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Many of the most flexible examples of tool use in animals come from primates (the order that includes humans, apes, and monkeys). For example, many wild primates use objects to threaten outsiders. But there are many examples of tool use by other mammals, as well as by birds and other types of animals.
Tools are used by many species in the capture or preparation of food. Chimpanzees use sticks and poles to bring out ants and termites from their hiding places. Among the most complex tool use observed in the wild is the use of stones by Ivory Coast chimpanzees to crack nuts open. They select a large flat stone as an anvil (a heavy block on which to place the nuts) and a smaller stone as a hammer, sometimes carry a haul of nuts more than 40 meters to find a suitable anvil. The use of tools in chimpanzees is especially interesting because these animals sometimes modify tools to make them better suited for their intended purpose. To make a twig more effective for digging out termites, for example, a chimp may first strip it of its leaves.
Surprisingly, there is also a species of bird that uses sticks to probe holes in the search for insects. One of the species of Galapagos finch, the woodpecker finch, picks up or breaks off a twig, cactus spine, or leaf stein. This primitive tool is then held in the beak and used to probe for insects in holes in trees that the bird cannot probe directly with its beak. Birds have been seen to carry twigs from tree to tree searching for prey.
Tools may also be used for defense. Hermit crabs grab sea anemones with their claws and use them as weapons to repel their enemies. Studies have demonstrated that these crabs significantly improve their chances against predators such as octopus by means of this tactic. Also, many species of forest-dwelling primates defend themselves by throwing objects, including stones, at intruders.
1.What does the passage mainly discuss?
A、Primates are superior to other animals in using tools.
B、The use of stones as tools is similar across different animal species.
C、Birds and primates use tools that are different from those of sea animals.
D、Many animals have developed effective ways of using tools.
答案：['D']
2.According to the passage, Ivory Coast chimpanzees are among the most remarkable of animal tool users because they( ).
A、use tools to gather food
B、use more than one tool to accomplish a task
C、transport tools from one place to another
D、hide their tools from other animals
答案：['B']
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