雅思阅读真题(Part 2)

Insect decision-making

Part 2 · 考频:中频 · 最近考试:2023.4.8

文章内容(节选)

A 

It has long been held that decision made collectively by large groups of people are more likely to turn out to be accurate than decisions made by individuals. The idea goes back to the 'jury theorem’ of Nicolas de Condorcet, an 18th-century French philosopher who was one of the first to apply mathematics to the social sciences. Condorcet’s theory describes collective decisions, outlining how democratic decisions tend to outperform dictatorial ones. If, for example, each member of a jury has only partial information, the majority decision is more likely to be correct than a decision arrived at by a single juror. Moreover, the probability of a correct decision increases with the size of the jury.

 

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题目与答案

  1. paragraph_main 14
    • the effect of man-made imitations on insects
    • the need to instruct additional insect guides
    • signals used by certain insects to indicate a discovery
    • how urgency can affect the process of finding a new home
    • the use of trained insects in testing scientific theories
    • the use of virtual scenarios in the study of insect behaviour

    答案:how the number of decision-makers affects the decision

    原文定位:Moreover, the probability of a correct decision increases with the size of the jury

  2. paragraph_main 15
    • the effect of man-made imitations on insects
    • the need to instruct additional insect guides
    • signals used by certain insects to indicate a discovery
    • how urgency can affect the process of finding a new home
    • the use of trained insects in testing scientific theories
    • the use of virtual scenarios in the study of insect behaviour

    答案:signals used by certain insects to indicate a discovery

    原文定位:Among the bees that depart are some that have searched for and found some new nest sites, and reported back using a characteristic body movement known as a 'waggle dance' to indicate to the other bees the suitable places they have located. The longer the dance, the better the site

  3. paragraph_main 16
    • the effect of man-made imitations on insects
    • the need to instruct additional insect guides
    • signals used by certain insects to indicate a discovery
    • how urgency can affect the process of finding a new home
    • the use of trained insects in testing scientific theories
    • the use of virtual scenarios in the study of insect behaviour

    答案:the use of virtual scenarios in the study of insect behaviour

    原文定位:To find out, Dr List and his colleagues used a computer-generated model of the decision-making process. By experimenting with it they found that

  4. paragraph_main 17
    • the effect of man-made imitations on insects
    • the need to instruct additional insect guides
    • signals used by certain insects to indicate a discovery
    • how urgency can affect the process of finding a new home
    • the use of trained insects in testing scientific theories
    • the use of virtual scenarios in the study of insect behaviour

    答案:the effect of man-made imitations on insects

    原文定位:José Halloy of the Free University of Brussels in Belgium used robotic cockroaches to subvert the behavior of living cockroaches and control their decision-making process;Halloy was able to persuade the living cockroaches to choose an inappropriate shelter-even one which they had rejected before being infiltrated by the robots

  5. paragraph_main 18
    • the effect of man-made imitations on insects
    • the need to instruct additional insect guides
    • signals used by certain insects to indicate a discovery
    • how urgency can affect the process of finding a new home
    • the use of trained insects in testing scientific theories
    • the use of virtual scenarios in the study of insect behaviour

    答案:how urgency can affect the process of finding a new home

    原文定位:Franks and his associates reported how the insects reduce the problems associated with making a necessarily swift choice. If the ants’ existing nest becomes suddenly threatened, the insects choose certain ants to act as scouts to find a new nest

  6. paragraph_main 19
    • the effect of man-made imitations on insects
    • the need to instruct additional insect guides
    • signals used by certain insects to indicate a discovery
    • how urgency can affect the process of finding a new home
    • the use of trained insects in testing scientific theories
    • the use of virtual scenarios in the study of insect behaviour

    答案:the need to instruct additional insect guides

    原文定位:Once the suitable new nest is identified, the chosen ants begin to lead others, which have made it to the new site or which may simply be in the vicinity, back to the original threatened nest;those ants which are familiar with the route can help transport... and simultaneously show the way to those ants which have been left behind to guard the old nest

  7. Certain members can influence the rest of the group to alter a previous decision.
    • A Nicolas de Condorcet
    • B Christian List and colleagues
    • C José Halloy
    • D Nigel Franks and colleagues

    答案:C José Halloy

    原文定位:By manipulating the robots, which were in the minority, Halloy was able to persuade the living cockroaches to choose an inappropriate shelter-even one which they had rejected before being infiltrated by the robots

  8. Individual verification of a proposed choice is important for successful decision outcome.
    • A Nicolas de Condorcet
    • B Christian List and colleagues
    • C José Halloy
    • D Nigel Franks and colleagues

    答案:B Christian List and colleagues

    原文定位:The researchers concluded that the ability of bees to identify successfully and quickly the best site depends on both the bees’ interdependence in communicating the whereabouts of the best site, and their independence in confirming this information for themselves

  9. The more individuals taking part in a decision, the better the decision will be.
    • A Nicolas de Condorcet
    • B Christian List and colleagues
    • C José Halloy
    • D Nigel Franks and colleagues

    答案:A Nicolas de Condorcet

    原文定位:Moreover, the probability of a correct decision increases with the size of the jury

  10. The decision-making process of certain insects produces excellent results even when fine distinctions are required.
    • A Nicolas de Condorcet
    • B Christian List and colleagues
    • C José Halloy
    • D Nigel Franks and colleagues

    答案:B Christian List and colleagues

    原文定位:The decision is remarkably reliable, with the bees choosing the best site even when there are only small differences between alternative sites

  11. A study of insect decision-making
    24 A Bristol University study looked at how insects make decisions when their home has been _____ .

    答案:threatened

    原文定位:If the ants’ existing nest becomes suddenly threatened, the insects choose certain ants to act as scouts to find a new nest

  12. 25 The ants in the experiment relied on the use of individuals called _____ new nest and efficiently direct the others to go there.

    答案:scouts

    原文定位:If the ants’ existing nest becomes suddenly threatened, the insects choose certain ants to act as scouts to find a new nest

  13. 26 The study concluded that the effective implementation of the ants' decision meant that the insects could change homes quickly. The study emphasized the necessity, for people well as insects, of having active _____ in order to execute decisions successfully.

    答案:leaders

    原文定位:But it does suggest, even for humans, the importance of recruiting dynamic leaders to a cause, because the most important thing about collective decision-making, as shown by these insect experiments, is to get others to follow

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