New research suggests that animals have a much higher level of brainpower than previously thought. If animals do have intelligen

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问题     New research suggests that animals have a much higher level of brainpower than previously thought. If animals do have intelligence, how do scientists measure it? Before defining animals’ intelligence, scientists defined what is not intelligence. Instinct is not intelligence. It is a skill programmed into an animal’s brain. Rote(机械记忆)conditioning is also not intelligence. Tricks can be learned by repetition, but no real thinking is involved. Scientists believe that insight(顿悟), the ability to use tools, and communication using human language are all effective measures of the mental ability of animals.
    Scientists define insight as a flash of sudden understanding. When a young gorilla could not reach fruit from a tree, she noticed some boxes scattered about the lawn near the tree. She piled up the boxes, and then climbed on them to reach her reward. The gorilla’s insight allowed her to solve a new problem without trial and error.
    The ability to use tools is also an important sign of intelligence. Crows use sticks to get nuts out of cracks. The crow exhibits intelligence by showing it has learned what a stick can do. Likewise, seals use rocks to crack open shells in order to get at the meat.
    Many animals have learned to communicate using human language. One chimp can recognize and correctly use more than 250 abstract symbols on a keyboard. These symbols represent human words. An amazing parrot can distinguish five objects of two different types. He can understand the difference between the number, color, and kind of object. The ability to classify is a basic thinking skill. He seems to use language to express his needs and emotions. When ill and taken to the animal hospital for his first overnight stay, this parrot turned to go. "Come here!" he cried to a scientist who works with him. "I love you. I’m sorry. Wanna go back?"
    The research on animal intelligence raises important questions. If animals are smarter than once thought, would that change the way humans interact with them? Would humans stop hunting them for sport or survival? Would animals still be used for food, clothing, or medical experimentation? Finding the answer to these tough questions makes a difficult puzzle even for a large-brained, problem-solving species like our own.
Crows’ using sticks to get nuts out of cracks illustrates______.

选项 A、rote learning
B、the ability to use tools
C、communication skills
D、instinctive response

答案B

解析 此题是一道细节推断题,考查考生根据文章内容和相关重点细节进行总结归纳和推断的能力。问题问乌鸦能用木棍帮助它们从裂缝中弄出坚果说明了什么。利用查阅式阅读法,我们可以在第三段中找到相关信息。这部分指出:利用工具的能力也是智力的一个重要标志。乌鸦用木棍从裂缝中弄出坚果。乌鸦通过展示它了解木棍可以用来做什么表现出了智力。由此我们可以推断出本题的答案应该是B,利用工具的能力。选项A:机械记忆的学习能力;C:沟通的技能;D:本能的反应;这三个选项均为干扰项。
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