2024北京高二（上）期末英語匯編

閱讀理解D篇

一、閱讀理解

（2024北京昌平高二上期末）It'slogicalfbrhumanstofeelanxiousaboutartificialintelligence.Afterall,the

newsisconstantlylistingjobafterjobwherethetechnologyseemstooutperfbnnus.Buthumansaren'tyetheaded

forall-outreplacement.Andifyoudosufferfromso-calledAIanxiety,therearewaystoalleviateyourfearsand

evenchangethemintoamotivatingforcefbrgood.Here'showsomepsychologistsandotherexpertssuggest

handlingourAIfears.

Firstoff,contextiskey,saysSanaeOkamoto,apsychologistandbehavioralscientistintheNetherlands.She

suggestskeepinginmindthatthepresentmomentisfarfromthefirsttimepeoplehavefearedtheriseofanunfamiliar

technology.''Computeranxiety“datesbackdecades,Okamotonotes.Beforethat,therewasworryoverindustrial

automation.Pasttechnologicaladvanceshaveledtobigsocialandeconomicshifts.Somefearsbecamereality,and

somejobsdiddisappear,butmanyoftheworstsciencefictionpredictionsdidnotcometrue.

FacingfearsofAIbyactuallytryingoutthetools,seeingwhereandhowtheycanbeuseful,readinguponhow

theyworkandunderstandingtheirlimitationscanturnthetechfromamonsterintoapotentialhelper,saysJerriLynn

Hogg,amediapsychologist.Adeeperunderstandingcanempowersomeonetoadvocateformeaningfuljob

prorectionsorpoliciesthatholdbackpotentialproblems.

MaryAlvord,apracticingpsychologist,alsostressestheimportanceofaddressingtheproblemdirectly.uWc

talkaboutwhatactionsyoucantakeinsteadofstickingyourheadinthesand,“shesays.Maybethatmeansgaining

newskillstoprepareforacareerchangeorlearningaboutongoingeffortstocontrolALOrmaybeitmeansbuilding

aunionwithcolleaguesatwork,whichisimportanttohelppeoplefeelmoresecureandhopefulaboutthefuture.

PerhapsthebetterresponseislouseourAIanxietytopushusforward.Masteringacraft—beitdrawing,writing,

programmingortranslating—andusingthatskilltocreatesomethingnewis“themostrewardingthingthat\vccan

possiblysaysSeanKelly,aHarvardUniversityphilosophyprofessor.SowhynotletAImotivatemorecreation

insteadofreplacingit?Ifthetechnologyproducessomethinginteresting,wccanbuildonit.Andifildoesn't,then

whyworryaboutitatall?

1.Whatdocstheword“alleviate”underlinedinParagraph1mostprobablymean?

A.Analyze.B.Relieve.C.Understand.D.Forget.

2.Theauthormentions“computeranxiety''inParagraph2to.

A.makeacomparisonB.introduceatopic

C.evaluateastatementD.giveanexample

3.Whatcanwelearnfromthepassage?

A.AIfearswillholdbackthetechnologicaladvance.

B.PolicymakersmaycontrolthedevelopmentofAI.

C.AIwillleadtoseverecompetitionamongcolleagues.

D.HumansmaybecomemorecreativewhenmotivatedbyAI.

4.RegardingScanKelly'sopinion,theauthoris.

A.unconcernedB.puzzledC.SupportiveD.doubtful

(2024北京海淀高二上期末)Therehasbeenmuchdiscussionoftheconceptofquietquitting—meaning,

essentially,doingthebareminimumatwork.Andperhapsthafsnotsurprising:Whenyou'reexhaustedand

overwhelmed,itfeelslikesomethingneeds(obegivenup—andformany,thatseemstobethepursuitofexcellence

atwork.Butistakingyourfootoffthegastheanswer?

Asawriterfocusedontimemanagement,Tvecometorealizethattheoppositeofburnoutisn'tdoingnothing,

orevenscalingback.Ascounterintuitiveasitseems,addingenergizingactivitiestoyourschedulejustmightmake

lifefeelmoredouble.

