雅思（阅读）-试卷99及答案解析.doc

1、雅思（阅读）-试卷 99 及答案解析(总分：80.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Reading Module(总题数：9，分数：80.00)1.Reading Module (60 minutes)_You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based,on Reading Passage 1 below. Can animals count?Prime among basic numerical faculties is the ability to distinguish between a larger

2、 and a smaller number, says psychologist Elizabeth Brannon. Humans can do this with ease - providing the ratio is big enough - but do other animals share this ability? In one experiment, rhesus monkeys and university students examined two sets of geometrical objects that appeared briefly on a comput

3、er monitor. They had to decide which set contained more objects. Both groups performed successfully but, importantly, Brannons team found that monkeys, like humans, make more errors when two sets of objects are close in number. The students performance ends up looking just like a monkeys. Its practi

4、cally identical, she says.Humans and monkeys are mammals, in the animal family known as primates. These are not the only animals whose numerical capacities rely on ratio, however. The same seems to apply to some amphibians. Psychologist Claudia Ullers team tempted salamanders with two sets of fruit

5、flies held in clear tubes. In a series of trials, the researchers noted which tube the salamanders scampered towards, reasoning that if they had a capacity to recognise number, they would head for the larger number. The salamanders successfully discriminated between tubes containing 8 and 16 flies r

6、espectively, but not between 3 and 4, 4 and 6, or 8 and 12. So it seems that for the salamanders to discriminate between two numbers, the larger must be at least twice as big as the smaller. However, they could differentiate between 2 and 3 flies just as well as between 1 and 2 flies, suggesting the

7、y recognise small numbers in a different way from larger numbers.Further support for this theory comes from studies of mosquitofish, which instinctively join the biggest shoal* they can. A team at the University of Padova found that while mosquitofish can tell the difference between a group containi

8、ng 3 shoal-mates and a group containing 4, they did not show a preference between groups of 4 and 5. The team also found that mosquitofish can discriminate between numbers up to 16, but only if the ratio between the fish in each shoal was greater than 2:1. This indicates that the fish, like salamand

9、ers, possess both the approximate and precise number systems found in more intelligent animals such as infant humans and other primates.While these findings are highly suggestive, some critics argue that the animals might be relying on other factors to complete the tasks, without considering the num

10、ber itself. Any study thats claiming an animal is capable of representing number should also be controlling for other factors, says Brannon. Experiments have confirmed that primates can indeed perform numerical feats without extra clues, but what about the more primitive animals? To consider this po

11、ssibility, the mosquitofish tests were repeated, this time using varying geometrical shapes in place of fish. The team arranged these shapes so that they had the same overall surface area and luminance even though they contained a different number of objects. Across hundreds of trials on 14 differen

12、t fish, the team found they consistently discriminated 2 objects from 3. The team is now testing whether mosquitofish can also distinguish 3 geometric objects from 4.Even more primitive organisms may share this ability. Entomologist Jurgen Tautz sent a group of bees down a corridor, at the end of wh

13、ich lay two chambers - one which contained sugar water, which they like, while the other was empty. To test the bees numeracy, the team marked each chamber with a different number of geometrical shapes - between 2 and 6. The bees quickly learned to match the number of shapes with the correct chamber

14、 Like the salamanders and fish, there was a limit to the bees mathematical prowess -they could differentiate up to 4 shapes, but failed with 5 or 6 shapes.These studies still do not show whether animals learn to count through training, or whether they are born with the skills already intact. If the

15、 latter is true, it would suggest there was a strong evolutionary advantage to a mathematical mind. Proof that this may be the case has emerged from an experiment testing the mathematical ability of three- and four-day-old chicks. Like mosquitofish, chicks prefer to be around as many of their siblin

16、gs as possible, so they will always head towards a larger number of their kin. If chicks spend their first few days surrounded by certain objects, they become attached to these objects as if they were family. Researchers placed each chick in the middle of a platform and showed it two groups of balls

