托福口语 Task 4

Today we're going to talk about a fascinating concept in animal behavior called 'tool use'—when animals use objects from their environment to achieve a goal. This is not just a human trait; many animals do it, and it often reveals their problem-solving abilities. Let me give you two examples from the wild. First, consider the sea otter. When a sea otter wants to eat a hard-shelled clam, it will float on its back, place a rock on its chest, and then smash the clam against the rock until it cracks open. This is a clear case of using a tool—the rock—to access food. Second, think about the New Caledonian crow. This bird is famous for its intelligence. In experiments, crows have been observed bending a piece of wire into a hook to fish out a grub from a narrow tube that they couldn't reach with their beaks. The crow created a tool, modified it, and used it to solve a novel problem. Both examples show that tool use is not random but purposeful and often involves planning and innovation.