That'swhatIfoundwhenIranatime-satisfactionstudywithmorethan140busypeople.Atthebeginningof

myproject,theyspokeoffeelingwornout.4<Lifefeelsverychaoticwithsomanydifferentballsintheair/'one

persontoldme."Myworkto-dolistisnever-ending,anothersaid.

Overthecourseofnineweeks,sometime-managementstraiegieswereintroduced.Insteadofsubtractive

changes,participantsincorporatedregularphysicalactivityandmaderoomforsmalladventures.Andwhenitcame

toleisureactivities,Iaskedthemtoput^effortfulbeforeeffortless”.Forexample,evensomethingassimpleas

readinganovelisbetterthanbinge-watchingaTVshow.Ialsointroducedthemtotheprincipleoftaking“onenight

fbryou”—committingtodoingsomethingyouenjoy,apartfromworkandfamily.Aswithquietquitting,thismight

sometimesmeanleavingworkalittleearlierthanusual,butthepointisnottodoless;theideaisthatjoiningachoir,

asoftballteamoranythingelsewithexpectedattendancepushesyoutofigureoutthelogistics,arrangethechildcare

ifnecessaryandgo—eveniflifeseemstoobusyto(hinkaboutsuchathing.

Overthecourseofnineweeks,participants'satisfactionwithhowtheyspenttheirtimeoverallrose16percent

fromthebeginningoftheprojecttotheend.Whenaskedabouthowtheyspenttheirleisuretime"yesterday”after

nineweeks,participantsreportedthattheirsatisfactionrose20percent.Theyevenreportedmakingmoreprogress

ontheirprofessionalgoals—prettymuchtheoppositeofquietquitting—astheirincreasedenergyandengagement

spilledoverintoallareasoflife.

Weeachhavethesame168hourseveryweek.Buttimeisalsoallaboutthestorieswetellourselves.When

lifeisfullofhavc-to-dos,withonlybriefperiodsofdowntimeinbetween,wccanfeelbeatendownbyresponsibilities.

Thekeyistoincorporateenergizingactivitiesintoourlivessothatourinnernarrativecanbechanged,makinglife

feellesslikeachore.

5.Whatcanwelearnfromthepassage?

A.Peoplewhoquitquietlyfeeltheneedtopursueexcellence.

B.Scalingbackcanhelpenergizethoseexhaustedfromwork.

C.Leisureeventsthatrequireactionaremorerecommended.

D.Goinghomeearlierforarestcaneffectivelyrefreshpeople.

6.Whatdoestheunderlinedword“subtractive"probablymean?

A.Reductive.B.Extensive.C.Enormous.D.Gradual.

7.WhatisParagraph4about?

A.Introductionofthebackground.B.Interventionin:hcexperiment.

C.Principlesofnewstrategies.D.Suggestionsbasedonthefindings.

8.Whatisthepurposeofwritingthepassage?

A.Tointroduceafindinginapsychologicalstudy.

B.Tocomparedifferenttime-managementstrategics.

C.Toanalyzethecausesandeffectsofquietquitting.

D.Toargueforanewwaytoliveamorefulfillinglife.

（2024北京延慶高二上期末）We'veheardfbryearsthatbreakfastisthemostimportantmealoftheday.But,

itactuallymightbeevenmoreimportantthanpreviouslythought,accordingtoastudypublishedintheJournalof

theAcademyofNutritionandDietetics,whichexaminedtheeffectsofskippingmealsandmealfrequencyasrelated

tomortality（死亡率）andheartheakh.

1hestudy,whichwaspublishedinAugustotlastyear,soughttofindoutifeatingbehaviorslikemealfrequency,

mealskipping,andtimebetweenmealswereassociatedwithall-causeandcardiovasculardisease（CVD）mortality.

Thestudyconsistedof24,011adults40yearsorolderwhoparticipatedfrom1999to2014.Researcherslooked

atvariouseatingbehaviorsofparticipantswhoself-reportedtheireatinghabitsevery24hours.Causesofdeathwere

trackedviadeathrecordsthroughDecember31,2015.

