Question

【题目】Grandparents are respected in many human societies.But telling stories about old times and overfeeding grandchildren seem like distinctly human traits (特征).Are these classic grandparent behaviors really limited to human beings? Do any animals know their grandparents the way people do? For most species (物种) on Earth,the answer is NO! “Usually, there just aren't grandparents living anymore when an animal is born,” said Mirkka Lahdenper, a biologist at the University of Turku in Finland. Even if an animal's grandparents are still alive, most species spread out to avoid competing for resources, so the chances of running into a grandparent are small.

But there are a few exceptions, primarily among mammals (哺乳动物) that live in close social groups. Canadian zoologist Anne Innis Dagg described groups of langur monkeys in India in which older females lived with their daughters and grandchildren. The grandmother langurs have a particular job: they protect the group's babies against hurt from humans, dogs and other monkeys. Some female langurs even give their own grandchildren special treatment, cleaning their fur and stepping in when they play too roughly with other young.

Many whale species, too, travel with their families,including both grandmothers and grandcalves. In groups of sperm whales, according to Dagg, old females help babysit the group's young while their mothers dive (潜水) for food. Orca grandmothers often lead their family members and can live for many years after they stop reproducing. In 2015, scientists suggested that these elder orcas help their grandcalves through hard times, because they remember all the best places to find food.

Female elephants rule the whole family. Calves (幼崽) are typically born into groups led by their grandmothers, who can live to around 80 years old. The female elephants form close relationships, said Lahdenper, and raise their young together. Lahdenper found that the calves of young mothers were eight times more likely to survive if their grandmothers lived near them than if they didn't. When the calves' mothers were older and more experienced at raising babies, this beneficial “grandmother effect” disappeared even if the actual grandmothers were still around.

It isn't very clear how elephant grandmothers help their inexperienced daughters, said Lahdenper. It is believed that they may help nurse their grandcalves. But Lahdenper thinks that the more likely advantage is the wisdom a grandmother elephant has got during her long lifetime.

And what about grandfathers? Studies of humans in recent years have shown that a living grandfather can improve a person's mental health and wellbeing, said Lahdenper.

But there are signs of that in the animal kingdom, she said. Male animals seldom socialize with their own children, let alone grandchildren. “Males are usually focusing on producing their own children and aren't providing so much care,” Lahdenper said.

【1】From Paragraph 3, we know that orca grandmothers _______.

A. die after reproducingB. teach the young to dive for food

C. have rich experienceD. enjoy travelling with grandfathers

【2】The examples of monkeys, whales and elephants show that _______.

A. the “grandmother effect” lasts long in the animal world

B. grandmothers shoulder great responsibilities in their families

C. animal grandfathers can improve grandcalves' mental health

D. most species treat their grandparents like human beings do

【3】Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A. Animal grandparents are like human grandparents

B. Animal grandmas are born group leaders

C. Are animal grandmas given enough respect?

D. Do any animals know their grandparents?

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】C

【2】B

【3】D

【解析】

本文介绍了有没有动物像人们一样认识他们的祖父母？对于地球上的大多数物种来说，答案是否定的！但也有一些例外，主要是生活在密切社会群体中的哺乳动物。本文就通过猴子、鲸鱼和大象的例子，来说明祖母在家族中地位，表明了祖母在家庭中承担着巨大的责任。至于祖父，在动物王国里，雄性动物很少与自己的孩子交往，更不用说孙子了。雄性动物通常专注于生自己的孩子，并没有提供太多的照顾。

【1】段落大意题。根据Orca grandmothers often lead their family members and can live for many years after they stop reproducing. In 2015, scientists suggested that these elder orcas help their grand calves through hard times, because they remember all the best places to find food. 奥卡的祖母们经常领导他们的家庭成员，在他们停止生育后可以活很多年。2015年，科学家建议这些年长的虎鲸帮助它们的孙子度过难关，因为它们记得所有寻找食物的最佳地点。可知，奥卡的祖母有丰富的经验。故选C。

【2】细节理解题。根据The grandmother langurs have a particular job: they protect the group's babies against hurt from humans, dogs and other monkeys. Some female langurs even give their own grandchildren special treatment, cleaning their fur and stepping in when they play too roughly with other young. 和句子 Orca grandmothers often lead their family members and can live for many years after they stop reproducing. 以及Calves (幼崽) are typically born into groups led by their grandmothers, who can live to around 80 years old. 幼崽通常出生在由其祖母领导的群体中，他们可以活到80岁左右。这些都表明了祖母在家庭中承担着巨大的责任。故选B。

【3】细节理解题。根据短文的第一段可知，Do any animals know their grandparents the way people do? For most species (物种) on Earth, the answer is NO! “Usually, there just aren't grandparents living anymore when an animal is born,”said Mirkka Lahdenper, a biologist at the University of Turku in Finland. Even if an animal's grandparents are still alive, most species spread out to avoid competing for resources, so the chances of running into a grandparent are small. 可知，有没有动物像人们一样认识他们的祖父母？对于地球上的大多数物种来说，答案是否定的！芬兰图尔库大学的生物学家米尔卡·拉德恩伯说：“通常，当一只动物出生后，祖父母就不再生活了。”即使动物的祖父母还活着，大多数物种也会分散开来以避免争夺资源，因此遇到祖父母的机会很小。句子Do any animals know their grandparents the way people do?是本文的主旨句。因此本文最好的题目应该是动物认识他们的祖父母吗？故选D。