时差N小时 动物之间也会互相帮助(上)

Even without the guidance of organized religion, some animals instinctively¹ know that it's a good thing to help others.

即使没有类似人类宗教的指引，有些动物仍能本能地救助处于危难中的其它动物。

For example, when a bird spots a predator², instead of just flying away, it calls out in alarm and warns everyone in the vicinity.

比如，一只小鸟发现了捕食者，它就会发出叫声以警示和提醒附近其它的小动物们。

When a dolphin is injured, other dolphins help it swim up to the surface and get some air.

如果一只海豚受伤了，那么其他海豚也会帮助它一直游到岸边以呼吸新鲜空气。

And in a lab experiment that was set up so that one rat had to sit on a platform or else his rat friends would get an electrical shock when they tried to feed,

在类似试验中，一只老鼠必须要坐在一个平台上以防止它的朋友们试图进食时被电击，

the rats quickly learned to cooperate and take turns sitting on the platform.

很快老鼠们就学会了如何协作，它们轮流坐在平台上以防止同伴被电击。

You might think that evolution would work against this kind of altruism³ since, instead of concentrating on their own survival, animals spend time and energy helping⁴ others.

因为这些动物们不仅仅只关心自己的生命，也会花费时间与精力去帮助其他动物。所以，你可能会认为进化过程会有悖于这种利他主义。

1 instinctively   

adv.本能地

参考例句：

• As he leaned towards her she instinctively recoiled. 他向她靠近，她本能地往后缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He knew instinctively where he would find her. 他本能地知道在哪儿能找到她。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 predator   

n.捕食其它动物的动物；捕食者

参考例句：

• The final part of this chapter was devoted to a brief summary of predator species.本章最后部分简要总结了食肉动物。
• Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard and a fearsome predator.科摩多龙是目前存在的最大蜥蜴，它是一种令人恐惧的捕食性动物。

3 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。

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。