When train tracks were developed, engineers adopted this system as (10) ______ stop and go — and the same system continued with cars.

Tim Guilford and Dora Biro at (2) ______ Oxford University followed pigeons in Oxford over a three-year period, ...

Within ten kilometers of home, the pigeons relied less on their wellknown talents for decoding the sun’s position or deciphering the Earth’s magnetic field (4) ______ them navigate.

Guilford suggests that sticking to a (6) ______ , linear route may actually make homing more reliable — and easier.

Why Does Red Mean Stop?

The 19th-century Scottish engineer Robert Stevenson, who was active in designing early lighthouses, (7) ______ for an alternative colour to white — most lighthouses had a white beacon — when he built a lighthouse near to one that already existed, because he was afraid ships wouldn’t  be able to tell which was which. Of the light sources and (8) ______ glasses available at the time, he found that red was a particularly intense light, meaning it (9) ______ from the greatest distance. So in maritime signalling red became an alternative to white, and was later adopted by the Admiralty in 1852  to mark the port-side on steam vessels. Green was adopted for the starboard-side, and vessels seeing the green light on other ships had the right of way.

When train tracks were developed, engineers adopted this system as (10) ______ stop and go — and the same system continued with cars.

The 19th-century Scottish engineer Robert Stevenson, who was active in designing early lighthouses, (7) ______ for an alternative colour to white ...

... using tiny tracking devices equipped with global positioning system technology (3) ______ by Swiss and Italian colleagues.

Others flew down the River Thames, only to make a (5) ______ turn at a bridge.

How Pigeons Really Get Home

Homing pigeons (1) ______ for their uncanny internal compass, yet a new study reveals that sometimes the birds get home the same way we do: They follow the roads. Tim Guilford and Dora Biro at (2) ______ Oxford University followed pigeons in Oxford over a three-year period, using tiny tracking devices equipped with global positioning system technology (3) ______ by Swiss and Italian colleagues.

What they discovered was surprising. Within ten kilometers of home, the pigeons relied less on their wellknown talents for decoding the sun’s position or deciphering the Earth’s magnetic field (4) ______ them navigate. Instead they opted for a habitual route that followed linear features in the landscape, such as roads, rivers, railways, and hedge lines — even when it wasn't the most direct way home. “It was almost comical,” says Guilford. “One pigeon followed a road to a roundabout, then exited onto a major road that led to a second roundabout. Others flew down the River Thames, only to make a (5) ______ turn at a bridge.” Guilford suggests that sticking to a (6) ______ , linear route may actually make homing more reliable — and easier. “It made me smile to see it,” says Guilford. “You can imagine yourself flying along a road doing the same thing.”

Homing pigeons (1) ______ for their uncanny internal compass, yet a new study reveals that sometimes the birds get home the same way we do: ...

When discussing the ways of improving the memory, the author mentions all of the following EXCEPT

According to the text, which of the following is true of ways to improve your memory?