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Listen to an Academic Talk Test #001
Listen to an Academic Talk
1. What is the lecture mainly about?
A) An unusual method animals use to raise their young
B) How birds build nests in different environments
C) The parenting behaviors of reed warblers
D) Competition for food among different bird species
2. What does a cuckoo chick do soon after it hatches?
A) It mimics the calls of the host's chicks.
B) It pushes other eggs and chicks from the nest.
C) It helps the host parents find food.
D) It hides from the host parents.
3. What can be inferred about the host birds?
A) They intentionally adopt the cuckoo's egg.
B) They are typically larger than the cuckoo.
C) They are unable to recognize the cuckoo chick as an intruder.
D) They abandon the nest if they find a strange egg.
4. Why does the professor mention the reed warbler?
A) To give an example of a brood parasite
B) To describe a bird that has a unique song
C) To identify a typical victim of the cuckoo
D) To compare its eggs with a cuckoo's egg
Professor: Today we'll discuss a fascinating survival strategy called brood parasitism. This is where an animal tricks another species into raising its young. A classic example is the common cuckoo.
The female cuckoo finds the nest of a smaller host bird, like a reed warbler, and when the host is away, she quickly lays one of her own eggs in it. Often, the cuckoo egg closely mimics the host's eggs in color and size, making it difficult to detect.
The cuckoo egg is also adapted to hatch earlier than the host's eggs. Once the cuckoo chick hatches, its first instinct is to push any other eggs or chicks out of the nest. This act of eviction ensures that it becomes the sole recipient of the food brought by its unsuspecting foster parents, maximizing its chances of survival.
The female cuckoo finds the nest of a smaller host bird, like a reed warbler, and when the host is away, she quickly lays one of her own eggs in it. Often, the cuckoo egg closely mimics the host's eggs in color and size, making it difficult to detect.
The cuckoo egg is also adapted to hatch earlier than the host's eggs. Once the cuckoo chick hatches, its first instinct is to push any other eggs or chicks out of the nest. This act of eviction ensures that it becomes the sole recipient of the food brought by its unsuspecting foster parents, maximizing its chances of survival.
Highlights
| ID: | #io6877588123 |
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