Unit 8 学霸新视野外刊阅读-【拔尖特训】2023-2024学年八年级上册英语 人教版

外刊阅读 ▶ “答案与解析”见P24 知更鸟为什么狂怒? At this time of year, pictures of robins (知更鸟) in the snowy countryside appear on Christmas cards, but a recent study has shown that when faced with the traffic noise of towns and cities, robins can become angry. These tiny, lovely birds might look cute, but bird experts know that they can be very aggressive(好斗的). Robins don􀆳t like to share their area where they live with other robins. They sing loudly, and sometimes they fight. Studies have shown that robins that live in towns and cities are more aggressive than robins . A recent study of robins in the city of Istanbul, Turkey found that car noises may be the reason. A They were a busy area in the center of Istanbul and a quiet area next to the city. B The researchers put a plastic model of a robin in place, along with recorded birdsong, and played traffic noise through a nearby speaker. C They found that robins in the quiet area would become more aggressive to the model after hearing the traffic noise. The robins in the busy area would simply sing less. D The study suggests that traffic noises weaken robins􀆳 ability to communicate with each other. Robins use their songs to warn others away, which means that if others can􀆳t hear them singing, a robin may fly into another bird􀆳s area by mistake and a fight wil happen. The researchers said that signals such as songs are very useful for keeping robins safe. Asong can send an intruder(侵入者) away without a fight which might be