2023年3月大学英语六级真题(共3套)

2023年3月大学英语六级真题（第一套）

PartIWriting(30minutes)

Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessaythatbeginswiththesentence'/Peopleare

nowincreasinglyawareofthedangerof,appearanceanxiety"orbeingobsessedwithone'slooks//Youcan

makecomments,citeexamplesoruseyourpersonalexperiencestodevelopyouressay.Youshouldwriteatleast

250wordsbutnomorethan200words.

今此处留白与真实答题卡一致，共26行

PartIIListeningComprehension(30minutes)

SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,youwillheartwolongconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,youwillhearfour

questions.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmust

choosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Thenmarkthecorrespondingletteron

AnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

Questions1to4arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

1.A)Inarestaurant.C)Inafoodstore.

B)Inakitchen.D)Inasupermarket.

2.A)Sheeatsmeatoccasionally.C)Sheisallergictoseafood.

B)Sheenjoyscheeseburgers.D)Sheisapartialvegetarian.

3.A)Dealingwithone/scolleagues.C)Followingthesamedietforyears.

B)Changingone'seatinghabit.D)Keepingawakeatmorningmeetings.

4.A)Theyenjoyperfecthealth.C)Theyonlyeatorganicfood.

B)Theyarebothanimallovers.D)Theyarecuttingbackoncoffee.

Questions5to8arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

5.A)Themangotapoorevaluationfromhiscolleagues.C)Themanpaidattentiontotrivialthings.

B)Themanmadelittlecontributiontothecompany.D)Themanhadanattitudeproblem.

6.A)Theymakeunhelpfuldecisionsforsolvingproblems.

B)Theyfavorsomeemployees/suggestionsoverothers".

C)Theyusemanipulativelanguagetomasktheirirrationalchoices.

D)Theyrejectemployees7reasonableargumentsforworkefficiency.

7.A)Itisamustforrationaljudgment.C)Itisagoodqualityintheworkplace.

B)Itismoreofasinthanavirtue.D)Itismoreimportantnowthanever.

8.A)Smoothingrelationshipsintheworkplace.C)Focusingonemployees'careergrowth.

B)Makingrationalandproductivedecisions.D)Preservingtheirpowerandprestige.

SectionB

Directions:Inthissection,youwillheartwopassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearthreeorfour

questions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmust

choosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Thenmarkthecorrespondingletteron

AnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

Questions9to11arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

9.A)Theyshowgeniuswhichdefiesdescription.C)Theycreateveryhighcommercialvalue.

B)Theyaccomplishfeatsmanyofuscannot.D)Theybringgreathonortotheircountry.

10.A)Theytakepartinkids'extra-curricularactivities.C)Theytrytobepositiverolemodelstochildren.

B)Theyworkinsparetimetoteachchildrensports.D)Theyserveasspokespersonsforluxurygoods.

11.A)Separatinganathlete/sprofessionallifefromtheirpersonallife.

B)Preventingcertainathletesfromgettingintroublewiththelaw.

C)Keepingathletesawayfromdrugoralcoholproblems.

D)Beingsupersportsstarswithoutappearingarrogant.

Questions12to15arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

12.A)Theyalwayscostmorethanexpected.C)Theyshouldbepaidupbytheattendees.

B)Theyarejoyousandexcitingoccasions.D)Theyaredreamscomingtruetothebrides.

13.A)Itcost$60,000.C)Ithadeightguestsonly.

B)Itwascancelled.D)ItwasheldinLasVegas.

14.A)Postponeherwedding.C)Keeptoherbudget.

B)Askherfriendsforhelp.D)Invitemoreguests.

15.A)Shecalleditromantic.C)Shesaidshewouldthinkaboutit.

B)Shewelcomeditwithopenarms.D)Sherejecteditflatly.

SectionC

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhearthreerecordingsoflecturesortalksfollowedbythreeorfourquestions.

Therecordingswillbeplayedonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefour

choicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethrough

thecentre.

Questions16to18arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.

16.A)Itdeterminespeople/smoods.C)Itiscloselyrelatedtopeople/semotions.

B)Itcanimpactpeople/swellbeing.D)Itcaninfluencepeople/spersonalities.

17.A)Theymakepeoplemorereproductive.C)Theytendtoproducepositivefeelings.

