For laymen ethnology is the most interesting of the biological sciences for the very reason that it concerns animals in their normal activities and therefore, if we wish, we can assess the possible dangers and advantages in our own behavioral roots. Ethnology also is interesting methodologically because it combines in new ways very scrupulous field observations with experimentation in laboratories. The field workers have had some handicaps in winning respect for themselves. For a long time they were considered as little better than amateur animal-watchers--certainly not scientists, since their facts were not gained by experimental procedures: they could not conform to the hard-and-fast rule that a problem set up and solved by one scientist must be tested by other scientists, under identical conditions and reaching identical results. Of course many situations in the lives of animals simply cannot be rehearsed and controlled in this way. The fall flocking of wild free birds can't be, or the roving animals over long distances, or even the details of spontaneous family relationships. Since these never can be reproduced in a laboratory, they are then not worth knowing about? The ethnologists who choose field work have got themselves out of this impasse by greatly refining the techniques of observing. At the start of a project all the animals to be studied are live-trapped, marked individually, and released. Motion pictures, often in color, provide permanent records of their subsequent activities. Recording of the animals' voices by electrical sound equipment is considered essential, and the most meticulous notes are kept of all that occurs. With this material other biologists, far from the scene, later can verify the reports. Moreover, two field observers often go out together, checking each other's observations right there in the field. Ethnology, the word, is derived from the Greek ethos, meaning the characteristic traits or features which distinguish a group--any particular group of people or, in biology, a group of animals such as a species. Ethnologists have the intention of studying "the whole sequence of acts which constitute an animal's behavior". In abridged dictionaries ethnology is sometimes defined simply as "the objective study of animal behavior," and ethnologists do emphasize their wish to eliminate myths.
单选题
In the first sentence, the word "laymen" means______ A. people who stand aside B. people who are not trained as biologists C. people who are amateur biologists D. people who love animals
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[解析] 词汇理解题。根据选项可以分析得出,laymen的本意是选项A,即“people who stand aside”。但结合本文可知,laymen和biologist相关,且根据第一句“For laymen ethnology is the most interesting ofthe biological sciences”,laymen不是指真正意义上的生物学家,而是 业余的。故正确答案为C。
单选题
According to the passage, ethnology is ______ A. a new branch of biology B. an old Greek science C. a pseudo-science D. a science for amateurs
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 词汇理解题。第一段的第一句和最后一段都给出了ethnology的相关信息。 “ethnology is the most interesting of the biological sciences”告诉我们,ethnology是生物学的 一种,即“a new branch ofbiology”。故正确答案为A。
单选题
"The field workers have handicaps in winning respect for themselves." This sentence means______ A. ethnologists when working in the field are handicapped B. ethnologists have problems in winning recognition as scientists C. ethnologists are looked down upon when they work in the field D. ethnologists meet with lots of difficulties when doing field work
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[解析] 句子理解题。将句子按结构分解开来,主语是The field workers,重点在field- 词,选项A、c和D中都有相似的表达,排除选项B。handicaps在于respect for themselves, 即得不到尊重,有此意的选项只有C。故正确答案为C。
单选题
According to the explanation of the scientific rule of experiment in the passage, "hard-and-fast" means experiment procedures______ A. are difficult and quick to follow B. must be carried out in a strict and quick way C. must be followed strictly to avoid false and loose results D. hard and unreasonable for scientists to observe
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[解析] 词汇理解题。对hard-and-fast作出解释的语句是“a problem set up and solved by one scientist must be tested by other scientists,under identical conditions and reaching identical results.”,must和identical告诉我们试验程序必须是严格遵守,在特定的条件下得到特定的结 果。因而,正确表达“hard and fast”的语句是选项C。故正确答案为C。
单选题
The meaning of the underlined words in "the details of spontaneous family relationships" can be expressed as______ A. natural family relationships B. quickly occurring family relationships C. animals acting like a natural family D. animal family behavior that cannot be preplanned or controlled
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 句子理解题。联系上文可知,“the details of spontaneous family relationships.”是 对前一句“Of course many situations in the lives of animals simply cannot be reheard and controlled in this way.”的举例解释,选项D是最好的表达。故正确答案为D。