TED演讲：拥有大脑的真正原因(9)

 　　Now I have to admit, these are the worst studies my lab has ever run.  现在我要承认，这个是我实验室里进行过的最糟糕的实验。

　　Because the tickle¹ sensation on the palm comes and goes, you need large numbers of subjects with these stars making them significant.  因为痒痒的感觉就像昙花一现，所以需要大量的试验者，还只能靠星级来给痒痒的程度打分。

　　So we were looking for a much more objective way to assess this phenomena².  所以我们需要一个更客观的办法来评估这个现象。

　　And in the intervening years I had two daughters.  其间几年中，我有了两个女儿。

　　And one thing you notice about children in backseats of cars on long journeys,  于是关于长途旅行里小孩子坐在后座上，你注意到一件事，

　　they get into fights -- which started with one of them doing something to the other, the other retaliating³.  那就是他们会互相掐架--开始于其中一个对另一个动了什么手脚，另一个就要还手。

　　It quickly escalates⁵. And children tend to get into fights which escalate⁴ in terms of force.  然后冲突很快就会升级。而小孩子们之间的冲突升级一般都体现在用力大小上。

　　Now when I screamed at my children to stop, sometimes they would both say to me the other person hit them harder. 于是我嚷嚷着叫我的孩子们住手的时候，有的时候她们俩都会告诉我，对方下手比自己更重。

　　Now I happen to know my children don't lie, so I thought, as a neuroscientist,  我恰好知道我的孩子们不会说假话，所以作为一个神经学家，

　　and it was important how I could explain how they were telling inconsistent truths.  我想我如何解释两人自相矛盾的真话应该是很重要的吧。

　　And we hypothesize based on the tickling⁶ study that when one child hits another, they generate the movement command.  于是我们根据挠痒痒的实验做出了假设，就是当一个孩子打另一个的时候，会生成动作命令。

　　They predict the sensory⁷ consequences and subtract it off.  他们预测出了感知到的结果，然后减掉了。

　　So they actually think they've hit the person less hard than they have -- rather like the tickling.  实际上他们以为他们下手比真正要轻，和挠痒的道理类似。

　　Whereas the passive recipient⁸ doesn't make the prediction, feels the full blow.  然而那个被打的孩子没有做预测，感觉到了全部的打击。

　　So if they retaliate⁹ with the same force, the first person will think it's been escalated¹⁰. 所以他们用同样这个打击的力气还手的话，第一个人会觉得力气变大，冲突升级了。

1 tickle   

v.搔痒，胳肢；使高兴；发痒；n.搔痒，发痒

参考例句：

• Wilson was feeling restless. There was a tickle in his throat.威尔逊只觉得心神不定。嗓子眼里有些发痒。
• I am tickle pink at the news.听到这消息我高兴得要命。

2 phenomena   

n.现象

参考例句：

• Ade couldn't relate the phenomena with any theory he knew.艾德无法用他所知道的任何理论来解释这种现象。
• The object of these experiments was to find the connection,if any,between the two phenomena.这些实验的目的就是探索这两种现象之间的联系，如果存在着任何联系的话。

3 retaliating   

v.报复，反击( retaliate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The administration will begin retaliating in six weeks if EC policies remain unchanged. 凯特先生说，如果欧共体一意孤行，美国政府将于六周后开始报复。 来自互联网

4 escalate   

v.(使)逐步增长(或发展)，(使)逐步升级

参考例句：

• It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它将诱使以色列的邻国不断把他们的要求升级。
• Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失败可能会导致其中一方将冲突升级。

5 escalates   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的第三人称单数 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• As the challenge escalates, the need for teamwork elevates. 面临的挑战越大，越需要团队协同合作。 来自互联网
• I cannot understand why a minor disagreement escalates into a fist-fight. 我真不明白为什么一点意见不合就变成了拳头相见。 来自互联网

6 tickling   

反馈，回授，自旋挠痒法

参考例句：

• Was It'spring tickling her senses? 是不是春意撩人呢？
• Its origin is in tickling and rough-and-tumble play, he says. 他说，笑的起源来自于挠痒痒以及杂乱无章的游戏。

7 sensory   

adj.知觉的，感觉的，知觉器官的

参考例句：

• Human powers of sensory discrimination are limited.人类感官分辨能力有限。
• The sensory system may undergo long-term adaptation in alien environments.感觉系统对陌生的环境可能经过长时期才能适应。

8 recipient   

a.接受的,感受性强的 n.接受者,感受者,容器

参考例句：

• Please check that you have a valid email certificate for each recipient. 请检查是否对每个接收者都有有效的电子邮件证书。
• Colombia is the biggest U . S aid recipient in Latin America. 哥伦比亚是美国在拉丁美洲最大的援助对象。

9 retaliate   

v.报复，反击

参考例句：

• He sought every opportunity to retaliate against his enemy.他找机会向他的敌人反击。
• It is strictly forbidden to retaliate against the quality inspectors.严禁对质量检验人员进行打击报复。

10 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。