Afterexaminingparticipantsthroughouttheyears,researchersfoundthatcertaineatingbehaviorswereinfact

linkedtohigherratesofprematuredeath.Eatingonlyonemealperdaywasassociatedwithanincreasedriskofall-

causeandCVDmortalitywhileskippingbreakfastwaslinkedtoanincreasedriskofCVDmortality,andskipping

lunchordinnerwaslinkedtoanincreasedriskofall-causemortality.Lastly,thestudyfoundthathavingmealstoo

closelytogether（lessthanfourandhalfhoursapart）wasalsolinkedtoall-causeprematuredeath.

So,whatdoesthismeanfbrtheaverageperson?”Attheendofthedaywhatmattersisthatanindividualcan

meettheirnutritionalneedsforoptimal（最佳）health,“explainsKeriGans,authorofTheSmallChangeDiet,4tand

breakfasttypicallyisagoodvehiclefornutrientsassociatedwithadecreaseincardiovascularrisk,suchasfiberand

vitamins”.Tfbyeliminatingmealstheyarcmissingoutonimportantnutrientstheirbodyneeds,thenlongtermthat

canbeharmfultotheirhealth,''leadstoa"higherriskfbrcertaincancersandheartdisease,Mshesays.

Whilethisstudywaslargeandcomprehensiveinmanyways,itiercarcalsomanylimiialions.Ilwasmostly

basedona24-hour,self-reporteddietaryrecall,"whichmaynotalwaysbethebestmethodfbrdietaryassessment,M

explainsGans."Theparticipantsmaynotaccuratelyrecallwhattheyateorhonestlyreportitleadingtothepotential

ofmisinformation.MResearchersnotedthatitwasimpossibletoconsidertheroleofsleepintherelationshipbetween

foodandmortality,aswellasahostofotherunmeasuredfactors.

Thebottomlineisthatwhilethesefindingsabouttherelationshipsbetweenmealskippingandmortalityare

important,therearealotmorefactorsthatgointoprematuredeath.

9.WhataremainlydiscussedinParagraphs3and4?

A.ResearchprocessandfindingsB.Thecauseandfindings

C.ResearchsubjectsandpurposeD.Thetopicandsignificance

10.Whatdoestheunderlinedword“eliminating"inParagraph5mostprobablymean?

A.Reducing.B.Overeating.C.Skipping.D.Consuming.

11.Whatcanweinferfromthestudy?

A.Itslimitationsarefullytakenintoaccountinthestudy.

B.Consumingadequatenutrientsisthekeytomaintainoverallhealth.

C.Theriskofall-causeprematuredeathisunrelatedtoskippingdinner.

D.Researcherslearnedabouteatingbehaviorsbyobservingtheparticipants.

12.Whatistheauthor'sattitudetowardsskippingbreakfast?

A.Favorable.B.Unconcerned.C.Skeptical.D.Disapproving.

(2024北京懷柔高二上期末)Teenswhohavegood,supportiverelationshipswiththeirteachersenjoybetter

healthasadults,accordingtoaresearch.

“Thisresearchsuggeststhatimprovingstudents'relationshipswithteacherscouldhaveimportant,positiveand

long-lastingeffectsbeyondjustacademicsuccess,saidJinhoKim,theauthorofthestudy.4€ltcouldalsobringabout

impoildiillicahlibenefitsin(helungiuii.”

Previousresearchhassuggestedthatteens'socialrelationshipsmightbelinkedtohealthoutcomesin

adulthood—perhapsbecausepoorrelationshipscanleadtochronicstresswhichcanraiseaperson'sriskofhealth

problemsoverthelifespan,accordingtoKim.However,itisnotclearwhetherthelinkbetweenteenrelationships

andlifetimehealthiscertainlycauseandeffect—itcouldbethatotherfactors,suchasdifferentfamilybackgrounds,

mightconiribute(obothrelationshipproblemsinadolescenceandpoorhealthinadulthood.Also,mostresearchhas

focusedonteensrelationshipswithtlicirpeers,ratherthanontheirrelationshipswithteachers.