B)Theyincreasepeople/slifeexpectancy.D)Theymayalterpeople'sgenesgradually.

18.A)Thelinkbetweentemperatureandpersonalityisfairlyweak.

B)Peoplesharemanypersonalitytraitsdespitetheirnationalities.

C)Peopleinthesamegeographicalareamaydifferinpersonality.

D)TheAmericansareapparentlymoreoutgoingthantheChinese.

Questions19to21arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.

19.A)ThenumberofolderAmericanslivingaloneisontherise.

B)Chroniclonelinessdoesharmtoseniorcitizensinparticular.

C)Correlationshavebeenfoundbetweenlonelinessandillhealth.

D)AgrowingnumberofUSseniorsfacetheriskofearlymortality.

20.A)Medicationisavailablefortreatingloneliness.C)Beingbusyhelpsfightloneliness.

B)Lonelinessrarelyresultsfromlivingalone.D)Lonelinessisprobablyreversible.

21.A)Livingwithone'schildren.C)Meaningfulsocialcontact.

B)Meetingsocialexpectations.D)Timelymedicalintervention.

Questions22to25arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.

22.A)Shehadasuccessfulcareerinfinance.C)ShemaderegulartripstoAsiancountries.

B)Shewrotestoriesaboutwomentravelers.D)Sheinvestedinseveralprivatecompanies.

23.A)Buyaranch.C)Travelroundtheworld.

B)Startablog.D)Setupatravelagency.

24.A)Workhardtoattractattentionfrompublishers.C)Trytofindafull-timejobinthetravelbusiness.

B)Gainsupportfromtraveladvertisingcompanies.D)Createsomethinguniquetoentertheindustry.

25.A)Attractingsufficientinvestment.C)Avoidingtoomuchadvertisingearlyon.

B)Creatinganexoticcorporateculture.D)Refrainingfrompromotingsimilarproducts.

PartIIIReadingComprehension(40minutes)

SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblank

fromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybefore

makingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.Pleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeach

itemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmore

thanonce.

Unthinkableasitmaybe,humanity,everylastperson,couldsomedaybewipedfromthefaceoftheEarth.

Wehavelearnedtoworryaboutasteroids行星)andsupervolcanoes,butthemorelikely26,accordingto

NickBostrom,aprofessorofphilosophyatOxford,isthatwehumanswilldestroyourselves.

ProfessorBostrom,whodirectsOxford/sFutureofHumanityInstitute,hasarguedoverthecourseofseveral

papersthathuman27risksarepoorlyunderstoodand,worsestill,28underestimatedbysociety.

Someoftheseexistentialrisksarefairlywellknown,especiallythenaturalones.Butothersare29oreven

exotic.MostworryingtoBostromisthesubsetofexistentialrisksthat30fromhumantechnology,asubset

thatheexpectstogrowinnumberandpotencyoverthenextcentury.

Despitehisconcernsabouttherisks31tohumansbytechnologicalprogress,Bostromisno\uddite(科

技进步反对者).Infact,heisalongtime32oftranshumanism-theefforttoimprovethehumancondition,

andevenhumannatureitself,throughtechnologicalmeans.Inthelongrunheseestechnologyasabridge,a

bridgewehumansmustcrosswithgreatcare,inordertoreachnewandbettermodesofbeing.Inhiswork,

Bostromusesthetoolsofphilosophyandmathematics,in33,probabilitytheory,totryanddeterminehow

weasa34mightachievethissafepassage.WhatfollowsismyconversationwithBostromaboutsomeof

themostinterestingandworryingexistentialrisksthathumanitymight35inthedecadesandcenturiesto

come,andaboutwhatwecandotomakesureweoutlastthem.

A)varietyF)posedK)essential

B)speciesG)particularL)encounter

C)shrewdlyH)obscureM)emphasized

D)severely1)extinctionN)arise

E)scenarioJ)evaporation0)advocate

SectionB

Directions:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatement

containsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.

Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.Answerthequestionsby

markingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.

