Iload the following passage, taking note of the boldface words and their contexts.
Illese words are among those you will be studying in Unit 7. As you complete the
exercises in this Unit, it may help to refer to the way the words are used below.
The Discriminating Pigeon
< Magazine Article>
by C.w. Senghor
he attribute of intelligence is a difficult
aspect of animal life to measure.
Predatory behavior, courtship rituals,
nesting instincts, and many other
phenomena are relatively easy to describe.
But there is no single accepted definition
or doctrine of intelligence. Nevertheless,
scientific experiments have demonstrated
sophisticated learning, memory, and
problem-solving behavior in a variety of
animal species. The chimpanzee remains
the acme of animal intelligence, with other
exotic creatures, including dolphins and
elephants, not far behind. Less well-known
is the remarkable intelligence of the
unassuming pigeon.
T
Experiments investigating pigeon
intelligence date back sixty years. Few
people would list the bird among the
world's smartest animals. Some might
even belittle the pigeon in this regard. But
one has to give credit where credit is due.
The body of evidence is growing so fast
that scientists in the field of animal
cognition are practically wallowing in .
data on the mental feats of these familiar
birds. The results increasingly convey an
impression of the pigeon as a curiously
discriminating critter.
Experiments dating back to the 1980s
indicate that pigeons perform better than
most animals on the "mirror test." This
test determines whether an animal can
recognize its reflection in a mirror.
Humans, chimpanzees, and other apes
recognize their reflections without prior
training, as do elephants and dolphins.
Pigeons require training before they
associate their reflections with their
bodies. Nevertheless, that they can
be trained to perform this way makes
pigeons unusual-Of course, scienl!fi¢
.interpretations' of the mirror test
have wavered over the years.
But the study of self-recognition
in animals reached a new
Juncture with experiments in
which pigeons were alternately shown
live and pre-recorded video images of
themselves. The results, published in 2008
by Koji Toda and Shigeru Watanabe,
indicate that pigeons can learn to
distinguish between live and pre-recorded
Images of themselves. Self-recognition in
pigeons remains a controversial issue.
But these experiments support scientists
who take a stance in favor of the claim that
pigeons have a kind of self-awareness.
Professor Watanabe heads the Brain and
Evolution unit of Japan's Keio University.
Decades of research into animal minds are
housed behind his beaming eyes and
Jaunty smile. Among Watanabe's and his
colleagues' most intriguing work are
experiments in which pigeons were
trained to distinguish between paintings
by Picasso and paintings by Monet.
The trained pigeons could discriminate
between paintings by the two artists
with remarkable accuracy. In another
oxperiment, pigeons were taught to
distinguish between two groups of
paintings by children. The first group of
paintings had been judged by observers
as "good" paintings, while the second
group had been judged as "bad." The
pigeons quickly learned the difference and
accurately distinguished between "good"
and "bad" when shown new paintings.
These experiments are remarkable.
But there's little chance that pigeons
will replace human art critics in making
distinctions between the tawdry and
the tasteful. The pigeon's ability to
disoriminate between different kinds of
paintings, like its self-recognition, depends
on prior training. Left on their own, pigeons
don't recognize themselves in mirrors or
seem to care much for art. Considerations
like these might diminish our awe at the
pigeon's mental powers. But there's no
chance that the bird's brainy reputation will
be entirely ravaged. The facts are in, and
the piqeons have earned a place in the
ranks of our planet's intelligent animals.
~.~~
·0
.com:. iwor~li'audio
::'-"':d~';.~~;.,:
I
program
~~'.',
'
Q intE!racti~;we;d,games
ni.<;;,t~ .-,.;,~
"
fifr'!(!.'1
,;;'
'h~<.';o,.Y~~
Note the spelling, pronunciation, partes) of speech, and definition(s)
of each of the following words, Then write the appropriate form of
7.. exotic
foreign; ;,char,mingIY,unfarllJliEir;6r
'"1:'\
(ig':~a,~
f~
the word in the blank spaces in the illustrative sentence(s) following.
