What is the smartest animal on the planet? Many people think of elephants and their incredible memories or dolphins with their large, complex brains. One of the most surprisingly clever animals is a black bird seen almost everywhere in the world—the crow. These birds’ sophisticated brains are capable of performing amazing feats of memory and problem-solving.
For one thing, crows can tell us apart and even remember their interactions with us. In one experiment, a scientist wore a caveman mask before trapping some crows to put bands on their legs. The crows were not pleased with being trapped, and after being released, they made loud, harsh sounds at the person in the mask. Over several years, anyone in a caveman mask triggered hostile responses from crows, whether they were previously captured or not. This showed that crows not only have excellent memory and facial recognition, but they can also pass on information to other members of their group.
The ways crows solve problems have also fascinated researchers. In Japan and California, crows have been observed reading traffic signals and dropping nuts on the road during red lights. After the light turns green and cars run the nuts over, the crows collect the cracked nuts during the following red light. New Caledonian crows also make and use hooks to get insects out of small holes. Another study reveals this species of crow possesses the ability to construct complex tools by combining smaller components. This capacity is primarily seen in apes and humans, making the crow’s behavior particularly exceptional.
Photo: AdobeStock I 照片： AdobeStock
Next time you see a flock of crows, consider their amazing brains. It may even be in your interest to make friends with these clever black birds.
什麼動物是地球上最聰明的呢？很多人會想到大象和牠們絕佳的記憶力，或是擁有龐大、複雜大腦的海豚。最令人驚奇的聰明動物之一是世界上幾乎隨處可見的黑鳥──烏鴉。這些鳥類精密的大腦能夠驚人地發揮出記憶力和解決問題的能力。
首先，烏鴉可以辨別我們，甚至會記得牠們與我們的互動。在一項實驗中，一位科學家戴上穴居人面具，然後捕捉一些烏鴉，在牠們的腿上綁上帶子。那些烏鴉對被抓住很不悅，被釋放後，牠們對戴著面具的人發出大聲且刺耳的聲音。幾年來，任何戴著穴居人面具的人都會引發烏鴉的敵意反應，無論牠們之前有沒有被捕捉過都一樣。這表明烏鴉不僅具有出色的記憶力和臉部辨識能力，牠們還可以將資訊傳遞給群體的其他成員。
Photo: AdobeStock I 照片： AdobeStock
烏鴉解決問題的方式也讓研究人員深感興趣。在日本和加州，有人觀察到烏鴉看得懂交通號誌並會在紅燈時把堅果丟在道路上。燈號轉綠燈、汽車輾過堅果後，那些烏鴉會在下一次紅燈亮起時蒐集裂開的堅果。新喀鴉還會製作並使用鉤子將昆蟲從小洞中取出。另一項研究顯示，這一種烏鴉能夠組合較小的零件來建構出複雜的工具。這種能力主要是在猿類和人類身上看到，這使得這一種烏鴉的行為格外不凡。
下次當你看到一群烏鴉時，想想牠們讓人歎為觀止的大腦。與這些聰明的黑鳥交朋友甚至可能對你有益處。
What Did You Learn?
1. What was the purpose of the caveman mask in the first experiment?
(A) To help researchers hide from crows.
(B) To make the crows in the experiment feel scared.
(C) To see if crows could remember a certain face.
(D) To find out whether crows liked modern people more.
2. According to the passage, what do crows make use of traffic lights for?
(A) Collecting nuts. (B) Finding hidden nuts.
(C) Breaking shells of nuts. (D) Picking out high-quality nuts.
3. Whose statement best matches the description of New Caledonian crows in the passage?
(A) Ethan The crows make tools to crack nuts open.
(B) Taylor The crows use sticks to build their nests.
(C) Luna The crows drop objects in holes to kill insects.
(D) Maya The crows bend a piece of wire into a curve to grab bugs.
4. What does the author mean by “This capacity” in the third paragraph?
(A) The tool-making skill. (B) The skill of gathering nuts.
(C) The facial-recognition ability. (D) The ability to read traffic signals.
參考答案 1. (C) 2. (C) 3. (D) 4. (A)
Word in Use
1. cunning a. 狡猾的，狡詐的
The cunning politician carefully crafted his words to sway public opinion.
那個狡詐的政客精心構思言論以左右公眾輿論。
2. incredible a. 極好的；難以置信的
The concert was an incredible experience, with amazing music and lights.
那場演唱會是極好的體驗，有很棒的音樂和燈光。
It’s incredible that Thomas managed to lift such a heavy weight.
湯瑪士能舉起那麼重的重量，真令人難以置信。
3. interaction n. 互動
Social media platforms promote online interactions among people worldwide.
社群媒體平臺促進世界各地人們的線上互動。
4. trap vt.（設陷阱）捕捉；使困住
I trapped the mouse in a metal cage before deciding what to do with it.
在決定怎麼處理那隻老鼠之前，我把牠關在金屬籠裡。
5. harsh a. （聲音或光線）刺耳∕眼的；
（天氣、環境等）嚴峻∕惡劣的
The harsh sound of the alarm woke me up abruptly.
刺耳的鬧鐘聲讓我突然驚醒。
The harsh winter brought heavy snow and freezing temperatures.
嚴峻的冬天帶來了大雪和極低的溫度。
Practical Phrases
1. tell... apart 分辨……
In the dim light, it can be challenging to tell colors apart accurately.
在昏暗燈光下，可能很難準確地分辨顏色。
2. pass on sth to... 傳遞某事物給……
Can you pass on this message to Sarah when you see her?
你遇到莎拉時，能把這則訊息轉達給她嗎？
3. run... over / run over... 輾過……
The driver didn’t see the crab and accidentally ran it over.
那個駕駛沒看到那隻螃蟹而不小心輾過牠。
4. be in one’s interest(s) to...
做……對某人有益處
It’s in your interest to study hard for the upcoming exam.
為即將到來的考試用功讀書對你有益處。
聽文章朗讀及講解: https://ivy.pse.is/455bfu
本文出自常春藤解析英語雜誌: www.ivy.com.tw
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