Toexplorethosequestionsfurther,Kimanalyzeddataonnearly20,00()participantsfromtheAddHealthstudy,

anationalstudythatfollowedparticipantsfor13years,fromseventhgradeintoearlyadulthood.Theparticipants

includedmorethan3,400pairsofbrothersandsisters.Asteens,participantsansweredquestions,like“Howoften

haveyouhadtroublegettingalongwithotherstudents?”“Howmuchdoyouagreethatfriendscareaboutyou?”

“Howoftenhaveyouhadtroublegettingalongwithyourteachers?"and"Howmuchdoyouagreethatteacherscare

aboutyou?,,Asadults,participantswereaskedabouttheirphysicalandmentalhealth.Researchersalso:ookmeasures

ofphysicalhealth,suchasbloodpressureandBMI(體質(zhì)指數(shù)).

Kimfoundthat,asexpected,participantswhohadreportedbetterrelationshipswithboththeirpeersandteachers

inmiddleschoolandhighschoolalsoreportedbetterphysicalandmentalhealthintheirmid20s.However,whenhe

controlledforfamilybackgroundbylookingatpairsofbrothersandsisters,onlythelinkbetweengoodteacher

relationshipsandadulthealthremainedsignificant.

Theresultssuggestthatteacherrelationshipsarcevenmoreimportantthanpreviouslyrealizedandthatschools

shouldinvestintrainingteachersonhowtobuildwarmandsupportiverelationshipswiththeirstudents,according

toKim.

13.Accordingtoparagraph3,wecanknowthat.

A.teenrelationshipswithteacherswerenotstudiedbefore.

B.familybackgroundisthemainfactorinimprovingmentalhealth.

C.teenrelationshipisnottheonlyfactorthataffectsthelifetimehealth.

D.relationshipproblemsinadolescencecancausepoorhealthinadulthood.

14.Whatisparagraph4mainlyabout?

A.HowtheresearchwasdoneB.Whatquestionswereexplored

C.HowphysicalhealthwasmeasuredD.Whatkindofparticipantswerestudied

15.AccordingtoKim'sfindings,wccaninferthat

A.Goodadulthealthdependsonteens'goodteachers.

B.Moreattentionshouldbepaidtothestudentsrelationshipswithteachers.

C.Theimportanceofstudent-teacherrelationshipswasfullyrealizedbefore.

D.Participantsreportedbetterrelationshipswiththeirteachersandbetterhealthasadults.

16.Wheredocsthistextprobablycomefrom?

A.A.familysurveyB.Amedicalreport

C.AtermpaperD.Ahealthmagazine

（2024北京房ill高二上期末）Artiseverywhere.Anypublicspacehasbeencarefullydesignedbyanartistic

mirdtobebothfunctionalandbeautiful.Why,then,isartstillsowidelyconsideredtobe“theeasysubject''atschool,

insignificanttowidersociety,awasteoftimeandeffort?

Artcanconnectculturewithcommercial（商業(yè)的）productsinawaythatnotmanyotherthingscan;art

generatesmoneyandholdssignificantemotionalandculturalvaluewithincommunities.Whenpeopleattenda

concert,theyarepayingformusic,sure,maybeevenhotelrooms,meals,andtransport,buttheyalsogainan

incredibleexperience,auniqueatmosphereandamemorythatwillgothroughtherestoftheirlives.Peopledon't

justwantmaterialthingsanymore,theywanttoexperiencelife—theartsarcaperfectcrossover（交迭）between

cultureandcomnierce.

Furthermore,theartscanbringcommunitiestogether,reducinglonelinessandmakingpeoplefeelsafer.Social

relationshipsarecreatedamongindividualswhentheysharetheirartsexperiencesthroughreflectionanddiscussion,

andtheirexpressionofcommonvaluesthroughartworksinhonourofeventssignificanttoanation'sexperience.

