题型:阅读理解 题类:模拟题 难易度:普通
江苏省镇江市2021届高三英语模拟信息卷(一)(含听力音频)
Babies are surrounded by human language, always listening and processing. Eventually, they put sounds together to produce a "Daddy" or a "Mama". But what still confuses neuroscientists is exactly how the brain works to put it all together.
To figure it out, a team of researchers turned to a frequent stand-in (代替) for babies when it comes to language learning: the song-learning zebra finch. "We've known songbirds learn their song by first forming a memory of their father's song or another adult's song. Then they use that memory to guide their song learning," said Neuroscientist Todd Roberts. "It's been a long-term goal of the field to figure out how or where in the brain this memory is. This type of imitative learning that birds do is very similar to the type of learning that we engage in regularly—particularly when we're young, we use it to guide our speech learning."
Roberts and his team had a feeling that the interface (交叉区域) between sensory areas and motor areas in the brain was critical for this process, and they focused on a group of brain cells called the NIf.
"In order to prove that we could identify these circuits, we thought if we could implant a false memory." First, they used a virus to cause the neurons (神经元) in the birds' NIf to become sensitive to light. Then, using a tiny electrode as a flashlight, they activated (激活) the neurons. The length of each pulse of light corresponded with the amount of time the neurons would fire. And the birds' brains interpreted that time period as the length of each note.
Soon enough, the birds began to practice the notes they had learned, even though they never really heard the sounds. Amazingly, the birds produced them in the correct social situations. The researchers say this is the first time anybody has found exactly a part of the brain necessary for generating the sorts of memories needed to copy sounds.
"This line of research is going to help us identify where in the brain we encode memories of relevant social experiences that we use to guide learning. We know that there are several neurodevelopmental disorders in people that have really far-reaching effects on this type of learning."
Elephant Reserve Country: Thailand This is a working vacation at a wildlife centre. Anyone can become a volunteer if he/she agrees to help the elephant keepers with tasks. Daily tasks Gather the elephants at 6:30 am. Take them to look for food in the forest. Clean the enclosure(围场). Swim with the elephants in the lake in the afternoon. If volunteers want to relax after work, they can watch satellite television. How this vacation helps If these elephants hadn't been rescued, they would still be living on the streets of Bangkok. The rural environment is much better for them than the urban environment where there is lots of pollution. Your Comment "I love working with these huge gentle animals." |
Gorilla safari(观赏野兽的旅行) Countries: Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda Departures(出发): 2—3 departures per month from Aug. to Dec. Extras: permit £220 If you're lucky, you'll see lions, elephants and rhinos during this safari. The highlight(最好的部分) of the trip is the opportunity to see gorillas in the mountain forests. However, you must be in good health — if a gorilla caught a cold, it would be extremely harmful to its whole family. How this vacation helps There are only about 600 gorillas left in the world as human activity has reduced the area where they can live. When you buy a permit, this will pay for the protection of the national park. Your comment "I'll surely go back as soon as I have enough money!" |
Polar bear watching Area & Country: Arctic, Canada Departures: sixty trips between Oct. 1—Nov.19. Every October and November groups of polar bears gather in Hudson Bay. As they are normally lonely creatures, this is unusual. The bears wait for the ocean to freeze so that they can hunt for seals, so this is the perfect opportunity to see them. Extra activities include dog sledding(狗拉雪橇) and a night trip to see the Northern Lights. How this vacation helps If the Arctic ice cap melts due to global warming, polar bears will be in danger. We give a share of our profits(利益) to the charity that protects polar bears. Your comment "These terrible bears get all the liquid they need from their food." |
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