托福口语 Task 4

Today we're going to talk about animal communication, specifically about how some animals use a form of 'displacement' in their signals. Displacement is the ability to communicate about things that are not present in time or space. While humans do this all the time—we talk about the past, the future, or things far away—most animals can't. However, there are a few fascinating exceptions. Let me give you two examples. First, the honeybee. When a forager bee finds a rich source of nectar, it returns to the hive and performs a 'waggle dance.' The angle and duration of the dance communicate the direction and distance of the food source, which may be kilometers away. The other bees can interpret this and fly directly to the location, even though they haven't seen it themselves. Second, consider the vervet monkey. These monkeys have distinct alarm calls for different predators—say, a leopard versus an eagle. When one monkey gives an 'eagle' call, other monkeys look up and hide under bushes, even though the eagle is not currently visible. This call refers to a threat that is not immediately present, showing a form of displacement. So, these examples illustrate that while rare, some animals do possess a limited ability to communicate about things beyond their immediate surroundings.