Finally, study the lists of synonyms and antonyms.
lId':"
.'pe
.
SYNONYMS:
ANTONYMS:
1. acme
(ak'me)
(n.)
the highest
point
.
.;;.
A perfect game is the
pitcher's career in baseball.
SYNONYMS:
ANTONYMS:
-
, 1. ,
8. haggard
of any
(hag' ard)
(n.) a quality or characteristic belonging to or associated with
someone or something; (\I.) to assign to, credit with; to regard as
caused by or resulting from
The
I most admire in you is your
willingness to give everyone's opinions a fair hearing.
SYNONYMS:
3. belittle
(bi lit' al)
SYNONYMS:
4. convey
(kan va')
.',".
'>:,.ct.
,.
J..J>,:.: •
';i'!~;ilf:
. that are-difflcutt'to bbtaJr:{..i'e :%)1 .. /ii
strange, alien, pfctures"que, ;~~I'orf~1
native, indigenous, familiar, commonplace
9. Jaunty
(jon'te)
drawn, gaunt, wasted
healthy, glowing, hale and hearty
(adj.) lively, easy, and carefree in manner; smart or trim in
appearance
:. I bought a --:-_--:-
__
"---:;;;_
~
minimize, underrate, disparage
exaggerate, magnify, overestimate
10. Juncture
(junqk' char)
(n.) a jOining together; the point at which two things are joined;
any important point in time
Our property ends at the
stone walls.
SYNONYMS:
11. menial
(me' ne al)
of the two
union, seam, joint, turning point
(ad/) lowly, humble, lacking importance or <;lignity;(n.) a person
who does the humble and unpleasant tasks '
During the Great Depression, people were thankful to have
work of any kind, no matter how _~·.'c~A:-,,:--_----
carry, send, impart
'.
,
'
".
'Iff',
"
'tiN'
,;;"'Ii
(H.) a belief principle, or teaching; a sy'~tem of sucri'benets or
principles; a formulation of such beliefs or principles
No two religions see eye to eye on every fine detail of
6. excise
(v., ek siz';
n., ek' siz)
'iZ"
(n.) trait; (\I.) ascribe
~%'k\~''''
5. doctrine·
(dak' .trin)
ANTONYMS:
(v) to transport; to transmit; to communicate, make known; to
transfer ownership or title to
Please
our best wishes to your
parents on their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.
SYNONYMS:
/J
my runny nose and
(v) to make something appear smaller than it is; to refer to in a
way that suggests lack of importance or value
Candidates for public office may resort to negative ads that
_________
their opponents' records.
ANTONYMS:
."
The
refugees were given food,
clothing, and temporary shelter.
summit, top, peak, pinnacle
low point, bottom, nadir
The doctor
itchy eyes to multiple allergies.
'~I
(adj.) thin, pale, and careworn as a result of worry or suffering;
wild-looking
SYNONYMS:
2. attribute
(n., at' tra byut:
V., a trib' yat)
may call fot,·:
~'A','/}.
(\I.) to remove by cutting; (n.) an indirect tax on the manufacture,
sale, or distribution of a commodity or service
If you
that irrelevant remark, you will
improve your essay.
The
imposed on products such as
tobacco and alcohol have skyrocketed.
SYNONYMS:
ANTONYMS:
(v.) cut out, expunge
(v.) put In, Interpolate
12. parry
(par' e)
(\I.) to ward off, fend off, evade, avoid; (n.) a defensive
movement in fencing and other sports
An effective press secretary can
almost any question a reporter asks.
The challenger's swift
champion completely off guard.
13. predatory
(pred' a tor e)
caught the
~(adj.) preying on, plundering, or piratical
Owls and other
birds play an
important role in maintaining the balance of nature,
SYNONYMS:
looting, pillaging, ravenous, rapacious
_
I
(v.) to destroy, lay waste, ruin; (n.) ruinous damage,
14. ravage
(rav' ii)
Swarms of locusts _
destruction
fields and orchards.
