VOA文化艺术2022--研究称狗的性格与品种无关

Study Shows Dog Personalities¹ Not Related to Breed

A new study has found that all dogs have different personalities - even dogs of the same breed.

Elinor Karlsson studies genetics at the University of Massachusetts. She co-wrote a report about the study, which appeared recently in the publication Science.

Karlsson said, "Every dog really is an individual."

Karlsson noted³ there is "a huge amount of variation" even between dogs that look the same.

At a New York dog park, dog owners told The Associated Press about the different characteristics of their pets.

Elizabeth Kelly owns an English springer spaniel. She called her dog friendly, but also "kind of the queen bee." In other words, her dog likes to act like she is in charge of other dogs.

Suly Ortiz owns a yellow Labrador. She described her dog as "calm, lazy and shy."

Rachel Kim has a dog that is a mix of several breeds. She described the animal as "super independent" and loving.

Dogs first became friendly to humans around 14,000 years ago. But the idea of dog breeds is much more recent. Around 160 years ago, humans began to breed dogs to have certain physical qualities, such as fur texture⁴ and color and ear shape.

Karlsson said her aim was to learn how much a dog's breed affects their behavior.

The answer? Breed does not decide an individual dog's personality.

Karlsson's team gathered information from 18,000 dog owners and studied the genetic² code of over 2,000 dogs.

The researchers found that some qualities are based on genetics. However, there is no guarantee that two dogs of the same breed will behave in the same way.

For example, they found golden retrievers that do not retrieve⁵. To "retrieve" is to get and bring something back from a place.

Some breeds, such as huskies and beagles, may be more likely to howl - or make a long, loud barking sound. But many of these dogs do not howl, as owner observations showed.

In addition, the researchers were not able to link aggression⁶ to a certain breed.

Jeff Kidd studies genetics at the University of Michigan. He was not involved in the dog project. He said the connection between dog breed and behavior "is much lower than most expected."

Adam Boyko studies genetics at Cornell University. He also was not involved in the dog research. He noted that Karlsson and her team organized the most data ever about dogs.

Words in This Story

breed - n. a kind of dog, cat, horse or other animal that has been produced by matching two parent animals based on their traits⁷

variation -n. a change in the form or condition or amount of somthing

characteristic - n. the special qualities or traits of a person or thing

lazy - adj. not liking⁸ to work hard or be active

shy - adj. nervous or uncomfortable about meeting new things or people

personality - n. the way of behaving that makes a person or thing different from another person

texture - n. the way something feels when you touch it

bark - n. a short loud sound made by a dog

1 personalities   

n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
• Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。

2 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

3 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。

4 texture   

n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理

参考例句：

• We could feel the smooth texture of silk.我们能感觉出丝绸的光滑质地。
• Her skin has a fine texture.她的皮肤细腻。

5 retrieve   

vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索

参考例句：

• He was determined to retrieve his honor.他决心恢复名誉。
• The men were trying to retrieve weapons left when the army abandoned the island.士兵们正试图找回军队从该岛撤退时留下的武器。

6 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

7 traits   

n.人的个性，显著的特点，特征( trait的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We do not know which behavioural traits are inherited and which acquired. 我们不知道哪些行为特征是遗传的，哪些是后天养成的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His generosity is one of his good traits. 慷慨大方是他的好品质之一。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 liking   

n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢

参考例句：

• The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
• I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。