单选题 The evolution of sex ratio has produced, in most plants and animals with separate sexes, approximately equal numbers of males and females. Why should this be so? Two main kinds of answers have been offered. One is couched in terms of advantage to population. It is argued that the sex ratio will evolve so as to maximize the number of meetings between individuals of the opposite sex. This is essentially a "group selection" argument. The other, and in my view correct, type of answer was first put forward by Fisher in 1930. This "genetic" argument starts from the assumption that genes can influence the relative numbers of male and female offspring produced by an individual carrying the genes. That sex ratio will be favored which maximizes the number of descendants an individual will have and hence the number of gene copies transmitted. Suppose that the population consisted mostly of females, and then an individual who produced sons only would have more grandchildren. In contrast, if the population consisted mostly of males, it would pay to have daughters. If, however, the population consisted of equal numbers of males and females, sons and daughters would be equally valuable. Thus a one-to-one sex ratio is the only stable ratio; it is an "evolutionarily stable strategy". Although Fisher wrote before the mathematical theory of games had been developed, his theory incorporated the essential feature of a game that the best strategy to adopt depends on what others are doing.
Since Fisher"s time, it has been realized that genes can sometimes influence the chromosome or gamete in which they find themselves so that the gamete will be more likely to participate in fertilization. If such a gene occurs on a sex-determining (X or Y) chromosome, then highly aberrant sex ratios can occur. But more immediately relevant to game theory are the sex ratios in certain parasitic wasp species that have a large excess of females. In these species, fertilized eggs develop into females and unfertilized eggs into males. A female stores sperm and can determine the sex of each egg she lays by fertilizing it or leaving it unfertilized. By Fisher"s argument, it should still pay a female to produce equal numbers of sons and daughters. Hamilton, noting that the eggs develop within their host—the larva of another insect—and that the newly emerged adult wasps mate immediately and disperse, offered a remarkably cogent analysis. Since only one female usually eggs in a given larva, it would pay her to produce one male only, because this one could fertilize all his sisters on emergence. Like Fisher, Hamilton looked for an evolutionarily stable strategy, but he went a step further in recognizing that he was looking strategy.
单选题 What can we know about the scientists Fisher and Hamilton from the passage?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】事实细节题。考查Fisher和Hamilton的两个论点的共性,选项[A]和[D]不符合文章意思,选项 [C]是干扰项,从第一段第五句话我们知道最大化是集体选择论的观点。实际上Fisher和Hamilton都认同最优化。选项[B]正确。Fisher的观点在第一段第九句集中体现,Hamilton此观点与Fisher的相似性在文章最后一句得到体现。
单选题 Compared with the work of Hamilton, what dose the author consider Fisher"s work to be?
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】作者态度题。实际上是考查Fisher和Hamilton两个理论的差异,作者认为二者都对,支持他们观点。但是Hamilton的理论更新,上升到了更高的层次:站在策略的高度来考虑问题(参见文章最后一句话)。而Fisher的则在一个较低的层次。
单选题 According to the passage, successful game strategy depends on ______.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】细节推断题。作者在文章第一段最后一句点出了Fisher的观点符合游戏的规则,强调根据对方情况来调整自己的策略,所以[A]为正确答案。干扰项[C]强调协作精神,也关注对方行为,但是双方是竞争对手,强调团队精神没有意义。选项[B]“high flexibility”灵活性,文中没有提到。
单选题 It can be inferred from the passage that the mathematical theory of games ______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】推理判断题。本题需要对文章综合理解。Fisher和Hamilton的论断都符合数学运筹的游戏规则,虽然前者无意识的运用,后者则完全依据这种理论,所以说游戏的数学规则在解释生物现象上非常有用。