SYNONYMS:(v.) wreck,
ANTONYM: (v.) spare
,
15. stance
,;}
the
1. For many years the towns and villages
devastate
I\
l~if\~"
,
':('i,',
~;',
,I~
t1:;
'i_A tasrnon model's#!~1j1·"
show off a designer's
~,~1r:,)~'
16. tawdry
(to'dre)
'M
clothing
[~
~~~ii
•
or position
';;:;""'0 '
01"1
17. t~fnc6at·'
(tarn' kot)
to
,
.,
asking
'i ..
'
An excess of gold braid and glittery beads
costumes a
look.
(H)
a person
who switches
Strikers generally
' ,
'(Ii,;
'
Many celebrities
5. My mother's dream vacation
8\9,e or [:'lartx
;~i)j
I
~qo
6.
J
~{J
/.'~,
"
.,. '£
"
I was
i~
tl1e;%'
(v.) to move to and fro, become unsteady;
firmness
SYNONYM:hesitate
ANTONYMS:stand
a (predatory, Jaunty) class of criminals
live off what they can take from others.
10. He hoped that election to the presidency
long and brilliant
but
_
sun's scorcbinc
dishonest
to become
in public
would
companies
because
they
be the (acme, juncture)
of his
service.
phone calls from
are on the rise.
rays.
, ,';;7:
to show lack of
for several days
the winner of the essay contest.
be res91ute
career
11. One must be careful these days, as (excise, predatory)
'offer
12. During our trip to China, we sampled such (predatory, exotic) dishes as thousandyear-old eggs and bird's nest soup.
13. Americans
important
,firm,
looked
8. Even after pitching two no-hit games this season, Stan was the same quiet and
(exotic, unassuming) boy we had always known.
or decision
The committee
before choosing
never (excised, wavered) in their determination
citizens.
9. Thieves are essentially
~"~'
bl1~~fully.i,~ a hot):;),ath.
lh~bask
SYNONYM§:(v.fd~light
(wa'var)
1«\
too tired to do anything
On the Serengeti Plain,
.
animals much-need eo relief from the
20. waver
~.
'sort
hike,
days, the woman
self-important
1
(v.) to roli about in a lazy, clumsy, or helpless way; to overindulge
in; to have in abundance; (n.) a wet, muddy, or dusty area used
by animals-as a
of bath: a state' of moral orsphysical collapse
After a strenuous
After waiting for news of her loved ones for several
careworn and (haggard, menial).
American
despite
pretentious,
is to spend several weeks on a(n) (exotic, menial)
'
7. The immigrants
modest
remain
~~/!
island in the South Pacific,
who cross the
!:W) ~~ (1'
":
SYNONYMS:quisling, deserter, renegade'
ANTONYMS:loyalist, diehard
"",
(adj.) not putting on airs, unpretentious;
General Dwight D. Eisenhower
gave the orders for the Allied
Invasion of Normandy.
4. We were infuriated by the (unassuming,
tawdry) speech in which he tried to portray
himself as a great national leader.
those workers
r
gave the
muted
to an opPOsihg
consider
ANTONYMS:conceited,
I
of her own.
was deeply worried, even
though he tried hard to appear confident
and (haggard, jaunty) to the passengers.
in good taste
their fame and wealth.
19. wallow
_ .,'(wal' 6)
a question
3. The captain
(adj.) showy and flashy but lacking
, picket :1.'.).; lines
to be
,~~n~;~,
J,
I
2. Instead of answering my question, the
skillful debater (parried, ravaged) by
,),', '" SYNGNYfl)1S!'i'P,ostiJr~,
I;lear,in,g :
.M ~.
18. unassuming
(an a su' rniq)
,@is'calculated
to best advantage.
