Learn English with BBC Earth

Octopus the Thief


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Published: 7.09.2017   [ UPDATED JUN 2025 ]
Level 5   |   Time: 3:34
Accent: British
Source: BBC Earth

A Giant Pacific Octopus, perhaps the smartest of all invertebrates, steals crabs from a fisherman.


triangle Directions 목표 Direcciones Instruções


  1. READ the VOCABULARY

    It is important to read the vocabulary before you watch the video. This will improve your ability to understand the video. It will also help you understand how the new vocabulary is used naturally.

  2. WATCH the VIDEO

    The first time you watch the video, just try to understand the overall situation.

  3. ANSWER the QUESTIONS

    First try to answer all the questions from memory. Then rewatch the video and try to answer the questions that you missed.

  4. WATCH and READ the SCRIPT

    Watch the video again while you read the script. Reading and listening at the same time will help you hear each individual word and improve your listening accuracy.

  5. DO the ACTIVITIES

    There are several different activities that focus on test preparation, vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure.

  1. LEA el VOCABULARIO

    Es importante leer el vocabulario antes de ver el video. Esto mejorará su capacidad para comprender el video. También le ayudará a comprender cómo se usa el nuevo vocabulario de forma natural.

  2. VER el VIDEO

    La primera vez que vea el video, intente comprender la situación general.

  3. RESPONDE a las PREGUNTAS

    Primero intente responder todas las preguntas de memoria. Luego, vuelva a ver el video e intente responder las preguntas que se perdió.

  4. MIRAR Y LEER

    Mire el video nuevamente mientras lee el guión. Leer y escuchar al mismo tiempo lo ayudará a escuchar cada palabra individual y mejorará su precisión auditiva.

  5. HACER LAS ACTIVIDADES

    Hay una serie de actividades diferentes que se centran en la preparación de la examen, el vocabulario, la gramática y la estructura de las oraciones.

  1. 어휘 읽기

    비디오를 보기 전에 어휘와 배경을 읽는 것이 중요합니다. 이렇게 하면 비디오를 이해하는 능력이 향상됩니다. 또한 새로운 어휘가 어떻게 자연스럽게 사용되는지 이해하는데 도움이됩니다.

  2. 비디오 보기

    비디오를 처음 볼 때 전체 상황을 이해하려고 노력하세요.

  3. 문제에 답하기

    먼저 모든 질문에 답을 해보세요. 그런 다음 비디오를 다시보고 놓친 질문에 답해보세요.

  4. 비디오 보면서 대본 읽기

    대본을 읽는 동안 비디오를 다시 보세요. 읽기와 듣기를 동시에 하면 각각의 단어를 듣고, 듣기 정확도를 향상시킬 수 있습니다.

  5. 액티비티 하기

    듣기 정확도, 발음, 어휘, 문법 및 문장 구조에 초점을 맞춘 다양한 액티비티가 있습니다.

  1. LER o VOCABULÁRIO

    É importante ler o vocabulário antes de assistir ao vídeo. Isso melhorará sua capacidade de entender o vídeo. Também ajudará você a entender como o novo vocabulário é usado naturalmente.

  2. ASSISTA ao VÍDEO

    Na primeira vez que assistir ao vídeo, tente entender a situação geral.

  3. RESPONDA às PERGUNTAS

    Primeiro, tente responder a todas as perguntas de memória. Em seguida, assista novamente ao vídeo e tente responder às perguntas que você errou.

  4. ASSISTA e LEIA o SCRIPT

    Assista ao vídeo novamente enquanto lê o roteiro. Ler e ouvir ao mesmo tempo ajudará você a ouvir cada palavra individualmente e a melhorar sua precisão auditiva.

  5. FAÇA as ATIVIDADES

    Existem várias atividades diferentes que se concentram na preparação para o teste, vocabulário, gramática e estrutura de frases.

triangle Vocabulary 어휘 Vocabulário Vocabulario


  • ☐ ☐ ☐ bait [n] - food used to attract animals
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ a crab pot [n] - a crab trap
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ sink [v] - fall to the bottom in water
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ sit back [phv] - relax, wait
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ wander [v] - walk
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ a crustacean [n] - an animal like a lobster, crab, shrimp
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ haven't got a clue [exp] - don't know
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ a graveyard [n] - a place filled with dead bodies
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ a slug [n] - a small land animal [image] A slug
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ a snail [n] - a small land animal with a shell [image] A snail
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ a clam [n] - a small sea animal with a shell [image] A clam
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ enormous [adj] - very big
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ mammals [n] - animals like humans, dogs, whales, and lions
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ two thirds [n] - 23, 66.7%
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ neurons [n] - brain cells
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ prey [n] - animals hunted by a predator
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ tentacles [n] - the long arms of an octopus
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ poach [v] - hunt or steal illegally
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ smother [v] - cover
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ think up [phv] - create
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ set (s/t) apart [phv] - make (something) noticeable, distinguish
  • ☐ ☐ ☐ an invertebrate [n] - animals with no spine/backbone (like an octopus or worm)

[n] - noun,  [v] - verb,  [phv] - phrasal verb,  [adj] - adjective,  [exp] - expression



triangle Questions 문제 Questões Preguntas


  1. What are Steve's steps for catching crabs?
    Check the trap occasionally.
    Scare away octopus.
    Put bait in the trap.
    Drop the trap.
    Drink beer.
    Wait.

