题目
The latest in cat research reveals that the lovely animal seems to have a basic grasp on both the laws of physics and the ins and outs of cause and effect. According to a newly published study，cats seem to be able to predict the location of hiding prey （猎物） using both their ears and an inborn （天生的） understanding of how the physical world works. In a recent experiment，Japanese researchers taped 30 domestic cats reacting to a container that a team member shook.Some containers rattled （发出响声）；others did not.When the container was tipped over，sometimes an object fell out and sometimes it didn't. It turns out that the cats were remarkably smart about what would happen when a container was tipped over.When an object did not drop out of the bottom of a rattling container，they looked at it for a longer time than they did when the container behaved as expected. "Cats use a causal-logical understanding of noise or sounds to predict the appearance of invisible objects，" lead researcher Saho Takagi says in a press release.The researchers conclude that cats' hunting style may have developed based on their common-sense abilities to infer where prey is，using their hearing. Scientists have explored this idea with other lovely creatures；babies.Like cats，babies appear to engage in what's called "preferential looking" — looking longer at things that are interesting or unusual than things they perceive as normal. When babies' expectations are disturbed in experiments like the ones performed with the cats，they react much like their animal friends.Psychologists have shown that babies apparently expect their world to be consistent with the laws of physics and cause and effect as early as two months of age. Does the study mean that cats will soon grasp the ins and outs of cause and effect？Maybe.Okay，so cats may not be the next physics faculty members at America's most important research universities.But by demonstrating their common sense，they've shown that the divide between cats and humans may not be that great after all.（1）What do we learn from a newly published study about cats？ ____ A．They can be trained to understand the physical world.B．They know what kind of prey might be easier to hunt.C．They have a natural ability to locate animals they hunt.D．They are capable of telling which way their prey flees.（2）What may account for the cats' response to the noise from the containers？ ____ A．Their inborn sensitivity to noise.B．Their unusual sense of direction.C．Their special ability to perceive.D．Their mastery of cause and effect.（3）In what way do babies behave like cats？ ____ A．They focus on what appears odd.B．They view the world as normal.C．They do what they prefer to do.D．They are curious about everything.（4）What can we conclude about cats from the passage？ ____ A．They have higher intelligence than many other animals.B．They interact with the physical world much like humans.C．They display extraordinarily high intelligence in hunting.D．They can aid physics professors in their research work.
The latest in cat research reveals that the lovely animal seems to have a basic grasp on both the laws of physics and the ins and outs of cause and effect.
According to a newly published study，cats seem to be able to predict the location of hiding prey （猎物） using both their ears and an inborn （天生的） understanding of how the physical world works.
In a recent experiment，Japanese researchers taped 30 domestic cats reacting to a container that a team member shook.Some containers rattled （发出响声）；others did not.When the container was tipped over，sometimes an object fell out and sometimes it didn't.
It turns out that the cats were remarkably smart about what would happen when a container was tipped over.When an object did not drop out of the bottom of a rattling container，they looked at it for a longer time than they did when the container behaved as expected.
"Cats use a causal-logical understanding of noise or sounds to predict the appearance of invisible objects，" lead researcher Saho Takagi says in a press release.The researchers conclude that cats' hunting style may have developed based on their common-sense abilities to infer where prey is，using their hearing.
Scientists have explored this idea with other lovely creatures；babies.Like cats，babies appear to engage in what's called "preferential looking" — looking longer at things that are interesting or unusual than things they perceive as normal.
When babies' expectations are disturbed in experiments like the ones performed with the cats，they react much like their animal friends.Psychologists have shown that babies apparently expect their world to be consistent with the laws of physics and cause and effect as early as two months of age.
Does the study mean that cats will soon grasp the ins and outs of cause and effect？Maybe.Okay，so cats may not be the next physics faculty members at America's most important research universities.But by demonstrating their common sense，they've shown that the divide between cats and humans may not be that great after all.
（1）What do we learn from a newly published study about cats？ ____
A．They can be trained to understand the physical world.
B．They know what kind of prey might be easier to hunt.
C．They have a natural ability to locate animals they hunt.
D．They are capable of telling which way their prey flees.
