新托福阅读机经背景知识

　　重点词汇：

　　Passerine：雀形目的，雀形鸟

　　Oscine：鸣禽类的，鸣禽类的鸟

　　Instinctual：本能的

　　Principles：原则

　　Imitate：模仿，效仿

　　exposed to：曝露于，公开揭露

　　bits and pieces：曲子的部分调子或小节

　　点拨迷津：

　　重点内容是在第二段和第三段，告诉我们鸣禽类唱歌是一种本能，但是如何去学会唱歌的是实验所要研究的问题。虽然每种不同的鸣禽有不同的学习过程，但是有一些基本的原则是相同的，例如大部分的鸟都是在出生的前几个月学习唱歌。另外一个要关注的问题就是鸟类是不是准确地模仿到了自己所听到的歌声。

　　The Basic Features of Song Learning

　　Nine males song sparrows were collected from the wild from four differentbroods when they were around 4 to 6 days old. They were raised by people untilthey were weaned at 33 to 35 days old and then were placed into individualwire-mesh cages. Live tutors were used in this experiment. Four wild-caughtadult male song sparrows were used as the tutors. The tutors were placed intoflight aviaries and the subject's cages were placed adjacent to the aviaries, sothat they could have visual contact with one of the tutors, while still beingable to hear the other three singing. Also, the subjects were rotated so thattheir visual contact with one tutor varied between the tutors. The subjects werethere when they were 33 to 94 days old, with the assumption that their sensitivephase lay some time in this time period.