Theartsclearlyhaveaprettypositiveimpactonphysicalandpsychologicalhealth.Itisfoundthatpeoplewho

frequentculturalplacesorparticipateinartisticeventsaremorelikelytogaingoodhealthcomparedtothosewhodo

not;moreengagementwiththeartsislinkedtoahigherlevelofpeople'swell-being.TheRoyalSocietyofPublic

Healthdiscoveredthatmusicandart,whenusedinhospitals,helptoimprovetheconditionsofpaticn:sbyreducing

stress,anxietyandbloodpressure.

Childrenwhoarcinvolvedwiththeartsmakegreaterachievementsintheireducation:thoseengagedwith

dramahavegreaterliteraryabilitywhileotherstakingpartinmusicalpracticeexhibitgreaterskillsinmathand

languages.Kidswithpreferencefortheartshaveagreaterchanceoffindingemploymentinthefuture.Participating

intheartsisessentialforchilddevelopment;encouragingchildrentoexpressthemselvesinconstructivewayscould

helptoformhealthyemotionalresponsesinlaterlife.

Vitaltohumanlife,artiscelebratedandusedbynationsacrosstheworldforvariouspurposes.Lifewithout

artwouldbeboringanddeadstill,forartisapartofwhatmakesushuman.

17.Asforartproducts,whichwou'dtheauthoragreewith?

A.Mostpeoplebuythemforcollection.

B.Theirpricesmayclimbupastimepasses.

C.Theydifferfrommanyothercommercialproducts.

D.Theyhaveculturalvaluesratherthancommercialvalues.

18.Kidswhoengagewiththeartstendto.

A.bemoreresponsibleadultswhentheygrowup

B.bemoreconfidentinexhibitingtheirlearningskills

C.havemoreopportunitiestodocreativejobsinthefuture

D.havebetterlearningperformanceandemotionaldevelopment

19.Whatcanwelearnfromthispassage?

A.Artproductsarcmoreexpensive.

B.Theartscanmakepeoplefeellonelier.

C.Artisticactivitiescanimprovepeople'shealth.

D.Theartscanhelppeoplebecomemorebeautiful.

20.Whatisthebesttitleforthispassage?

A.ArtIsBeneficialforPatientsB.ArtWastesTimeandEffort

C.ArtCanPreventHeartDiseaseD.ArtIsImportanttoHumankind

（2024北京石景山高二上期末）Arelationshipbetweentheamountofadultspeechchildrenarcexposedto

andtheconcentrationofmyelin,asubstanceinthebrain,hasbeenfound,researcherssay."Ithinkthetake-home

messageis,absolutelytalkingtoyourkids.It'sliterallyshapingthestructureofthebrain,“saystheleadauthor,Prof

JohnP.SpenceroftheUniversityofEastAnglia.

Theteamfind,forthe30-month-olds,largeramountsofadultspeechareassociatedwithhigherquantitiesof

myelininlanguage-relatedpathwaysinthebrain;however,fbr（he6-month-olds,itgoestheoppositeway.

Whilethelatterisunexpected,Spencerpointsoutonepossiblefactor:thebrain'sstageofdevelopment.

“Whenbabiesaresixmonthsold,theyexperiencemassivegrowthofnewnervecells,“hesays."Sotheinput

conicsinandmayhelpextendtheperiodofbraingrowth.”“Whileat30months,thebrainstartstocutbacksomeof

thecellgrowth,andfbnnspecificconnections.That'swheremyelincomesin.Sonowtheinputstartstohelpstructure

themyelin,“headds.

Theresearchersconcludeadultspeechissignificantforbothagegroupsandthatthemoreadultspeechchildren

gothrough,themoresensitivetheywillbetolanguage.Thenextstepforthemistofigureoutwhetherthe6-month-

oklbabiesshowingthatnegativeconnectionwillsurelyturninto30-month-oldkidswhoshowpositiverelationship.

Dr.SaloniKrishnan,Readerincognitiveneuroscience（認(rèn)知神經(jīng)科學(xué)）atRoyalHolloway,Universityof

London,whoisnotinvolvedin（hework,however,notesindividualdifferencesinlanguageabilityarelinkedto

genetics."Childrenwhoarcexposedtomorelanguageathomeandhavehighermyelinationwillalsohaveinherited

genes（經(jīng)遺傳獲得的基因）fromparentswhoaremoreexcellentinlanguages,shesaid.”Nofinalconclusioncould

bemadebeforethispotentialgeneticeffectaretested.Andyetthere?eingcurrentlynostandardaroundtheamount

ofinputchildrenshouldreceive,caregiversshouldnotnecessarilyfeelpressuretotalkmoretotheirchildren.^^

21.Whatsurprisestheteam?

