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.

Gorillas are born with an international sign language of gestures that they use to communicate，says a new study from the University of St Andrews in Scotland.

From beating their chests to putting objects on their heads，shaking their arms，and even bouncing on all fours，the animals use more than 100 gestures to communicate with each other

Professor Richard Byrne，a psychiatrist involved in the research，says it was hard to figure out the meanings of the gestures.

“We don't really know what the animals are thinking. Often the gestures have more than one meaning，depending on the context，”says Byrne.

The study showed that the gorillas did not learn the ges­tures from each other，as had been expected，but performed them instinctively (本能地).

“Everyone had assumed different groups of gorillas would learn different gestures，”he says. “But that's not what we found. The more sites we went to ,the more we saw the same gestures being used. They seem to be naturally equipped with a pretty complex system of communication.”

The study also found that gestures were performed with close attention to the potential audience，so that silent sig­nals，for example， were only given when other apes could see them. Other gestures，such as the "disco arm shake" were only ever seen directed towards humans.

Byrne believes that the findings may explain how the human language developed.

“There has always been speculation（猜测）that the origins of the human language might lie in gestures，”he says.

“Many researchers have therefore studied the gestural communication of the great apes for clues to the evolution­ary origins of human gestures，”he adds.

Several studies have shown that great apes are capable of imitating gestures. However，the scientists found that what appeared to be copies of human actions were actually gestures the apes were already able to make themselves. They're “reusing” gestures from their own repertoire，not learning new ones.

64.According to the passage，Richard Byrne's research has found      .

A. different groups of gorillas would learn different gestures

B. gorillas know the sign language from birth

C. how gorillas learn from each other

D. gorillas develop a variety of languages when growing up

65.Why can't the researchers really know the meanings of gorilla gestures?

A. Because gorillas possess the ability of making many kinds of gestures.

B. Because they haven't made deep research into the animal.

C. Because a gorilla gesture may have different meanings.

D. Because gorillas can't exactly express their thoughts.

66.If a gorilla wants to make a silent gesture towards another gorilla，he      .

A. needs to know how many other gorillas are watching him

B. needs to make noise first in order to draw attention

C. will first make sure his gesture can be seen

D. will first consider whether he can carry out his gesture

67.According to the passage，many scientists study the sign language of great apes in order to      .

A. find the origins of the human language

B. find ways for people to communicate with apes

C. learn how animals communicate

D. discover the meanings of animal gestures

My father came to the United States as a Ukrainian immigrant (移民) when he was 14 years old. Unable to speak English but willing to do anything to succeed, he learned the language, became a barber, and opened up his own business in a small town. He put my sister and me through college during a time when most people thought that women didn’t need an education and that they should be satisfied with getting married and having children. He gave us values and ambition. But this story didn’t really start until my father was 60 years old.

    I was preparing to get married and my father was attempting to practice the polke, a must at any Ukrainian wedding. But he just couldn’t do it! He had lost mobility in his leg and was diagnosed with a brain tumor (肿瘤). After surgery, this energetic, hard-working man was forced to retire as a result of significant paralysis (瘫痪) in his right arm and leg. My dad had always worked two jobs and spent his spare time working around the house. Now that kind of life came to a sudden stop. Yet never once did he complain. He bought rubber balls and spent his days trying to regain his hand mobility by squeezing those balls over and over.

    After his last operation, he chatted with me pleasantly in the hospital room until a nurse flew into the room, waving her finger at me, and yelling, “You’d better tell your father to stay in bed. He is paralyzed and will never walk again. He needs to stop trying to get out of bed and accept the fact that he can’t walk now or ever. I am sick of picking him up and you’d better warn him to stay put!” My father smiled. He spent a great deal of time on the floor that year, but he eventually got up and walked.

    My father lived nineteen more years after that operation. He bought himself a motor scooter (小型摩托车) and spent years zipping around the streets of Philadelphia. He was proud, free, and always smiling.

In what way was the author’s father different from most other people in his times?

    A. He succeeded in migrating to the U.S.

    B. He learned the new language easily and quickly.

    C. He achieved his life goal by working as a barber.

    D. He had his daughters educated.

The underlined word “polke” in Paragraph 2 probably refers to        .

    A. a song           B. a dance          C. a musical instrument     D. a tool for painting

The author’s father used the rubber balls to         .

    A. kill his too much spare time         B. relieve himself from work pressure

    C. get his hand’s function back            D. recover from his operation

Which of the following can be used to describe the author’s father?

    A. Perfect.         B. Strong-minded.           C. Creative.            D. Impractical.

What can we learn from the text?

