60秒科学:男性声音能显示出说话人的体能状况(有

Study subjects were able to accurately¹ assess men's physical strength based only on listening to them speak

Which of these guys would you guess is stronger? Him? [Arnold Schwarzenegger saying “One of us is in deep trouble.”]. Or him? [Pee Wee Herman saying, “I’m having a party, and you’re invited!”] If you chose Arnold over Pee Wee, it’s not just because you’re an astute² student of popular culture. A new study shows that people are able to accurately judge a man’s strength from his voice. The work appears in the Proceedings³ of the Royal Society.

The meek⁴ may inherit the Earth. But the powerful tend to prevail in physical conflicts. So it’s not surprising that humans have evolved the ability to accurately size up their potential opponents. Such assessments⁵ usually spring from visual inspection⁶. But what if it’s dark out, or your rivals are at a distance or on the phone? Will auditory information suffice?

Scientists asked undergraduates to listen to recordings⁷ of men from a variety of cultures: from Romanian college students to Argentinian llama herders. And they found that subjects could accurately predict upper body strength based on voice alone. Even when that voice was from an unfamiliar⁸ culture.

So if you’re gonna pick a fight sight unseen, listen first. Just to make sure the other guy doesn’t sound like this. [John Wayne saying, “You better wipe that smile off your face or I’ll do it for you.”]
 

1 accurately   

adv.准确地，精确地

参考例句：

• It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
• Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。

2 astute   

adj.机敏的，精明的

参考例句：

• A good leader must be an astute judge of ability.一个优秀的领导人必须善于识别人的能力。
• The criminal was very astute and well matched the detective in intelligence.这个罪犯非常狡猾，足以对付侦探的机智。

3 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

4 meek   

adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的

参考例句：

• He expects his wife to be meek and submissive.他期望妻子温顺而且听他摆布。
• The little girl is as meek as a lamb.那个小姑娘像羔羊一般温顺。

5 assessments   

n.评估( assessment的名词复数 )；评价；（应偿付金额的）估定；（为征税对财产所作的）估价

参考例句：

• He was shrewd in his personal assessments. 他总能对人作出精明的评价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Surveys show about two-thirds use such assessments, while half employ personality tests. 调查表明，约有三分之二的公司采用了这种测评；而一半的公司则采用工作人员个人品质测试。 来自百科语句

6 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

7 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐

8 unfamiliar   

adj.陌生的，不熟悉的

参考例句：

• I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
• The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。