A.Thefindingfbrthe6-month-olds.

B.Thefindingforthe30-monih-olds.

C.Howtheinputhelpnervecellsgrow.

D.Howtheinputhelpstructurethemyelin.

22.Whatdoestheresearchersthinkofadultspeech?

A.Itispositivelyrelatedtomyelin.

B.Itcutsbacksomeofthecellgrowth.

C.Itseffectvarieswiththesizeofbrains.

D.Itishelpfulforbothgroups'languageability

23.WhatmightDr.SaloniKrishnanapproveof?

A.Theteamshoulddomoreresearch.

B.Parentsmusttalkmoretotheirkids.

C.Inheritedgenesdecidelanguageability.

D.Theconcentrationofmyelinmakesnosense.

（2024北京豐臺高二」:期末1Theneedforclarityextendsbeyondhowwecommunicatesciencetohowwe

evaluateit.Whocanreallydefinestockphrasessuchas'asignificantcontributiontoresearch5?Orunderstandwhat

'highimpact'or*world-class,mean?Scientistsdemandthatinstitutionsshouldbeclearabouttheircriteriaand

considerallscholarlyoutputs—preprints,code,data,peerreview,teaching,mentoringandsoon.

Myviewaboutthepracticesinresearchassessmentisthatmostassessmentguidelinespermitslidingstandards:

insteadofclearlydefinedterms,theygiveusfeel-goodslogansthatlackanyfixedmeaning.Facingtheproblemwill

getusmuchofthewaytowardsasolution.

Broadlanguageincreasesroomfbrmisunderstanding.'Highimpact'canbecodefbrwhereresearchispublished.

Oritcanmeantheeffectthatresearchhashadonitsfield,oronsocietylocallyorglobally-oftenverydifferent

things.Yetconfusionistheleastoftheproblems.Wordssuchas"world-class'and'excellent'allowassessorstovary

comparisonsdependingonwhoseworktheyareassessing.Academia（學(xué)術(shù)界）cannotbeafairandreasonablesystem

ifstandardschangedependingonwhomweareevaluating.Unconsciousbias（偏見）associatedwithfactorssuchas

aresearcher'sgender,ethnicoriginandsocialbackgroundhelpstheacademicinjusticecontinue.Itwasonlywith

double-blindreviewofresearchproposalsthatwomenfinallygotfairaccesstotheHubbleSpaceTelescope.

Manystrategicsexisttoimprovefairnessinacademia,butconceptualclarityisparamount.Beingclearabout

hov/specificqualitiesarevaluedleadsassessorstothinkcriticallyaboutwhetherthosequalitiesaretrulybeing

considered.Achievingthatconceptualclarityrequiresdiscussionwitlifaculties,staffandstudents:hoursandhours

ofit.TheUniversityMedicalCenterUtrechtintheNetherlands,forexample,heldaseriesofconversations,each

involving20-60researchers,andthenspentanotheryearrevisingitsresearchassessmentpoliciestorecognizesocial

impacts.

Frankconversationsaboutwhatisvaluedinaparticularcontext,orataspecificinstitution,areanessentialfirst

stepindevelopingconcreterecommendations.Althoughambiguous（模棱兩可的）terms,forinstance'world-class,

and'significant',arcabarrierwhenperformingassessments,universityadministratorshavesaidthattheyrelyon

flexiblelanguagetomakeroomtorewardavarietyofcontributions.Soitmakessensethatmorespecificlanguage

inreviewandpromotionmustbeabletoaccommodatevariedoutputs,outcomesandimpactsofscholarlywork.