    A. Love can do wonders.             B. Failure is the mother of success.

    C. A father’s love is most valuable.       D. Never give up on your life.

In the U.S., people prefer waiting for a table to sitting with people they don’t know. This means a hostess may not seat a small group until a small table is available, even if a large one is. If you are sitting at a table with people you don’t know, it is impolite to light up a cigarette without first asking if it will disturb them.

At American restaurants and coffee shops you are usually served tap water before you order. You may find the bread and butter is free, and if you order coffee, you may get a free refill.

Most cities and towns have no rules about opening and closing time for stores or restaurants, though they usually do make rules for bars. Especially in large cities, stores may be open 24 hours a day.  

Serving in restaurants is often large; too large for many people. If you can’t finish your meal but would like to enjoy the food later, ask your waitress or waiter for a “doggie bag”. It may have a picture of a dog on it, but everybody knows you’re taking the food for yourself.

Supper and dinner are both words for the evening meal. Some people have “Sunday dinner”. This is an especially big noon meal.

Tips are not usually added to the check. They are not included in the price of the meal, either. A tip of about 15% is expected and you should leave it on the table when you leave. In some restaurants, a check is brought on a plate and you put your money there. Then the waiter or waitress brings you your change.

Which statement is true?

A. American people like sitting with people they don’t know.

B. Tips shouldn’t be given to the waiter or waitress.

C. Orange juice is served before you order

D. American people would not light a cigarette if the people who sit at the same table mind their smoking.

What does the underlined word “doggie bag” mean in the article? It means ______.

A. a bag with a picture of a dog on it

B. a bag used to carry dogs

C. a small bag for taking the food left over home to enjoy it later

D. a small bag for taking the food left over home for dogs

Sunday dinner is _______.

A. a dinner in the evening               B. a big noon meal

C. a big lunch Sunday                  D. a supper on Sunday

If a person pays 200 yuan in a restaurant, how many tips are given to the waiter?

A. 30 yuan.       B. 60 yuan.        C. 80 yuan.        D. 90 yuan.

U.S. airlines are seeing a major interruption because of hundreds of flights canceled due to the ash cloud from the Icelandic volcano, but European flight companies will face the biggest losses.

The airline business has been tough: The decline dramatically slowed traffic; February heavy snow forced U.S. airlines to cancel thousands of flights; and now the ashes from the volcano stopped all traffic in and out of northern Europe for days.

"For U.S. flight companies, it'll be a relatively short-term hit," said Michael Boyd, president of Boyd Group International, an aviation (航空学) consulting firm. "We think right now they're down about $80 million in terms of lost income, and they're down domestically about 80,000 passengers that would have been flying domestically but aren't because they can't get here."

Delta announced that volcano-related interruption grounded about 400 flights until Monday at a cost of $20 million in lost revenues. But compare that to the recent snowstorms, when the airline canceled 7,000 flights and lost $65 million in revenue.

The disruption has created uncertainty for customers, but analysts say U.S. airlines won't face as many costs as you might think. They are not flying in extra planes to handle the passengers in trouble because, airline analyst Robert Mann said, companies simply don't have them.

"Airlines run a very lean operation now," Mann said. "So, since there are no spare aircraft or crews, the airlines will attempt to maximize loads on every one of their aircraft that do fly. But it may take days, or in some cases a week or so, to get some of these customers to where they want to go."

1. Which negative consequences mentioned in the passage did the disasters cause?

A. coldness, pollution and airlines’ losses    

B. airport damage, pollution and slow traffic

C. passenger delay, coldness and airport damage   

D. passenger delay, airlines’ losses and slow traffic

2. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A. The fewest airplanes will fly the trapped passengers to their destinations.

B. All the customers are sure to be sent to their destinations in time.

C. The U.S. and U.K. airlines suffered the same losses in the natural disasters.

D. The volcano eruption reduced the traffic to and from northern Europe.  

3. What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?

A. the troubles that the airlines will face after the ash cloud disappears

B. the measures that the airlines will take to maximize their profit

C. the present situation of the airlines and their plan to deliver the passengers

D. the reasons why the airlines run a fine operation

4. Why will it take a long time for airlines to send the passengers to their different destinations?

A. Because the passengers enjoy staying in airports to talk with one another.

B. Because the airlines don’t have spare planes or employees to serve.

C. Because the airlines don't have enough financial support after the disaster.

D. Because the passengers are asking for full refund from the airlines.

5. The passage is most probably from_______.

A．a novel           B．a news report        C．a magazine        D．a thesis