  2. Why can't the crabs escape the trap?
    They are not smart enough to see the exit.
    The exit is at the top of the trap.
    There is no exit.

  3. Why does the seafloor look like a crab graveyard?
    There are problems with environmental pollution.
    An octopus has eaten many crabs there.
    Steve has already caught many crabs.

  4. The woman mentions some animals that are related to octopuses. What are they?
    Lobsters
    Crabs
    Snails
    Slugs
    Squids
    Clams

  5. What is the octopus's biggest advantage?
    It has eight tentacles.
    It is a fast swimmer.
    It has a large brain.

  6. What types of animals have larger brains than an octopus when compared to body size?
    Amphibians
    Crustaceans
    Mammals
    Reptiles
    Birds
    Fish

  7. Where are two thirds of an octopus's brain cells located?
    In its tentacles
    In its body
    In its head

  8. What is the octopus's first plan to get the crab?
    Climb into the trap and eat the crab
    Reach in and grab the crab
    Smother the crab

  9. What is the octopus's second plan to get the crab?
    Climb into the trap and eat the crab
    Reach in and grab the crab
    Smother the crab

  10. How is an octopus different from other invertebrates?
    It has problem-solving skills.
    It can escape the trap.
    It eats crabs.



triangle Vocabulary Review 어휘 검토 Revisão de vocabulário Vocabulario revisión


Directions: What expressions from the video have the same meaning as the highlighted expressions in the sentences below?

  1. Put some [ lure, attractive thing ] in a pot, let it [ fall to the bottom in water ], sit back, and wait for crabs to wander in.

    [ bait ] [ sink ]



  2. Steve knows that most [ crabs, lobsters ] aren’t known for their IQ.

    [ crustaceans ]



  3. Once inside the trap, they [ have no idea ] how to get out.

    [ haven’t got a clue ]



  4. [ Considering body size ], only those of birds and mammals are bigger.

    [ Taking body size into account ]



  5. Two thirds of those brain cells, or neurons, are actually in its [ octopus arms ].

    [ tentacles ]



  6. Plan A is to [ suffocate, overwhelm ] the prey.

    [ smother ]



  7. These creative problem-solving skills [ distinguish the octopus ] from all other [ animals without a spine ].

    [ set the octopus apart ] [ invertebrates ]



triangle Sentence Building 문장 만들기 Construção de sentença Construcción de oraciones [ ? ]

Summary

This activity is designed to improve sentence accuracy and complexity. Most students can produce the key content words in a sentence. However, they have difficulty with accuracy because the functional words are difficult or can seem unimportant. This activity will help learners eliminate problems with these functional words by giving them immediate feedback on the mistakes they are making. It will also help students develop their use of more natural, varied and complex sentence structures.

TIP: Say the sentence out loud. Notice the types of mistake you make often. Focus on those types of errors. (singular/plural, subject-verb agreement, article use, prepositions, gerunds and infinitives, noun clauses, adjective clauses, word order, and word forms.)

Resumen

Esta actividad está diseñada para mejorar la precisión y complejidad de las oraciones. La mayoría de los estudiantes pueden producir las palabras clave del contenido en una oración. Sin embargo, tienen dificultades con la precisión porque las palabras funcionales son difíciles o pueden parecer poco importantes. Esta actividad ayudará a los alumnos a eliminar problemas con estas palabras funcionales al brindarles retroalimentación inmediata sobre los errores que están cometiendo. También ayudará a los estudiantes a desarrollar su uso de estructuras de oraciones más naturales, variadas y complejas.

CONSEJO: Diga la oración en voz alta. Observe los tipos de errores que comete con frecuencia. Concéntrese en ese tipo de errores. (singular / plural, concordancia entre sujeto y verbo, uso del artículo, preposiciones, gerundios e infinitivos, cláusulas sustantivas, cláusulas adjetivas, orden de las palabras y formas de las palabras).

요약

이 액티비티는 문장의 정확성과 복잡성을 개선하기 위해 고안되었습니다. 대부분의 학생들은 문장에서 핵심 내용 단어를 생성 할 수 있습니다. 그러나 기능적 단어가 어렵거나 중요하지 않은 것처럼 보일 수 있기 때문에 정확성에 어려움이 있습니다. 이 액티비티는 학습자가 실수에 대한 즉각적인 피드백을 제공함으로써 이러한 기능적 단어의 문제를 제거하는 데 도움이 됩니다. 또한 학생들이 보다 자연스럽고 다양하며 복잡한 문장 구조를 사용하는 데 도움이 됩니다.