SanFranciscoHasBecomeOneHugeMetaphorforEconomicInequalityinAmerica

A)Thefogstillchillsthemorningairandthecablecarsstillclimbhalfwaytothestars.Yetontheground,the

BayAreahaschangedgreatlysinceTonyBennettlefthishearthere.SiliconValleyandthetechindustryhave

ledtheregionintoaperiodofunprecedentedwealthandinnovation.Butexistingpoliticalandlandlimits

havecausedanalarminghousingcrisisandastronomicalriseinsocialandeconomicdifference.

B)Whiletheresidentsofmostcitiesdisplayprideandsupportfortheirhomeindustries,drasticmarket

distortionsintheSanFranciscoBayAreahavecreatedaboilingresentmentintheregiontowardsthetech

industry.Avocalminorityisevencallingonofficialstopunishthosewhoarebenefittingfromtheeconomic

andhousingboom.Ifthisboomanditsconsequencesarenotresolved,adrasticincreaseinsocialand

economicdifferencemayhaveaprofoundimpactontheregionforgenerations.Ahistoryandanalysisofthis

transformationmayholdinvaluableinsightsabouttheopportunities.Perilsoftechcitiesarecurrentlybeing

cultivatedacrosstheUS,andindeedaroundtheworld.

C)Accordingtoarecentstudy,SanFranciscoranksfirstinCaliforniaforeconomicdifference.Theaverage

incomeofthetop1%ofhouseholdsinthecityaverages$3.6million.Thisis44timestheaverageincomeof

thoseatthebottom,whichstandsat$81,094.Thetop1%oftheSanFranciscopeninsula'sshareoftotal

incomenowextendsto30.8%oftheregion'sincome.Thiswasadramaticjumpfrom1989,whereitstoodat

15.8%.

D)Theregion/seconomyhasbeenfundamentallytransformedbythetechnologyindustryspringingfromSilicon

Valley.PoliciespushedbyMayorEdLeeprovidedtaxbreaksfortechcompaniestosetupshopalongthe

city/slong-neglectedMid-Marketarea.ThecityisnowhometoTwitter,Uber;Airbnb,Pinterest,Dropboxand

others.Inshort,theBayAreahasbecomeaglobalmagnetforthosewithspecializedskills,whichhasinturn

helpedfueleconomicenthusiasm,andthiseconomicgrowthhasreducedunemploymentto3.4%,an

admirablefeat.

E)Inspiteofallthat,thestrengthofrecentjobgrowth,combinedwithpoliciesthathavetraditionallylimited

housingdevelopmentinthecityandthroughoutthepeninsula,didnothelpeasetheaffordabilitycrisis.In

2015alone,theBayAreaadded64,000injobs.Inthesameyear,only5,000newhomeswerebuilt.

F)Withtheaveragehouseinthecitycostingover$1.25millionandaverageflatpricesover$1.11million,the

minimumqualifyingincometopurchaseahousehasincreasedto$254,000.Consideringthattheaverage

householdincomeinthecitycurrentlystandsataround$80,000,itisnotanexaggerationtosaythatthe

dreamofhomeownershipisnowbeyondthegraspofthevastmajorityoftoday/speoplewhorent.

G)Forgenerations,thestabilityandprosperityoftheAmericanmiddleclasshasbeenanchoredbyhome

ownership.Studieshaveconsistentlyshownthatthevalueoflandhasovertakenoverallincomegrowth,thus

providingahugeadvantagetopropertyownersasavehicleofwealthbuilding.Whenhomepricessoar

abovethereachofmosthouseholds,thegapbetweentherichandthepoordramaticallyincreases.

H)Ifcontributingfactorsleadingtohousingbecominglessthanaffordablearenotresolvedovermultiple

generations,asmallelitecontrolavastshareofthecountry/stotalwealth.Theresult?Asocietywherethe

threatofclasswarfarewouldloomlarge.Asociety'slevelofhappinessistiedlesstomeasuresofquantitative

wealthandmoretomeasuresofqualitativewealth.Thismeansthathowapersonjudgestheirsecurityin

comparisontotheirneighbors/hasmoreofanimpactontheirhappinessthantheirobjectivestandardof

living.Atthesametime,whenasystemnolongerprovidesopportunitiesforthemajoritytoparticipatein

wealthbuilding,itnotonlyrobsthosewhoareexcludedfromopportunities,butalsodeprivesthemoftheir

dignity.

