Задания 26-31
Can animals think?
In his quarters at the University of Arizona, Alex is commenting on all that he sees. “Hot!” he warns as a ___VISITOR___ picks up a mug of tea. Alex spots a plateful of fruit and announces his choice: “Grape.” Alex is an African grey parrot.
For the last 16 years, ___BIOLOGIST___ Irene Pepperberg has been exploring the degree to which the bird understands what he is saying.
Alex also communicates what appear to be ___VARIOUS___ feelings.
Are the parrot’s words ___MERELY___ a collection of sounds he emits when frustrated, or does this one-pound bird know what he is saying?
For centuries, philosophers argued that ___THINKING___ and language separate humans from other species. Later, scientists had reason to be critical of claims concerning animal intelligence.
Today innovative probes of animal intelligence have convinced most scientists that other species really share with humans some higher mental ___ABILITIES___.