Humans really do have a sixth sense that lets us detect magnetic fields (磁场), but we’re not aware we have it. It has long been known as ESP, Spider Sense, or the ability to see things before they happen. But now scientists have proved that humans really do have a sixth sense-that lets them detect magnetic fields. Tests have shown that mankind may have the same inborn sense of Earth’s magnetic field that has long been proved to exist in animals.
By putting a protein from the human retina (视网膜) into fruit flies, researchers noticed that the insect adjusted its flight path just as if its eye had not been changed. This suggests that the “sixth sense” does exist in humans but we might not be aware of it. Animals use such sight to navigate long distances during migration or, in the case of birds, to “see” where they are going. The complex tests involved examining the process by which light goes through a bird’s eye, which has interested the scientific community for more than 30 years. In the late 1970s, the physicist Klaus Schulten concluded that birds fly by relying on geomagnetically (地磁) sensitive biochemical reactions in their eyes.
Tests have shown that the special cells in the eye carry out this function using the protein cryptochrome (蛋白隐色素). Professor Reppert’s team used wild fruit flies replacing their version of cryptochrome with the human equivalent (等价物), and then put them in a maze (迷宫) with each wing wrapped in a metal coil (金属圈). They then sent electricity through it so that the coil was magnetised in a way which is just like Earth’s electromagnetic field (电磁场). The flies responded in exactly the same way as if they had their own cryptochrome, by either avoiding the magnetic fields or moving towards them if the researchers had placed sugar nearby.
The new study was published in the journal Nature Communications.
12. What do we know about humans’ sixth sense?
A. Humans have been aware of it since ancient times.
B. It is quite different from the animals’.
C. It is the ability to predict what will happen.
D. It is also a sense developed after birth.
13. Why did researchers put a protein from the human retina into fruit flies?
A. To change fruit flies’ flight path.
B. To test if humans have a sixth sense.
C. To examine the process of birds’ flying.
D. To allow researchers detect magnetic fields.
14. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A. the maze B. each wing
C. cryptochrome D. the metal coil
15. After being replaced the cryptochrome, how are the wild fruit flies?
A. They responded normally as if there had been nothing changed.
B. They couldn’t avoid the magnetic fields like before.
C. They lost the sense of direction completely.
D. They couldn’t find the sugar the researchers had placed nearby.
【答案】12. C    13. B    14. D    15. A
【解析】
这是一篇说明文。人类确实有第六感，可以探测磁场，但我们没有意识到自己有第六感。科学家们已经证明了人类确实有第六感——可以用来探测磁场。试验表明，人类对地球磁场的感知能力可能与动物一样，这一点早已被证明是存在于动物身上的。文章还详细介绍了这一试验的操作过程。
【12题详解】
细节理解题。根据第一段中It has long been known as ESP, Spider Sense, or the ability to see things before they happen.可知长久以来，它一直被称为超感知觉、蜘蛛感，或者是在事情发生之前看到它们的能力。由此可知，人类的第六感是预测将要发生的事情的能力。故选C。
【13题详解】
推理判断题。根据第二段中By putting a protein from the human retina into fruit flies, researchers noticed that the insect adjusted its flight path just as if its eye had not been changed. This suggests that the “sixth sense” does exist in humans but we might not be aware of it.可知通过将人类视网膜上的一种蛋白质注入果蝇体内，研究人员注意到果蝇调整了飞行路线，就好像它的眼睛没有被改变一样。这表明“第六感”确实存在于人类中，但我们可能没有意识到它。由此可推知，研究人员把人类视网膜中的一种蛋白质放入果蝇体内，是为了测试人类是否有第六感。故选B。
【14题详解】
词义猜测题。根据上文Professor Reppert’s team used wild fruit flies, replacing their version of cryptochrome with the human equivalent, and then put them in a maze with each wing wrapped in a metal coil. They then sent electricity through可知Reppert的研究小组使用野生果蝇，用人类的蛋白隐色素替代它们的蛋白隐色素，然后将它们置于迷宫中，每只翅膀都包裹在一个金属线圈中。然后他们把它（金属线圈）通上电，这样线圈就被磁化了，就像地球的电磁场一样。由此可知，it指代的是“金属线圈”。故选D。
【15题详解】
细节理解题。根据倒数第二段中The flies responded in exactly the same way as if they had their own cryptochrome, by either avoiding the magnetic fields or moving towards them if the researchers had placed sugar nearby.可知果蝇的反应与它们自身的蛋白隐色素完全相同，它们要么避开磁场，要么在研究人员把糖放在附近的情况下向磁场移动。由此可知，蛋白隐色素被取代后，野生果蝇的反应很正常，就好像什么都没有改变一样。故选A。
【点睛】代词指代题要求同学们根据语境的逻辑关系、判断画线的人称代词或指示代词在文章中指代的对象，包括考查it（指动物，无生命的事物、特定的事件或人），they/them(指代人、物、事件的复数名词)，he/she等人称代词的指代意义，以及指示代词this，that，these，those等在文章中的指代意义，考查同学们对文章中叙述特定的人，物，事件的认知能力。解答这类题时，同学们要认真阅读画线词所在句和前后临近句的内容，分析人称转换和动作变换的详细过程，理清来龙去脉和前后的因果关系，从而准确推断其指代的对象。
如第三小题，根据上文Professor Reppert’s team used wild fruit flies, replacing their version of cryptochrome with the human equivalent, and then put them in a maze with each wing wrapped in a metal coil. They then sent electricity through可知Reppert的研究小组使用野生果蝇，用人类的蛋白隐色素替代它们的蛋白隐色素，然后将它们置于迷宫中，每只翅膀都包裹在一个金属线圈中。然后他们把它（金属线圈）通上电，这样线圈就被磁化了，就像地球的电磁场一样。由此可知，it指代的是“金属线圈”。故选D。