Working with a group of baboons (狒狒) in the Namibian desert, Dr. Alecia Carter of the Department of Zoology, Cambridge University set baboons learning tasks involving a novel food and a familiar food hidden in a box. Some baboons were given the chance to watch another baboon who already knew how to solve the task, while others had to learn for themselves. To work out how brave or anxious the baboons were, Dr. Carter presented them either with a novel food or a threat in the form of a model of a poisonous snake.
She found that personality had a major impact on learning. The braver baboons learnt, but the shy ones did not learn the task although they watched the baboon perform the task of finding the novel food just as long as the brave ones did. In effect, despite being made aware of what to do, they were still too shy to do what the experienced baboon did.
The same held true for anxious baboons compared with calm ones. The anxious individuals learnt the task by observing others while those who were relaxed did not, even though they spent more time watching.
This mismatch between collecting social information and using it shows that personality plays a key role in social learning in animals, something that has previously been ignored in studies on how animals learn to do things. The findings are significant because they suggest that animals may perform poorly in cognitive (认知的) tasks not because they aren’t clever enough to solve them, but because they are too shy or nervous to use the social information.
The findings may impact how we understand the formation of culture in societies through social learning. If some individuals are unable to get information from others because they don’t associate with the knowledgeable individuals, or they are too shy to use the information once they have it, information may not travel between all group members, preventing the formation of a culture based on social learning.
59. What is the first paragraph mainly about?
A. The design of Dr. Carter’s research.
B. The results of Dr. Carter’s research.
C. The purpose of Dr. Carter’s research.
D. The significance of Dr. Carter’s research.
60. According to the research, which baboons are more likely to complete a new learning task?
A. Those that have more experience.
B. Those that can avoid potential risks.
C. Those that like to work independently.
D. Those that feel anxious about learning.
61. Which best illustrates the “mismatch” mentioned in Paragraph 4?
A. Some baboons are intelligent but slow in learning.
B. Some baboons are shy but active in social activities.
C. Some baboons observe others but don’t follow them.
D. Some baboons perform new tasks but don’t concentrate.
62. Dr. Carter’s findings indicate that our culture might be formed through ______.
A. storing information
B. learning from each other
C. understanding different people
D. travelling between social groups
【考点】考察科普知识类阅读
【文章大意】本文通过叙述Dr. Alecia Carter在狒狒身上进行的一项研究显示动物的性格在社会化的学习中起着很重要的作用。同样人类也与此相似，我们的文化的形成正是通过交换信息等社会学习活动。
59. 【答案】A
【试题解析】段落大意题。根据第一段2,3,4行Dr. Alecia Carter of the Department of Zoology, Cambridge University set baboons learning tasks involving a novel food and a familiar food hidden in a box. Some baboons were given the chance to watch another baboon who already knew how to solve the task, while others had to learn for themselves.可知本段主要描述他进行的这项研究的设计方案，也就是他在这项研究里是如何做的。故A正确。
60. 【答案】D
【试题解析】细节题。根据第三段第2句The anxious individuals learnt the task by observing others while those who were relaxed did not, even though they spent more time watching.可知那些很焦虑的急切想学习的狒狒学得更快，更好。而那些害羞的狒狒却没有能够做到。故D正确。
61. 【答案】C
【试题解析】推理题。根据第三段The same held true for anxious baboons compared with calm ones. The anxious individuals learnt the task by observing others while those who were relaxed did not, even though they spent more time watching.可知一些狒狒虽然观察了很长时间，但是并没有采取行动。这一错位说明性格在动物的社会行为中起着很重要的作用。第四段里的mismatch就是指第三段最后一句while those who were relaxed did not, even though they spent more time watching.的内容。故C正确。
62. 【答案】B
【试题解析】推理题。根据文章最后一段第一句The findings may impact how we understand the formation of culture in societies through social learning可知人们是通过社会学习来理解我们文化的组成的。也就是说人们需要相互交换信息，相互学习。故B正确。
【长难句解析】
1.Working with a group of baboons (狒狒) in the Namibian desert, Dr. Alecia Carter of the Department of Zoology, Cambridge University set baboons learning tasks involving a novel food and a familiar food hidden in a box.
【翻译】和一群狒狒在纳米比亚的沙漠里工作的来自剑桥大学的动物学博士Alecia Carter给狒狒们设定了一个涉及到新奇食品和很熟悉的放在盒子里的食品的学习任务。
【分析】本句中的现在分词短语Working with a group of baboons (狒狒) in the Namibian desert在句中做为状语，因为动词work与句子主语Dr. Alecia Carter构成主动关系。同时现在分词短语involving a novel food and a familiar food hidden in a box作为定语修饰前面的名词learning tasks。
2. This mismatch between collecting social information and using it shows that personality plays a key role in social learning in animals, something that has previously been ignored in studies on how animals learn to do things.
【翻译】这种收集信息和使用信息的错位说明性格在动物的社会性学习方面起着关键的作用，这是在关于动物如何学习的之前的研究中被忽略的问题。
【分析】本句中的动词show后面含有一个that引导的宾语从句that personality plays a key role in social learning in animals, something that has previously been ignored in studies on how animals learn to do things。这个宾语从句中something就指personality plays a key role in social learning in animals这一点。Something后面是一个定语从句that has previously been ignored in studies on how animals learn to do things。修饰先行词something。
