英语杂谈：16 Chimps show humanlike good will

Japanese researchers claimed that chimpanzees are capable of human-like altruism². Kyoto University’s Primate³ Research Institute published their findings in the scientific and medical research journal Plus One.

 

Twelve chimpanzees were used in the experiments. Six of them were mother-offspring pairs. The scientists claim that the tests show the chimpanzees, especially the mother-offspring pairs, helping⁴ each other selflessly.

 

“As a difference between the humans and chimpanzees, it is considered humans act spontaneously in an altruistic(无私的) way, but this result poses a question.”

 

Yamamoto said that in some of the experiments, chimps⁵ were filmed passing sticks or straws to other chimps. The sticks were then used to reach straws otherwise out of reach or in the case of the passed straw to drink juice.

 

Yamamoto said the chimps were trained to use sticks to drag straws placed out of reach, and to use straws to drink juice. But he claimed the transferring of the sticks or the straws to other chimps was not trained.

 

The Institute reported the pairs of primates(灵长目动物) passed the items to each other 59% of the time, even though the action did not benefit both of them. Yamamoto noted⁶ that the passing of items occurred more often when a chimp¹ appeared to make a request for the straw or stick. In those instances, he said transfers were made 75% of the time.

 

One leading animal behavior researcher believes these results show chimps and humans are more alike than previously⁷ thought.

 

“Although chimpanzees and humans are almost the same animals if you look at the composition of DNA⁸, we normally think that humans create higher social systems by helping each other. So we normally think there is a wide gap between the humans and chimps. But the results of this experience filled the gap between the two species. The results show that chimps also have humanity in their behavior. ”

 

It’s not the first time researchers have claimed to witness altruism(利他主义) in chimps. German researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary⁹ Anthropology¹⁰ reported similar results in 2007.
 

1 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。

2 altruism   

n.利他主义，不自私

参考例句：

• An important feature of moral behaviour is altruism.道德行为一个重要特点就是利他主义。
• Altruism is crucial for social cohesion.利他主义对社会的凝聚是至关重要的。

3 primate   

n.灵长类（目）动物，首席主教；adj.首要的

参考例句：

• 14 percent of primate species are highly endangered.14%的灵长类物种处于高度濒危状态。
• The woolly spider monkey is the largest primate in the Americas.绒毛蛛猴是美洲最大的灵长类动物。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 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

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

8 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

9 evolutionary   

adj.进化的；演化的，演变的；[生]进化论的

参考例句：

• Life has its own evolutionary process.生命有其自身的进化过程。
• These are fascinating questions to be resolved by the evolutionary studies of plants.这些十分吸引人的问题将在研究植物进化过程中得以解决。

10 anthropology   

n.人类学

参考例句：

• I believe he has started reading up anthropology.我相信他已开始深入研究人类学。
• Social anthropology is centrally concerned with the diversity of culture.社会人类学主要关于文化多样性。