Level 2 · Reading series
Lesson 31 · The Octopus Opened the Jar
Audio track 31
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At an aquarium, an octopus was given a jar with food inside. The lid was closed tightly, but the octopus did not give up.
It touched the jar with its arms, turned the lid, and opened it. Visitors were surprised because the animal looked calm, not confused.
Octopuses can solve problems by exploring with their arms. They do not have hands like ours, but their arms are very sensitive.
The jar was small, but it showed a big idea: intelligence can have many shapes.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
在一家水族馆，一只章鱼得到一个装有食物的罐子。盖子拧得很紧，但章鱼没有放弃。
它用腕足触摸罐子，转动盖子，把它打开了。参观者很惊讶，因为它看起来很镇定，并没有手足无措。
章鱼能靠腕足探索，解决遇到的问题。它们没有我们这样的手，但腕足非常敏感。
罐子虽小，却让人看到一个更大的道理：聪明可以有许多不同的样子。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- octopus
- 章鱼；用腕足探索罐子。
- aquarium
- 水族馆；故事发生的地点。
- jar
- 罐子；里面装着食物。
- lid
- 盖子；需要转开才能取食物。
- tightly
- 紧紧地；形容盖子拧得紧。
- give up
- 放弃；章鱼没有因盖子紧而停下。
- confused
- 困惑的；参观者看到的章鱼并未显得慌乱。
- solve a problem
- 解决问题；这里是设法打开罐子。
- sensitive
- 敏感的；章鱼的腕足能感知接触。
- intelligence
- 智力、聪明才智；结尾强调形式多样。
Background notes (Chinese)
章鱼的腕足既能移动，也能感知周围物体。课文中的开罐动作让参观者意识到，解决问题未必需要像人一样的双手。结尾的‘许多样子’是对不同动物能力的思考。