I)SanFranciscoandtheBayAreahavelongbeencommittedtovalueswhichembraceinclusionandrejection

ofmainstreamculture.Toseethesevaluescomingapartsopubliclyaddsinsulttoinjuryforaregiononce

definedbyitsprogressivesocialfabric.Inthefaceofresentment,itishumantowantrevenge.But

deterioratingpoliciessuchasheavilytaxingtechnologycompaniesorrealestatedevelopersarenotlikelyto

shiftthebalance.

J)Thehousingcrisisiscausedbytwoprimaryfactors:thegrowingdesirabilityoftheBayAreaasaplacetolive

duetoitsexcellenteconomy,andourlimitedhousingstock.Althoughthecityisexperiencingan

unprecedentedboominnewhousing,moreunitsaresorelyneeded.Protectionpolicieswereoriginally

designedtosuppressbaddevelopmentandboosthistoricpreservationinoururbanareas.Nowtoomany

developersareexperiencingexcessivedelays.Meanwhile,therearethelandlimitationsoftheBayAreato

consider.Theregionissurroundedbywaterandmountains.Localgovernmentsneedtoaiddevelopmentas

well.Thismeansincreasinghousingdensitythroughouttheregionandbuildingupwardswhilestreamlining

theapprovalprocess.

K)Realestatealonewillnotsolvetheproblem,ofcourse.Transportation,too,needstobeupdatedand

infrastructureextendedtolinkdistantregionstoSiliconValleyandthecity.Weneedtobuildaneffective

high-speedcommutingsystemlinkingthehigh-pricedandcrowedBayAreawiththelow-pricedand

low-densityCentralValley.Thiswoulddramaticallyreducetraveltimes.Andbasedontheoperatingspeedsof

hoveringtrainsusedincountriessuchasJapanorSpain,high-speedrailcouldshortenthetimetotravel

betweenSanFranciscoandCalifornia/scapitol,Sacramento,orfromStocktontoSanJose,tounder30

minutes.Thissystemwouldbringoncedistantregionswithinreasonablecommutetoheavyjobcenters.The

cityalsoneedstoupdateexistingtransportationroutescombinedwithsmarthome-buildingpoliciesthat

dramaticallyincreasehousingdensityinareassurroundinghigh-speedrailstations.Bydoingso,wewillbe

abletobuildaffordablehousingwithinacceptablecommutingdistancesforasignificantbulkofthe

workforce.

L)Ourthreateninghousingcrisisforcesthedifficultquestionofwhattypeofsocietywewouldliketobe.Willit

beonewhereelitescommandthevastbulkofwealthandregionalcultureisdefinedbyaaggressivebusiness

world?Wewererecentlytreatedtoatasteofthelatter,whenlocaltechemployeeJustinKellerwrotean

openlettertothecitycomplainingabouthavingtoseehomelesspeopleonhiswaytowork.

M)Itdoesn/thavetobethisway.Butsolutionsneedtobeimplementednow,beforeangrycrowdsgrowfroma

nuisancetoseriousconcern.Itmaytakelessthanyoumightthink.Andinfact,thesolutionstoourhousing

crisisarealreadyfairlyclear.Weneedtoincreasethedensityofhousingunits.Weneedtouseexisting

technologytoshortentraveltimesandbreakthelandlimits.Thereisawaytosolvecomplexsocialand

economicproblemswithoutabandoningsocialresponsibility.ThisistheBayArea;sopportunitytoprovethat

itcaninnovatemorethanjusttechnology.

36.Thehigherrateofemploymentcombinedwithlimitedhousingsupply,didnotmakeitanyeasiertobuya

house.

37.Onewaytodealwiththehousingcrisisisforthegovernmenttosimplifytheapprovalproceduresforhousing

projects.

38.ResidentsoftheSanFranciscoBayAreastronglyresentthetechindustrybecauseoftheeconomicinequalityit

hascontributedto.

39.Thefastriseinthepricesoflandandhousesincreasestheeconomicinequalityamongpeople.

40.SanFranciscocitygovernmentofferedtaxbenefitstoattracttechcompaniestoestablishoperationsinaless

developedarea.

41.Innovativesolutionstosocialandeconomicproblemsshouldbeintroducedbeforeitistoolate.

42.Whenpeoplecomparetheirownlivingstandardwithothers",ithasagreaterimpactontheirsenseof

contentment.

