经济学人182:动物行为 狡猾的冷血动物

 　　Science and technology

　　科学技术

　　Animal behaviour

　　动物行为

　　Cold-blooded cunning

　　狡猾的冷血动物

　　Reptiles¹ are more intelligent than previously² thought

　　爬行动物的智商比人们之前想象的要高

　　IT IS no compliment to call someone lizard³-brained.

　　如果某人被称为蜥蜴脑，那可不是什么恭维的说话。

　　The reptilian⁴ mind is usually equated⁵ in the human one with traits like aggression⁶, dominance and sexual appetite.

　　爬行动物的头脑通常情况下与人脑相同，也具有侵略、支配和性欲的特性。

　　That analysis was given currency in the 1960s when Paul MacLean theorised that the human brain has three levels,

　　这种分析在20世纪60年代得到流行，当时保罗?麦克莱恩从理论上推断人脑具有三个层次，

　　the most basic—both functionally⁷ and literally—being the “reptilian” part, composed of structures called basal ganglia.

　　人脑最基本的层次—从功能和字面上理解与"爬行"动物相同，它由基底神经节结构组成。

　　MacLean's analysis is not much believed now by neuroscientists,

　　麦克莱恩的分析并不为现在的神经学家所认同，

　　but it has stuck in the popular imagination.

　　但它始终存在于大众的意识中，

　　And it has also, subliminally⁹, affected¹⁰ research.

　　并一直对科学研究有着潜在的影响。

　　For, until recently, no one had actually thought to ask by experimentation¹¹ just how intelligent reptiles really are.

　　直到最近，人们都没有真正想过要通过实验测得爬行动物的智商到底如何。

　　That omission¹² has just been corrected by Manuel Leal and Brian Powell of Duke University, in North Carolina—and the result is intriguing¹³.

　　北卡罗莱纳州杜克大学的Manuel Leal和Brian Powell对这一疏忽进行了纠正—其研究结果激发了人们浓厚的兴趣。

　　In a paper published in Biology Letters Dr Leal and Dr Powell suggest that lizards¹⁴ are at least as intelligent as tits, a group of birds that has been well examined in this respect.

　　Leal博士和Powell博士发表在生物学快报上的论文表明蜥蜴的智商绝对不比山雀低，研究人员在此方面曾对这组鸟类有过很好的研究。

　　In their study, the two researchers put a species called Anolis evermanni through a triathlon of cognitive¹⁵ tests of the sort used on tits.

　　在他们的实验中，两名研究人员让一个叫热带树蜥的动物成功通过一个三项全能的认知测试，这种实验曾用于山雀。

　　First, the reptiles had to learn how to extract a tasty grub from a container.

　　首先，爬行动物必须学会如何从容器中获取甜美的食物。

　　Then, they were taught to associate the grub with a particular colour.

　　然后教它们如何将食物与一种特定颜色相关联。

　　Finally, they were taught to dissociate it from that colour and learn that a different colour was the giveaway.

　　最后教它们将食物与那种颜色脱离联系并学会一种不同颜色代表的是免费美食。

　　The lizards were able to manage all three tasks with ease—matching the performance of tits in similar tests.

　　蜥蜴能轻松地完成三项任务—在相同测试中与山雀的表现不分伯仲。

　　Indeed, in getting at the grubs several of them worked out a form of behaviour never seen in nature,

　　实际上，在获取食物之时，有几只蜥蜴表现出的行为方式是在自然界中没出现过的，

　　employing their snouts as levers to lift an obstacle.

　　它们用鼻子作为手段将障碍物移走。

　　Having established that lizards are at least as clever as birds at such simple tasks, Dr Leal hopes to go on and explore the evolutionary¹⁶ forces behind lizard intelligence.

　　在确定了蜥蜴完成简单任务时至少和鸟类同等聪明之后，Leal博士希望将实验进行下去并探索蜥蜴智力背后的进化力量。

　　He does, however, have a problem—and it is one that might help to explain why, besides phylogenetic prejudice, the lizard mind has not been properly investigated before.

　　而他的确有一个疑问，这个疑问也许对解释以下问题有所裨益，那就是除去对物种的偏见之外，还有什么原因使得人们之前未展开适当的研究来测定爬行动物的智商。

　　Tits, being warm-blooded, have to eat a lot and thus have a strong incentive¹⁷ to collaborate¹⁸ with researchers in such experiments.

　　山雀属于温血动物，它必须吃大量的食物以维持身体的能量，这就使它们具有强烈的动机与研究人员配合进行这种实验。

　　The average lizard, by contrast, is happy to consume a single grub a day.

　　相比之下，平均每只蜥蜴一天中只乐意享受一次美食。

　　It may therefore be some time before the next paper appears on the subject.

　　因此，下一篇与此主题相关的论文可能需要很长时间才能发表。

　　1.cunning a.狡猾的；有眼光的；精巧的

　　Many politicians are cunning sophists.

