The Ig Nobel Prize is a funny award designed to “honor achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think.” But while it might be mistaken for a silly joke, receiving an Ig Nobel Prize does require scientific work. For example, this year, one award went to a Japanese team of researchers from the Aichi Agricultural Research Center who carried out an experiment that showed how zebra-like white stripes painted on black cows with water-based paints could protect them from biting flies. The researchers observed a reduction in biting flies by as much as 50 percent on the animals given white stripes compared to those given black stripes or not painted at all.

Biting flies are some of the most damaging pests (害虫) to cows, heavily impacting grazing and feeding, and causing much stress. This results in reduced weight gain in beef cattle and milk amounts in dairy cows. Farmers depend on insecticides (杀虫剂) to protect their cattle, but this increases the risk of contaminated (受污染的) beef and milk. Luckily, a few painted stripes could help with that.

The Japanese researchers’ study expanded on research by an international team of scientists from Hungary, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland, which found that biting flies landed less often on white horses than they did on darker color ones. Although the reason for that isn’t clearly understood, the difference was big enough to need more research.

Because water-based paint washes away after a few weeks, a more long-lasting solution would be needed for the zebra-like pattern to make sense for farmers.

1.1. What is the main purpose of the Ig Nobel Prize?

A To make fun of silly scientists.

B To honor funny but thoughtful work.

C To compete with the real Nobel Prize.

D To encourage research on animal protection.

解析：选B。B细节理解题。第二段第一句明确提到，搞笑诺贝尔奖的目的是“表彰那些先让人发笑，然后又让人思考的成就”（honor achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think）。故选B。

2.2. What was the main finding of the experiment?

A Black stripes attracted more flies.

B Painting is harmful to cows’ health.

C Cows with stripes gained more weight.

D Zebra-like stripes reduced flies by 50%.

解析：选D。D细节理解题。第二段最后一句明确指出，研究人员观察到，与涂黑条纹或未涂色的牛相比，涂了白条纹的牛身上的叮咬苍蝇减少了50%（a reduction in biting flies by as much as 50 percent）。故选D。

3.3. Why are biting flies a serious problem for farmers?

A They carry serious diseases.

B They let farmers paint their cows.

C They make cows produce less milk.

D They destroy the farmland.

解析：选C。C推理判断题。第三段说明了苍蝇的危害：影响牛羊吃草，造成压力，导致肉牛增重减少和奶牛产奶量下降。农民因此需要使用杀虫剂。由此可以推断，苍蝇之所以是严重问题，正是因为它导致了产奶量下降等经济损失。故选C。

4.4. The Japanese study was based on an earlier study on ________.

A white and darker horses

B different types of cows

C the effect of insecticides

D zebras in Africa

解析：选A。A细节理解题。第三段第一句清楚说明，日本研究者的工作是扩展（expanded on）了一个国际团队的研究，该研究发现苍蝇落在白马身上的次数少于深色马。因此，日本的这个研究是基于有关白马和深色马的发现。故选A。

5.5. What is the main problem with using water-based paint on cows?

A It is too expensive.

B It hurts the cows’ skin.

C It does not last long.

D It attracts more flies.

解析：选C。C细节理解题。最后一段指出，水溶性颜料几周后就会掉落，因此需要一种让颜料更持久的方案。故选C。