For a programme about brainy animals, apes and monkeys feature surprisingly little in Clever Claws, Mike says that’s because it’s already well-known that they’re intelligent, Orang-utans do get a mention, however, We see a mother helping her family cross a river full of crocodiles in Borneo, She’s watched humans and so borrows a boat and paddle so that her little ones can enjoy a safe crossing. Now that’s what you call intelligence!

 

Clever Claws

A new wildlife series begins on TV next week

A

What is the world’s most intelligent animal?

Television producer Mike Beynon and his team of animal experts have searched the world for the new TV series Clever Claws, which will be broadcast this autumn. You won’t find any performing seals among the contenders, however, because all the animals featured use their brains to solve problems encountered in their natural environments. Mike points out that the brainiest creatures are often those that we think of as pests. ‘Rats, foxes and pigeons are pretty intelligent,’ he says. ‘We only call them pests because they have learnt to exploit us, instead of being frightened.’

B

In the last century, animals have had to cope with is enormous changes, from pollution to

climate shifts. The clever creatures are those that learn to survive by adapting; those that don’t,

like the dinosaurs, tend to die out as the world around them changes. ‘99 per cent of animal

behaviour is controlled by instinct,' says Mike. ‘Give most creatures something new and they

don't know what to do — it's only the clever ones which accept the challenge.’ And the first

programme in the series, which you can see next Monday evening, includes a few examples of

just that.

C

Can an elephant be as quiet as a mouse? It seems it can! When farmers in Thailand suspected elephants of stealing their banana crops, they hung a bell around each animal’s neck so that they’d get warning of an attack. But one elephant has worked out how to stop his bell ringing, so he can get to the bananas undetected. The elephant fills the bell with mud which stops the sound. But that’s not all. By morning, the mud has dried and fallen out and so the locals still can’t identify the mystery banana burglar!

D

And it’s not only land animals that prove to be quite bright. Octopuses have fantastic eyesight and big brains for their size, so Mike and his team put one in a specially designed tank, designed like a maze with lots of tunnels that led nowhere and choices to make about whether to go left or right at junctions. ‘The octopus had a good memory and solved our puzzle by trial and error. After two weeks, it could get out of that maze in under a minute,’says Mike.

E
Just like humans, animals use their intelligence to their own advantage. Sometimes they even use man’s inventions to get ahead of the competition. Big cats such as cheetahs and leopards have been spotted standing on safari vehicles, so ready and waiting to leap out at their prey

Clever, but worrying, says Mike. ‘If a cheetah uses a man-made object to gain an advantage over an antelope in an attack, then that is very dangerous, because it puts nature out of balance.’ F

And hunger is one of the great motivators of intelligence in animals. New Zealand kea parrots are some of the cleverest. On the programme we see that parrots can actually be very accomplished locksmiths. In order to get at the tasty snack inside a locked box, one such bird had to undo one lock, pull a pin out of a second and then turned a key ten times to open a third. No problem! After only 45 seconds the kea reached its meal! G

For a programme about brainy animals, apes and monkeys feature surprisingly little in Clever Claws. Mike says that’s because it’s already well-known that they’re intelligent. Orang-utans do get a mention, however. We see a mother helping her family cross a river full of crocodiles in Borneo. She’s watched humans and so borrows a boat and paddle so that her little ones can enjoy a safe crossing. Now that’s what you call intelligence!

----- Nội dung dịch tự động từ ảnh -----
from the paragraphs (A-G). Some of the paragraphs may be chosen more than once. When
more than one answer is required, these may be given in any order. There is an example at
the beginning (0).
Which paragraph mentions
a type of animal that is now extinct?
an animal which has prevented humans controlling its behaviour?
an example of intelligence that may not have a positive outcome?
MA DE 132
the way the majority of animals react to things?
an animal that managed to solve a problem quickly?
an animal that was able to remember things?
animals that will not appear in the programme?
an animal which performs well in experiments?
an animal which has followed a human example?
animals overcoming man-made obstacles to get food?
an animal that exploits aspects of the man-made environment?
environmental problems which are affecting animals?
0. B
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
54.
55.
57.
58.
TRANG 3/8
53.
56.