17、 of paper. Next, they hid the two piles behind screens, changed the quantities and revealed them to the chick. This forced the chick to perform simple computations to decide which side now contained the biggest number of its “brothers“. Without any prior coaching, the chicks scuttled to the larger q

18、uantity at a rate well above chance. They were doing some very simple arithmetic, claim the researchers.Why these skills evolved is not hard to imagine, since it would help almost any animal forage for food. Animals on the prowl for sustenance must constantly decide which tree has the most fruit, or

19、 which patch of flowers will contain the most nectar. There are also other, less obvious, advantages of numeracy. In one compelling example, researchers in America found that female coots appear to calculate how many eggs they have laid - and add any in the nest laid by an intruder - before making a

20、ny decisions about adding to them. Exactly how ancient these skills are is difficult to determine, however. Only by studying the numerical abilities of more and more creatures using standardised procedures can we hope to understand the basic preconditions for the evolution of number.* a group of fis

21、hQuestions 1-7Complete the table below.Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.Write your answers in boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet. （分数：14.00）填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1 ?

22、 In boxes 8-13 on your answer sheet, writeTRUE if the statement agrees with the informationFALSE if the statement contradicts the informationNOT GIVEN if there is no information on this（分数：12.00）(1).Primates are better at identifying the larger of two numbers if one is much bigger than the other.（分数

23、2.00）A.真B.假C.NOT GIVEN(2).Jurgen Tautz trained the insects in his experiment to recognise the shapes of individual numbers.（分数：2.00）A.真B.假C.NOT GIVEN(3).The research involving young chicks took place over two separate days.（分数：2.00）A.真B.假C.NOT GIVEN(4).The experiment with chicks suggests that some

24、numerical ability exists in newborn animals.（分数：2.00）A.真B.假C.NOT GIVEN(5).Researchers have experimented by altering quantities of nectar or fruit available to certain wild animals.（分数：2.00）A.真B.假C.NOT GIVEN(6).When assessing the number of eggs in their nest, coots take into account those of other bi

25、rds.（分数：2.00）A.真B.假C.NOT GIVENYou should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage 2 below.Questions 14-18Reading Passage 2 has five paragraphs A-E.Choose the correct heading for each paragraph, A-E, from the list of headings below.Write the correct number, i-viii

26、 in boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet. List of Headingsi A lack of consistent policyii Learning from experienceiii The greatest advantageiv The role of researchv A unique materialvi An irrational anxietyvii Avoiding the real challengesviii A sign of things to come （分数：10.00）(1).Paragraph A（分数：2.00）填

27、空项 1:_(2).Paragraph B（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_(3).Paragraph C（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_(4).Paragraph D（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_(5).Paragraph E（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_Look at the following statements(Questions 19-23)and the list of people below.Match each statement to the correct person A-D.Write the correct letter, A-D, in boxes 19-23

28、 on your answer sheet. NB You may use any letter more than once.PeopleA Tim Lang B Dick Searle C Helene Roberts D Steve Kelsey（分数：10.00）(1).Comparison of two approaches to packaging revealed an interesting result.（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_(2).People are expected to do the right thing.（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_(3).Most

29、food reaches UK shops in good condition.（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_(4).Complex issues are ignored in the search for speedy solutions.（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_(5).It is merely because of the way societies operate that using plastic seems valid.（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_Complete the summary below.Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD from t

30、he text for each answer.Write your answers in boxes 24-26 on your answer sheet. A revolutionary materialPlastic packaging has changed the way we consume food. However, we instinctively dislike it, partly because it is the product of 1processes, but also because it seems to be 2so we feel it is waste

31、ful. Nevertheless, it is thanks to plastic that for many people their choice of food is no longer restricted by the 3in which it is available or the location of its source.（分数：6.00）填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on Reading Passage 3 below.

