NEEP-EN2-2020-Text1
英二-2020-Text 1 摘自新科学家（New scientist）2018年11月的文章《Rats can make friends with robot rats and will rescue them when stuck》。
以下为个人解析，非官方公开标准资料，可能有误，仅供参考。（单词解释仅摘出部分词性和意思）
Paragraph 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.
- 翻译：老鼠和其他动物需要对同伴发出的社交信号有更高的敏感度，以便辨别合作伙伴和避开敌人。
- 解释：
ratn.老鼠attunedadj.敏感的，attunev.使适应、使协调，highly attuned高度敏感，表示对外界信号或情况有极其敏锐的感知和反应socialadj.社交的、社会的signaln.信号identifyv.识别、认出cooperatev.合作enemiesn.敌人（复数形式），原形enemyavoidv.避免，避开
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.
- 翻译：为了弄清楚这种特点是否可以拓展到非生命体上，加利福尼亚大学圣迭戈分校的 Laleh Quinn 和她的同事们进行了实验，测试老鼠是否能够从机器鼠身上发现社交信号。
- 解释：
To ...为了…find out找出、查明extendn.拓展non-livingadj.非生命的beingsn.存在colleaguen.同事whetherconj.是否detectv.发现、查明、洞察roboticadj.机器的
21） Quinn and her colleagues conducted a test to see if rats can ___.
译：Quinn 和她的同事做了个测试来观察老鼠是否能够？
[A] pick up social signals from non-living rats
译：从没有生命的老鼠身上获得社交信号
[B] distinguish a friendly rat from a hostile one
译：区分友好的和敌对的老鼠
[C] attain sociable traits through special training
译：通过特殊训练获得合群的特质
[D] send out warning messages to their fellows
译：向同伴发出警告信息
Paragraph 2
They housed eight adult rats with two types of robotic rat — one social and one asocial — for four days.
- 翻译：他们把8只成年老鼠和两只机器鼠放在一起 — 一个社交，一个不社交 — 呆了四天。
- 解释：
housev.安置、提供住处adultadj.成年的asocialadj.反社交的，缺乏社交性的- 这个实验的目的是观察鼠类对两种不同类型的机器鼠的反应。其中一种机器鼠具有社交特性，具备与其他个体进行交流和互动的能力；而另一种机器鼠则不具备社交特性，不善于与他人进行交流和互动。
The robot rats were quite minimalist, resembling a chunkier version of a computer mouse with wheels to move around and colourful markings.
- 翻译：机器鼠又安静又简单，看上去像是大号的鼠标，带有轮子以便四处移动，还带有彩色的标志。
- 解释：
minimalistn.极简主义者resemblingv.看起来像，原形resemblechunkieradj.更大块的、更敦实的，chunky的比较级versionn.版本wheelsn.轮子（复数），原形wheel
Paragraph 3
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.
- 翻译：在实验期间，社交机器鼠跟在真鼠周围，玩同样的玩具，并且打开门让老鼠门逃走。
- 解释：
duringprep.在…期间experimentn.实验followv.跟随toysn.玩具cagen.笼子trappedadj.被困住的escapev.逃跑
Meanwhile, the asocial robot simply moved forwards and backwards and side to side.
- 翻译：与此同时，不社交简单机器鼠前前后后左左右右地移动。
- 解释：
forward向前backward向后side一边
22）What did the asocial robot do during the experiment?
译：不社交机器人在实验期间做了什么？
[A] It followed the social robot.
译：它跟着社交机器人。
[B] It played with some toys.
译：它玩了一些玩具。
[C] It set the trapped rats free.
译：它使被困住的老鼠脱困。
[D] It moved around alone.
译：它自己四处移动。
Paragraph 4
Next, the researchers trapped the robots in cages and gave the rats the opportunity to release them by pressing a lever.
- 翻译：接下来，研究者们将机器人困在笼子里，并给了老鼠们通过按下杠杆就能释放机器人的机会。
- 解释：
trapv.困住、缠住、使陷入困境cagen.笼子opportunityn.机会releasev.释放pressv.按、压levern.杠杆
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.
- 翻译：经过18次试验，活鼠平均释放社交鼠的可能性比非社交鼠高了52%。
- 解释：
trialn.试验eachadv.每一个likelyadj.可能的on average平均
This suggests that the rats perceived the social robot as a genuine social being, says Quinn.
