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Talking and Squawking: How Animals Get Their Messages Across 动物世界看沟通

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

The cat hisses and spits, showing off its sharp fangs and digging its claws into the ground. Its tail stands up rigidly straight, its hair is on end, and its back arches high into the air. The message is unmistakable: “Stay away from me!”

猫咪发出嘶嘶的叫声，口吐唾沫并露出尖牙，爪子猛抓地面。牠的尾巴笔直竖起，毛发直立，背部高高隆起。牠的讯息明确：「离我远一点！」

Animals communicate in many different ways and for many different reasons. The most obvious signs are those that need to be understood between different species. A rattlesnake’s rattle or a cat’s hiss is a sound that any animal can identify as a warning. These sounds tell enemies that these animals are dangerous and not to be trifled with.

动物们有各种不同的沟通方式与沟通的动机。最明显的讯号往往是需要让别种动物明了的讯号。任何动物皆可以听得出来，响尾蛇所发出的声响与猫的嘶叫声是一种警告，提醒敌人眼前的动物十分危险，千万不要随意招惹。

Animals that are poisonous also have to communicate an important message. The poison-arrow frog, for example, contains a lethal toxin in its skin. Any animal that eats it will die shortly afterwards. However, this poison will only protect the frog if predators know the frog is poisonous. That’s why these frogs have developed bright coloration as a signal to warn predators not to eat them. Bees, wasps and hornets use the same trick. Black and yellow together have become universally recognized as a sign of venom.

有毒的动物也有一项关键讯息需要传达。例如，毒箭蛙的皮肤含有一种致命的毒素，任何吞食毒箭蛙的动物皆会暴毙身亡。然而，毒素只有在猎食者知道毒箭蛙有毒的情况之下，才能起保护作用。这就是为何毒箭蛙身上有鲜艳的色彩，用来警告猎食者千万别吃牠们。蜜蜂、黄蜂与大黄蜂也都利用相同的机制。黄黑色的组合也普遍成为毒液的共同标志。

These messages are not always truthful. The hoverfly is also colored black and yellow, even though it has neither a sting nor poison. Since these colors are associated with danger, it fools many predators into avoiding it.

这种讯息也有造假的时候。食蚜蝇虽然全身都是黄黑色，但是牠既没有刺针也没有毒液。由于黄黑色象征危险，食蚜蝇这一招也让许多猎食者误以为还是别碰牠们比较好。

Vocabulary

单词发音

rigidly [ˋrɪdʒɪdlɪ] adv. 僵硬地

identify [aɪˋdɛntə͵faɪ] v. 确认；识别

trifle [ˋtraɪf!] v. 开玩笑；戏弄[（+with）]

poisonous [ˋpɔɪznəs] adj. 有毒的

universally [͵junəˋvɝs!ɪ] adv. 普遍地

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单词发音

squawk [skwɔk] v.（鸟类的）嘎嘎叫声

hiss [hɪs] v.（蛇等或气体漏出时）发出嘶嘶声

spit [spɪt] v. 吐（唾液等）

show off 卖弄, 炫耀 to display or behave in an ostentatious or conspicuous way

fang [fæŋ] n.〔蛇﹑野狗等的〕尖牙

on end 直立 upright

arch [ɑrtʃ] v. 使成弓形，拱起

unmistakable [͵ʌnməˋstekəb!] adj. 清楚的；明显的

rattlesnake [ˋræt!͵snek] n. 响尾蛇

rattle [ˋræt!] n. 咯咯声

coloration [͵kʌləˋreʃən] n. 天然色; 染色，着色

wasp [wɑsp] n. 黄蜂，蚂蜂

hornet [ˋhɔrnɪt] n.【昆】大黄蜂

venom [ˋvɛnəm] n.（蛇、蜘蛛等的）毒液

hoverfly [ˋhʌvɚˌflaɪ] n. 食蚜蝇

sting [stɪŋ] n. 螫针

fool someone into something 哄骗某人做… to deceive someone or oneself into doing something

课文朗读

课文讲解

The vast majority of animal communication occurred among creatures of the same species. One of the main reasons animals communicate is to attract a mate. Many birds, such as peacocks, do this with their colorful feathers. This sends a message about the health of the bird, since the fitter a bird is, the brighter its features are.

动物之间的沟通多半都出现在与同类动物之间的沟通上。目的之一是求偶。许多鸟类利用他们鲜艳的羽毛，告诉对方自己的健康状况，像是孔雀。因为鸟类的身体越健康，羽毛的颜色就越鲜艳。

While these signals are clear enough, they can sometimes cause problems. Having bright colors may help attract a mate, but they can also attract predators. A more subtle method is to use scent. Many female hamsters have special glands that produce a kind of pheromone. When they are ready to mate, they spread this pheromone around their den. A female can then wait safely inside while males come running.

