Animal training refers to teaching animals specific responses to specific conditions or stimuli (刺激). Training may be for the purpose of companionship, detection, protection, entertainment or all of the above.
An animal trainer may use various forms of reinforcement (强化) or punishment to condition an animal’s responses. Some animal trainers may have a knowledge of the principles of behavior analysis and operant conditioning (操作性条件反射), but there are many ways to train animals and as a general rule no legal requirements or certifications are required.
Training chickens has become a way for trainers of other animals (primarily dogs) to perfect their training technique. Bob Bailey, former director of Animal Behavior Enterprises and the IQ Zoo, teaches chicken training courses where trainers teach chickens to tell different shapes, to successfully pass through a way with obstacles (障碍) and to chain behaviors together. Chicken training is done using operant conditioning, using a clicker and chicken feed for reinforcement.
Fish can also be trained. For example, a goldfish may swim toward its owner and follow him as he walks through the room, but will not follow anyone else. The fish may swim up and down signaling the owner to turn on its aquarium light when it is off, and it will skim the surface until its owner feeds it. Pet goldfish have also been taught to perform more difficult tasks, such as doing the limbo (a kind of dance) and pushing a very small soccer ball into a net.
Among all animals, they are the third cleverest after monkeys and dolphins. Scientists think the training of pigs is easier than the training of dogs and cats. Pigs have a very good sense of smell. They can find things nearby or faraway. They can also help the police to find out drugs at an airport or at a train station.
小题1:The aim of training animals is to _________.
A．detect objects for people
B．keep people company
C．protect or entertain people
D．all of the above
小题2:Which is True according to the passage?
A．Most people teach animals general responses to general conditions.
B．Training animals requires some certifications.
C．Training chickens is a way to improve the trainers’ skills.
D．Chickens can be trained to help the police to find out drugs.
小题3:According to the passage, a fish can _________.
A．be trained to follow anyone
B．turn on its aquarium light when it is off
C．signal its owner to feed it
D．take part in a football game in the field
小题4:Scientists think the training of pigs is easier because _________.
