A new study indicates that rhinos have a smelly way to 12 .
答案:(C) communicate
語意「犀牛有一種很臭的方式來『溝通』」,communicate(溝通)符合,呼應前文提到分享最新消息的類比;demonstrate(展示)、immigrate(移民)、manipulate(操縱)都不合。
看到 communicate,你腦中浮現的多半是「開口講話」,於是會懷疑:犀牛又不會說話,怎麼 communicate?這就是既有印象與實際用法的落差。劍橋辭典對 communicate 的定義是「傳達訊息或表達想法」,管道不限於語言——氣味、動作、顏色都算。本文一路把犀牛的糞便類比成人類的社群媒體貼文(just like humans leaving messages on social media),講的正是「溝通」。
空格前是 a smelly way to ___,way to 後面接原形動詞,表示「做某事的方式」。四個選項都是 -ate 結尾的動詞,光看字尾分不出來,只能靠語意。
demonstrate 是「展示、示範」;immigrate 是「移入他國」,注意 immigrate to(移入)/emigrate from(移出)/migrate(遷徙)三個字常一起考,犀牛在同一個地點留糞便並不是遷徙;manipulate 你可能直覺想成「操作機器」,但那是 operate,manipulate 的核心語意是「(不正當地)操縱、擺布」,帶負面色彩。
communicate with sb(與某人溝通)、communicate sth to sb(把某事傳達給某人)、a way to V/a way of Ving(做某事的方式)、immigrate to(移入……)/emigrate from(移出……)、manipulate public opinion(操縱輿論)。
From the campfire to the café, people have always gathered together to share the latest news. White rhinoceroses, 11 , do the same thing—only their choice of meeting place is a giant pile of poop. A new study indicates that rhinos have a smelly way to 12 .
Scientists studying white rhinos in South Africa have found that these animals leave messages in their poop. In particular, they leave their poop in the same place for all the other members in the group to smell—just like humans leaving messages on social media. Furthermore, different rhinos leave different chemicals in their poop, which provide important 13 about the age, sex, general health, and reproductive conditions of each specific rhino.
This is of great significance for the peace and harmony in the group. When all members in a group know what's going on with each other, it is 14 that they will fight.
The researchers have even made "fake poop" to see how different rhinos would react. They find that dominant males are particularly 15 the "fake poop" that carries chemicals from females ready to mate. The males sniff it for longer duration and come back to the same spot more frequently, a clear sign that they are gathering information about mating opportunities from the poop.