2014高考英语二轮阅读理解限时训练精品题（20）及答案.docVIP

2014高考英语二轮阅读理解限时训练精品题（20）及答案 [史地自然型阅读理解(一)]----- (二) Squirrels often communicate with whistles, chirps and chucks, which sound like the word “chuck”. Whistles and chirps are like the sounds that many birds make.Now scientists have translated some of their squirrelspeak. Hare, a professor of zoology at the University of Maniloha in Winnipeg, and his team managed to record squirrels alarm calls.The researchers studied the sounds and then played them back to 60 wild squirrels, which the scientists approached individually with a video recorder to capture(抓拍)their responses.Some squirrels lifted their heads up and became alert(警惕的)．Creatures that were more frightened simply ran for their lives and dived into caves. “In effect then, whistles that mix with chucks say ‘theres an enemy of average threat thats here’， and whistles without chucks say ‘theres an enemy of seemingly average threat around here somewhere’， while pure chirps say, ‘Im hiding here because theres an immediate danger.’” Hare told. Hare and some other researchers believe such sounds are part of an advanced language that develops just as all other communication systems. Although squirrels risk their lives when they call out to warn others of threats, other squirrels might admire this behaviour, thus increasingly the callers social status, like humans who look up to heroes. Hare added that other animals, such as birds, probably understand at least some squirrel language, since they also may benefit from the alarm calls. In fact, another Canadian study found that deepvoiced, blackcapped chickadees have their own language, too.According to certain research, there are a lot of tidings in chickadees calls, such as directing fellows activities, keeping in contact between mates, and raising alarms. While chickadees and other birds are often welcomed into gardens by homeowners, squirrels are frequently viewed as pests(害兽). Hare wishes a greater understanding of the complex social lives and communication systems of