【英语时差8,16】动物会笑吗？

If you have a dog, you may have noticed that sometimes it seems to be smiling. But, of course, we know that dogs don't really smile. That's just how dog mouths appear sometimes, right?   Perhaps, but according to neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp of Bowling¹ Green State University, some animals do laugh.

When chimps² play, Panksepp notes, they make panting sounds that could be a form of laughter. Even rats have a way of laughing--by chirping³ when they're playing with each other or being tickled⁴ by humans.

But, if animals do in fact laugh, what are they laughing at? Scientists have long known that for many animals, life isn't all about hunting, foraging⁵, fighting, and sleeping. Young animals also play a lot, which suggests that animal laughter is related to playful joy.

How is this possible? Human laughter originates in very ancient areas of the brain. This suggests that mammalian brains were wired for playful joy long before the rise of modern humans. So it's not too much of a stretch to claim that pre-human forms of laughter may exist.

To be clear, it's not certain that animals really laugh like humans, at least not in response to humor. However, many studies suggest that animals are capable of complex emotions such as fear, anger, and even joy and sadness.

So your dog's grin may not be a real human-type smile. But it now seems likely that deep in brain regions that animals share with humans, the ability for joy and ancients forms of laughter do exist.  

1 bowling   

n.保龄球运动

参考例句：

• Bowling is a popular sport with young and old.保龄球是老少都爱的运动。
• Which sport do you 1ike most,golf or bowling?你最喜欢什么运动，高尔夫还是保龄球？

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 chirping   

鸟叫，虫鸣( chirp的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The birds,chirping relentlessly,woke us up at daybreak. 破晓时鸟儿不断吱吱地叫，把我们吵醒了。
• The birds are chirping merrily. 鸟儿在欢快地鸣叫着。

4 tickled   

（使）发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）愉快，逗乐

参考例句：

• We were tickled pink to see our friends on television. 在电视中看到我们的一些朋友，我们高兴极了。
• I tickled the baby's feet and made her laugh. 我胳肢孩子的脚，使她发笑。

5 foraging   

v.搜寻（食物），尤指动物觅（食）( forage的现在分词 )；（尤指用手）搜寻（东西）

参考例句：

• They eke out a precarious existence foraging in rubbish dumps. 他们靠在垃圾场捡垃圾维持着朝不保夕的生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The campers went foraging for wood to make a fire. 露营者去搜寻柴木点火。 来自辞典例句