SYNONYMS:loud, gaudy, tacky, vulgar
ANTONYMS:refined, tasteful, subdued,
j,!
along the Normandy coast of France
showed the (ravages, doctrines) of the
great invasion of 1944.
an issue
(stans)
,':',?~~.~f'" ~':~.,...\':
of time.
, ?Z~'
~"%'.
' ~f.::li{
(n.) a way of holding the body; an attitude
r
Select the boldface word that better completes each sentence.
You might refer to the passage on pages 88--89 to see hmy most
of these words are used in context.
Riglt~\wnd
ifill\\\"
the farmer's
No one can escape
....~U.JI//" th e
ChoO::tln~
expect candidates to take a definite (stance, parry) on each of the
issues in a national election.
14.
So long es you oontlnue to (waver, wallow) in self-pity; you
needed to solva yOllr problems.
16.
When
askod
Ilhlllll
but stfll1cf 11f" I III
wltl lack
your oommltment to your valuon, (In Ilot
y,1I1f hull,)h.
(WftVOI',
the strength
convey),
16. I am thoroughly disgusted by people who try to make themselves seem more
important than they really are by (belittling, conveying) others.
Choose the word from this Unit that is most nearly opposite in
meaning to the boldface word or expression in the phrase.
Write that word on the line. Use a dictionary if necessary.
17. History teaches us that in any great conflict, there will be some (turncoats,
menials) willing to go over to the enemy.
18. The general (belittled, attributed) our failure to win the battle to a lack of sutficteru
forces rather than to a lack of courage.
19. Did you know that pigs can't pant, so they (ravage, wallow) in mud to keep their
bodies coolon hot summer days?
1. insert the word crucial
2. undertaking a grand endeavor
3. an advocate for women's rights
4. someone who can attract a large audience
20. "If we are to keep the body politic healthy," the senator remarked, "we must
(excise, attribute) the cancer of racial prejudice from it."
5. a radiant expression on her face
21. He is so conceited that it is hard to (convey, wallow) to him the simple idea thai
he did not win the essay competition.
Compl.!
,'\~lL!it'
,Jng
,
22. Our system of justice is based on the (acme, doctrine) that defendants are
presumed innocent unless the prosecution can prove them guilty.
the~enteilce
1/1/1\-
From the words in this Unit, choose the one that best completes
each of the fof/owing sentences. Write the correct word form in the
space provided.
23. No matter how (menial, tawdry) the assignment may be, take pride in your work,
and do your best.
1. We will need several trucks to
24. When I arrived at the critical (stance, Juncture) in my career, I realized that my
whole future would depend on the decision I was about to make.
2. The room was so overcrowded with gaudy furnishings that the overall effect was
cheapand
_
25. My doctor (attributed, parried) my dizziness and vertigo to an inner ear infection.
3. The author's first published work was a(n)
on the joys of fly fishing.
Choose the word from this Unit that is the same or most nearly
the same in meaning as the boldface word or expression in the
phrase. Write that word on the line. Use a dictionary if necessary.
1. a closet filled with garish outfits
2. denounced as a traitor
all the books to the new
library building.
little pamphlet
4. During our trip through Kenya, we took many pictures of hippos as they
-----------in a mud hole.
5. Her happy expression and the
way she walked down the
street gave the impression of someone "on top of the world."
6. I agree that we should not exaggerate her achievements, but we should not
---------__ them either.
3. delete an irrelevant clause
4. looking exhausted after a long trek
5. demolished by a series of storms
6. seldom falters under pressure
7. had an unpopular point of view
8. left the cleaning up to the subordinates
9. the policy of equal justice for all
10. sought to deflect the force of the assault
7. A baseball player who improves his
at the plate usually
improves his batting average, too.
8. When he switched parties, people called him a(n)
claimed he'd just had an honest change of opinion.
, but he
9. Since my boss has, as they say, "a short fuse," patience cannot be considered one
of her outstanding
_
10. The Monroe
sought to prevent the colonization of the
American continents by European powers.
