Już 62 454 użytkowników uczy się języków obcych z Edustation.
Możesz zarejestrować się już dziś i odebrać bonus w postaci 10 monet.
Jeżeli chcesz się dowiedzieć więcej o naszym portalu - kliknij tutaj
Jeszcze nie teraz ZAREJESTRUJ SIĘlub
Zaloguj »
Scientists in Search of a Common Language With Dolphins
Temat: Nauka i technologia
Do some Exercises: Słuchaj i zapisuj Tworzenie zdań Ukryte słowa
21 March 2011 BOB DOUGHTY:This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I'm Bob Doughty. FAITH LAPIDUS: And I'm Faith Lapidus. Today, we tell about efforts by American scientists to communicate with dolphins. BOB DOUGHTY: People have always been able to talk to animals. The problem is: do they really talk back? And what are they saying? When a dog barks three times, is he really communicating? Or is he hoping to get praise or even food for his actions? And what about dolphins? Are their squeaks and whistles really communication? Or are they just noises? Scientists have thought for a long time that dolphins have their own language and can "talk" among themselves. But is it possible for them to communicate with us? FAITH LAPIDUS: Denise Herzing is a biologist with the Wild Dolphin Project in Jupiter, Florida. She has studied the animals for over twenty years. Her latest work involves creating a language that both dolphins and humans can understand. Members of her team lower a keyboard into the water. Then a diver pushes one of the keys to show the dolphin how it works. When the key is pushed, someone above the water throws a ball to the diver. At the same time, a high frequency whistle is produced. The sound is something that the dolphin can hear, and also make. The dolphin then learns that to get the ball, it can either push the key, or make the whistle sound. The result is real communication between an animal and a human. BOB DOUGHTY: Ms. Herzing found that young female dolphins like to play this game the most. Young males were not as interested. Another thing she learned was that dolphins played the game best after being "introduced" to humans. Divers first swim with the dolphins in slow, easy movements. They look directly at its eyes. If a dolphin swims one way, the diver does what the dolphin does. After a while, the dolphins become friendly and are ready to play the language game. FAITH LAPIDUS: At the Dolphin Institute in Hawaii, scientists have taught dolphins hundreds or words. They use hand and body movements, and pictures to teach the dolphins. They found that dolphins could learn the difference between a statement and a question. And they learned that changing the order of words in a sentence can change the meaning. Scientists at the SETI Institute in California are also interested in communicating with animals. Their job is to listen to sounds coming from outer space that might be signs of life. If they were to find distant life forms, how would they communicate with them? They think using a language like "dolphin talk" may be the answer. Source: VOA
