unit6A课文WHAT ANIMALS REALLY THINK

WHAT ANIMALS REALLY THINK Euqene Linden Over the years, I have written extensively about animal-intelligenceexperiments and the controversy that surrounds them. Do animals really have thoughts, what we call consciousness? Wondering whether there might be better ways toexplore animal intelligence than experiments designed to teach human signs, I realized what now seems obvious: if animals can think, they will probably do their best thinking when it serves their own purposes, not when scientists ask them to. And so I started talking to vets, animal researchers, zoo keepers. Most do not study animal intelligence, but they encounter it, and the lack of it, every day. The stories they tell us reveal what I 'm convinced is a new window on animal intelligence: the kind of mental feats animals perform when dealing with captivity and the dominant species on the planet—humans. Let 's Make a Deal Consider the time Charlene Jendry, a conservationist at the Columbus Zoo, learned that a female gorilla named Colo was handling a suspicious object. Arriving on the scene, Jendry offered Colo some peanuts, only to be met with a blank stare. Realizing they were negotiating, Jendry raised the stakes and offered a piece of pineapple. At this point, while maintaining eye contact, Colo opened her hand and revealed a key chain. Relieved it was not anything dangerous or valuable, Jendry gave Colo the pineapple. Careful bargainer that she was, Colo then broke the key chain and gave Jendry a link, perhaps figuring, Why give her the whole thing if I can get a bit of pineapple for each piece? If an animal can show skill in trading one thing for another, why not in handling money? One orangutan named Chantek did just that in a sign- language study undertaken by anthropologist Lyn Miles at the University of Tennessee. Chantek figured out that if he did tasks like cleaning his room, he 'd earn coins to spend on treats and rides in Miles 's car. But the orangutan 's understanding of money seemed to extend far beyond simple dealings. Miles first used plastic chips as coins, but Chantek decided he could expand the money supply by breaking chips in two. When Miles switched to metal chips, Chantek found pieces of tin foil and tried to make copies. Miles also tried to teach Chantek more virtuous habits such as saving and sharing. Indeed, when I caught up with the orangutan at Zoo Atlanta, where he now lives, I saw an example of sharing that anyone might envy. When Miles gave Chantek some grapes and asked him to share them, Chantek promptly ate all the fruit. Then, as if he 'd just remembered he 'd been asked to share, he handed Miles the stem. Tale of a Whale Why would an animal want to cooperate with a human? Behaviorists would say that animals cooperate when they learn it is in their interest to do so. This is true, but I don't think it goes far enough. Gail Laule, a consultant on animal behavior, speaks of Orky, a killer whale, she knew. “Of all the animals I 've worked with, he was the most intelligent,” she says. “He would assess a situation and then do something based on the judgments he made.” Like the time he helped save a family member. When Orky 's mate, Corky, gave birth, the baby did not thrive at first, and keepers took the little whale out of the tank by stretcher for emergency care. Things began to go wrong when they returned the baby whale to the tank. As the workers halted the stretcher a few meters above the water, the baby suddenly began throwing up through its mouth. The keepers feared it would choke, but they could not reach the baby to help it. Apparently sizing up the problem, Orky swam under the stretcher and allowed one of the men to stand on his head, something he 'd never been trained to do. Then, using his tail to keep steady, Orky let the keeper reach up and release the 420-pound baby so that it could slide into the water within reach of help. Primate Shell Game Sometimes evidence of intelligence can be seen in attempts to deceive. Zoo keeper Helen Shewman of Seattle 's Woodland Park Zoo re calls that one day she dropped an orange through a feeding hole for Melati, an orangutan. Instead of moving away to get it, Melati looked Shewman in the eye and held out her hand. Thinking the orange must have rolled off somewhere inaccessible, Shewman gave her another one. But when Melati moved off, Shewman noticed the original orange was hidden in her other hand. Towan, the colony 's dominant male, watched this whole trick, and the next day he, too, looked Shewman in the eye and pretended that he had not yet received an orange. “Are you sure you don't have one?” Shewman asked. He continued to hold her gaze steadily and held out his hand. Giving in, she gave him another one, then saw that he had been hiding his orange underneath his foot. What is intelligence anyway? If life is about survival of a species—and intelligence is meant to serve that survival—then we can't compare with pea-brained sea turtles, which were here long before us and survived the disaster that wiped out the dinosaurs. Still, it is comforting to realize that other species besides our own can stand back and assess the world around them, even if their horizons are more limited than ours. intelligence: ability to learn and understand 智力 Do computers have any intelligence? Don't act like such an idiot — use your intelligence, (intelligent a. Within a few years an intelligent computer will certainly be an important tool fordoctors. Even if you are intelligent, you can't be an excellent student without working hard.) controversy: a lot of discussion and argument about sth., often involving strong feelings of anger or disapproval (followed by over or about) 争论 ; 争议 A new controversy arose regarding the politician's finances. There is a fierce/bitter/heated controversy over the publishing of his book. surround: be or go all around (sth. or sb.) 围绕 ; 包围 The village was surrounded by desert. So the villagers had to abandon it and move to other areas. The shell surrounding the egg has many important functions. The baby was sitting on the floor surrounded by toys. explore: 1) examine thoroughly, learn about 探究 , 探索 The engineers have already explored the possibility of building a bridge over theriver. The repairman explored my car and said he would fix it tomorrow. 2) travel over (a region, area, etc.) for the purpose of discovery 探索 Both adults and children find it exciting to explore space. The man will explore the Sahara desert on foot. obvious: easy to see and understand; clear 明显的 It must be obvious to everyone that he's lying. It is obvious that the Chinese women's soccer team will defeat the American women's team. encounter: (fml) meet, esp. unexpectedly 遇到 , 遭遇 She encountered an old friend on the street. Before they had gone very far, they encountered a young man selling oranges. reveal: make (sth.) known 展示 , 揭露 The details of the new policy for medical insurance have been revealed. His research in cloning "Dolly" revealed some very important facts. A survey of the Chinese diet has revealed that a growing number of children in cities are overweight. convince: make (sb.) feel sure by the use of argument or evidence (used in the patterns: convince sb. of sth., convince sb. that) 使确信 , 使信服 His parents managed to convince him that teaching was the most suitable profession for him. We finally convinced the police of our innocence, (be convinced: feel certain that sth. is true 确信的 , 信服的 I was convinced that we were doing the right thing.) dominant: ruling; stronger, more powerful, or more noticeable than other people or things 统治的 ; 占优势的 Charlie Chaplin was a dominant figure in the American film industry. The dominant powers took control of the conference. make a deal: reach an agreement or arrangement, esp. in business or politics 达成交易 I'll make a deal with you — you wash the car and I'll let you use it tonight. The car company has made a deal with a Japanese firm, which will supply engines in exchange for brakes.