11. She sat there staring at the menu,
sandwich and the chef's salad.
between the steak
12. In her most celebrated novels, such as Pride and Prejudice and Emma, Jane
Austen reached the
of her literary art.
13. Because of his ability to
rarely hurt in his many fights in the ring.
his opponents' blows, he was
14. In the early nineteenth century, Thomas Bowdler attempted to "clean up" the
works of Shakespeare by
all words and phrases that he
felt were coarse or offensive.
The following excerpts are from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.
Some of the words you have studied in this Unit appear in boldface
type. Complete each statement below the excerpt by Circling the
letter of the correct answer.
1. If Jo had only known what a great happiness was wavering in the balance for
one of them, she would have turned dove-like in a minute, but unfortunately,
we ... cannot see what goes on in the minds of our friends.
The act of wavering involves
a. standing firm
c. changing course
b. hoping
d. departing
15. Even though you are starting at a(n)
job, you will gain
valuable experience and knowledge of how the company works.
16. Though many
creatures prefer to hunt at night, lions and
leopards are active during the daytime.
17. Two of our divisions were marching rapidly toward each other and hoped to
effect a(n)
18. Disease had so
recognized him!
before the enemy attacked.
his once-handsome face that I scarcely
19. Most Americans think of Australia as a strange and wonderful continent full of
_________
plants and animals.
20. The drawn and
faces of the rescued miners clearly
reflected the terrible ordeal they had survived.
Writing:
1. Look back at "The Discriminating Pigeon" (pages 88-89). Suppose that you
work with Professor Watanabe. He has asked you to write an article for a local
newspaper. The purpose of your article is to persuade readers that pigeons
are not public nuisances but are in fact truly brilliant creatures. In your article,
summarize Dr. Watanabe's findings, and make a strong case for the intelligence
of the pigeon. Write the article, using at least two details from the passage and
three Unit words to support your claim.
2. Can animals think? For many, this question has yet to be answered. Skeptics
claim that though animals can be trained, they cannot think. Some scientists,
though, maintain that animals can think, and that they can even be creative
and solve problems. From researchers to animal trainers to pet owners, people
hold a wide range of opinions on this issue. What is your stance? In a brief
essay, state your opinion and support it with evidence from the reading (re.ferto
pages 88-89) or from your own observations, studies, or experience. Write at
least three paragraphs, and use three or more words from this Unit.
, ',I
r
:!!,:'
~/t:~,t;
2. The war is over, and Mr. March safely at home, busy with his books and the small
parish which found in him a minister by nature as by grace, a quiet, studious man,
rich in the wisdom that is better than learning, the charity which calls all mankind
"brother," the piety that blossoms into character, making it august and lovely.
These attributes, in spite of poverty and the strict integrity which shut hlrn out from
the more worldly successes, attracted to him many admirable persons. . .. ". "'
An attribute is a(n)
a. rumor
c. obligation
b. feature
d. difficulty
3. With that Jo marched straight away and the
rest followed, a bright little band of sisters, all
looking their best in summer suits, with happy
faces under the jaunty hatbrims.
Something that is jaunty is NOT
a. jolly
c. stylish
b. balanced
d. somber
4. The serene Teuton found the supper-table and
was happy, eating steadily through the bill of
fare, and dismayed the garc;:onsby the ravages
he committed.
'.
.
June Allyson plays Jo and Peter
Lawford plays Laurie in this 1949
film adaptation of Ultle Women.
I
Ravages are most likely
a. destructive
c. invisible
b. reassuring
d. admired
5. "This unassuming style promotes study, that's why
we adopt it," returned Laurie, who certainly could
not be accused of vanity, having voluntarily
sacrificed a handsome curly crop to the demand
for quarter-inch-Iong stubble ..
_~~!i(ii(
A style that is unassuming is
a. showy
c. plain
b. formal
d. crude
Snap the code, or go to
vocabularyworkshop.colTl