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It isn't just people who get road rage. Robins, a kind of small brown European bird, in the countryside become more aggressive when they hear the sound of traffic, according to a study.
When a robin arrives uninvited on another bird's territory, they adapt their songs to ward the rival away, and adopt visual displays including swaying from side to side and threateningly baring their red chest feathers, before closing in and even going on the attack. Previous studies had found that robins living in cities were more physically aggressive than their rural cousins. The latest research suggests that noise pollution could play a part.
To explore the connection, scientists from UK and Turkey put a 3D-printed plastic model of a robin on another robin's place at two locations: an urban park in Istanbul that was close to busy roads, and a quiet wooded area outside the city. The model intruder(闯入者)was also equipped with recordings of robin songs. Then, through a separate speaker nearby, they added traffic noise.
"In normally quiet surroundings, we found that additional traffic noise leads to rural robins becoming more physically aggressive, for instance approaching the model bird more closely, " said Dr Çaglar Akcay, the study's lead author. But when they played the extra traffic to the urban birds, they did not become any more aggressive-instead they responded by singing less, suggesting they had perhaps learned to "sit out" temporary increases in noise.
Akcay and his team believed that the traffic noise was interfering with robins' natural communication through song. "The high levels of noise that exist day and night in urban habitats, such as from traffic or construction equipment, may permanently interfere with the efficient transmission of acoustic(声音的)signals and this is likely to be the key reason why urban robins are typically more aggressive than rural birds, " he said.
(1)
What kind of bird are robins?
A . Mild.
B . Competitive.
C . Cooperative.
D . Graceful.
(2)
How did the scientists conduct the study?
A . By analyzing previous research data.
B . By citing the famous scientists' words.
C . By comparing robins' different responses.
D . By recording the model intruder's behavior.
(3)
When exposed to extra traffic noise, how may urban robins react?
A . Sing not as frequently as usual.
B . Ward the rival away by singing more.
C . Sway more violently from side to side.
D . Approach the model bird more closely.
(4)
What is Akcay's attitude to the future of robins?
A . Unclear.
B . Indifferent.
C . Optimistic.
D . Concerned.
答案: B
C
A
D