Listening to Birdsong

A male zebra finch¹ chirps away²to himself. Suddenly he notices a female bird nearby. He realizes he has an audience and immediately changes his song. Can the female tell the difference in his performance? According to a new study, the female zebra finch knows. And she prefers the special trills he creates when he sings to her. A male zebra finch changes his song when singing to a female in ways that people can barely detect. But the female finch can tell the difference.

Scientists had noticed slight variations in the songs of male zebra finches based on whether they were singing alone or whether there was a female（and potential mate） nearby. With an audience, the males sped up the pace of their songs and controlled the notes they used.

For this study, researchers Sarah C. Woolley and Allison Doupe at the University of California, San Francisco decided to focus attention on the listening females, which have not been well studied in the past.

In the study, Woolley and Doupe set up a long cage with a sound speaker at each end. One broadcast the sound of a male zebra finch singing to himself, like someone singing in the shower. The other speaker broadcast a male performing for a female audience, as if he was giving a concert.

Female birds were placed between the two speakers. Some of the birds had mates, others didn’t. The females shifted around a bit, and then most of them hopped over to sit beside just one speaker. All the birds that made a clear choice liked songs meant for a female audience, even if they’d never met the male.

Mated females also had a chance to listen to two different performance songs, one from an unknown male, and one from their mate. They spent more time listening to the concert version of their mates’ songs. This suggests that after a while, females learn to recognize and prefer—the songs of their mates.

Scientists then studied the brains of the females. They found certain areas of the brain perked up³ when the birds listened to the concert songs. These brain areas may be involved in recognizing and evaluating the songs, and storing the memories of them.

This research deals with what’s called directed communication, when the communicator, or sender, focuses the message for a specific audience. One example is the way moms speak to their babies. Mothers around the world use the same sort of high-pitched4 sing-song chatter, and the babies respond best to those sounds. Songbirds are one of the only other species known to learn their communication, in this case their songs.

 

词汇： 

finch /fɪntʃ/ n. 雀科鸣鸟

perk / pɜ:k / v. 使振作，使活跃
chirp /tʃɜ:p / v. (鸟)鸣

morn / mɔːn / n. 妈妈(等于英国英语mum)
trill / trɪl / n. (鸟的)啭音;颤音

chatter / ˈtʃætə(r) / v. &n喋喋不休，唠叨

 

注释：

1. zebra finch：斑胸草雀

2. chirp away：吱喳而鸣。 away有 continuously和 steadily的意思。

3. perk up：活跃起来，振作精神

4. high-pitched:活跃起来，振作精神

What is meant by "concert songs" in the seventh paragraph?

A:Songs sung by zebra finches at a concert. B:Songs sung by male finches for female finches. C:Songs sung by female finches for male finches. D:Songs sung by male finches to many female finches.

Passage Two
Country music is an American popular-music style. In its current form, country music is a combination of two separate musical traditions: the styles of the Southeastern states and the music of the Southwest, especially Texas. Both styles influenced and were influenced by the blues and by the black rural dance music.
The first country artists to be widely known achieved popularity in the late 1920s. The music of these performers was heard throughout tile south during the 1920s and 30s on radio programs.
By the 1950s, country music had become a significant force in pop music. Regular appearances on the radio show made stars of many performers. The singer-songwriter Hank Williams wrote four million-seller songs in 1950, seven in 1951, and four more in 1953.
By the 1970s, "some country musicians began combining country music with electric instruments, creating a country rock sound.

 

Hank Williams （　）in 1951.

A:wrote seven million songs B:sold seven million copies of his songs C:wrote seven songs D:sold seven million copies Of his seven songs

Passage Two
Country music is an American popular-music style. In its current form, country music is a combination of two separate musical traditions: the styles of the Southeastern states and the music of the Southwest, especially Texas. Both styles influenced and were influenced by the blues and by the black rural dance music.
The first country artists to be widely known achieved popularity in the late 1920s. The music of these performers was heard throughout tile south during the 1920s and 30s on radio programs.
By the 1950s, country music had become a significant force in pop music. Regular appearances on the radio show made stars of many performers. The singer-songwriter Hank Williams wrote four million-seller songs in 1950, seven in 1951, and four more in 1953.
By the 1970s, "some country musicians began combining country music with electric instruments, creating a country rock sound.

Hank Williams （） in 1951.

A:wrote seven million songs B:sold seven million copies of his songs C:wrote seven songs D:sold seven million copies Of his seven songs

Passage Two Country music is an American popular-music style. In its current form, country music is a combination of two separate musical traditions: the styles of the Southeastern states and the music of the Southwest, especially Texas. Both styles influenced and were influenced by the blues and by the black rural dance music. The first country artists to be widely known achieved popularity in the late 1920s. The music of these performers was heard throughout tile south during the 1920s and 30s on radio programs. By the 1950s, country music had become a significant force in pop music. Regular appearances on the radio show made stars of many performers. The singer-songwriter Hank Williams wrote four million-seller songs in 1950, seven in 1951, and four more in 1953. By the 1970s, "some country musicians began combining country music with electric instruments, creating a country rock sound.

Hank Williams （） in 1951.