32、The growth of intelligenceNo one doubts that intelligence develops as children grow older. Yet the concept of intelligence has proved both quite difficult to define in unambiguous terms and unexpectedly controversial in some respects. Although, at one level, there seem to be almost as many definitio

33、ns of intelligence as people who have tried to define it, there is broad agreement on two key features. That is, intelligence involves the capacity not only to learn from experience but also to adapt to ones environment. However, we cannot leave the concept there. Before turning to what is known abo

34、ut the development of intelligence, it is necessary to consider whether we are considering the growth of one or many skills. That question has been tackled in rather different ways by psychometricians and by developmentalists.The former group has examined the issue by determining how childrens abili

35、ties on a wide range of tasks intercorrelate, or go together. Statistical techniques have been used to find out whether the patterns are best explained by one broad underlying capacity, general intelligence, or by a set of multiple, relatively separate, special skills in domains such as verbal and v

36、isuospatial ability. While it cannot be claimed that everyone agrees on what the results mean, most people now accept that for practical purposes it is reasonable to suppose that both are involved. In brief, the evidence in favour of some kind of general intellectual capacity is that people who are

37、superior(or inferior)on one type of task tend also to be superior(or inferior)on others. Moreover, general measures of intelligence tend to have considerable powers to predict a persons performance on a wide range of tasks requiring special skills. Nevertheless, it is plain that it is not at all unc

38、ommon for individuals to be very good at some sorts of task and yet quite poor at some others.Furthermore the influences that affect verbal skills are not quite the same as those that affect other skills.This approach to investigating intelligence is based on the nature of the task involved, but stu

39、dies of age-related changes show that this is not the only, or necessarily the most important, approach. For instance, some decades ago, Horn and Cattell argued for a differentiation between what they termed fluid and crystallised intelligence. Fluid abilities are best assessed by tests that require

40、 mental manipulation of abstract symbols. Crystallised abilities, by contrast, reflect knowledge of the environment in which we live and past experience of similar tasks; they may be assessed by tests of comprehension and information. It seems that fluid abilities peak in early adult life, whereas c

41、rystallised abilities increase up to advanced old age.Developmental studies also show that the interconnections between different skills vary with age. Thus in the first year of life an interest in perceptual patterns is a major contributor to cognitive abilities, whereas verbal abilities are more i

42、mportant later on. These findings seemed to suggest a substantial lack of continuity between infancy and middle childhood. However, it is important to realise that the apparent discontinuity will vary according to which of the cognitive skills were assessed in infancy. It has been found that tests o

43、f coping with novelty do predict later intelligence. These findings reinforce the view that young childrens intellectual performance needs to be assessed from their interest in and curiosity about the environment, and the extent to which this is applied to new situations, as well as by standardised

44、intelligence testing.These psychometric approaches have focused on childrens increase in cognitive skills as they grow older. Piaget brought about a revolution in the approach to cognitive development through his arguments(backed up by observations)that the focus should be on the thinking processes

45、involved rather than on levels of cognitive achievement. These ideas of Piaget gave rise to an immense body of research and it would be true to say that subsequent thinking has been heavily dependent on his genius in opening up new ways of thinking about cognitive development. Nevertheless, most of

46、his concepts have had to be so radically revised, or rejected, that his theory no longer provides an appropriate basis for thinking about cognitive development. To appreciate why that is so, we need to focus on some rather different elements of Piagets theorising.The first element, which has stood t

47、he test of time, is his view that the child is an active agent of learning and of the importance of this activity in cognitive development. Numerous studies have shown how infants actively scan their environment; how they prefer patterned to non-patterned objects, how they choose novel over familiar

48、 stimuli, and how they explore their environment as if to see how it works. Childrens questions and comments vividly illustrate the ways in which they are constantly constructing schemes of what they know and trying out their ideas of how to fit new knowledge into those schemes or deciding that the schemes need modification. Moreover, a variety of studies have shown that active experiences have a greater effect on learning than comparable passi