Goffin’s cockatoos, a kind of small parrot native to Australia, have been shown to have similar shape-recognition abilities to a human two-year-old. Though not known to use tools in the wild, the birds have proved skillful at tool use while kept in the cage. In a recent experiment, cockatoos were presented with a box with a nut inside it. The clear front of the box had a “keyhole” in a geometric shape, and the birds were given five differently shaped “keys” to choose from. Inserting the correct “key” would let out the nut.
高飞凤冠鹦鹉是一种生长在澳大利亚的小型鹦鹉，已被证明具有类似于人类两岁儿童的形状识别能力。虽然在野外不使用工具，但这些鸟在笼中表现出熟练的工具使用能力。在最近的实验中，凤冠鹦鹉被呈现一只里面有坚果的盒子。盒子的透明前面有一个几何形状的“钥匙孔”，鸟被给予五把不同形状的“钥匙”供选择。插入正确的“钥匙”会释放出坚果。

In humans, babies can put a round shape in a round hole from around one year of age, but it will be another year before they are able to do the same with less symmetrical (对称的) shape. This ability to recognize that a shape will need to be turned in a specific direction before it will fit is called an “allocentric frame of reference” In the experiment, Goffin’s cockatoos were able to select the right tool for the job, in most cases, by visual recognition alone. Where trial-and-error was used, the cockatoos did better than monkeys in similar tests. This indicates that Goffin’s cockatoos do indeed possess an allocentric frame of reference when moving objects in space, similar to two-year old babies.
在人类中，婴儿大约在一岁左右就能把一个圆形放进一个圆形的孔中，但在能够做到把不太对称的形状放入时，还需多一年的时间。这种认识到形状需要以特定方向旋转才能放入的能力被称为“基于空间参照框架”。在实验中，嘉辛鹦鹉能够单凭视觉识别来选择适合的工具，而在试错中，嘉辛鹦鹉的表现比类似测试中的猴子要好。这表明，嘉辛鹦鹉确实在移动空间中物体时具有基于空间参照框架，类似于两岁大的婴儿。

The next step, according to the researchers, is to try and work out whether the cockatoos rely entirely on visual clues(线索), or also use a sense of touch in making their shape selections.
研究人员表示，下一步是尝试确定鹦鹉是否完全依靠视觉线索，或者在选择形状时也使用触觉。

1. How did the cockatoos get the nut from the box in the experiment?
   A. By following instructions. B. By using a tool.
   C. By turning the box around. D. By removing the lid.
   答案：B

2. Which task can human one-year-olds most likely complete according to the text?
   A. Using a key to unlock a door. B. Telling parrots from other birds.
   C. Putting a ball into a round hole. D. Grouping toys of different shapes.
   答案：C

3. What does the follow-up test aim to find out about the cockatoos?
   A. How far they are able to see. B. How they track moving objects.
   C. Whether they are smarter than monkeys. D. Whether they use a sense of touch in the test
   答案：D

4. Which can be a suitable title for the text?
   A. Cockatoos: Quick Error Checkers B. Cockatoos: Independent Learners
   C. Cockatoos: Clever Signal-Readers D. Cockat0os: Skilful Shape-Sorters
   答案：D