（2）What may account for the cats' response to the noise from the containers？ ____
A．Their inborn sensitivity to noise.
B．Their unusual sense of direction.
C．Their special ability to perceive.
D．Their mastery of cause and effect.
（3）In what way do babies behave like cats？ ____
A．They focus on what appears odd.
B．They view the world as normal.
C．They do what they prefer to do.
D．They are curious about everything.
（4）What can we conclude about cats from the passage？ ____
A．They have higher intelligence than many other animals.
B．They interact with the physical world much like humans.
C．They display extraordinarily high intelligence in hunting.
D．They can aid physics professors in their research work.
According to a newly published study，cats seem to be able to predict the location of hiding prey （猎物） using both their ears and an inborn （天生的） understanding of how the physical world works.
In a recent experiment，Japanese researchers taped 30 domestic cats reacting to a container that a team member shook.Some containers rattled （发出响声）；others did not.When the container was tipped over，sometimes an object fell out and sometimes it didn't.
It turns out that the cats were remarkably smart about what would happen when a container was tipped over.When an object did not drop out of the bottom of a rattling container，they looked at it for a longer time than they did when the container behaved as expected.
"Cats use a causal-logical understanding of noise or sounds to predict the appearance of invisible objects，" lead researcher Saho Takagi says in a press release.The researchers conclude that cats' hunting style may have developed based on their common-sense abilities to infer where prey is，using their hearing.
Scientists have explored this idea with other lovely creatures；babies.Like cats，babies appear to engage in what's called "preferential looking" — looking longer at things that are interesting or unusual than things they perceive as normal.
When babies' expectations are disturbed in experiments like the ones performed with the cats，they react much like their animal friends.Psychologists have shown that babies apparently expect their world to be consistent with the laws of physics and cause and effect as early as two months of age.
Does the study mean that cats will soon grasp the ins and outs of cause and effect？Maybe.Okay，so cats may not be the next physics faculty members at America's most important research universities.But by demonstrating their common sense，they've shown that the divide between cats and humans may not be that great after all.
（1）What do we learn from a newly published study about cats？ ____
A．They can be trained to understand the physical world.
B．They know what kind of prey might be easier to hunt.
C．They have a natural ability to locate animals they hunt.
D．They are capable of telling which way their prey flees.
（2）What may account for the cats' response to the noise from the containers？ ____
A．Their inborn sensitivity to noise.
B．Their unusual sense of direction.
C．Their special ability to perceive.
D．Their mastery of cause and effect.
（3）In what way do babies behave like cats？ ____
A．They focus on what appears odd.
B．They view the world as normal.
C．They do what they prefer to do.
D．They are curious about everything.
（4）What can we conclude about cats from the passage？ ____
A．They have higher intelligence than many other animals.
B．They interact with the physical world much like humans.
C．They display extraordinarily high intelligence in hunting.
D．They can aid physics professors in their research work.
题目解答
答案
