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(中くらい 中学生・高校生, Goldfish Drive Robotic Car | VOA/Bryan Lynn WEBの記事 English VOA: https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/israeli-researchers-teach-goldfish-to-drive-robotic-car/6395501.html VOAというWEBサイトでは、英語学習者が自由に利用できる文章をたくさん提供しています。興味のある記事があれば、自分で音読用のテキストを作ってみましょう。 ) Israeli researchers say / they have successfully taught a goldfish / to drive a small, robotic car. The team said / the fish showed its ability / to navigate toward a target / in order to receive a food reward. For the experiment , the researchers built / what they called a Fish Operated Vehicle (FOV). The main part of the vehicle / was a fish tank / attached to a moving machine / with four motorized wheels. Attached to the top was a system / used to follow all movements / of the fish and vehicle. The system was operated / by lidar ( LiDAR =light detection and ranging 特定のセンサーの装置の略・名前) , a technology that uses light lasers / to map environments / and measure distances. When the system observed that / the fish was up against the side of the glass / while facing forward , it would move the vehicle forward / in that direction. The researchers said that / over time , the fish learned that / putting itself / in these positions / would move the FOV(=field of view 視野) / in those directions. In this way , the fish was able to “drive” the vehicle. A team / at Israel’s Ben-Gurion University / of the Negev / carried out the research. Results of the experiment were recently reported / in the publication Behavioral Brain Research. Researcher Shachar Givon told the Reuters news agency / it was surprising / how quickly the fish learned / to drive the vehicle. “They're confused at first - they don't know / what's going on.” he said. “But they're very quick to realize that / there is a correlation / between their movement / and the movement of the machine / that they're in.” The team used six different goldfish / in the study. Each fish took part(参加する・関与する) / in about 10 driving exercises. A colorful target was clearly marked / on a wall opposite the tank. Each time / a fish reached a target , it was rewarded / with food. The researchers said / the fish were able to navigate / to the target / even if something happened / to temporarily / take them off the path. And, they said , the fish were not fooled / by false targets / placed by the team. Researcher Ronen Segev said / some of the fish proved / to be “excellent” drivers. Others, he said , showed that / while they could control the vehicle , they were not very good at driving it. The team reported that / their experiment led(leadの過去 導いた) / to two main findings. The first was that / “navigational ability is universal / rather than specific / to the environment.” researcher Givon said in a statement. Secondly, the experiment showed that / goldfish have the “cognitive ability” to learn / to perform a complex operation / “in an environment / completely unlike the one / they evolved in.” Givon compared the experiment / to a human first learning / to ride a bicycle or drive a car. In both of those cases , the beginning can be difficult , he said. A description of the study noted that / navigation is a “critical ability” / for animal survival. Such an ability permits many kinds of creatures / to find shelter , seek mates and be successful / in many kinds of behaviors. In this case , the researchers sought / to find out / whether the fish could use the same navigational skills / they use in the water / to move a vehicle / traveling on land. In the end , the team found the results / demonstrated that / a fish is able to keep / its “space representation(空間表現) / and navigation skills” / when put into a completely “terrestrial.” or land-based, environment. Researcher Ronen Segev said , "We humans think of ourselves / as very special. And many think of fish as primitive , but this is not correct." He added that / there are many other / “very important / and very smart creatures." I’m Bryan Lynn.
