Question

【题目】According to a team of researchers, an animals' ability to perceive(感知)time is linked to their pace of life.

"Our results lend support to the importance of time perception in animals where the ability to

perceive time in a very short time may be the difference between life and death for fast moving

creatures." commented lead author Kevin Healy from Trinity College Dublin.

The study was done with a variety of animals using a phenomenon based on the maximum speed of flashes of light an individual can see before the light source is seen as constant. Dogs, for example, have eyes with a refresh rate higher than humans.

One example of this phenomenon at work, the authors say, is the housefly and its ability to avoid being hit. The research showed flies "observe motion in a shorter time than our own eyes can achieve," which allows them to avoid being hit.

Professor Graeme Ruxton of the University of St Andrews in Scotland, who worked jointly(共同地) on the research project, said in a statement, "Having eyes that send updates to the brain at much higher frequencies than our eyes do is of no value if the brain cannot process that information equally quickly. Thus, this work highlights the impressive abilities of even the smallest animal brains. Flies might not be deep thinkers, but they can make good decisions very quickly."

In comparison the tiger beetle(虎甲虫)runs faster than its eyes can keep up, basically becoming blind, which requires it to stop periodically to re-evaluate its prey's(猎物)position.

Our results suggest that time perception offers an as yet unstudied dimension along which

animals can specialize and there is considerable range to study this system in more detail.

【1】What is the research mentioned in the passage mainly about?

A. Pace of life of animals. B. Time perception of animals.

C. Lifetime of small animals. D. Impressive abilities of animals.

【2】Why can houseflies avoid being hit?

A. They can think very deeply before they act.

B. They can fly much faster than their eyes can keep up.

C. They can process the information as quickly as they receive it.

D. They can send information to brain more quickly than to their eyes.

【3】What will a tiger beetle have to do to catch a moving prey?

A. Try to run as fast as it can. B. Prevent itself from becoming blind.

C. Slow down to gain its time perception. D. Stop occasionally to spot the prey again.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】B

【2】C

【3】D

【解析】文章主要讲述了研究小组发现动物对时间的感知能力源于它们的生活节奏，但这是一个未知的领域，需要进一步去研究。

【1】主旨大意题。根据文章最后一段“Our results suggest that time perception offers an as yet unstudied dimension along which animals can specialize and there is considerable range to study this system in more detail.”通过动物对时间的感知的研究表明，这是一个未知的领域，需要我们进一步的研究。故选B。

【2】推理判断题。根据第四段中的“The research showed flies “observe motion in a shorter time than our own eyes can achieve,” which allows them to avoid being hit.”研究显示苍蝇“比我们能在更短的时间内观察到运动”，这让它们能避免被击中。及第五段中的“Flies might not be deep thinkers, but they can make good decisions very quickly.”苍蝇可能不是很好的思考者， 但它们可以很快做出好的决定。可推知，苍蝇能避免被击中，是因为它们能立即处理收到的信息。故选C。

【3】细节理解题。根据倒数第二段中“…the tiger beetle (虎甲虫）runs faster than its eyes can keep up, basically becoming blind, which requires it to stop periodically to re-evaluate its prey’s (猎物)position.”虎甲虫移动的比它的眼睛快，基本上是盲目的，这就要求它不时地停下来，重新评估它猎物的位置。可知，虎甲虫为了抓住移动的猎物，需要不时地停下来再次确定猎物的位置。故选D。