MBA考研英语词汇阅读（19）

Rats and other animals need to be highly attuned to social signals from others so they can identify friends to cooperate with and enemies to avoid. To find out if this extends to non-living beings, Laleh Quinn at the University of California, San Diego, and her colleagues tested whether rats can detect social signals from robotic rats.

They housed eight adult rats with two types of robotic rat—one social and one asocial—for four days. The robot rats were quite minimalist, resembling a chunkier version of a computer mouse with wheels to move around and colorful markings.

During the experiment, the social robot rat followed the living rats around, played with the same toys, and opened cage doors to let trapped rats escape. Meanwhile, the asocial robot simply moved forwards and backwards and side to side.

Next, the researchers trapped the robots in cages and gave the rats the opportunity to release them by pressing a lever. Across 18 trials each, the living rats were 52 per cent more likely on average to set the social robot free than the asocial one. This suggests that the rats perceived the social robot as a genuine social being, says Quinn. The rats may have bonded more with the social robot because it displayed behaviors like communal exploring and playing. This could lead to the rats better remembering having freed it earlier, and wanting the robot to return the favour when they get trapped, she says. 

“Rats have been shown to engage in multiple forms of reciprocal help and cooperation, including what is referred to as direct reciprocity where a rat will help another rat that has previously helped them,” says Quinn.

The readiness of the rats to befriend the social robot was surprising given its minimal design. The robot was the same size as a regular rat but resembled a simple plastic box on wheels. “We’d assumed we’d have to give it a moving head and tail, facial features, and put a scent on it to make it smell like a real rat, but that wasn’t necessary,” says Janet Wiles at the University of Queensland in Australia, who helped with the research.

The finding shows how sensitive rats are to social cues, even when they come from basic robots, says Wiles. Similarly, children tend to treat robots as if they are fellow beings, even when they display only simple social signals. “We humans seem to be fascinated by robots, and it turns out other animals are too,” says Wiles.

1.Quinn and her colleagues conducted a test to see if rats can _________.

A pick up social signals from non-living rats

B distinguish a friendly rat from a hostile one

C attain sociable traits through special training

D send out warning messages to their fellows

解析：选A。A 细节理解题。根据Quinn and her colleagues和a test定位到第一段最后一句，可知她们的试验目的是为了测试老鼠能否检测到机器老鼠的社交信号，故选A。

2.What did the social robot do during the experiment?

A It followed the social robot.

B It played with some toys.

C It set the trapped rats free.

D It moved around alone.

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。根据the asocial robot和experiment定位到第三段，根据最后一句缺乏社交性的机器老鼠只是简单地前后左右移动，故选D。

3.According to Quinn, the rats released the social robot because they _________.

A tried to practice a means of escape

B expected it to do the same in return

C wanted to display their intelligence

D considered that an interesting game

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据Quinn和released定位到第四段，可知老鼠把机器老鼠视作了真正的社交老鼠，希望机器老鼠能在自己受困时予以回报，解救自己，故选B。

4.James Wiles notes that rats _________

A can remember other rats’ facial features.

B differentiate smells better than sizes.

C respond more to actions than to looks.

D can be scared by a plastic box on wheels.

解析：选C。C 推理判断题。根据James Wiles定位到第六段，可知他们以为要给机器老鼠安上移动的头和尾巴、赋予面部特征和放上真老鼠的气味才可行，结果发现没有必要，推断是机器老鼠的行动而不是外貌吸引了真老鼠，故选C。

5.It can be learned from the text that rats _________.

A appear to be adaptable to new surroundings

B are more socially active than other animals

C behave differently from children in socializing

D are more sensitive to social cues than expected

解析：选D。D 推理判断题。根据第七段的试验总结可知，老鼠对社交信号非常敏感，即使是来自机器老鼠。故选D。