英语PK台 第349期:Lisa Roet探索灵长类动物惊人交流能力

 　　Track One

　　When I was in high school I wanted to work with Zoology¹ or Primatology

　　在上高中时，我就想研究动物学或灵长类动物学。

　　I was fascinated with ‘human-animal’ communication

　　我很痴迷于“人类与动物之间”的交流。

　　Which was starting to be talked about in the ‘70’s when I was a child

　　这个话题在70年代时开始有人讨论，那时我还只是个孩子。

　　Scientists like Jane Goodall, for example, who was doing this research

　　像珍·古道尔这样的科学家当时正在做这方面的研究

　　The emotional aspects of animal behavior

　　动物行为情感

　　When I first did some research in Atlanta — I was invited to visit a language research centre there

　　当我开始在亚特兰大做些研究时，我被邀请参观当地的一个语言研究中心。

　　At Georgia State University where they were teaching chimpanzees to use sign language to communicate with the scientists

　　在乔治亚州立大学，他们教黑猩猩使用手语与科学家进行沟通。

　　Several years going backwards³ and forwards with Atlanta working with one particular chimpanzee

　　我往返于亚特兰大好几年，与其中一只黑猩猩共事。

　　We used sign language as well as he used a computer system

　　我们使用手语，黑猩猩使用计算机系统

　　A hexagram system with 300 words — I would communicate with him on a daily basis

　　一个囊括300词的六角形系统 ——我每天都会用这个跟他交流

　　We would form things like ‘Going to the forest’

　　我们会用词语造句，比如说“到森林中去”。

　　He would tell me what he wanted to do — I would ‘take him out’ and we would do those activities

　　他会告诉我他想做的事—我就会“带他出去”，一起做他想做的事。

　　You are suggesting that these primates⁴ have pretty close thinking pattern to humans

　　你是在说这些灵长类动物的思维模式与人类相当接近。

　　This chimpanzee had a video monitor in his room

　　这只黑猩猩的房间里装了个视频监拍器。

　　One of the first things — I asked him what he wanted to do that particular day

　　有件重要的事情是，有一天我要问他当天想做什么事。

　　He said "I want to see my cousin"

　　他说：“我想见见我的表亲。”

　　I asked the keeper who his cousin was — it was actually his friend, another chimpanzee that lives in another compound

　　我问饲养员他的表亲是谁——其实那是他的朋友，那只黑猩猩住在另一区域。

　　I asked if we could take him there — "No, you can't"

　　我问我们能不能把他带过来——“不，你们不能。”

　　So, the chimpanzee asked me to take the video monitor and go and take video footage

　　然后，我的那只黑猩猩要我带上视频监拍器，出去拍摄录像。

　　He had a keyboard system that said "You video me — show me"

　　他有个键盘系统会说“你拍视频给我看吧。”

　　Track Two

　　I had to go and take the camcorder

　　我不得不去拿便携式摄像机。

　　I took footage of this particular chimpanzee — I took it back, plugged it into his monitor

　　我给那只黑猩猩录了像——我得把摄影机拿回来，插进他的监拍器。

　　He texted and said ‘I love my cousin.’

　　他打字说 “我爱我的表亲”。

　　"How do you manage to get a chimp² to learn the keyboard?"

　　“你是怎么让一只黑猩猩学会使用键盘的？”

　　I have no doubt about the intellect of some of the higher apes such as the chimpanzee, the gorillas⁵, and the orangutans

　　我丝毫不怀疑一些高等猿类的智商，比如黑猩猩、大猩猩还有红毛猩猩。

　　They are very intelligent creatures

　　他们都是非常聪明的生物。

　　I have just been at the Melbourne Zoo — I work closely with them on their ‘Palm Oil’ project

　　我刚去了墨尔本动物园——我和他们就 “棕榈油”项目有一些密切合作。

　　They have a big programme teaching children about one of their orangutans

　　他们有个很大的项目是教孩子了解猩猩中的一类。

　　They are known escapologists — they find bits of metal, they pick locks and they get out

　　猩猩是出了名的脱身术杂技演员——他们会找点金属，撬锁，然后逃脱。

　　They do it where no human can do it

　　他们能做人不能做的事。

　　Does this make you feel very sensitive when you hear about the harsh treatment of many of the primates — in the mountains of Africa — their territory getting smaller, the hunting going on

　　如果你听说许多灵长类动物受到残酷对待——比如在非洲的山区——他们的领地越来越少，而人类还在继续捕杀，你会不会十分敏感？

　　I am appalled⁶ — it also reflects on how other people mistreat other humans as well

　　我很震惊——这也反映了人们也会虐待其他自己的同类。

　　Even through racist⁷ reasons or lack of understanding

　　这种行为一般是种族主义或缺乏理解造成的。

　　It is always this fear of the other that humans have that creates some terrible behaviour

　　人类总是会有对其他同类的恐惧，这种恐惧致使人类对同类做出了一些可怕的行为。

　　What other parts of the world have you been into?

　　你还去过世界其他什么地方？

　　Worked in different zoos — Arnhem Zoo in Holland, worked in Borneo quite consistently, Atlanta

　　在不同的动物园工作过——荷兰的阿纳姆动物园，在婆罗洲也工作了很长一段时间，还有亚特兰大。

1 zoology   

n.动物学，生态

参考例句：

• I would like to brush up my zoology.我想重新温习一下动物学。
• The library didn't stock zoology textbooks.这家图书馆没有动物学教科书。

2 chimp   

n.黑猩猩

参考例句：

• In fact,the color of gorilla and chimp are light-color.其实大猩猩和黑猩猩的肤色是较为浅的。
• The chimp is the champ.猩猩是冠军。

3 backwards   

adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地

参考例句：

• He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
• All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。

4 primates   

primate的复数

参考例句：

• Primates are alert, inquisitive animals. 灵长目动物是机灵、好奇的动物。
• Consciousness or cerebration has been said to have emerged in the evolution of higher primates. 据说意识或思考在较高级灵长类的进化中已出现。

5 gorillas   

n.大猩猩( gorilla的名词复数 )；暴徒，打手

参考例句：

• the similitude between humans and gorillas 人类和大猩猩的相像
• Each family of gorillas is led by a great silverbacked patriarch. 每个大星星家族都由一个魁梧的、长着银色被毛的族长带领着。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 appalled   

v.使惊骇，使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的；丧胆的

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• They were appalled by the reports of the nuclear war. 他们被核战争的报道吓坏了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。