當提到章魚和龍蝦時，你的腦海里會想到什么？是海鮮食品還是智慧海洋生物？

Some creatures are so different from us that we can only guess how aware or sentient they are. An octopus has arms that can smell and taste. They can solve problems, even escape from aquariums. Lobsters and crabs hunt, reproduce, and can regrow limbs. But none of these animals has a brain in the human sense.

有一些生物和我們是如此不同，以至于我們只能猜測它們的意識和感知力是怎樣的。章魚有能聞氣味和嘗味道的觸須。它們可以解決問題，甚至可以逃離水族館。龍蝦和螃蟹捕食、繁殖，斷肢還能再生。但這些動物都沒有人類意義上的大腦。

Should we have to lessen their pain when we kill them like we stun cattle or gas chickens? Scientists are divided. The animal welfare bill going through Parliament would give many animals the right to more humane treatment, but it would only apply to vertebrates – in other words, species closer to humans.  

我們在殺死這些動物時，是否需要像擊昏牛或用毒氣殺雞那樣減輕它們的痛苦？科學家們在這個問題上存在分歧。英國議會正在審理的動物福利法案將給予許多動物受到更人道待遇的權利，但這只適用于脊椎動物，也就是更接近人類的物種。

However, after pressure from welfare campaigners, ministers are set to extend the definition to cover lobsters, crabs, octopuses, squid and other invertebrates.

然而，在倡導動物福利人士的壓力下，議員和政府官員準備把對該法案的定義擴展到龍蝦、螃蟹、章魚、魷魚和其它無脊椎動物。

Some may need to be stunned before being killed. There is likely to be opposition from the fishing industry. But there is precedent. Boiling lobsters alive is illegal in Norway, Switzerland and New Zealand.

其中一些動物在被宰殺之前可能需要被擊昏。這很可能會遭到漁業界的反對。不過其實有先例：在挪威、瑞士和新西蘭，活煮龍蝦是非法的。

詞匯表

aware 有意識的
sentient 有知覺力的，有感知力的
aquariums 水族館
reproduce 繁殖，生殖
regrow 重新長出
stun 擊昏，使昏迷
welfare 福利
treatment 對待
vertebrates 脊椎動物
invertebrates 無脊椎動物
precedent 先例

閱讀理解：請在讀完上文后，回答下列問題。

1. True or false? An octopus’s arms are capable of tasting and smelling things.

2. What types of animals would have received better treatment in the previously proposed animal welfare bill?

3. Who pressured the ministers for changes to the animal welfare bill?

4. In which countries is boiling lobsters alive banned?

答案  

1. True or false? An octopus’s arms are capable of tasting and smelling things.
True. An octopus has arms that can smell and taste.

2. What types of animals would have received better treatment in the previously proposed animal welfare bill?
The previously proposed animal welfare bill would have only applied to vertebrates – in other words, species closer to humans.

3. Who pressured the ministers for changes to the animal welfare bill?
Animal welfare campaigners put pressure on ministers for the changes.

4. In which countries is boiling lobsters alive banned?
Boiling lobsters alive is illegal in Norway, Switzerland and New Zealand.