文档介绍：2009 年全国硕士研究生招生考试英语（一）试题
Section I Use of English
Directions:
Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on
ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points)
Research on animal intelligence always makes us wonder just how smart humans are. 1 the fruit-fly
experiments described by Carl Zimmer in the Science Times. Fruit flies who were taught to be smarter than
the average fruit fly 2 to live shorter lives. This suggests that 3 bulbs burn longer, that there is a(n) 4 in not
being too bright.
Intelligence, it 5 , is a high-priced option. It takes more upkeep, burns more fuel and is slow 6 the starting line
because it depends on learning— a(n) 7 process— instead of instinct. Plenty of other species are able to learn,
and one of the things they?ve apparently learned is when to8 .
Is there an adaptive value to9 intelligence? That?s the question behind this new research. Instead of casting a
wistful glance 10 at all the species we?ve left in the dust .-wise, it implicitly asks what the real 11 of our
own intelligence might be. This is 12 the mind of every animal we?ve ever met.
Research on animal intelligence also makes us wonder what experiments animals would 13 on humans if
they had the chance. Every cat with an owner, 14 , is running a small-scale study in operant conditioning. We
believe that 15 animals ran the labs, they would test us to 16 the limits of our patience, our faithfulness, our
memory for locations. They would try to decide what intelligence in humans is really 17 , not merely how
much of it there is. 18 , they would hope to study a(n) 19 question: Are humans actually aware of the world
they live in? 20 the results are inconclusive.
1.[A] Suppose [B] Consider [C] Observe [D] Imagine
2.[A] tended [B] feared [C] happened [D] threatened
3.[A] thinner [B] stabler [C] lighter [D] dimmer
4.[A] tendency [B] advantage [C] inclination [D] priority
5.[A] insists on [B] sums up [C] turns out [D] puts forward