山东省枣庄市山亭区2017年高三英语4月阶段性自测试题.docVIP

山东省枣庄市山亭区2017届高三英语4月阶段性自测试题 学校:___________姓名：___________班级：___________考号：___________ 一、阅读理解 A Larger brain size linked to longer life in deerThe size of a female animals’ brain may determine whether they live longer and have more healthy offspring (后代), according to new research led by the University of Cambridge. The study, published in the Royal Society Open Science journal, shows that female red deer with larger brains live longer and have more surviving offspring than those with smaller brains. Brain size is passed down through the generations. This is the first extensive study of individual differences in brain size in wild mammals and draws on data comparing seven generations of deer. Across species of mammals, brain size varies widely. This is thought to be a consequence of specific differences in the benefits and costs of a larger brain. Mammals with larger brains may, for example, have greater cognitive abilities that enable them to adapt better to environmental changes or they may have longer lifespans (寿命) . But there may also be disadvantages: for instance, larger brains require more energy, so individuals that possess them may show reduced fertility (繁殖力). The researchers, based at the University of Cambridge’s Zoology Department and Edinburgh University’s Institute of Evolutionary Biology, wanted to test if they could find more direct genetic or non-genetic evidence of the costs and benefits of large brain size by comparing the longevity (长寿) and survival of individuals of the same species with different sized brains. Using the skulls of 1,314 wild red deer whose life histories and breeding success had been monitored in the course of a long-term study on the Isle of Rum, they found that females with larger endocranial volumes (脑腔容量) lived longer and produced more surviving offspring in the course of their lives. Lead author Dr Corina Logan, a Gates Cambridge Scholar, says, “The reasons for the association between brain size and longevity are not known,