《2025年点津英语天天练英语时文阅读八年级》

Why do we think babies cute?
为什么我们会觉得婴儿可爱?
Little babies, kittens and puppies are all cute, aren't they? Most of us would say, "Yes!" But why do we think them cute?
About 100 years ago, scientists listed the cute features(特征) of human babies. These included a large head, round cheeks(脸颊), big eyes and more. Many baby animals have similar features.
When we see a cute baby or animal, our brains produce some special chemicals. These chemicals make us feel happy. Besides, our brains will create the "cute response". This feeling makes us want to protect the baby or animal.
In 2009, scientists in the US did a study. They asked 122 young people to rate the cuteness of human babies. What did the scientists find? Well, the cuter these people thought the baby, the more they wanted to care for that baby.
However, not everyone feels cuteness in the same way. In another study, scientists used computers to create some pictures of baby faces. These babies looked similar but had small differences in their features. The scientists then showed these pictures to a group of people. Who could better find out the differences? Well, women did a little better than men. And women between the ages of 19 and 26 did the best.
Interestingly, when we see a really cute baby or animal, we may want to squeeze(挤压) or bite it. This is called "cuteness aggression". Do we want to hurt the baby or animal? Not at all! In fact, our brain doesn't want our cute response(反应) to be too strong. As a result, it creates the feeling of aggression to adjust(调整) itself.
(C)1. What features did scientists list in the cute features of human babies?
A. Small head and big eyes.
B. Round cheeks and small eyes.
C. A large head, round cheeks and big eyes.
D. Thin face and big ears.
(C)2. Who could best find out small differences in babies' features?
A. A 25-year-old boy.
B. A 50-year-old man.
C. A 25-year-old girl.
D. A 50-year-old woman.
(A)3. What does the underlined word "produce" probably mean in paragraph 3 in Chinese?
A. 产生
B. 导致
C. 减少
D. 消耗
(C)4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the article?
A. We don't feel any chemicals in our brains when seeing cute things.
B. Men are better at finding small differences in baby faces than women.
C. The cuter the baby looks, the more we would like to take care of it.
D. "Cute aggression" means we really want to hurt cute babies or animals.

答案： 1. C 根据第二段中的“About 100 years ago, scientists listed the cute features of human babies. These included a large head, round cheeks, big eyes and more.”可知,科学家列出的人类婴儿可爱的特征包括大头、圆脸颊、大眼睛等。故选 C。
2. C 根据五段中的“And women between the ages of 19 and 26 did the best.”可知,19 岁到 26 岁的女性在找出婴儿面部特征细微差异方面做得最好。故选 C。
3. A 画线词上文提到,当我们看到可爱的婴儿或动物时;画线词所在句提到一些特殊的化学物质;画线词下文又提到,这些特殊的化学物质,让我们感到开心。所以推知,画线词所在句是说,大脑会产生特殊的化学物质。因此画线词 produce 意为“产生”。故选 A。
4. C 根据第四段中的“Well, the cuter these people thought the baby, the more they wanted to care for that baby.”可知,人们觉得婴儿越可爱,就越想照顾。故选 C。