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The metaphor "rat race" may soon have a more [lateral / literal] meaning. This is because scientists have been teaching rats to drive a [tiny / tinny] , purpose-built car around a [lavatory / laboratory] . Neuroscientist Dr Kelly Lambert from the University of Richmond in the USA has been working with the car-driving [rodent / rodents] since 2019. [Speaking / Spoken] to the online news agency "The Conversation," she explained that the creatures not only learned to [rev / ref] the engines of their miniature vehicles, they seemed to "get a [kick / punch] out of it". She said: "Unexpectedly, we found that the rats had an [inverse / intense] motivation for their driving training, often jumping into the car and revving the '[lever / liver] engine' before their vehicles hit the [sidewalk / road] ."

Lambert's study was to [explore / implore] the relationship between rats and their environments. She wanted to find out how their [ignition / cognition] developed, and how they processed new [skill / skills] . In her tests, she placed one group of [fab / lab] rats in a space that contained many toys and companions. The other [test / testy] rodents were put in an area with no toys and fewer friends. Dr Lambert trained the rats to [corrugate / correlate] driving with a sweet [cereal / serial] reward. Those in the more enriched environment learned to drive faster. Dr Lambert concluded her research findings supported the idea [what / that] complex environments enhanced neuroplasticity. This is the brain's ability [to / at] form and reorganize connections in response [to / in] learning.