Part A: Reading Comprehension

Text 1

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. They 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, says Quinn.

“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. 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.

21. 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. 

22. What did the asocial 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. 

23. 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. 

24. 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. 

25. 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. 

答案解析 (Answers & Explanations)

21. [A] pick up social signals from non-living rats.
解析：第一段最后一句明确指出实验的目的：“为了弄清这是否延伸到无生命的物体上，Quinn 和她的同事测试了老鼠是否能探测到来自机器老鼠的社会信号（whether rats can detect social signals from robotic rats）”。“detect（察觉/探测）”与“pick up（接收）”同义，“robotic rats（机器老鼠）”对应“non-living rats（无生命的老鼠）”，故选A。

22. [D] It moved around alone.
解析：第三段对比了两种机器老鼠的行为。社交型机器老鼠会跟随、玩耍和救同伴；而与此同时，“不合群的（asocial）机器人只是前后左右地移动（simply moved forwards and backwards and side to side）”。这说明它只是“单独到处移动（moved around alone）”，没有与其他老鼠互动，选D。

23. [B] expected it to do the same in return.
解析：第四段最后一句指出，老鼠更愿意释放社交机器老鼠是因为它们建立了更好的关系，这导致老鼠“想要这个机器人在它们被困时回报这个恩惠（wanting the robot to return the favour when they get trapped）”。第五段也解释了这叫“直接互惠”。因此是因为老鼠期待机器人也会“做同样的事情作为回报”，选B。

24. [C] respond more to actions than to looks.
解析：第六段中 Janet Wiles 表示，他们原以为需要给机器人装上会动的头尾、面部特征甚至涂上老鼠的气味，但事实证明“这并没有必要（but that wasn't necessary）”。老鼠对着一个外表像简单塑料盒子的机器人依然表现出了结交意愿，因为机器人展示了探索和玩耍等“行为”。这说明老鼠“对动作/行为的反应比对长相的反应更多（respond more to actions than to looks）”，选C。（注：题干中拼写 James Wiles 为真题印刷错误，原文中为 Janet Wiles）

25. [D] are more sensitive to social cues than expected.
解析：最后一段第一句总结了研究发现：“这一发现表明，老鼠对社会线索是多么敏感（how sensitive rats are to social cues），即使这些线索来自基础的机器人。” 结合第六段科研人员觉得“令人惊讶（surprising）”并且原本以为必须要弄得很逼真才行，说明老鼠的敏感程度“超过了预期（than expected）”，选D。

核心长难句精解 (High-Light)

1. so 引导的目的状语从句：
"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."
【解析】`so` 在这里相当于 `so that`，引导目的状语从句。在从句中，`to cooperate with` 和 `to avoid` 都是动词不定式作后置定语，分别修饰 `friends` 和 `enemies`。说明了动物敏锐感知社会信号的生存目的。

2. may have done 结构与动名词复合结构：
"This could lead to the rats better remembering having freed it earlier, and wanting the robot to return the favour when they get trapped, says Quinn."
【解析】`lead to` 后面接的是名词或动名词，这里的核心宾语是两个并列的动名词短语 `remembering...` 和 `wanting...`，而 `the rats` 是这两个动名词的逻辑主语（构成动名词复合结构）。`having freed it` 使用了动名词的完成式，表示“释放机器人”这个动作发生于“记住”之前。

3. given 作为介词的用法：
"The readiness of the rats to befriend the social robot was surprising given its minimal design."
【解析】`given` 在这里不是动词 give 的过去分词，而是作为介词使用，意为“考虑到 / 鉴于”。这句话的意思是：考虑到机器人极简的设计，老鼠乐意与其交朋友的这种准备状态令人惊讶。