How can we measure animals’ emotions? A new study of animal’s emotions suggests that, as in humans, emotions can tell animals about how dangerous their world is, and guide the choices that they make. The article of the study by Bristol University’s professor Mike Mendl was published online.
An animal living in an environment where it is often threatened by predators(捕食者）will develop a negative emotion or “mood”, such as anxiety. However, one in an environment with plenty of opportunities to get resources for survival will be in a more positive mood state.
The researchers say that these emotional states not only show the animal’s experiences, but also help it decide how to make choices, especially in unclear situations. This could have good or bad results. An animal in a negative mood state will make a safety-first with a “pessimistic” response to an unclear event. For example, it considers a noise in the grass as a signal of the predator. At the same time, an animal in a positive mood state will benefit from a more “optimistic” response. It considers the noise as a signal of prey(猎物）.
Professor Mike Mendl, head of the Animal Welfare and Behavior Research Group at Bristol University’s School of Clinical Veterinary Science said, “ We can use “optimistic” or “pessimistic”decision-making as a symbol of an animal’s emotional state. Recent studies by our group and others suggest that this is a meritorious new approach to studying a variety of animal species.”
“Public interest in animal welfare remains high, with widespread concern about the way in which animals are treated, used and included in society. To understand how animals should be treated, we need to better understand their emotional lives,” Mike Mendl said. The researchers believe Mike Mendl’s study can help them to better understand and assess an animal’s emotions.
【小题1】When an animal is in a negative mood state, .A．its response to an unclear event is pessimistic B．it will pay little attention to an unclear eventC．it is easy for it to make right decisionsD．it has more opportunities to get food【小题2】The underlined word “meritorious” in Paragraph 4 can be replaced by “ ”.A．valuableB．uselessC．fashionableD．hopeless【小题3】We can infer from the passage that .A．the animals with positive emotions live longerB．there is no way to assess an animal’s emotionsC．few people care about animal welfare nowadaysD．the environment can influence animal’s emotions【小题4】Mike Mendl advised people to better understand animal’s emotions in order to .A．tell people to build more protected areas for animalsB．explain animals should be regarded as people’s friendsC．raise people’s interest in studying animalsD．make people know how to treat animals properly【小题5】What would be the best title for the passage?A．Different kinds of Animals’ EmotionsB．Emotions Helps Animals to Make ChoiceC．The Living Environment of Wild AnimalsD．The Best Way to Measure Animals’ EmotionsA
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(答案→)A
解析：文章大意：本文讲述动物情感的一份新的研究表明，情感能够告诉动物所处的危险并帮助动物作出选择。
【小题1】A细节理解题。根据文章第三段An animal in a negative mood state will make a safety-first with a “pessimistic” response to an unclear event.可知答案。故A正确。
【小题2】A词义推测题。由其前句We can use “optimistic” or “pessimistic” decision-making as a symbol of an animal’s emotional state可知我们可以利用动物“乐观的”和“悲观的”决定来判定它们所处的情感状态，再结合其词后new approach to studying a variety of animal species.可知，画线词的意思是“有价值的”。故A正确。
【小题3】D推理判断题。根据第二段内容可知，处于经常被捕食者威胁的环境下的动物会产生消极情绪，而处于有更多生存机会环境下的动物会产生积极情绪，由此可以推知，环境可以影响动物的情绪。故D正确。
【小题4】D细节理解题。由第五段To understand how animals should be treated, we need to better understand their emotional lives可以得出答案。故D正确。
【小题5】B主旨大意题。由文章内容特别是第一段中文章的主题句A new study of animal’s emotions suggests that, as in humans, emotions can tell animals about how dangerous their world is, and guide the choices that they make.可知，本文讲的是情感可以帮助动物作选择。故B正确。