팁 : 문장을 크게 말하세요. 자주 저지르는 실수 유형과, 이러한 유형의 오류에 집중하세요. (단수 / 복수, 주어-동사 일치, 관사 사용, 전치사, 동명사 및 부정사, 명사절, 형용사절, 어순 및 단어 형태)

Resumo

Esta atividade foi desenvolvida para melhorar a precisão e a complexidade das frases. A maioria dos alunos pode produzir as palavras-chave do conteúdo em uma frase. No entanto, eles têm dificuldade com precisão porque as palavras funcionais são difíceis ou podem parecer sem importância. Esta atividade ajudará os alunos a eliminar problemas com essas palavras funcionais, dando-lhes feedback imediato sobre os erros que estão cometendo. Também ajudará os alunos a desenvolver o uso de estruturas de sentenças mais naturais, variadas e complexas.

DICA: Diga a frase em voz alta. Observe os tipos de erro que você comete com frequência. Concentre-se nesses tipos de erros. (singular/plural, concordância sujeito-verbo, uso de artigos, preposições, gerúndios e infinitivos, cláusulas substantivas, cláusulas adjetivas, ordem das palavras e formas das palavras.)


Directions: Write sentences about the video clip using the words given. You can change the word form or add words, but you cannot change the word order.
( ) = optional   [ ] = necessary

Instrucciones: Escriba oraciones sobre el videoclip usando las palabras dadas. Puede cambiar la forma de la palabra o agregar palabras, pero no puede cambiar el orden de las palabras.

Instruções:: Escreva orações sobre o videoclipe usando as palavras-chave. Você pode alterar a forma da palavra ou adicionar palavras, mas não pode alterar a ordem das palavras.

지시 : 주어진 단어를 사용하여 비디오 클립에 대한 문장을 씁니다. 어형을 변경하거나 단어를 추가할 수 있지만 어순은 변경할 수 없습니다.



Sentence 1

the / giant / Pacific / octopus / enormous / brain


The Giant Pacific Octopus has an enormous brain.



Sentence 2

only / bird / mammal / large / brain / octopus


Only birds and mammals have larger brains than octopuses.



Sentence 3

two / third / octopus / neuron / tentacle


Two thirds of an octopus's neurons are in its tentacles.
Two thirds of octopuses' neurons are in their tentacles.



Sentence 4

Steve / crab / fisherman


Steve is a crab fisherman.



Sentence 5

to / catch / crab / Steve / put / bait / pot / let / it / sink / sit / back / and / wait / crab / wander


(In order) To catch crabs, Steve puts (some) bait in a pot, lets it sink, sits back, and waits for crabs to wander in.



Sentence 6

when / crab / enter / trap / it / not / know / how / get / out


When a crab enter [the/his] trap, it doesn't know how to get out.



Sentence 7

then / octopus / appear / and / break / into / trap / steal / crab


Then an octopus appears and breaks into the trap (in order) to steal the crab.
Then an octopus appears and breaks into the trap and steals the crab.



Sentence 9

when / Steve / start / pull / trap / octopus / find / way / escape


When Steve starts [to pull/pulling] up the trap, the octopus finds a way to escape.



triangle Discussion 논의 Questões de discussão Discusión


  1. What information in this video was new for you? Was anything surprising? What will you remember about octopuses?
    * Note: Octopuses is the correct and most widely accepted plural form in modern English. Octopi is often used, but it is not technically correct.
  2. Do you think it is fair/moral for fisherman to try to kill competing predators that steal their fish/crabs? Why?
    (Is it okay for the fisherman to try to kill the octopus because it is stealing his crabs?)
  3. It is common in some countries to eat live octopus. Is this immoral? Does knowing that octopuses are quite intelligent have an effect on your opinion?
  4. Do you know any stories that show the intelligence of octopuses?
  5. Can you think of five animals that are vertebrates? Can you think of five animals that are invertebrates?
  6. Can you name these parts of the octopus?


    Word list: arms (tentacles), eye, mantle, siphon, suckers



triangle Script 대본 Roteiro Guion


This is Steve, a crab fisherman.

The basics are simple. Put some bait in a pot, let it sink, sit back, and wait for crabs to wander in.

Steve knows that most crustaceans aren’t known for their IQ.

Once inside the trap, they haven’t got a clue how to get out.

The exit is obvious enough to us, but some animals just aren’t born with much in the way of brains.

But why does the seafloor here look like a crab graveyard?

Well, there’s another crab fisherman living down here in this cave.

And it’s a much more creative one than Steve.

The animal living here shouldn’t really be a problem. Its closest relatives are slugs, snails, and clams. It’s a Giant Pacific Octopus, an animal with one huge advantage — an enormous brain.

Taking body size into account, only those of birds and mammals are bigger. Two thirds of those brain cells, or neurons, are actually in its tentacles. And it uses them all to approach the problem of crab poaching.

Plan A is to smother the prey. With the metal trap in the way, that’s not too successful.

But that huge brain helps the octopus to get creative and to think up a dramatically different strategy.

Once inside, there’s an easy meal, but this could be its last. Breaking in was easy, but the octopus can do something crabs find impossible.

A sure sign that an octopus has struck: a trail of empty shells and a frustrated fisherman.

(What can I say?)

These creative problem-solving skills set (the) octopus apart from all other invertebrates.