CEPT Practice C2 level Open gap fill about parrots

 

CAN PARROTS  COMMUNICATE?

Everyone knows that parrots can imitate human speech, but can (1) _____ birds also understand meaning? Two decades ago, researcher Irene Pepperberg started working with Alex, an African grey parrot, and ever since then, she has been building (2) _____ data on him. Pepperberg, (3) _____ recently published book The Alex Studies makes fascinating reading, claims Alex doesn’t copy speech but intentionally uses words to get (4) _____ it is that he wants.

In actual (5) _____ , some of his cognitive skills are identical to those of a five-year-old child. (6) ______ a child’s, Alex’s learning has been a steady progression. Early on, he (7) ______ vocalise whether two things were the same or different. Now, he carries (8) _____ more complex tasks. Presented (9) _____ different-coloured balls and blocks and asked the number of red blocks, he’ll answer correctly. He requests things as well. (10) _____he ask to sit on your shoulder  and you put him (11) _____ else, he’ll complain: ‘Wanna go shoulder.’

A (12) _____ experts remain sceptical, seeing very (13) ______ in Alex’s performance beyond learning by association, by (14) ______ of intensive training. Yet Alex appears to (15) ______ mastered simple two-way communication. As parrots live for 60 years or more, Alex may surprise (16) _____ all further.

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1 these 2 up 3 whose 4 whatever/what

5 fact 6 Like/like

7 could/would 8 out 9 with 10 Should/should

11 somewhere/anywhere 12 few 13 little 14 means/way

15 have 16 us