Reading_B1+_Pigs are intelligent enough to play videogames?!?!
Read the article below and be sure to highlight and note any new vocabulary words.
Complete the exercises at the end of the article to further improve your English vocabulary and skills.
Prepare a 2 minute presentation about the details of the story for the beginning of next class.
Pigs are intelligent enough to play videogames
Level 3
Pigs may be more intelligent than we thought. They may be able to play video games. Researchers at Purdue University in the USA conducted research on pig-gaming skills. The researchers were surprised that their test pigs were able to play some games. Researchers got the four pigs, named Ebony, Hamlet, Ivory and Omelet, to play a simple game at different levels. They had to move a joystick with their snout to make a cursor move to a colored wall. If they were successful, they got a tasty treat. Lead author Dr. Candace Croney said: "It's very clear they had some conceptual understanding of what they were being asked to do." The research is in a paper published in the journal "Frontiers in Psychology".
The research was quite extensive. The pigs spent many days playing the game. During the last 50 rounds, the pigs played the game on three different levels. If they were successful at one level, they moved to the next level. The higher levels had better treats. A scientist told CNN that: "The pigs clearly understood the connection between their own behavior, the joystick, and what was happening on the screen." Dr. Croney said it was important to understand how pigs get information, and what they are capable of learning and remembering. She said this would help us to learn what pigs think of interacting with humans. We could also understand what pigs think of different environments.
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Paragraph 1
1. intelligent 2. conducted 3. simple 4. joystick 5. snout 6. cursor 7. journal
a. The thing computer screen that shows where the mouse is at.
b. Carried out; did.
c. A small arm used to control and airplane or a video game console.
d. Being clever; having the ability to get and use knowledge well.
e. A newspaper or magazine that deals with a particular subject or professional activity.
f. Easy to understand; basic.
g. A pig's nose.
Paragraph 2
8. extensive 9. round 10. successful 11. treat 12. behavior 13. capable 14. interacting
h. Something special you get or give yourself.
i. Did what you wanted to do.
j. Having the ability to do something.
k. Covering or affecting a large area.
l. One of a number of different actions or events.
m. Act in such a way as to have an effect on other people or things
n. The manner in which you act.
WRITING 2 - GRAMMAR SKILLS: Use adjectives to compare and contrast the list of animals in the box below.
Write at least 10 sentences with 5 different comparatives (Turtles are cooler than dogs)and 5 different superlatives (slow > >>slowest; ugly >>>ugliest; intelligent>>> most intelligent)
Animals to compare
Pigs
Dolphins
Ants
Crows
Dogs
Bears
How intelligent are these creatures? What skills do they have? Which one is the smartest? Which one is the cutest? Which one is the most dangerous? Which one is the strongest? Which one has the longest lifespan?
(Please email answers to your SENYC English Coach)
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