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TOEFL Speaking Task 3 Practice 029Science
TOEFL Speaking Task 3 Practice #029 - Science
Reading passage
Generalization to Avoid Predators
In order for animals to successfully avoid predators and remain safe in their environment, they must be able to identify which other animals are likely to pose a threat. One way that animals accomplish this is through a process called generalization. In this process, animals can recognize new or unfamiliar predators by noting their similarity to predators they have previously encountered and learned to fear. When an animal comes across an unfamiliar creature that shares characteristics with a known predator, it responds in the same way it would when facing the familiar predator, effectively generalizing its behavior to the new situation. The extent to which an animal can generalize in this way depends on how closely the unfamiliar animal resembles the original predator; the greater the similarity, the more likely the animal is to apply the same avoidance behavior. This ability allows animals to respond appropriately to potential threats even when they encounter predators they have never met before.
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Listening transcript
Professor Vien:Now, this can be seen in a certain type of small fish called the minnow. Minnows are hunted by a larger fish called a lake trout. Some minnows have learned to react to the smell of lake trout, mainly by gathering close together and not moving around much, because this makes it harder for lake trout to find and eat the minnows. So, scientists explored the phenomenon we've been talking about by conducting an experiment. They exposed a group of minnows to the odors of two different kinds of fish that the minnows had never seen before. One kind was another species of trout called a brook trout, which, even though a different species, was still similar in some ways to lake trout. The other kind of fish was not a trout at all. It was a totally different kind of fish. So, when the minnows smelled the brook trout, they knew it smelled similar to the lake trout. So, they behaved the same way as when they smelled the lake trout. That is, they gathered close together and didn't move much, even though they'd never encountered the brook trout before. But when they smelled the other type of fish, the one that wasn't a trout, they behaved normally. They did not respond as if they sensed they were in danger.
Your speaking task
Explain Generalization to Avoid Predators and how the example from the lecture illustrates the concept.
Record up to 60 seconds. Nothing is uploaded until you submit it.