新世纪研究生公共英语教材阅读BUnitWord下载.docx

新世纪研究生公共英语教材阅读BUnitWord下载.docx

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新世纪研究生公共英语教材阅读BUnit@#@Unit9@#@AnimalEmotions@#@LauraTangley@#@Sheerjoy.Romanticlove.Thepainofmourning.@#@Scientistssaypetsandwildcreatureshavefeelings,too.@#@1.SwimmingoffthecoastofArgentina,afemalerightwhalesinglesoutjustoneofthesuitorsthatarehotlypursuingher.Aftermating,thetwocetaceanslingersidebyside,strokingoneanotherwiththeirflippersandfinallyrollingtogetherinwhatlookslikeanembrace.Thewhalesthendepart,flipperstouching,andswimslowlysidebyside,divingandsurfacinginperfectunisonuntiltheydisappearfromsight.@#@2.InTanzania,primatologistsstudyingchimpanzeebehaviorrecordedthedeathofFlo,atroop’s50-year-oldmatriarch.Throughoutthefollowingday,Flo’sson,Flint,sitsbesidehismother’slifelessbody,occasionallytakingherhandandwhimpering.Overthenextfewweeks,Flintgrowsincreasinglylistless,withdrawingfromthetroop—despitehissiblings’effortstobringhimback–andrefusingfood.ThreeweeksafterFlo’sdeath,theformerlyhealthyyoungchimpisdead,too.@#@3.Agrief-strickenchimpanzee?

@#@Leviathansinlove?

@#@Mostpeople,raisedonDisneyversionsofsentientandpassionatebeasts,wouldsaythatthesetales,bothtrue,simplyconfirmtheirsuspicionsthatanimalscanfeelintense,humanlikeemotions.Fortheirpart,thenation’s61millionpetownersneednoconvincingatallthatpetdogsandcatscanfeelangry,morose,elated—evenjealousorembarrassed.Recentstudies,infieldsasdistantasethologyandneurobiology,aresupportingthispopularbelief.Otherevidenceismerelyanecdotal,especiallyforpets—dogsthatbecomedepressed,orevendie,afterlosingabelovedcompanion,forinstance.Buttheanecdote—orcasestudyinscientificparlance—hasnowachievedsomerespectabilityamongresearcherswhostudyanimalbehavior.AsUniversityofColoradobiologistMarcBekoffsays,“Thepluralofanecdoteisdata.”@#@4.Still,theideaofanimalsfeelingemotionsremainscontroversialamongmanyscientists.Researchers’skepticismisfueledinpartbytheirprofessionalaversiontoanthropomorphism,theverynonscientifictendencytoattributehumanqualitiestonon-humans.Manyscientistsalsosaythatitisimpossibletoproveanimalshaveemotionsusingstandardscientificmethods—repeatableobservationsthatcanbemanipulatedincontrolledexperiments—leadingthemtoconcludethatsuchfeelingsmustnotexist.Today,however,amidmountingevidencetothecontrary,“thetideisturningradicallyandrapidly,”saysBekoff,whoisattheforefrontofthismovement.@#@5.Eventhemoststridentskepticsofanimalpassionagreethatmanycreaturesexperiencefear—whichsomescientistsdefineasa“primary”emotionthatcontrastswith“secondary”emotionssuchasloveandgrief.Unlikethesemorecomplexfeelings,fearisinstinctive,theysay,andrequiresnoconsciousthought.Essentialtoescapepredatorsandotherdangers,fear—anditspredictableflight,fight,orfreezeresponses—seemstobehard-wiredintomanyspecies.Younggeesethathaveneverbeforeseenapredator,forexample,willrunforcoverifahawk-shapedsilhouettepassesoverhead.Theshapeofanonpredatorybird,ontheotherhand,elicitsnosuchresponse.@#@6.Butbeyondsuchinstinctualemotionsandtheirpredictablebehavioralresponses,thepossibilityofmorecomplexanimalfeelings—thosethatentailmentalprocessing—isdifficulttodemonstrate.“Ican’tevenprovethatanotherhumanbeingisfeelinghappyorsad,”saysBekoff,“butIcandeducehowthey’refeelingthroughbodylanguageandfacialexpression.”Asascientistwhohasconductedfieldstudiesofcoyotes,foxes,andothercaninesforthepastthreedecades,Bekoffalsobelieveshecanaccuratelytellwhattheseanimalsarefeelingbyobservingtheirbehavior.Headdsthatanimalemotionsmayactuallybemoreknowablethanthoseofhumans,becausetheydon’t“filter”theirfeelingsthewaywedo.@#@7. @#@Yetbecausefeelingsareintangible,andsotoughtostudyscientifically,“mostresearchersdon’tevenwanttotalkaboutanimalemotions,”saysJaakPanksepp,aneuroscientistatBowlingGreenStateUniversityinOhioandauthorofAffectiveNeuroscience.Withinhisfield,Pankseppisarareexception,whobelievesthatsimilaritiesbetweenthebrainsofhumansandotheranimalssuggestthatatleastsomecreatureshavetruefeelings.“Imaginewherewe’dbeinphysicsifwehadn’tinferredwhat’sinsidetheatom,”saysPanksepp.“Mostofwhatgoesoninnatureisinvisible,yetwedon’tdenythatitexists.”@#@8. @#@Thenewcaseforanimalemotionscomesinpartfromthegrowingacceptabilityoffieldobservations,particularlywhentheyaretakeninaggregate.Thelatestcontributiontothisbodyofknowledgeisanewbook,TheSmileofaDolphin,whichpresentspersonalreportsfrommorethan50researcherswhohavespenttheircare