43.SanFranciscohasbeenfoundtohavethebiggestincomegapinCaliforniabetweentherichandthepoor.

44.Improvedtransportnetworksconnectingthecitytodistantoutlyingareaswillalsohelpsolvethehousing

crisis.

45.AverageincomesintheBayAreamakeitvirtuallyimpossibleformosttenantfamiliestobuyahome.

SectionC

Directions:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinished

statements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Youshoulddecideonthebestchoice

andmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

PassageOne

Questions46to50arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Thesuggestionthatpeopleshouldaimfordietarydiversitybytryingtoeatavarietyoffoodshasbeenabasic

publichealthrecommendationfordecadesintheUnitedStateseverywhere.Nowhowever,expertsarewarning

thataimingforadiversedietmayactuallyleadtojusteatingmorecalories,and,thus,toobesity.Oneissueisthat

peoplemaynotinterpret“variety"thewaynutritionistsintend.Thisproblemishighlightedbynewresearch

conductedbytheAmericanHeartAssociation.Researchersreviewedalltheevidencepublishedrelatedtodietary

diversityandsawacorrelationbetweendietarydiversityandagreaterintakeofbothhealthyandunhealthyfoods.

Thishadimplicationsforobesity,asresearchersfoundagreaterprevalenceofobesityamongstpeoplewitha

greaterdietarydiversity.

Oneauthorofthenewstudyexplainedthattheirfindingscontradictstandarddietaryadvice,asmostdietary

guidelinesaroundtheworldincludeastatementofeatingavarietyoffoods.Butthisadvicedoesnotseemtobe

supportedbyscience,possiblybecausethereislittleagreementaboutthemeaningof"dietarydiversity/whichis

notclearlyandconsistentlydefined.Someexpertsmeasuredietarydiversitybycountingthenumberoffood

groupseaten,whileotherslookatthedistributionofcaloriesacrossindividualfoods,andstillothersmeasurehow

differentfoodseatenarefromeachother.

Althoughthefindingsofthisnewstudycontradictstandarddietaryadvice,theydonotcomeasasurpriseto

alloftheresearchersinvolved.Dr.Rao,oneofthestudyauthors,notedthatafter20yearsofexperienceinthe

fieldofobesity,hehasobservedthatpeoplewhohavearegimentedlifestyleanddiettendtobethinnerand

healthierthanpeoplewithawidevarietyofconsumption.Thisanecdotalevidencematchestheconclusionsofthe

study,whichfoundnoevidencethatdietarydiversitypromoteshealthybodyweightoroptimaleatingpatterns,

andlimitedevidenceshowsthateatingavarietyoffoodsisactuallyassociatedwithconsumingmorecalories,

pooreatingpatternsandweightgain.Further;thereissomeevidencethatagreatervarietyoffoodoptionsina

singlemealmaydelaypeople'sfeelingoffullnessandactuallyincreasehowmuchtheyeat.

Basedontheirfindings,theresearchersendorseadietconsistingofalimitednumberofhealthyfoodssuch

asvegetables,fruits,grains,andpoultry.Theyalsorecommendthatpeoplesimultaneouslyendeavortorestrict

consumptionofsweets,sugarandredmeat.Theresearchersstress,however,thattheirdietaryrecommendations

donotimplydietarydiversityisneverpositive,andthat,inthepast,diversityindietsofwhole,unprocessedfood

mayhaveactuallybeenverybeneficial.

46.Whathasbeenastandardpieceofdietaryadvicefordecades?

A)Peopleshoulddiversifywhattheyeat.

B)Peopleshouldhaveawell-balanceddiet.

C)Peopleshouldcultivateahealthyeatinghabit.

D)Peopleshouldlimitcalorieintaketoavoidobesity.

47.WhatdidthenewresearchbytheAmericanHeartAssociationfind?

A)Unhealthyfoodmakespeoplegainweightmoreeasily.

B)Dietarydiversityispositivelyrelatedtogoodhealth.

C)Peopleseekingdietarydiversitytendtoeatmore.

D)Bigeatersaremorelikelytobecomeoverweight.

48.Whatcouldhelptoexplainthecontradictionbetweenthenewfindingsandthecommonpublichealth

recommendation?

