English. I'm Neil.

我是 Neil

Catherine: Hello. And I'm Catherine.

Catherine: 哈囉。而我是 Catherine

Neil: Now, Catherine, how do you feel

Neil: 現在，Catherine，你對於頭足綱

about cephalopods?

的感覺是什麼？

Catherine: Er ... cephalopods?

Catherine: 呃 ... 頭足綱？

Neil: Yeah. You do know what

Neil: 是啊。你知道什麼是

cephalopods are, don't you?

頭足綱，對吧？

Catherine: Yes, of course I do. It's a new

Catherine: 是的，我當然知道。這是一款

kind of ipod, isn't it?

類似新的 iPod 的東西，對不？

Neil: Not exactly, no. A cephalopod is a

Neil: 不全然是，不對。頭足綱是一種

kind of sea creature, like a squid or

海洋生物，像是烏賊或者

octopus.

章魚。

Catherine: Oh, cephalopods, yes, of

Catherine: 喔，頭足綱，對啦，當然

course. I know what a cephalopod is.

我知道什麼是頭足綱啦

Neil: Of course you do. Well, today's

Neil: 你當然知道囉。 好的，今天的

programme is all about one of these

節目是關於一種

squishy creatures,

濕濕軟軟的生物

the octopus, which apparently is a pretty

也就是章魚，他們是非常

clever animal. To start, here's today's quiz

聰明的動物。一開始，我們要來出今天的

question. What is the correct plural form

小問答。章魚的正確複數用法

of octopus? Is it:

是什麼？是：

a) octopuses, b) octopodes or c) octopi?

a) octopuses b) octopodes or c) octopi？

What do you think, Catherine?

你覺得呢，Catherine？

Catherine: OK. I think this is a trick

Catherine: OK. 我想這是

question. I think people think that it's

陷阱題。我覺得人們會想說是

'octopi', but it's actually,

''octopi''，但其實有一個

there's a technical term for it, which is the

技術性詞彙來描述，正確的

correct term and that's 'octopodes'.

詞彙是 octopodes

But some people think, like children and

但是有一些人會以為像小孩和物品一樣，

stuff, they just put the plural 's' on so they

就只要在字尾加上 s 就好

say 'octopuses'.

所以他們會說 octopuses

So I'm going for answer b) octopodes.

所以我會回答 b) octopodes

Neil: Wow! Listen out for the answer at

Neil: 哇！節目的最後

the end of the programme, just to see

就會公布答案，看看

how right or wrong you are.

你的答案正不正確

Now, apparently the octopus is a

現在，章魚是公認

remarkably intelligent creature.

相當聰明的生物

They have the ability to solve some

它們有能力去解決

complex problems and in one famous

複雜的問題，並且在一個相當知名的

case one was even

事件：甚至

able to predict the result of World Cup

能夠預測世界盃的對戰

football matches.

結果

Catherine: Oh yes, that was Paul the

Catherine: 喔對，那是在說章魚保羅

octopus. I don't think he was really

我不覺得它是真的

psychic though. It was just a

靈媒，就只是

publicity stunt by the zoo that had him,

動物園一種公開的特技安排

as a way to promote their zoo.

來推銷他們的動物園罷了

Neil: It may have been a publicity stunt,

Neil: 這也許是一種公開的特技安排

but he was actually quite accurate. In fact,

但是保羅還真的是蠻準的喔。事實上

he correctly predicted the result of 12

它正確地預測了 14 場中的

matches out of 14 - that's 86%. Not bad, eh?

12場比賽 - 那是百分之 86 的準確率耶。不差吧，耶？

Catherine: That's amazing. I didn't know

Catherine: 真是太驚人了。我不知道

he was that good. Anyway, Neil, tell us

它有這麼厲害。無論如何，Neil，多告訴我們

some more about the octopus.

一些關於章魚的事

Neil: Well, I'll leave that to

Neil: 這個嘛，我會把這個留給

Peter Godfrey-Smith, philosopher of

Peter Godfrey-Smith，科學哲學家

science and author of Other Minds: The

和《其他心智：章

Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of

魚、大海，和意識的深層起源》

Consciousness. He is quite a fan

他是我們八隻腳的朋友的

of our eight-tentacled friends. On the BBC

粉絲。在 BBC

Radio 4 programme Start the Week he

Radio 4 節目 Start the Week 上面他

said that

提到

humans and the octopus have a common

人類和章魚有共同的

ancestor. This is a term in science which

祖先。這在科學當中

means a creature

表示一種生物

from which both species evolved. Like a

演化後分之成了兩種生物。像是

very distant relative. How long ago does

非常遙遠的親戚。這個所謂的祖先

he say this common ancestor lived?

究竟是活在多久以前？

Peter Godfrey-Smith: We got the octopus

Peter Godfrey-Smith: 我們把章魚

as a very special evolutionary product. It's

視為一種演化非常特異的生物。他是在演化上

an animal that's removed from us by a lot

距離我們相當

of evolutionary distance. The common

遙遠的動物

ancestor that we share with an octopus

我們人類和章魚的共同祖先

lived about 600 million years ago or

生活在大約距今 6 億年前

actually even a bit

或者更久遠之前

longer than that. But it has a large

但它擁有

nervous system in a range comparable to

已可與脊椎動物比擬的

vertebrates.

