Question

【題目】Dogs can tell how other dogs are feeling from the way their tails are wagging(搖擺)，according to researchers who monitored the animals’ heart rate as they watched dogs’ movies. The Italian team found that dogs had higher heart rates and became more anxious when they saw others wag their tails more to the left，but not when they wagged more to the right, or failed to wag at all.

The curious form of communication is probably not intentional, or consciously understood, but is instead an automatic behavior that arises from the structure of the brain, said Giorgio. “It’s not something they clearly and exactly understand,” Giorgio told The Guardian. “It’s just something that happens to them.”

Giorgio traces the effect back to the way the two halves of the brain process different experiences. In a previous study, his team showed that when a dog had a positive experience, activity rose in the left side of the brain, bringing about more tail wagging to the right. Or else more tail wagging to the left. The effect is barely visible to the human eye because dogs tend to wag their tails too fast, but it can be seen with slow motion video, or in some larger types.

In the latest study, the researchers wanted to find out whether the direction of tail wagging had any effect on other dogs. To get an answer, they fitted dogs with vests that recorded their heart rates, and played them movies of other dogs wagging their tails one way and then the other. To ensure the dogs reacted only to tail wagging, and not appearance? they repeated the experiment with dogs that appeared only as shadows.

“When dogs saw other dogs wagging their tails to the right, there was quite a relaxed reaction and no evidence of an increased heart rate. But when the wagging was to the left we saw an increase in heart rate and a series of behaviors typically associated with stress, anxiety and being more watchful, “Giorgio said. The anxious animals held their ears up, breathed, and kept their eyes wide open. The study appears in the latest issue of Current Biology.

【1】What does the text focus on?

A. Animal protection. B. Animal welfare.

C. Animal tests. D. Animal psychology.

【2】What leads to dogs’ wagging tail to the left or right according to Giorgio?

A. Their automatic behavior. B. Their conscious response.

C. Their increasing heart rate. D. Their selective preference.

【3】At what time do dogs have more tail wagging to the right?

A. When they run quickly. B. When they feel hungry.

C. When they play with their owners. D. When they feel stressed.

【4】What may be the best title for the text?

A. How dogs communicate with each other

B. Some reasons why dogs feel seriously anxious

C. Dogs’ different behaviors in different situations

D. Dogs’ communicating ways of tail wagging

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】D

【2】A

【3】C

【4】D

【解析】本文是一篇說明文。它講述的是動物心理學。研究表明狗交流的方式是通過搖動尾巴。

【1】目的意圖題。根據(jù)第一段Dogs can tell how other dogs are feeling from the way their tails are wagging(搖擺)，according to researchers who monitored the animals’ heart rate as they watched dogs’ movies. The Italian team found that dogs had higher heart rates and became more anxious when they saw others wag their tails more to the left，but not when they wagged more to the right, or failed to wag at all.由此可知本文講的是動物心理學。故D選項正確。

【2】推理判斷題。根據(jù)第二段中The curious form of communication is probably not intentional, or consciously understood, but is instead an automatic behavior that arises from the structure of the brain可知，根據(jù)喬治的說法，他們的自動行為會導致狗狗在左右搖擺。故A選項正確。

【3】推理判斷題。根據(jù)第三段中when a dog had a positive experience, activity rose in the left side of the brain, bringing about more tail wagging to the right. 他的研究小組表明，當一只狗有了積極的體驗，活動在大腦的左側上升，，所以狗狗的尾巴會更多向右擺動。結合選項，可知C選項正確。

【4】主旨大意題。根據(jù)第三段中In a previous study, his team showed that when a dog had a positive experience, activity rose in the left side of the brain, bringing about more tail wagging to the right. Or else more tail wagging to the left.和第四段中In the latest study, the researchers wanted to find out whether the direction of tail wagging had any effect on other dogs可知，狗交流的方式是通過搖動尾巴。故D選項正確。