　　许多政客都是狡猾的诡辩家。

　　2.compliment n.称赞；恭维

　　I was embarrassed by their compliment.

　　对他们的称赞我感到很不安。

　　3.trait n.特征；特点

　　They suddenly exhibit a striking new trait.

　　它们突然呈现出一种新的显著特征。

　　4.reptilian a.爬虫类的；卑鄙的

　　The reptilian brain is much like a baby's brain.

　　爬行动物的脑袋很像婴儿的大脑。

　　5.subliminally a.下意识的；潜意识的

　　These little eye movements may also help expose a person's subliminal⁸ thoughts.

　　这种小幅的眼球运动也可能揭露了我们下意识的想法。

1 reptiles   

n.爬行动物，爬虫( reptile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Snakes and crocodiles are both reptiles. 蛇和鳄鱼都是爬行动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Birds, reptiles and insects come from eggs. 鸟类、爬虫及昆虫是卵生的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

3 lizard   

n.蜥蜴，壁虎

参考例句：

• A chameleon is a kind of lizard.变色龙是一种蜥蜴。
• The lizard darted out its tongue at the insect.蜥蜴伸出舌头去吃小昆虫。

4 reptilian   

adj.（像）爬行动物的；（像）爬虫的；卑躬屈节的；卑鄙的n.两栖动物；卑劣的人

参考例句：

• The chick is ugly and almost reptilian in its appearance. 这只小鸡长得很丑，看起来几乎像个爬行动物。 来自辞典例句
• Being from Orion do Zetas contain DNA from the Reptilian race? 齐塔人是从猎户座而来，DNA来自爬虫族吗？ 来自互联网

5 equated   

adj.换算的v.认为某事物（与另一事物）相等或相仿( equate的过去式和过去分词 )；相当于；等于；把（一事物） 和（另一事物）等同看待

参考例句：

• Production costs for the movie equated to around 30% of income. 这部电影的制作成本相当于收益的30%。
• Politics cannot be equated with art. 政治不能同艺术等同起来。

6 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

7 functionally   

adv.机能上地，官能地

参考例句：

• Objective To explore occlusion reconstruction by computer aided design (CAD) with functionally-generated pathway (FGP). 目的探索借助功能性？记录(functionally-generated pathway,FGP)技术进行口腔固定修复体计算机辅助设计(Computer aided Design,CAD)生理性建？的方法。 来自互联网
• In this respect, the proceeding was functionally similar to a comparative licensing adjudication. 在这一点上，手续在作用上即类似于比较许可证发放的裁断。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

8 subliminal   

adj.下意识的，潜意识的；太弱或太快以至于难以觉察的

参考例句：

• Maybe they're getting it on a subliminal level.也许他们会在潜意识里这么以为。
• The soft sell approach gets to consumers in a subliminal way.软广告通过潜意识的作用来影响消费者。

9 subliminally   

adv.下意识地

参考例句：

• I have read many books, perhaps they influenced me subliminally. 我读过很多书，也许受到了它们潜移默化的影响。 来自柯林斯例句

10 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

11 experimentation   

n.实验，试验，实验法

参考例句：

• Many people object to experimentation on animals.许多人反对用动物做实验。
• Study and analysis are likely to be far cheaper than experimentation.研究和分析的费用可能要比实验少得多。

12 omission   

n.省略，删节；遗漏或省略的事物，冗长

参考例句：

• The omission of the girls was unfair.把女孩排除在外是不公平的。
• The omission of this chapter from the third edition was a gross oversight.第三版漏印这一章是个大疏忽。

13 intriguing   

adj.有趣的；迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词)；激起…的好奇心

参考例句：

• These discoveries raise intriguing questions. 这些发现带来了非常有趣的问题。
• It all sounds very intriguing. 这些听起来都很有趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 lizards   

n.蜥蜴( lizard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nothing lives in Pompeii except crickets and beetles and lizards. 在庞培城里除了蟋蟀、甲壳虫和蜥蜴外，没有别的生物。 来自辞典例句
• Can lizards reproduce their tails? 蜥蜴的尾巴断了以后能再生吗？ 来自辞典例句

15 cognitive   

adj.认知的，认识的，有感知的

参考例句：

• As children grow older,their cognitive processes become sharper.孩子们越长越大，他们的认知过程变得更为敏锐。
• The cognitive psychologist is like the tinker who wants to know how a clock works.认知心理学者倒很像一个需要通晓钟表如何运转的钟表修理匠。

16 evolutionary   

adj.进化的；演化的，演变的；[生]进化论的

参考例句：

• Life has its own evolutionary process.生命有其自身的进化过程。
• These are fascinating questions to be resolved by the evolutionary studies of plants.这些十分吸引人的问题将在研究植物进化过程中得以解决。

17 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

18 collaborate   

vi.协作，合作；协调

参考例句：

• The work gets done more quickly when we collaborate.我们一旦合作，工作做起来就更快了。
• I would ask you to collaborate with us in this work.我们愿意请你们在这项工作中和我们合作。