FIFE, Scotland (Achieve3000, July 22, 2019). Ever had a chat with something not quite human, like a cat or a dog? What about a bird or an ape?! You might chuckle at the idea, but surely you've heard of talented parrots imitating human phrases like, "Polly want a cracker," and maybe you know about Koko the gorilla or Lucy the chimp, both of whom were proficient enough in sign language to converse with zoologists. So it looks like we humans aren't the only ones in the animal kingdom with a gift for gab!
And now there's a new smooth talker on the scene to add to all that critter chatter. This creature is a member of the animal kingdom that loves seafood, and the kind of cool customer that can spend as much time lounging on the beach as swimming in the ocean. But this blubbery mammal doesn't actually talk—it sings!
We're referring to the seal, of course—specifically, the gray seal, a species found in the waters of the North Atlantic. A team of researchers at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland found that, with training and when enticed with a fishy treat, gray seals can be taught to sing the first few notes of songs, including "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and the theme from Star Wars.
But how do you train a seal? It's actually not too different from training a dog: All you need is a tasty reward (and a little bit of patience). The researchers started the process by recording the seals making their ordinary yips and barks; then they played those recordings back to the seals, offering them a fish as a reward whenever they imitated the sounds they heard on tape. Once the seals learned how easy it was to get treats, it was smooth sailing!
The researchers eventually played human sounds and simple tunes to test whether the seals would mimic those in the same way they did their own sounds. You can guess what happened next: The seals belted out (or barked out!) their own renditions of the tunes! A seal named Zola was the most musically inclined of the bunch, but her pals Janice and Gandalf were also able to produce impressive combinations of human-like vowel sounds.
So why in the world did researchers want seals to try to sing? Because the way seals produce sounds is very similar to the way humans do, making seals optimal test subjects. By studying how seals control their vocal cords when they serenade, scientists think they can come to a better understanding of how mammals—including humans—learn or relearn to speak, which could result in new treatments for people who need speech therapy.
What about those seals, though—how do they feel about singing for sardines? Some might say seals should be swimming and playing in the sea, not participating in vocal training sessions for research. And who knows? It could be that they don't like singing at all. The good news is that St. Andrews released all three seal pups back into the wild after 12 months of experiments. We can only hope they enjoyed their temporary captivity and didn't mind the impromptu singing lessons.
The Article states:
Because the way seals produce sounds is very similar to the way humans do, making seals optimal test subjects. By studying how seals control their vocal cords when they serenade, scientists think they can come to a better understanding of how mammals—including humans—learn or relearn to speak, which could result in new treatments for people who need speech therapy.
The author's purpose for writing this passage was to __________.
A.suggest that seals are the most easily trained of all sea mammals
B.point out why the researchers wanted to teach gray seals how to sing
C.describe the way in which gray seals were taught how to sing
D.explain why some humans have trouble making certain sounds
B.point out why the researchers wanted to teach gray seals how to sing
B.point out why the researchers wanted to teach gray seals how to sing
The author's purpose for writing this passage was to B. point out why the researchers wanted to teach gray seals how to sing.
To determine the purpose of the author, we can look for clues in the passage. In this case, the author provides information about how gray seals can be taught to sing and why researchers are interested in studying their vocal abilities. The passage explains that seals are optimal test subjects because they produce sounds in a way that is similar to humans. By studying how seals control their vocal cords, scientists hope to gain a better understanding of how mammals, including humans, learn to speak. This suggests that the author's main purpose is to explain why the researchers wanted to teach gray seals how to sing.