问题 填空题

Small dogs generally live longer than big dogs so that yappy Yorkshire terrier next door could be around for a long time. But body size isn’t the only factor that (36) how long dogs survive. Personality influences life span, too, according to a new study that might help explain how animal (37) evolve.
Research on animals from ants to apes has found that different (38) have different personalities. Some are timid, others (39) . Biologists have proposed that temperaments evolved along with life history. (40) , violent animals use a lot of energy fast in (41) short lives, the thinking goes, whereas calmer animals last longer, saving themselves to (42) later in life.
But it’s hard to run evolutionary (43) on these personalities in anything longer lived than a fruit fly. So evolutionary biologist Vincent Careau of Universit6 de Sherbrooke in Canada came up with an idea: dogs. "All these breed differences reflect an experiment on artificial selection," says Careau. (44) , but from generations of humans crossbreeding and selecting animals with traits---the ability to chase foxes into holes, or herd sheep, or sit attractively on a sofa.
But evolutionary physiologist Joseph Williams of Ohio State University in Columbus isn’t convinced that (45) . "For me, it still remains to be seen. Dogs are contrary to what you would expect in nature in terms of longevity," he says. Elephants live for decades, (46) . On the other hand, a Chihuahua will generally outlast a Saint Bernard.

答案

参考答案:characters

解析:[听时猜测] 分析句子结构,如果animal是中心词,evolve则应该加s,可见确定此处缺少主语用animal修饰,所以需要填入一个名词。
[答题要诀] 语义推断题[考频:49] 。前文提到Personality influences life p,后文则表明新的研究可能有助于解释这一现象。本文重点讨论动物的性格是如何影响寿命的,可推测这一现象应该与动物的性格有关,所填名词应该与前面的personality是同义同。结合录音不难填出characters“性格”。

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