巨大神經系統

Catherine: So our common ancestor lived

Catherine: 所以我們的共同祖先生活在距今

about 600 million years ago - or maybe a

約六億年前 - 甚至

little bit longer than that.

遠比那更早之前

Neil: And he says that the octopus has a

Neil: 並且他說它擁有可以跟

nervous system that is comparable to

脊椎動物相比的巨大神經系統

vertebrates. Comparable means similar

comparable 的意思相近於

to, like, and vertebrates is the term for the

like，而脊椎動物

group of animals that

代表一群

have a spine or backbone. We humans

擁有脊椎或是背骨的動物。我們人類

are examples of vertebrates.

就是脊椎動物的一個例子

Catherine: So what Godfrey-Smith is

Catherine: 所以 Godfrey-Smith

saying is that the squishy octopus has a

意思是濕濕黏黏的章魚它的巨大

nervous system which has some

神經系統跟我們人類的

similarities to our own in that it's quite

有些類似，以章魚體型來說

large.

相當巨大

Neil: And a large nervous system is a sign

Neil: 而巨大的神經系統是具有智力

of intelligence. He goes on to talk a bit

的可能跡象。他繼續說一些

more about how we might be able to

關於我們如何與

relate to the octopus. He talks about the

章魚能扯上關係。他談到章魚身體

protean nature of its body.

的變化多端

Protean is an adjective which means

Protean是一個形容詞，代表

adaptable or changeable, and the

能適應或能改變的，而章魚

octopus's body is certainly that. Why

的身體絕對是那樣的。為什麼

might that be a problem for us?

那對我們是個問題？

Peter Godfrey-Smith: The sensory world

Peter Godfrey-Smith: 章魚的感官世界

of an octopus has, in some way it's

在某些狀況是

recognisable. They're very visual animals,

可以辨別的。它們是非常視覺的動物，

they're very taste-oriented animals and

它們是味覺導向的動物，而且

those things make sense to us.

那些事情也對我們是有意義的

But the absence of hard parts, the

但是缺少了堅硬的部分，

protean nature of the body and the sort

可隨環境而改變的身體和某種

of extent of the sensitivity makes it a hard

高度敏銳度讓我們對它

thing to think about.

難以捉摸

Catherine: This is interesting, isn't it?

Catherine: 這真是有趣，不是嗎？

So the octopus uses its senses of vision

所以章魚使用它的視覺

and taste, like we do,

和嗅覺，像我們一樣

and this is something we can recognise,

而這是我們能夠辨識出來的

but what is tricky for us is

但弔詭的是

that its form is so completely different

它與我們的形態又是那麼

from ours. The octopus isn't a vertebrate

的不同。章魚不是脊椎動物

so it can change its

所以它的形體

form and its shape very easily.

和形狀能夠輕易地改變

Neil: Yes, we're not used to thinking of

Neil: 是的，我們不習慣把

soft squishy things having intelligence.

軟軟、濕濕黏黏的生物和有智慧這件事連結在一起

And speaking of intelligence, we've been

說到智慧，我們

very careful not to use the plural of

非常小心避免使用

octopus so as not to

octopus的複數，以防

give away the answer to today's question

透露出今天問題的答案

which was: what's the correct plural form?

也就是：正確的複數形是甚麼?

a) octopuses, b) octopodes or c) octopi

a) octopuses, b) octopodes or c) octopi

Catherine, you said...

Catherine，你之前回答...

Catherine: Well, I said that some people

Catherine: 嗯，我說某些人

think it's 'octopuses', a lot of people think

會說是"octopuses"，許多人會覺得是

it's 'octopi', but the actual answer is

octopi，但正確的答案是

'octopodes'.

octopodes

Neil: And you're completely right.

Neil: 你完全正確

Congratulations!

恭喜！

Catherine: Thank you. So let's review

Catherine: 謝謝你。我們回顧

today's vocabulary. Cephalopod is the

今天的字彙。cephalopod是指一群

name of the group of

與章魚

animals to which the octopus belongs.

同類的動物的名稱

Neil: A publicity stunt is something a

Neil: 公開的特技是指公司

company might do to grab your attention

為了吸引你的注意力

and promote its products.

和宣傳它的產品所做的事情

Like claiming an octopus can

像是宣稱一隻章魚能夠

predict the winner of football matches.

預測世足賽勝隊一樣

Catherine: A common ancestor is a

Catherine: 一個共同祖先是指

distant relative from which two different

一個演化成兩個不同物種的

species evolved.

共同來源

Neil: Comparable to means 'similar to' and

Neil: comparable 表示與...相似和

vertebrates are animals that have a spine.

脊椎動物是有背骨的動物的總稱

Catherine: And then finally we had

Catherine: 而最後我們學到

protean, this adjective means 'adaptable

protean，這個形容詞代表「能適應的」

and changeable'.

和「能改變的」

Neil: Time now for us to say goodbye but

Neil: 該說再見了但是

remember you can find us on Instagram,

記得你可以在 Instagram上、

Facebook, Twitter,

臉書、推特

YouTube as well as our website,

YouTube 和我們的官網

bbclearningenglish.com.

bbclearningenglish.com

So be sure to check us on one, several or

再次見面之前

all of those before joining us again.

請務必透過上述一個、數個或者全部的管道來收看我們，

Goodbye.

再見

Catherine: Bye!

Catherine: 掰！