuss’ books different?

2.What do we know about Dr Seuss’s first book for children?

A. It was Dr Seuss’ worst book.

B. It dealt with a very serious subject.

C. Neither children nor adults like it.

D. Many publishers didn’t accept his book at first.

3.How did Dr Seuss help children according to Paragraph 3?

A. By asking others to help them in magazines.

B. By writing interesting and simple books.

C. By changing his old books into simpler ones.

D. By giving them books for free.

4.Adults most probably think that Dr Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat is _________

A. interesting        B. serious       C. difficult       D. boring

 

Nothing was going right for Dr.Turner at the hospital. He made a mistake while operating on a patient. He felt sure he was no longer trusted and decided to change his job . One day he learned from the paper that a doctor was looking for a partner (合作者). The doc-tor, whose name was Johnson , lived in Thorby, a small town in the north of England.

A few days later Dr. Turner went to Thorby, and arrived at Dr.Johnson's home early in the afternoon. Though old and a little deaf, Dr.Johnson still had a good brain. He kept talking to the visitor about the town and its people. When they turned to the question of partnership,it was already seven in the evening. Dr. Johnson invited Dr . Turner to have dinner with him in a restaurant before catching the train back to London. Dr . Turner noticed that Dr. Johnson was fond of good food and expensive wines . They had an excellent meal. When the bill was brought, Dr. Johnson felt in his pocket." Oh, dear," he said. "I've forgotten my money." "That's all right,"Dr. Turner said."I'll pay the bill."As he did so,he began to wonder whether Dr. Johnson was worthy of trust.

1. Dr. Turner decided to leave his present job because        .

A. he had never been trusted      

B. it demanded too great skills

C. he believed it offered little hope for his future

D. he thought the hospital would like him to leave

2.The two doctors spent most of the afternoon talking about         .

A. things of no interest to Dr. Johnson 

B. things of no importance to Dr. Turner

C. health matters                  

D. food and drink

3.The story suggests that                .

A. Dr. Johnson did not  like Dr. Turner

B. the two doctors would become friends

C. the two doctors would not work together

D. Dr. Turner decided to stay at his present job

4.The words did so  in the last sentence mean                .

A. caught the train back to London   B. felt in his pocket

C. paid the bill                  D. said those words

 

If you are worried about things and are under a lot of stress at work or school, then you are probably not sleeping well. Worry can keep you awake, tossing and turning in bed until the early hours of the morning when you eventually fall asleep. When you wake up, you don’t feel refreshed(精神振作), but tired and worn out and unable to face a new day.

Dr. Henry Winkle, in a recent newspaper article entitled Stress and Sleep, indicates(暗示、表明) that                      . Dr. Winkle says, “The more we worry, the less we sleep, the more we are unable to deal with stress. If we can find a way to get a good night’s sleep,” he adds, “we can often find the energy to deal with what’s worrying us.”

So, what is a good night’s sleep? Research shows that the amount of sleep which people need in order to keep healthy varies a lot. Seven hours is about the average amount, though strangely enough, sleeping longer often gives you a headache instead of making you feel more refreshed.

Dr. Winkle believes that preparing for sleeping is important. People who work late should try to give themselves a short break and do something restful before going to bed. This could be watching TV or listening to music. Doing some exercise earlier in the day should help you to feel physically as well as mentally tired. A bedtime drink can also help, but coffee or tea should be avoided as they contain caffeine and will keep you awake. “When you put the light out,” Dr. Winkle says, “concentrate on relaxing your muscles, working slowly up from your feet, and you’ll be asleep before you know it.”

1.What is the best title of the passage? (Please answer within 10 words)   

________________________________________________________________________                                                                     

2.Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?

People shouldn’t go to sleep immediately but should take a break after working late in the night.

_____________________________________________________________________

3.Please fill in the blank in the second paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence. (Please answer within 10 words)

___________________________________________________________________________                                                                  

4.Someone says that the longer you sleep, the better you feel. Try to find some arguments from the passage against the idea. (Please answer within 30 words)                                                

___________________________________________________________________________                                                                   

5.Translate the underlined sentence in the first paragraph into Chinese.   

                                                                        

 

 

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