2019年经济学人 猫猫狗狗统治“铲屎官”(1)

 

Leaders

来源于《社论》版块

Pet theories

宠物理论

Reigning¹ cats and dogs

“统治阶级”猫猫狗狗

As pet ownership booms, a troubling question rears its head: who owns whom?

随着宠物拥有量的激增，一个令人不安的问题浮出水面：宠物和人谁是主人?

There is a range of theories about how Homo sapiens came to rule the planet. Opposable thumbs, cranial size, altruism² and cooking all played a part, but central to the naked ape’s success was its ability to dominate other species. Bovids, equids and, in particular, canids, were put to work by H. sapiens; felids always took a slightly different view of the matter, but were indulged for their rodent-catching talents.

关于智人如何能成为地球的统治者产生了一系列理论。对生拇指、头颅大小、利他主义以及烹饪都是其中原因，但人类能够成功统治地球的最主要原因是支配其他物种的能力。牛科动物、马科动物，尤其是犬科动物，都是由智人分工的；猫科动物略有不同，但受宠的原因主要是捕捉啮齿类生物的天性。

As humanity has got richer, animals’ roles have changed. People need their services less than before. Fewer wolves and bandits meant less demand for dogs for protection; the internal combustion³ engine made horses redundant⁴; modern sanitation⁵ kept rats in check and made cats less useful. No longer necessities, domestic animals became luxuries. Petkeeping seems to kick in en masse when household incomes rise above roughly $5,000. It is booming.

人类物资越来越丰富，动物角色也随之改变。相比之前，人类对于动物干活的需求变小了。狼和强盗减少意味着不要那么多看家狗了；内燃机的出现使得人们不再需要拉车的马了；现代卫生设施抑制住了老鼠，猫的作用也没那么大了。家畜不再是必需品，而是奢侈品。家庭收入大约超过5000美元时，养宠物似乎是一个普遍选择。宠物业正蓬勃发展。

The trend is not a new one. Archaeologists have found 10,000-year-old graves in which dogs and people are buried together. Some cultures— such as in Scandinavia, where canines⁶ have long been both working dogs and companions— have kept pets for millennia⁷. But these days the pet-keeping urge has spread even to parts of the world which have no tradition of snuggling up on a comfy chair with a furry⁸ creature.

这种趋势并不新鲜。考古学家们发现了有10000年历史人狗合葬的坟墓。有些地方的文化几千年来一直盛行养宠物，比如斯堪的纳维亚半岛，那里的狗长期以来既是工作犬又是人类的伙伴。但如今，养宠物的潮流已经蔓延至各地，甚至是本来没有和毛茸茸的宠物窝在沙发上的传统的地方。

In parts of Asia where people used to regard the best place for man’s best friend as not the sofa but the stewing-pot, along with some onions and a pinch of seasoning⁹, and where cats were made into tonics¹⁰, norms are changing fast. The South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, has a rescue dog, and the mayor of Seoul has promised to shut down dog butchers. China, where dogs were once rounded up and slaughtered¹¹ on the ground that keeping pets was bourgeois¹², has gone mad for cutesy breeds like Pomeranians, whose wolfish ancestors would have swallowed them whole for elevenses. Traditionalists attending the annual dogmeat festival in Guangxi now find themselves under attack by packs of snarling¹³ animal-lovers.

在亚洲的一些地区，人们过去认为给人类最好的朋友最好的地方不是沙发，而是炖锅，外加几片洋葱和一撮调料。以前拿猫当做滋补品的地方，规范正在改变。韩国总统文在寅养了一只搜救犬，首尔市长承诺关闭狗肉屠宰店。狗曾经被围捕和屠杀，理由是养宠物是资产阶级的行为，而现在却为博美犬这种可爱的物种陷入疯狂，而狼祖先会将这类犬当做下午茶一样吞掉。参加广西狗肉节的传统主义者现在发现自己受到了一群咆哮的动物爱好者的攻击。

1 reigning   

adj.统治的，起支配作用的

参考例句：

• The sky was dark, stars were twinkling high above, night was reigning, and everything was sunk in silken silence. 天很黑，星很繁，夜阑人静。
• Led by Huang Chao, they brought down the reigning house after 300 years' rule. 在黄巢的带领下，他们推翻了统治了三百年的王朝。

2 altruism   

n.利他主义，不自私

参考例句：

• An important feature of moral behaviour is altruism.道德行为一个重要特点就是利他主义。
• Altruism is crucial for social cohesion.利他主义对社会的凝聚是至关重要的。

3 combustion   

n.燃烧；氧化；骚动

参考例句：

• We might be tempted to think of combustion.我们也许会联想到氧化。
• The smoke formed by their combustion is negligible.由它燃烧所生成的烟是可忽略的。

4 redundant   

adj.多余的，过剩的；(食物)丰富的；被解雇的

参考例句：

• There are too many redundant words in this book.这本书里多余的词太多。
• Nearly all the redundant worker have been absorbed into other departments.几乎所有冗员，都已调往其他部门任职。

5 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

6 canines   

n.犬齿( canine的名词复数 )；犬牙；犬科动物

参考例句：

• For example, the teeth are more primitive. There are large canines and unusually shaped incisors. 譬如，牙齿更为原始，有大的犬齿和非常合适的门齿。 来自辞典例句
• Well-to-canines can attend doggy daycare centers while their owners work. 富人家的狗在主人上班的时候可以去狗狗托管中心。 来自互联网

7 millennia   

n.一千年，千禧年

参考例句：

• For two millennia, exogamy was a major transgression for Jews. 两千年来，异族通婚一直是犹太人的一大禁忌。
• In the course of millennia, the dinosaurs died out. 在几千年的时间里，恐龙逐渐死绝了。

8 furry   

adj.毛皮的；似毛皮的；毛皮制的

参考例句：

• This furry material will make a warm coat for the winter.这件毛皮料在冬天会是一件保暖的大衣。
• Mugsy is a big furry brown dog,who wiggles when she is happy.马格斯是一只棕色大长毛狗，当她高兴得时候她会摇尾巴。

9 seasoning   

n.调味；调味料；增添趣味之物

参考例句：

• Salt is the most common seasoning.盐是最常用的调味品。
• This sauce uses mushroom as its seasoning.这酱油用蘑菇作调料。

10 tonics   

n.滋补品( tonic的名词复数 )；主音；奎宁水；浊音

参考例句：

• I think you have a prejudice against tonics. 我认你对补药有偏见。 来自互联网
• Two gin and tonics, please. 请来两杯杜松子酒加奎宁水。 来自互联网

11 slaughtered   

v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The invading army slaughtered a lot of people. 侵略军杀了许多人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Hundreds of innocent civilians were cruelly slaughtered. 数百名无辜平民遭残杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 bourgeois   

adj./n.追求物质享受的(人)；中产阶级分子

参考例句：

• He's accusing them of having a bourgeois and limited vision.他指责他们像中产阶级一样目光狭隘。
• The French Revolution was inspired by the bourgeois.法国革命受到中产阶级的鼓励。

13 snarling   

v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的现在分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说

参考例句：

• "I didn't marry you," he said, in a snarling tone. “我没有娶你，"他咆哮着说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• So he got into the shoes snarling. 于是，汤姆一边大喊大叫，一边穿上了那双鞋。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险