【英语时差8,16】不怕火的猩猩-上

What do you do when the savannah is on fire? If you’re a frightened elephant or gazelle, unable to gauge¹ the ferocity or direction of the flames, you run. If you’re a chimpanzee, scientists at the Fongoli research site in Senegal have found, you might not be so concerned. As a matter of fact, you might even do a little dance. Why do savannah chimps³ appear to be unafraid of fire? Scientists believe it’s because they are intelligent enough to predict where the fire is going to spread. Instead of panicking, chimps remain calm near the flames and continue with their daily business. They even have what scientists call a “fire dance.” Similar to the “rain dance” coined by primatologist Jane Goodall, dominant⁴ males perform an exaggerated, slow motion dominance display toward the fire. Chimp² behavior is often used as a clue to understand early hominid or human behavior. Scientists have long wondered how hominids overcame the instinctive⁵ fear of fire and learned to manipulate it.

1 gauge   

v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器

参考例句：

• Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。

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 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

4 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

5 instinctive   

adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的

参考例句：

• He tried to conceal his instinctive revulsion at the idea.他试图饰盖自己对这一想法本能的厌恶。
• Animals have an instinctive fear of fire.动物本能地怕火。