（1）C.推理判断题。由第二段According to a newly published study，cats seem to be able to predict the location of hiding prey （猎物） using both their ears and an inborn （天生的） understanding of how the physical world works. （根据一项最新发表的研究，猫似乎能够通过双耳预测隐藏猎物的位置，并与生俱来地理解物理世界是如何运作的。）可知，猫天生就有能力定位到它们捕猎的动物。故选C项。
（2）D.细节理解题。由第四段中的It turns out that the cats were remarkably smart about what would happen when a container was tipped over. （事实证明，猫非常聪明地知道当容器被翻倒时会发生什么。）和第五段中的Cats use a causal-logical understanding of noise or sounds to predict the appearance of invisible objects （猫利用对噪音或声音的因果逻辑理解来预测看不见的物体的外观。）可知，正是猫对噪音或声音的因果逻辑关系的掌握才导致了猫对集装箱噪音的反应，让猫知道当容器被翻倒时会发生什么。故选D项。
（3）A.细节理解题。由倒数第三段中的Like cats，babies appear to engage in what's called "preferential looking" — looking longer at things that are interesting or unusual than things they perceive as normal. （和猫一样，婴儿似乎也在进行所谓的"优先观看"---看有趣或不寻常的事情的时间比他们看正常的事情要长。）可知，和猫一样，婴儿喜欢专注于看似奇怪的（不寻常的）事情。故选A项。
（4）B.推理判断题。由第五段中的"。Cats use a causal-logical understanding of noise or sounds to predict the appearance of invisible objects （猫利用对噪音或声音的因果逻辑理解来预测看不见的物体的外观。）和倒数第二段中的When babies' expectations are disturbed in experiments like the ones performed with the cats，they react much like their animal friends.Psychologists have shown that babies apparently expect their world to be consistent with the laws of physics and cause and effect as early as two months of age. （当婴儿的期望在类似猫的实验中被违背时，婴儿的反应就像他们的动物朋友一样。心理学家已经证明，婴儿显然早在两个月大的时候就期望他们的世界符合物理定律和因果关系。）可知，在类似猫的实验中，（期望他们的世界符合物理定律和因果关系的）婴儿的反应就像猫一样，说明猫与物理世界的互动非常像人类。故选B项。
（2）D.细节理解题。由第四段中的It turns out that the cats were remarkably smart about what would happen when a container was tipped over. （事实证明，猫非常聪明地知道当容器被翻倒时会发生什么。）和第五段中的Cats use a causal-logical understanding of noise or sounds to predict the appearance of invisible objects （猫利用对噪音或声音的因果逻辑理解来预测看不见的物体的外观。）可知，正是猫对噪音或声音的因果逻辑关系的掌握才导致了猫对集装箱噪音的反应，让猫知道当容器被翻倒时会发生什么。故选D项。
（3）A.细节理解题。由倒数第三段中的Like cats，babies appear to engage in what's called "preferential looking" — looking longer at things that are interesting or unusual than things they perceive as normal. （和猫一样，婴儿似乎也在进行所谓的"优先观看"---看有趣或不寻常的事情的时间比他们看正常的事情要长。）可知，和猫一样，婴儿喜欢专注于看似奇怪的（不寻常的）事情。故选A项。
（4）B.推理判断题。由第五段中的"。Cats use a causal-logical understanding of noise or sounds to predict the appearance of invisible objects （猫利用对噪音或声音的因果逻辑理解来预测看不见的物体的外观。）和倒数第二段中的When babies' expectations are disturbed in experiments like the ones performed with the cats，they react much like their animal friends.Psychologists have shown that babies apparently expect their world to be consistent with the laws of physics and cause and effect as early as two months of age. （当婴儿的期望在类似猫的实验中被违背时，婴儿的反应就像他们的动物朋友一样。心理学家已经证明，婴儿显然早在两个月大的时候就期望他们的世界符合物理定律和因果关系。）可知，在类似猫的实验中，（期望他们的世界符合物理定律和因果关系的）婴儿的反应就像猫一样，说明猫与物理世界的互动非常像人类。故选B项。
解析
考查要点：
- 推理判断题：需结合文章主旨和细节，推断猫的自然能力。
- 细节理解题：需定位关键句，明确因果关系。
- 对比分析题：需理解婴儿与猫行为的相似性。
- 综合推断题：需整合全文信息，得出猫与人类互动的结论。
解题核心：
- 抓住关键词（如“inborn understanding”“causal-logical”“preferential looking”）。
- 对比选项与原文，排除干扰项。
第（1）题
关键句：
“cats seem to be able to predict the location of hiding prey using both their ears and an inborn understanding of how the physical world works.”
解析：
- C选项“天生定位猎物的能力”直接对应“inborn understanding”，其他选项未提及训练或方向判断。
第（2）题
关键句：
“Cats use a causal-logical understanding of noise or sounds to predict the appearance of invisible objects.”
解析：
- D选项“因果关系的掌握”是核心，猫通过声音推断物体存在，而非单纯听觉敏感。
第（3）题
关键句：
“babies appear to engage in what's called 'preferential looking' — looking longer at things that are interesting or unusual than things they perceive as normal.”
解析：
- A选项“关注奇怪事物”对应“interesting or unusual”，与猫的“longer time”观察一致。
第（4）题
关键句：
“the divide between cats and humans may not be that great after all.”
解析：
- B选项“与人类互动方式相似”整合了猫对物理世界的因果理解与婴儿行为的类比。