In the study, Woolley and Doupe set up a long cage with a sound speaker at each end. One broadcast the sound of a male zebra finch singing to himself, like someone singing in the shower. The other speaker broadcast a male performing for a female audience, as if he was giving a concert.
Female birds were placed between the two speakers. Some of the birds had mates, others didn't. The females shifted around a bit, and then most of them hopped over to sit beside just one speaker. All the birds that made a clear choice liked songs meant for a female audience, even if they'd never met the male.
Mated females also had a chance to listen to two different performance songs, one from an unknown male, and one from their mate. They spent more time listening, to the concert version of their mates' songs. This suggests that after a while, females learn to recognize—and prefer-the songs of their mates.
Scientists then studied the brains of the females. They found certain areas of the brain perked up when the birds listened to the concert songs. These brain areas may be involved in recognizing and evaluating the songs, and storing the memories of them. This research deals with what's called directed communication, when the communicator, or sender, focuses the message for a specific audience. One example is the way morns speak to their babies. Mothers around the world use the same sort of high-pitched sing-song chatter, and the babies respond best to those sounds. Songbirds are one of the only other species known to learn their communication, in this case their songs.
31 What does the first paragraph say about zebra finches? __________ A Male zebra finches like to sing to female zebra finches. B Male zebra finches sing louder than female zebra finches.
C Male zebra finches change their songs in female zebra finches' presence. D Male zebra finches like to listen to female zebra finches sing. 32 What did the researchers find in their study of female zebra finches? _________
A Female finches liked songs male finches sang for them.
B Female finches only liked songs male finches sang for their mates. C Female finches liked to listen to songs from both speakers. D Female finches chose the best male singers as their mates.
33 What is meant by “concert songs” in the seventh paragraph? __________ A Songs sung by zebra finches at a concert. B Songs sung by male finches for female finches. C Songs sung by female finches for male finches. D Songs sung by male finches to many female finches.
34 What is NOT tree of directed communication? __________ A The sender of a message has a specific audience. B Male zebra finches sing to female finches. C Mothers talk to their babies.
D Male zebra finches sing to themselves.
35 Which of the following can best reflect the theme of the passage? _________
A Chirping away.
B Birdsongs as communication. C Zebra finches and their life. D Enjoying birdsongs. 第二篇
Media and Current Events
The media can impact current events. As a graduate student at Berkeley in the 1960s, I remember experiencing the events related to the People's park that were occurring on campus. Some of these events were given national media coverage in the press and on TV. I found it interesting to compare my impressions of what was
going on with perceptions obtained from the news media. I could begin to see events of that time feed on news coverage. This also provided me with some healthy insights into the distinctions between these realities.
Electronic media are having a greater impact on the people's lives every day. People gather more and more of their impressions from representations. Television and telephone communications are linking people to a global village, or what one writer calls the electronic city. Consider the information that television brings into your home every day. Consider also the contact you have with others simply by using telephone. These media extend your conscious-ness and your contact. For example, the video coverage of the 1989 San Francisco earthquake focused on “live action” such as the fires or the rescue efforts. This gave the viewer the impression of total disaster. Television coverage of the Iraqi War also developed an immediacy. CNN reported events as they happened. This coverage was distributed worldwide. Although most people were far away from these events, they developed some perception of these realities.
In 1992, many people watched in horror as riots broke out on a sad Wednesday evening in Los Angeles, seemingly fed by video coverage from helicopters. This event was triggered by the verdict (裁定) in the Rodney King beating. We are now in an age where the public can have access to information that enables it to make its own judgments, and most people, who had seen the video of this beating, could not understand how the jury (陪审团) was able to acquit (宣布无罪) the policemen involved. Media coverage of events as they occur also provides powerful feedback
that influences events. This can have harmful results, as it seemed on that Wednesday night in Los Angeles. By Friday night the public got to see Rodney King on television pleading, “Can we all get along?” By Saturday, television seemed to provide positive feedback as the Los Angeles riot turned out into a rally for peace. The television showed thousands of people marching with banners and cleaning tools. Because of that, many more people turned out to join the peaceful event they saw unfolding (展开) on television. The real healing, of course, will take much longer, but electronic media will continue to be a part of that process. 36 The best title for the passage is ____________. A The 1992 Los Angeles Riots
B The Impact of Media on Current Events
C The 1989 San Francisco Earthquake and 1992 Los Angeles Riots D How Media Cover Events ____________.
37 All of the following statements are true EXCEPT that A electronic media can extend one's contact with the world
B those living far away from a certain event can also have some perception of realities by watching television
C all the events occurring on the university campus at Berkeley were given national media coverage