Over the
years there have been countless fans of the classic Hanna-Barbera Line
cartoon character Yogi Bear. The cartoon series enjoyed by young and
old alike revolved mostly around the misadventures of
this loveable bear and his sidekick Boo-Boo as they
attempted to snag "pic-a-nic" baskets in the made-up (5) land of
Jellystone Park. It's not often that people think about where the ideas
for these cartoon characters came from, which brings up
an interesting point: Do bears actually search for food
left in picnic baskets and unattended campsites? Anyone
who has watched an episode of the classic cartoon can see that the
bears' behavior goes far beyond the limits of what is
natural. The thing that must be (10) explored, then, is which of those
humorous antics were imagined by the writers at
Hanna-Barbera, and which were actually based on a bear's normal
behaviors. Remarkably enough, bears
have been known to seek out food from some unlikely
sources, including picnic baskets, to supplement their usual diet of
berries, insects, and fish. Bears work throughout the
summer and fall to build up fat stores (15) to have energy enough to
last them through their winter hibernations. Related to
this is their need to replenish their depleted reserves when they wake up in
the spring. Food is generally scarce in the early spring
and consequently the bears will gladly indulge in any
foods that are high in proteins or fats. This is the main reason
for any incidents involving bears after they enter campsites in
search of food. (20) Although this behavior may seem
strange, it is merely the result of nature equipping the
bears with a variety of traits that allow them to remain well fed in
increasingly human-populated habitats. Specifically, the American
black bear, Ursus americanus, has color vision, which
most other animals lack. Black bears have been observed
by scientists using this unique enhancement to distinguish (25) between
varying food items at close range. On top of this, bears have an acute
sense of smell and can use their especially sensitive lips to
locate food. These sensory talents contribute to the
bears' remarkably high intelligence and curiosity,
giving them the ability to open closed containers if they believe food is
inside. Their exploratory and navigational skills are
also worthy of note—most bears will (30) maintain vast territories to
be sure they can obtain food from a variety of sources.
Bears may even vary their sleep cycles in areas where there is a large degree
of human activity, either feasting on road-side garbage
during the day or scouring campsites for leftovers at
night.
单选题
The primary purpose of the passage is to
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】The passage focuses primarily on describing some unusual eating habits of bears, including seeking food from campsites. According to the passage, "Food is generally scarce in the early spring and consequently the bears will gladly indulge in any foods that are high in proteins or fats. This is the main reason for any incidents involving bears after they enter campsites in search of food." This best supports answer choice B. The other answer choices are either too broad, or do not effectively describe the main point of the passage.
单选题
The author mentions all of the following as potential food sources for bears EXCEPT:
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】The passage states that "... bears have been known to seek out food from some unlikely sources, including picnic baskets, to supplement their usual diet of berries, insects, and fish." The passage mentions that bears need to build up their "fat stores," but the passage does not mention "general stores" as a food source for bears.
单选题
It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following is true of bears?
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】According to the passage, bears often engage in seemingly unbearlike behavior when it comes to securing food: entering campsites and searching through picnic baskets. This suggests that bears are particularly resourceful when it comes to making sure that they have enough to eat. The other answer choices are not supported by the passage.
单选题
The author includes a discussion of the American black bear, Ursus americanus, most likely in order to
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】The passage points out a unique characteristic of the American black bear: It has color vision, and can, as a result, easily "distinguish between varying food items at close range." This detail was most likely provided to offer additional support for the unique feeding habits of bears. The other answer choices are not supported by the passage.
单选题
The passage supplies information to answer which of the following questions?
【正确答案】
E
【答案解析】The passage states that "Certainly it is cheaper and less dangerous to launch a computer probe ..., " which answers the question posed in answer choice E. There is not enough information in the passage to answer any of the other questions.
单选题
According to the passage, all of the following are advantages of humans over robots EXCEPT:
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】There is nothing in the passage to suggest that humans can stay in outer space for longer periods of time than can robots. All of the other answer choices are mentioned specifically in the passage as advantages that humans have over robots.