这些讯号虽然明显，有时却也会带来麻烦。鲜艳的色彩虽有助于吸引伴侣，却也可能招引猎食者前来。另一种较为低调的方式则是利用气味。许多母仓鼠身上有特殊的腺体，会制造一种「费洛蒙」。当母仓鼠进入交配期时，便会在洞穴附近喷洒这种费洛蒙，母仓鼠接下来便可以安全地在窝里等待公仓鼠前来。

Another reason animals communicate is to warn one another of predators. Beavers use their wide, flat tails to slap the water when a bear or another enemy is around. Other animals send more sophisticated signals. The putty-nosed monkey of Nigeria will make a particular sound when it sees a leopard. This lets the other members of the troop know they should take to the trees. When seeing an eagle overhead, it will make a different sound which sends the opposite message: get down out of the trees and stay closer to the ground.

动物沟通的另一目的是要警告彼此有猎食者。当四周出现熊或其他敌人时，海狸会用自己宽扁的尾巴拍打水面。另外，有些动物会发出更为复杂的讯号。奈及利亚的白鼻长尾猴看到豹时会发出一种特殊的声音，让猴群的其他成员知道要爬到树上。看到头顶上有老鹰时，白鼻长猴会发出另一种声音，传递相反的讯息：从树上下来并贴近地面。

Vocabulary

单词发音

species [ˋspiʃiz] n.【生】种

subtle [ˋsʌt!] adj. 微妙的﹐细微的

scent [sɛnt] n. 气味

slap [slæp] v. 拍打

sophisticated [səˋfɪstɪ͵ketɪd] adj. 复杂的

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单词发音

peacock [ˋpikɑk] n. 雄孔雀；孔雀

hamster [ˋhæmstɚ] n.【动】仓鼠

gland [glænd] n.【解】腺

pheromone [ˋfɛrə͵mon] n.【生化】费洛蒙（昆虫分泌以刺激同种昆虫之化合物质）

den [dɛn] n.（野兽的）洞穴，窝巢

come running 渴望做某人想做的事

beaver [ˋbivɚ] n. 海狸，河狸

putty [ˋpʌtɪ] n.【建】油灰

Nigeria [naɪˋdʒɪrɪə] n. 奈及利亚（国名）

leopard [ˋlɛpɚd] n. 豹；美洲豹

troop [trup] n. 一群；团体

课文朗读

课文讲解

All these messages are fairly simple. However, language use in some animals can be incredibly complex. Dolphins, for example, use a highly sophisticated language of whistles and clicks. Recent research suggests that this language includes a range of different “words,” such as a unique name that each dolphin goes by.

这些讯息都十分简单。然而，有些动物使用的语言却十分复杂。例如，海豚使用的口哨声与喀嗒声便极为复杂。最近有研究显示，这种语言包含不同的「用字」，像是每一只海豚特有的名字。

Even bees use a form of language. When one bee finds a source of food, it will perform a special dance inside the hive. This dance shows the other bees the direction the food is in, relative to the sun. Amazingly, the bee will change its dance as the day progresses, to adjust for the sun’s movement. Scientists are still not certain how bees do this.

就连蜜蜂也有特殊的语言。当一只蜜蜂找到食物，牠便会在蜂窝里跳起特殊的舞蹈，让其他蜜蜂知道食物相对于太阳方向的位置。神奇的是，蜜蜂会随着一天的早晚，调整自己的舞步以配合太阳的移动。科学家至今仍无法确定为何蜜蜂能够如此。

Our closest relatives, the great apes, use many basic forms of communication in the wild. Recently, researchers have had great success in teaching these animals sign language. The most celebrated example is Koko the gorilla, who has learned over 1,000 words. Some of these ape “students’ are even turning into teachers themselves. A pair of bonobo monkeys who were taught sign language later taught it to their own offspring!

与人类血缘最近的人猿，在野外会使用许多基本的沟通方式。最近，研究人员成功地教导人猿手语。最知名的例子是大猩猩Koko，能认得一千多字。有些学习手语的人猿甚至自己升格当起老师。有一对学过手语的侏儒黑猩猩还教导自己的下一代手语呢！

From hissing cats to whistling dolphins, all animals have a way to get their messages across. Now that’s something to talk about!

从猫的叫声到海豚的吹哨声，所有的动物都有传递讯息的方式。这下，大家可有得聊了！

−by Michael Karanicolas

Vocabulary

单词发音

incredibly [ɪnˋkrɛdəblɪ] adv. 难以置信地；很，极为

progress [prəˋgrɛs] v. 进展

adjust [əˋdʒʌst] v. 调整

celebrated [ˋsɛlə͵bretɪd] adj. 著名的

offspring [ˋɔf͵sprɪŋ] n. 子孙；后代

More Information

单词发音

click [klɪk] n. 卡嗒声，喀嚓声

go by 以…为名  be called

hive [haɪv] n. 蜂巢

bonobo [ˋbonəbo] n. 倭黑猩猩

Putty nosed monkeys

Koko: A Talking Gorilla [1/8]

Kanzi, the Bonobo talks to reporters