Settingspecificstandardswillbetough.Itwillbeinvitingtofallbackonthemisleadingstandardssuchas

impactfactors,oronambiguoustermsthatcanheagreedtobyeveryonebutappliedwiselybynoone.Itistooearly

toknowwhatthosestandardswillbeorhowmuchtheywillvary,buttherightdiscussionsarestartingtohappen.

Theymustcontinue.

24.Regardingthecurrentpracticesinresearchassessment,theauthoris.

A.supportiveB.puzzled

C.unconcernedD.disapproving

25.Whatcanwelearnfromthispassage?

A.Biasonassessorscancauseinequality.B.Frankconversationsharmscholarlywork.

C.Specificqualitiesneedtobeclearlystated.D.Broadlanguageensuresacademicfairness.

26.Whatdoestheword"paramount"underlinedinPara.4mostprobablymean?

A.primaiy.B.recognized.

C.optional.D.accomplished.

27.Whichwouldbethebesttideforthepassage?

A.Fixresearchassessment.Changeslogansforclearstandards.

B.Fixresearchassessment.Changeevaluationsforconversations.

C.Defineresearchassessment.Changesimplicityforspecification.

D.Defineresearchassessment.Changebroadlanguageforflexibleone.

（2024北京朝陽高二上期末）Ifthegreatdinosaurshadn'tgoneextinct,wouldtheyhavedominatedEarth

today?Therehasbeenadebateaboutthispossibilityfordecades.Recentlytwoanalyseshaveputthesurprising

cognitive（認(rèn)知）abilitiesofdinosaurs—andtheirpotentiallimitations—inanewlight.

Inonestudy,SuzanaHcrculano-HouzclatVanderbiltUniversitycalculatedthelikelynumberofneurons（神經(jīng)

細(xì)胞）indinosaurs'pallium,abrainstructurethatisresponsibleforadvancedcognitivefunctions.Researchsuggests

thatitisthenumberofneuronsintheseareas,ratherthanthebrainsize,thatindicatesananimaPscognitivepotential.

Forexample,despitehavingaverysmallhead,birdshavemoredenselypackedbrainceilsthanmanymammals（口甫

乳動物）andsocanpossessroughlyasmanyneuronsasmonkeys.Theresultisthatsomebirdsshowgreatcognitive

abilities,comparabletothesmartestnon-humanmammals.Anditispreciselybirds,beingtheonlysun'ivinglineage

（宗系）ofdinosaurs,thatareHerculano-Houzelfoundation.Bycomparingtherelationshipbetweenbrainsize,

numberofneuronsandbodysizeinnumerousexistingbirdsandavailablefossilsofdinosaurs,Herculano-Houzel

concludesthatalargedinosaursuchasT.rexcouldhavehousedtwobilliontothreebillionneuronsinitspallium.If

so,dinosaurscouldhavehadthecapacityfortooluseandplanningforthefuture.

Butncurons,numbermaynotbeenough.Forintelligence,brainarchitecturealsomatters.Andthiscouldbethe

weaknessofdinosaurs,arguesAntonReinerfromtheUniversityofTennessee.Over350millionyearsofseparate

evolution,mammalsanddinosaursfoundtworatherdifferentwaystoorganizecognitivefunctions.Themammalian

neuronsareorganizedinarelativelythinlayerformedbycompactcolumns.Ineachcolumn,differentpartscan

communicatewithoneanotherovershortdistances.Incontrast,inthedinosaursthatsurvivetoday,namelybirds,the

organizationislesscompact.AccordingtoReiner,expandingbraincapabilitiesbeyondacertainpointcouldmake

thestructurefarmorecomplexandlessefficientthanitisinhumans.Ifthiswerethecase,anincreaseinbrainsize

wouldcorrespondtoagreaterdistancebetweendifferentpartsofthebrain,slowingdowntheircommunication.

Theissueremainsopentodebate.Herculano-HouzelandReinereachpublishedapaperwithreiectionstothe

other'sargument.Meanwhile,otherscientistshaveenteredthefight.Forexample,ncurobiologistGiorgio

Vallortigaraassumesthatspeedintransmittinginfbmiationbetweennetworksofneuronsisprobablyone