时差N小时 黑猩猩或使用手语与人类沟通(上)

Chattering¹ Chimps²

喋喋不休的黑猩猩！

We talk to our house pets all the time, but wouldn’t it be great if your cat could answer you in English?

我们经常跟家里的宠物聊天。如果你的猫能用英语回应，那岂不是很棒？

Well, maybe it wouldn’t be so great!

不过，或许并没有你想象的那么美好。

We tend to assume that, because they don’t speak human language, other animals are dumb, or emotionless, or might make a good cheeseburger.

我们倾向于假设其他动物不会说人类语言，便想当然觉得它们愚蠢或认为它们没有感情，甚至认为它们只适合用来制作芝士汉堡。

If we could ask them what they think, we might have to reconsider how we think!

如果问一问动物们自己的想法，那么人类可能就得重新改观了。

In the 1960′s, psychologists Beatrice and Robert Gardner decided³ to do just this.

20世纪60年代，心理学家碧翠斯（Beatrice）和罗伯特·加德纳（Robert Gardner）打算印证这一想法。

They wanted to see if chimpanzees had the mental capacity for language.

他们想要确认黑猩猩是否具备语言方面的心智能力。

Now since chimps can’t make the verbal sounds that humans can, so the Gardners tried teaching chimpanzees sign language.

由于黑猩猩无法像人类那样口头发声，加德纳夫妇就尝试教他们手势语。

The results surprise almost everyone who hears about these studies.

研究结果令几乎所有知晓该研究的人目瞪口呆。

Not only was sign language possible for chimps, some acquired vocabularies of several hundred words.

黑猩猩不仅有学会手势语的可能性，甚至还能挑战数百个词汇。

1 chattering   

n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The teacher told the children to stop chattering in class. 老师叫孩子们在课堂上不要叽叽喳喳讲话。
• I was so cold that my teeth were chattering. 我冷得牙齿直打战。

2 chimps   

（非洲）黑猩猩( chimp的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Chimps are too scarce, and too nearly human, to be routinely slaughtered for spare parts. 黑猩猩又太少，也太接近于人类，不可以作为人器官备用件说杀就杀。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 医学的第四次革命
• And as nonprimates, they provoke fewer ethical and safety-related concerns than chimps or baboons. 而且作为非灵长类，就不会产生像用黑猩猩或狒狒那样的伦理和安全方面的顾虑。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 医学的第四次革命

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。