Research on animal intelligence always makes me wonder just how smart humans are. 1 the fruit-fly experiments described in Carl Zimmer’s piece in the Science Times on Tuesday. Fruit flies who were taught to be smarter than the average fruit fly 2 to live shorter lives. This suggests that 3 bulbs burn longer, that there is an 4 in not being too terrifically bright.

Intelligence, it 5 , is a high-priced option. It takes more upkeep, burns more fuel and is slow 6 the starting line because it depends on learning—a 7 process—instead of instinct. Plenty of other species are able to learn, and one of the things they've apparently learned is when to 8 .

Is there an adaptive value to 9 intelligence? That's the question behind this new research. I like it. Instead of casting a wistful glance 10 at all the species we've left in the dust I.Q.-wise, it implicitly asks what the real 11 of our own intelligence might be. This is 12 the mind of every animal I've ever met.

Research on animal intelligence also makes me wonder what experiments animals would 13 on humans if they had the chance. Every cat with an owner, 14 , is running a small cale study in operant conditioning. We believe that 15 animals ran the labs, they would test us to 16 the limits of our patience, our faithfulness, our memory for terrain. They would try to decide what intelligence in humans is really 17 , not merely how much of it there is. 18 , they would hope to study a 19 question: Are humans actually aware of the world they live in? 20 the results are inconclusive.

1. ［A］ Suppose［B］ Consider［C］ Observe［D］ Imagine

2. ［A］ tended［B］ feared［C］ happened［D］ threatened

3. ［A］ thinner［B］ stabler［C］ lighter［D］ dimmer

4. ［A］ tendency［B］ advantage［C］ inclination［D］ priority

5. ［A］ insists on［B］ sums up［C］ turns out［D］ puts forward

6. ［A］ off ［B］ behind［C］ over［D］ along

7. ［A］ incredible［B］ spontaneous［C］inevitable［D］ gradual

8. ［A］ fight［B］ doubt［C］ stop［D］ think

9. ［A］ invisible［B］ limited［C］ indefinite［D］ different

10. ［A］ upward［B］ forward［C］ afterward［D］ backward

11. ［A］ features［B］ influences［C］ results［D］ costs

12. ［A］ outside［B］ on［C］ by［D］ across

13. ［A］ deliver［B］ carry［C］ perform［D］ apply

14. ［A］ by chance［B］ in contrast［C］ as usual［D］ for instance

15. ［A］ if［B］ unless［C］ as［D］ lest

16. ［A］ moderate［B］ overcome［C］ determine［D］ reach

17. ［A］ at［B］ for［C］ after［D］ with

18. ［A］ Above all［B］ After all［C］ However［D］ Otherwise

19. ［A］ fundamental［B］ comprehensive［C］ equivalent［D］ hostile

20. ［A］ By accident［B］ In time［C］ So far［D］ Better still

文章背景

本文是一篇讲述动物智能、偏重科技的文章。此文章最先刊登在2008年5月7日的《纽约时报》上，原文的标题是 The Cost of Smarts，翻译过来是“聪明的代价”。文中通过对“果蝇”的试验研究得出“聪明是要付出代价”的结论，最后提出引人深思的问题——人类是否真正意识到自己所生存的世界。

文章结构

本文采用了对比的方式展开文章，叙述了人类智慧发展的代价。第一二三段围绕人类对动物智能的研究对动物以及人类自己造成的影响。文章的最后一段作者展开丰富的联想，如果动物对人类做实验的话，它们想从人类身上获取什么信息呢？