首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Man, even in the lower stages of development, possesses a faculty which, for want of a better name, I shall call number sense. T
Man, even in the lower stages of development, possesses a faculty which, for want of a better name, I shall call number sense. T
admin
2009-04-23
51
问题
Man, even in the lower stages of development, possesses a faculty which, for want of a better name, I shall call number sense. This faculty permits him to recognize that something has changed in a small collection when, without his direct knowledge, and object has been removed from or added to the collection.
Number sense should not be confused with counting, which is probably of a much later common trait and involves as we shall see, a rather intricate mental process. Counting, so far as we know, is an attribute exclusively human, whereas some brute species seem to possess an elementary number sense alike to our own at least, such is the opinion of competent observers of animal behavior, and the theory is supported by a weighty mass of evidence.
Many birds, for instance, possess such a number sense. If a nest contains four eggs, one can safely be taken; but when two are removed, the bird generally deserts. In some unaccountably way the bird can distinguish two from three. But this faculty is by no means confined to birds. In fact, the most striking instance we know is that of the insect called the" solitary wasp". The mother wasp lays her eggs in individual cells and provides each egg with a number of live caterpillars(毛虫) per cell. But most remarkable is the case of the Genus Eumenus, a variety in which the male is much smaller than the female grub(蛆) and apportions(分配) the quantity of food accordingly: she does not change the species or size of the victims, but if the egg is male, she supplies it with five victims; if female, with ten. The regularity in the action of the wasp and the fact that this action is connected with a fundamental function in the life of the insect makes this last case less convincing than the one which follows. Here the action of the bird seems to border on the conscious.
A landowner was determined to shoot a crow which made its nest in the water tower of his estate. Repeatedly he tried to surprise the bird, but in vain: at the approach of man the crow would leave its nest. One day the landowner hit upon a trick, two men entered the tower, one remained within, the other came out and went on. But the bird was not deceived: it kept away until the man within came out. The experiment was repeated on the succeeding days with two, three, then four men, yet without success. Finally, five men were sent: as before, all entered the tower, and one remained while the other four came out and went away. Here the crow lost count. Unable to distinguish between four or five, it promptly returned to its nest.
选项
答案
number sense
解析
根据题干中关键词counting可定位到原文第二段首句前半部分Number sense should not be confused with counting(数字感觉与计数不同,二者不应混为一谈)。由此可判断,counting和number sense的概念并不相同。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/8aZK777K
0
大学英语六级
相关试题推荐
Travelers【T1】______intotwocategories:thosewhomakelistsandthosewhodonot.Somepeopleprefertoplanthecourseofthe
Travelers【T1】______intotwocategories:thosewhomakelistsandthosewhodonot.Somepeopleprefertoplanthecourseofthe
Ifabusinesswantstosellitsproducts(international)______,itshoulddosomeworldmarketresearchfirst.
A、Themanager.B、Thesalesman.C、Mr.Peterson.D、Mary.C本题询问ABC电脑公司的联系人是谁。对话中,男士说完订单号后,紧接着说了联系人是皮特逊先生。可知答案为C项,其中contactman指“联络人
TheUniversityBookstoreisaself-supportinguniversity-ownedorganization,whichwasfoundedin1921.Itprovidesstudents,fa
A、Thetelephonenumber.B、Mr.Brown’saddress.C、MissSmith’smessage.D、Thetimeforthevisit.A题目询问的是,那位女士记录了什么。对话中男士问:“你记下了她
A—AirpollutionB—AirqualityC—AlternativeenergysourcesD—CarbonemissionsE—CarbonfootprintF—ClimatechangeG—Electricveh
A、Writeareport.B、Bookaflight.C、Attendameeting.D、Meetanengineer.D信息明示题。女士询问男士是否能去机场迎接新来的工程师史密斯先生,男士表示同意并询问航班号,所以确定D)“
A、Attherailwaystation.B、Attheairport.C、Atthepolicestation.D、Atthebank.B根据男士所问的“airticketandpassport”可知,两人可能是在机场
Whenthefirebrokeout,______(他碰巧去机场接他妻子了).
随机试题
下肢丹毒反复发作可导致
下列有关我国宪法结构的论述正确的有()。
依据《民用爆炸物品安全管理条例》的规定,爆破作业单位应当按照其资质等级承接爆破作业,爆破作业人员应当按照其资格等级从事爆破作业。其爆破作业的分级管理办法由国务院()规定。
新课程体系下要建立促进教师不断提高的评价体系,强调()
李某、张某两人为到商场实施盗窃进行了长期预谋。某日凌晨,李某携带工具与张某来到该商场,张某负责在门口望风,李某撬开大门进入商场一楼,从保险柜盗得人民币10万元。李某搜寻至二楼时,发现值班女子王某酣睡,遂强行将其奸污。在逃离现场时被保安人员戴某、胡某发现并追
Lefoie,lesrognons,lestripes,lalangued"animauxsontappelés《______》quelesgensconsommentquotidiennement.
这不是什么要紧的病,你回去休息两天就好了。
TheagreementisoverseenbytheCommitteeonAgriculturewhichreviewsprogressintheimplementationofcommitments,andisre
DirectionsforQuantitativeComparisonQuestions:Someofthefollowingquestionsgiveyoutwoquantities,oneinColumnAando
Thebizarreanticsofsleepwalkershavepuzzledpolice,perplexedscientists,andfascinatedwritersforcenturies.Thereisan
最新回复
(
0
)