Since 1975, Dr. Griffin has been researching the idea of animal thinking and trying to make the idea a new science. He and other

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问题     Since 1975, Dr. Griffin has been researching the idea of animal thinking and trying to make the idea a new science. He and other scientists are trying to determine whether many animals are really more than living robots governed by instinct. Could animals actually be aware of themselves and possess thoughts and feelings? Can they think about the future, make choice and plan? Such thinking about animals has long been considered unscientific. Many scientists believe there is no way to distinguish automatic, unthinking responses from behavior involving conscious choice on the part of animals. They have agreed that any example of animal behavior should be interpreted at its simplest, most immediate level.
    Dr. Griffin thinks this attitude may be a little too extreme, and he has written a new book called Animal Thinking to deal with these questions. In the book, Dr. Griffin gives many examples of animal behaviors that suggest animals can think and invent ways to do things. Sea birds, for example, have been observed picking up small pieces of bread and dropping them into the water to attract fish. The birds then grab the fish as they come up to take the bread. Bears have been observed covering up the tracks they make in the ground as they walk so they can remain hidden from human hunters. And dolphins are able to understand other dolphins and perform new tricks without training, merely by watching other dolphins. Many animals have been observed using tools in creative ways to find or catch their food.
    Although Dr. Griffin agrees we do not know how to study animal thoughts, he does believe animals communicate thoughts and feelings to each other by sounds, gestures, facial expressions, body postures, smells and chemical signals, and other physical displays. Dr. Griffin feels that if we could only find some way to interpret these animal messages, we could learn about the thought processes involved. It is only when scientists began to ask such questions that they can begin to answer them.
    Pet owners won’t be surprised if Dr. Griffin one day proves that animals can think. They’ve known this about their dogs all along and will probably wonder why it took scientists so long to find out about it.
According to the passage, dolphins can______.

选项 A、offer different sound and gesture responses to the stimuli
B、do feel sympathetic at seeing other animals failing to find food
C、hide from the attacks by other dangerous animals
D、do new tricks by way of self taught imitation from their peers

答案D

解析 第二段第六句指出海豚可以懂得其他海豚,并且可以在只是观察其他海豚而不接受任何训练的情况下模仿表演新的花样。因此D)“通过模仿其他海豚而玩出新的花样”是正确答案。
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