托福口语 Task 4

Today we're going to talk about a fascinating concept in animal behavior called 'behavioral thermoregulation.' This is when animals deliberately change their behavior to control their body temperature, especially in extreme environments. One main reason they do this is to avoid overheating or excessive cooling, which can be fatal. Let me give you two examples. First, consider the desert lizard. When the sun is too intense, the lizard will climb onto a rock and then alternate lifting one foot at a time off the hot surface. By doing so, it reduces the amount of heat absorbed from the ground. It also may seek shade under a bush during the hottest part of the day. Second, think about the honeybee. In a hive, if the temperature rises too high, worker bees will gather water and spread it over the comb, then fan their wings to create evaporation, which cools the hive. If it gets too cold, they cluster tightly together and shiver their wing muscles to generate heat. These behaviors allow them to maintain a stable internal environment without relying solely on external conditions.