A)Thereislittleconsensusonthedefinitionofdietarydiversity.

B)Themethodsresearchersusetomeasurenutritionvarygreatly.

C)Conventionalwisdomaboutdietisseldomsupportedbyscience.

D)Mostdietaryguidelinesaroundtheworldcontradictoneanother.

49.WhatdidDr.Raofindafter20yearsofresearchonobesity?

A)Thereisnocleardefinitionofoptimaleatingpatterns.

B)Diversifiedfoodintakemaynotcontributetohealth.

C)Eatingpatternsandweightgaingohandinhand.

D)Dietarydiversitypromoteshealthybodyweight.

50.Whatdoesthepassagesayaboutpeoplewhoeatagreatvarietyoffood?

A)Theyaremorelikelytoeatfoodsbeneficialtotheirhealth.

B)Theydon/thaveanyproblemsgettingsufficientnutrition.

C)Theydon/tfeeltheyhavehadenoughunLiltheyovereat.

D)Theytendtoconsumemoresweets,sugarandredmeat.

PassageTwo

Questions51to55arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Theabilitytomakeinferencesfromsameanddifferent,oncethoughttobeuniquetohumans,isviewedasa

cornerstoneofabstractintelligentthought.Anewstudy,however,hasshownthatwhatpsychologistscall

same-differentdiscriminationispresentincreaturesgenerallyseenasunintelligent:newbornducklings(小鸭).

Thestudy,publishedThursdayinScience,challengesourideaofwhatitmeanstohaveabirdbrain,said

EdwardWasserman,anexperimentalpsychologistattheUniversityofIowawhowroteanindependentreviewof

thestudy.

“Infact,birdsareextremelyintelligentandourproblemprettymuchliesinfiguringouthowtogetthemto

'talk'tous,ortellushowsmarttheyreallyare/hesaid.

AntoneMartinhoandAlexKacelnik,co-authorsofthenewpaper,devisedacleverexperimenttobettertest

birdintelligence.

First,theytook1-day-oldducklingsandexposedthemtoapairofmovingobjects.Thetwoobjectswere

eitherthesameordifferentinshapeorcolor.Thentheyexposedeachducklingtotwoentirelynewpairsof

movingobjects.

Theresearchersfoundthatabout70percentoftheducklingspreferredtomovetowardthepairofobjects

thathadthesameshapeorcolorrelationshipasthefirstobjectstheysaw.Aducklingthatwasfirstshowntwo

greenspheres,inotherwords,wasmorelikelytomovetowardapairofbluespheresthanamismatchedpairof

orangeandpurplespheres.

Ducklingsgothrougharapidlearningprocesscalledimprintingshortlyafterbirth-it'swhatallowsthemto

identifyandfollowtheirmothers.

Thesefindingssuggestthatducklingsuseabstractrelationshipsbetweensensoryinputslikecolor,shape,

soundsandodortorecognizetheirmothers,saidDr.Kacelnik.

Bystudyingimprinting,theauthorsofthisstudyhaveshownforthefirsttimethatananimalcanlearn

relationshipsbetweenconceptswithouttraining,saidJeffreyKatz,anexperimentalpsychologistatAuburn

Universitywhowasnotinvolvedinthestudy.

Previousstudieshavesuggestedthatotheranimals,includingpigeons,dolphins,honeybeesandsome

primates(灵长类动物)，candiscernsamefromdifferent,butonlyafterextensivetraining.

Addingducklingstothelist-particularlyuntrainednewbornducklings-suggeststhattheabilitytocompare

abstractconcepts“isfarmorenecessarytoawidervarietyofanimals/survivalthanwepreviouslythought/Dr.

Martinhosaid.Hebelievestheabilityissocrucialbecauseithelpsanimalsconsidercontextwhenidentifying

objectsintheirenvironment.

It'sclearfromthisstudyandotherslikeitthat“animalsprocessandappreciatefarmoreoftheintricaciesin

theirworldthanwe'veeverunderstood/Dr.Wassermansaid."Weareinarevolutionaryphaseintermsofour

abilitytounderstandthemindsofotheranimals/7

51.Inwhatwaywerehumansthoughttobeunique?

A)Beingcapableofsame-differentdiscrimination.

B)Beingabletod