试题出自试卷《宁波大学2011年考博英语真题及答案解析》

It was no accident that nineteenth-century naturalist Charles Darwin strove to connect the mentality and emotionality of people with that of dogs, rather than, say, doves or horses. Neither his theory of evolution nor any general understanding of biology demanded that the preferentially underline our similarity to dogs over other species. But politically and emotionally, the choice was inevitable for an English gentleman who had set himself the task of making the idea of evolutionary continuity palatable. Darwin wrote that “dogs possess something very similar to a conscience. They certainly possess some power of self-command. ... Dogs have long been accepted as the very type of fidelity and obedience.”
Darwin was not alone in his beliefs that dog possess human virtues. The characteristics of loyalty and obedience, coupled with an expressive face and body, can account for why dogs are such popular and valued pets in many cultures. Depending on the breed and the individual, dogs can be noble, charming, affectionate, and reliable. But while all dog owners should rightly appreciate these and other endearing traits in their pets, nothing says that the cleverness of a highly intelligent primate such as a chimpanzee is part of the package. Scientists generally believe the reasoning abilities of chimps to be considerably greater than that of dogs. But many people nonetheless believe that dogs are smarter than chimps precisely because of our familiarity and emotional ties with the dogs that we love. We apply the same secret rules to our fellow humans: the old in-group, out-group story. People in your in-group are those who are similar to you, either because they belong to the same organizations as you, or enjoy the same activities, or, and this is the kicker, because they are simply around more often. Dogs, because of their proximity to their owners, are definitely in. The intensity of our relationship with dogs causes us, quite naturally, to imbue them with high-level mental abilities, whether they have earned those extra intelligence points or not. We like them, so we think well of them.
21. The author of this passage develops an argument by relying on ______.
22. The phrase “It was no accident” implies that the author believes that Darwin ______.
23. The italic “believe” in the middle of this passage most directly emphasize ______.
24. This passage uses the word of “old” (in bold) to suggest that the “story” is ______.