Octopuses(章鱼) are some of the cleverest animals on the planet! So what makes them so smart? Let’s focus first on their defense mechanisms. Faced with multiple predators(捕食者)—including fish, birds and whales—octopuses are masters of disguise.They can imitate their environment by changing their skin colour.
Without a shell, octopuses are weak and easily hurt physically, and always try to remain hidden in a shelter such as a hole or the space beneath a rock. Some prefer to wrap themselves in shells and small stones, while others transport their shelters in their arms. This is the case for the coconut octopus, which,true to its name, has been observed carrying coconut shells around to hide within in case of danger.
Octopuses are also fearsome predators themselves, and their attack mechanisms are suited to the wide variety of prey(猎物) they consume, including seashells,fish and even other creatures like them. They can use their vision and camouflage skills to hunt, and their arms to explore,touch and taste their environment to seize every bit of food within reach.
Octopuses can also use conditional discrimination, that is, they can change their choice depending on the situation. For example, they can learn to attack an object only in the presence of bubbles. They can also use space learning, and find a hidden shelter by remembering its position. Last but not least, octopuses can learn by watching other octopuses carry out tasks, such as choosing one specific object over another. This is surprising,because they are mainly solitary(独居的)creatures.
Octopuses meet every criteria for the definition of intelligence: They show a great flexibility in obtaining information (using several senses and learning socially), in processing it (through discriminative and conditional learning), in storing it (through long- term memory) and in applying it toward both predators and prey.
8. Which are both predators and prey of octopuses?
A.Fish. | B.Birds. | C.Whales. | D.Seashells. |
9. Why do coconut octopuses carry coconut shells everywhere?
A.To change their skin color quickly. |
B.To avoid being discovered by predators. |
C.To observe the surroundings conveniently. |
D.To hide quickly in the shells when in danger. |
10. What’s the fifth paragraph mainly about?
A.The excellent memory of octopuses. |
B.The strong learning ability of octopuses. |
C.The space discrimination ability of octopuses. |
D.The ability of octopuses to adapt to the environment. |
11. What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.The terrible predators. |
B.The masters of disguise. |
C.Exactly how clever is an octopus? |
D.How strong is the learning ability of octopuses? |