题型:阅读选择 题类:模拟题 难易度:普通
广东省广州市第七十五中学2018年英语初中毕业班综合测试(一)
According to a new study, cats may be just as smart as dogs. Both cats and dogs may have episodic memory(情景记忆), similar to that of human beings.
The discovery shows that cats can recall memories of positive experiences like eating a delicious snack. The study was a test of episodic memory. Episodic memory means memory of past experiences that happened at a special time and place.
In the test, cats were led to four open bowls of food. They were allowed to eat from two of them. After fifteen minutes, empty bowls took the place of the old ones. Then the same cats returned to look for food again. They spent more time searching for the old bowls.
It seemed that the cats were able to remember the information of “what” and “where” about the bowls. This discovery suggests that they may have episodic memory. However, it's still not clear whether cats can truly experience past memories in the same way as human beings do. “It's difficult to know whether the cats can subjectively(主观地)remember the experience,” Nick Diamond, a researcher at the University of Toronto, explained.
Still, the test plays an important role in the development of memory research in animals. “It opens the door to new studies. How long can cats' memories last? We may do some research on this in the future,” Professor Laurie Santos from Yale University told BBC News.
The road to new discoveries is long and difficult. Though there are lots of problems to be solved and discussed along the way, such studies do lead us a step closer to the final success.
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