时差N小时 关于一夫一妻制(下)

Researchers in the UK classified more than 2500 mammalian species as either solitary¹, socially monogamous, or as group living, which is when several breeding females live together.

英国的研究人员分类整理了在多个正处于孕期的雌性动物一起生活时，独居动物，实行一夫一妻制的动物，和群居动物等2500多种哺乳类动物的行为。

Then, for the socially monogamous species, they analyzed² data from closely related species and discovered that,

他们分析了实行一夫一妻制物种的近亲数据，发现在每一种情况下，

in each case, the females used to be solitary and territorial³, and that infanticide was rare and therefore couldn't have led to monogamy.

雌性动物都是独居的，并且有很强的领地意识，杀婴行为几乎没有，因此不可能促使一夫一妻制的形成。

Then why did monogamy evolve?

那么一夫一妻制是如何进化的呢?

The current thinking is that monogamy evolved as a mate guarding strategy in species where females lived alone too far apart for a single male to monopolize⁴ access to more than one female at a time.

当前的推论是，当雌性动物距离太远，雄性动物无法同时占据两个及两个以上的雌性动物时，雄性动物出于保卫配偶的目的，出现了一夫一妻制。

So monogamy enabled males to pass on their genes⁵ more reliably.

因此一夫一妻制可使雄性更稳定的传递他们的基因。

1 solitary   

adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士

参考例句：

• I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
• The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。

2 analyzed   

v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析

参考例句：

• The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The young man did not analyze the process of his captivation and enrapturement, for love to him was a mystery and could not be analyzed. 这年轻人没有分析自己蛊惑著迷的过程，因为对他来说，爱是个不可分析的迷。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

4 monopolize   

v.垄断，独占，专营

参考例句：

• She tried to monopolize his time.她想独占他的时间。
• They are controlling so much cocoa that they are virtually monopolizing the market.他们控制了大量的可可粉，因此他们几乎垄断了整个市场。

5 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