- 翻译：这表明老鼠将社交机器人视作一个真正的社交对象，Quinn说道。
- 解释：
perceivev.感知、察觉到genuineadj.真正的
The rats may have bonded more with the social robot because it displayed behaviours like communal exploring and playing.
- 翻译：老鼠可能与社交鼠建立更多的信任，因为它展示的行为像是在共同探索和玩耍。
- 解释：
bondv.建立互信、紧密结合displayv.展示、表现、扮演communaladj.公共的、共享的explorev.探索playingv.玩耍
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.
- 翻译：这可能导致老鼠更容易记得早点释放社交鼠，并且想让社交鼠在自己被困住时报答它们，她说。
- 解释：
leadv.引导better更加rememberv.记起favourn.恩情、恩惠earlieradj.更早的
23）According to Quinn, the rats released the social robot because they ____?
译：根据Quinn，老鼠们释放机器鼠是因为它们___？
[A] tried to practise a means of escape
译：尝试练习逃跑的意识
[B] expected it to do the same in return
译：希望它做同样的回报
[C] wanted to display their intelligence
译：想展现它们的智力
[D] considered that an interesting game
译：思考一个有趣的游戏
Paragraph 5
- “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.
- 翻译：“老鼠们展示出了多种形式的互相帮助和合作，包括直接的互惠，比如一只老鼠会帮助先前帮助过它的另一只老鼠”，Quinn说道。
- 解释：
engagev.从事reciprocaladj.互惠的，reciprocityn.互惠cooperationn.合作directadj.直接的previouslyadv.先前的
Paragraph 6
The readiness of the rats to befriend the social robot was surprising given its minimal design.
- 翻译：令人惊讶的是老鼠愿意和设计如此简单的社交机器人成为朋友。
- 解释：
readinessn.愿意、乐意、准备就绪surprisingadj.令人惊讶的、令人吃惊的minimaladj.简约的
The robot was the same size as a regular rat but resembled a simple plastic box on wheels.
- 翻译：机器人有着与普通老鼠一样的体型，看上去像是一个装着轮子的简单塑料盒子。
- 解释：
regularadj.常规的resemblev.看起来像simpleadj.简单的plasticadj.塑料的wheeln.轮子
“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.
- 翻译：“我们原以为我们需要给它安一个能够移动的头部和尾巴，面部特征，并给它涂抹气味，使其闻起来像真正的鼠类，但这并不是必要的，”来自澳大利亚昆士兰大学的Janet Wiles在研究中给出了帮助。
- 解释：
We'd assumed<=>we had assumedwe'd have<=>we would haveassumev.假设tailn.尾巴facialadj.面部的featuren.特点、特征scentn.气味necessaryadj.必要的
24）Janet Wiles notes that rats ____?
译：Janet Wiles 提醒，老鼠___？
[A] can remember other rats’ facial features
译：能够记起其他老鼠的面部特征
[B] differentiate smells better than sizes
译：分辨气味比分辨体型更厉害
[C] respond more to actions than to looks
译：相比外观，有更多的行为上的响应
[D] can be scared by a plastic box on wheels
译：会被轮子上的塑料盒子吓到
Paragraph 7
The finding shows how sensitive rats are to social cues, even when they come from basic robots, says Wiles.
- 翻译：这个发现显示了老鼠对社交信号有多敏感，甚至它们来自于基础的机器人，Wiles说道。
- 解释：
cuen.信号、暗示
Similarly, children tend to treat robots as if they are fellow beings, even when they display only simple social signals.
- 翻译：类似地，孩子往往将机器人当作玩伴，甚至当机器人们只表现出简单的社交信号。
- 解释：
similarlyadv.相似地tend to往往treatv.对待fellown.同伴
"We humans seem to be fascinated by robots, and it turns out other animals are too,” says Wiles.
- 翻译：Wiles 说道：“我们人类似乎对机器人很着迷，而其他动物也是如此。”
- 解释：
seem to似乎fascinatedadj.着迷的
25）It can be learned from the text that rats ____?
译：从文中我们可以知道老鼠？
[A] appear to be adaptable to new surroundings
译：似乎能适应新环境
[B] are more socially active than other animals
译：比其他动物更活跃
[C] behave differently from children in socializing
译：社交行为与孩子不同
[D] are more sensitive to social cues than expected
译：对社交线索比预期更敏感