A:wrote seven million songs B:sold seven million copies of his songs C:wrote seven songs D:sold seven million copies Of his seven songs

A male zebra finch chirps away to himself. Suddenly he notices a female bird nearby. He realizes he has an audience and immediately changes his song. Can the female tell the difference in his performance According to a new study, the female zebra finch knows. And she prefers the special trills he creates when he sings to her. A male zebra finch changes his song when singing to a female in ways that people can barely detect. But the female finch can tell the difference.
Scientists had noticed slight variations in the songs of male zebra finches based on whether they were singing alone or whether there was a female (and potential mate) nearby. With an audience, the males sped up the pace of their songs and controlled the notes they used.
For this study, researchers Sarah C. Woolley and Allison Doupe at the University of California, San Francisco decided to focus attention on the listening females, which have not been well studied in the past.
In the study, Woolley and Doupe set up, a long cage with a sound speaker at each end. One broadcast the sound of a male zebra finch singing to himself, like someone singing in the shower. The other speaker broadcast a male performing for a female audience, as if he was giving a concert.
Female birds were placed between the two speakers. Some of the birds had mates, others didn’t. The females shifted around a bit, and then most of them hopped over to sit beside just one speaker. All the birds that made a clear choice liked songs meant for a female audience, even if they’d never met the male.
Mated females also had a chance to listen to two different performance songs, one from an unknown male, and one from their mate. They spent more time listening to the concert version of their mates’ songs. This suggests that after a while, females learn to recognize and prefer the songs of their mates.
Scientists then studied the brains of the females. They found certain areas of the brain perked up when the birds listened to the concert songs. These brain areas may be involved in recognizing and evaluating the songs, and storing the memories of them.
This research deals with what’s called directed communication, when the communicator, or sender, focuses the message for a specific audience. One example is the way moms speak to their babies. Mothers around the world use the same sort of high-pitched sing-song chatter, and the babies respond best to those sounds. Songbirds are one of the only other species known to learn their communication, in this case their songs.
What is meant by "concert songs" in the seventh paragraph

A:Songs sung by zebra finches at a concert. B:Songs sung by male finches for female finches. C:Songs sung by female finches for male finches. D:Songs sung by male finches to many female finches.

A male zebra finch chirps away to himself. Suddenly he notices a female bird nearby. He realizes he has an audience and immediately changes his song. Can the female tell the difference in his performance According to a new study, the female zebra finch knows. And she prefers the special trills he creates when he sings to her. A male zebra finch changes his song when singing to a female in ways that people can barely detect. But the female finch can tell the difference.
Scientists had noticed slight variations in the songs of male zebra finches based on whether they were singing alone or whether there was a female (and potential mate) nearby. With an audience, the males sped up the pace of their songs and controlled the notes they used.
For this study, researchers Sarah C. Woolley and Allison Doupe at the University of California, San Francisco decided to focus attention on the listening females, which have not been well studied in the past.
In the study, Woolley and Doupe set up, a long cage with a sound speaker at each end. One broadcast the sound of a male zebra finch singing to himself, like someone singing in the shower. The other speaker broadcast a male performing for a female audience, as if he was giving a concert.
Female birds were placed between the two speakers. Some of the birds had mates, others didn’t. The females shifted around a bit, and then most of them hopped over to sit beside just one speaker. All the birds that made a clear choice liked songs meant for a female audience, even if they’d never met the male.
Mated females also had a chance to listen to two different performance songs, one from an unknown male, and one from their mate. They spent more time listening to the concert version of their mates’ songs. This suggests that after a while, females learn to recognize and prefer the songs of their mates.
Scientists then studied the brains of the females. They found certain areas of the brain perked up when the birds listened to the concert songs. These brain areas may be involved in recognizing and evaluating the songs, and storing the memories of them.
This research deals with what’s called directed communication, when the communicator, or sender, focuses the message for a specific audience. One example is the way moms speak to their babies. Mothers around the world use the same sort of high-pitched sing-song chatter, and the babies respond best to those sounds. Songbirds are one of the only other species known to learn their communication, in this case their songs.
What did the researchers find in their study of female zebra finches

A:Female finches liked songs male finches sang for them. B:Female finches only liked songs male finches sang for their mates. C:Female finches liked to listen to songs from both speakers. D:Female finches chose the best male singers as their mates.

{{B}}第二篇{{/B}}

What did the researchers find in their study of female zebra finches?

A:Female finches liked songs male finches sang for them B:Female finches only liked songs male finches sang for their mates C:Female finches liked to listen to songs from both speakers D:Female finches chose the best male singers as their mates

{{B}}第二篇{{/B}}

What is meant by "concert songs" in paragraph 7?

A:Songs sung by zebra finches at a concert B:Songs sung by female finches for male finches C:Songs sung by male finches to other finches D:Songs sung by male finches for female finches

第二篇
This research deals with what’s called directed communication,when the communicator,or sender,focuses the message for a specific audience.One example is the way morns speak to their babies.Mothers around the world use the same sort of high-pitched sing-song chatter(喋喋不休),and the babies respond best to those sounds.Songbirds are one of the only other species known to learn their communication,in this case their songs.What is meant by "concert songs" in paragraph?

A:Songs sung by zebra finches at a concert. B:Songs sung by female finches for male finches. C:Songs sung by male finches for female finches. D:Songs sung by male finches to other finches.