英語流行話題聽力:Unit85 你的寵物有多聰明?

[00:00.32] Unit 85 How Smart Is Your Pet? [00:05.07] Can the animal plan and understand a sequence of events that will lead to a specific outcome? [00:11.45] Can animal think of things that are not in the here and now? [00:15.52] If so, then it is proper to attribute intelligence to animals. [00:21.26] The debate over the intelligence of dogs, cats and other animals may be as old as human attachment to the lower species. [00:30.30] Some say you can not compare human intelligence and thought to other species. [00:35.38] But others argue that you can, if you remember that each species has adapted to its environment and developed problem solving skills. [00:45.38] Alan Beck, an expert on human animal bonding, believes that it's egocentric to think only in terms of human intelligence. [00:55.05] Humans now have e mail, but other animals long have had" pee mail". [01:00.30] Marking territory with urine is another way of sending messages. [01:05.36] Dr. Milani, an author of Catsmart, says humans have an opposable thumb and a larger brain, but it's pure prejudice to deny that other animals think. [01:18.08] Rena Durr, a psychology professor, believes that animal intelligence is essentially a problem solving issue. [01:26.23] Octopuses were added to the list of animals that require ethical treatment in labs after one was seen reaching out of his tank and pulling a string to switch off a light bulb above. [01:39.05] He preferred the dark, like the bottom of the ocean. [01:43.15] But Durr also suggested that people tend to overestimate the intelligence of their pets in the same way they tend to overestimate the intelligence of their kids. [01:54.36] Anyone who has ever owned a cat will know that there is no limit to the cat's charm. [02:00.27] Cats are evolving into supercats that are better able to handle humans. [02:05.26] Cats have learned what buttons to press to please their owner after 5,000 years of living with us. [02:13.00] Apparently, it is all down to the miaows they choose to get what they want. [02:18.44] Many cats seem to have a set of miaows they use for different situations. [02:23.58] For example, a cat might choose a particular noise to signal it wants to be let out and a different one to demand to be fed. [02:33.33] But when you compare cats, there is nothing in common between these miaows. [02:37.42] This suggests that each cat learns how to get its owner's attention, something that is nothing to do with genetics. [02:47.34] That is to say, cats learn to miaow in was that manipulate their owners but it's got nothing to do with evolution at all -- it's a learned response. [02:58.26] Each cat tends in its own lifetime to learn the noises that interest its owner. [03:05.10] Cats and dogs learn from experiences. [03:08.29] The one thing they can not do is to take several thoughts and put them together in order to produce a third thought. [03:15.59] This is actually a blessing since it means that animals do not get stuck into jealousy or hatred. [03:22.42] The ability to judge is a human trait( some say it is a human curse). [03:52.42] So, our pets truly experience and give unconditional love.

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