第一篇

　　考生回忆

　　动物学家和一个比较分析（Comparative Analyst）关于动物行为的看法；

　　前者认为动物行为由先天决定；

　　后者认为后天习成

　　解析：本篇文章属于动物学文章，根据考生回忆本篇文章应该属于典型的对比比较类文章。比较的对象为两者对动物行为的不同看法。考生阅读此类文章的重点在于一定要将分类的标准以及对比分类标准当中对应的特点提取准确。本类型文章最后一题可能考察表格题。请大家参照如下新东方点题班讲义的文章熟悉相关话题以及词汇。

　　TOPIC 动物行为学

　　Ethology

　　A. Instinct

　　The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines instinct as a largely inheritable and unalterable tendency of an organism to make a complex and specific response to environmental stimuli without involving reason. For ethologists, instinct means a series of predictable behaviors for fixed action patterns. Such schemes are only acted when a precise stimulating signal is present. When such signals act as communication among members of the same species, they are known as releasers. A notable example of a releaser is the beak movements in many bird species performed by the newborns, which stimulates the mother's regurgitating process to feed her offspring. Another well-known case is the classic experiments by Tinbergen on the Graylag Goose. Like similar waterfowl, the goose rolls a displaced egg near its nest back to the others with its beak. The sight of the displaced egg triggers this mechanism. If the egg is taken away, the animal continues with the behavior, pulling its head back as if an imaginary egg is still being maneuvered by the underside of its beak. However, it also attempts to move other egg-shaped objects, such as a giant plaster egg, door knob, or even a volleyball back into the nest. Such objects, when they exaggerate the releasers found in natural objects, can elicit a stronger version of the behavior than the natural object, so that the goose ignores its own displaced egg in favor of the giant dummy egg. These exaggerated releasers for instincts were named supernormal stimuli by Tinbergen. Tinbergen found he could produce supernormal stimuli for most instincts in animals