2005年考研英語真題(完形填空)

Section Ⅰ Use of English

Directions: Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A,B,C or D on ANSWER SHEET 1(10 points)

The human nose is an underrated tool. Humans are often thought to be insensitive smellers compared with animals,      1       this is largely  because,      2      animals ,we stand upright. This means that our noses are       3     to perceiving those smells which float through the air,       4      the majority of smells which stick to surfaces. In fact      5      ,we are extremely sensitive to smells,        6      we do not generally realize it. Our noses are capable of      7      human smells even when these are       8       to far below one part in one million.

Strangely, some people find that they can smell one type of flower but not another,      9       others are sensitive to the smells of both flowers. This may be because some people do not have the genes necessary to generate       10     smell receptors in the nose. These receptors are the cells which sense smells and send    11     to the brain. However, it has been found that even people insensitive to a certain smell    12      can suddenly become sensitive to it when     13     to it often enough.

The explanation for insensitivity to smell seems to be that brain finds it        14      to keep all smell receptors working all the time but can     15      new receptors if necessary. This may       16      explain why we are not usually sensitive to our own smells we simply do not need to be. We are not       17      of the usual smell of our own house but we      18      new smells when we visit someone else's. The brain finds it best to keep smell receptors       19      for unfamiliar and emergency signals     20      the smell of smoke, which might indicate the danger of fire.