2017职称英语理工A翻译练习-6

Spacing in Animals

Flight Distance

Any observant person has noticed that a wild animal will allow a man or other potential enemy to approach only up to a given distance before it flees. “Flight distance” is the terms used for this interspecies spacing. As a general rule, there is a positive relationship between the size of an animal and its flight distance—the larger the animal, the greater the distance it must keep between itself and the enemy. An antelope will flee when the enemy is as much as five hundred yards away. The wall lizard’s flight distance, on the other hand is about six feet. Flight is the basic means of survival for mobile creatures.

Critical Distance

Critical distance apparently is present wherever and whenever there is a flight reaction. “Critical distance” includes the narrow zone separating flight distance from attack distance. A lion in a zoo will flee from an approaching man until it meets a barrier that it cannot overcome. If the man continues the approach, he soon penetrates the lion's critical distance, at which point the cornered lion reverses direction and begins slowly to stalk the man.

Social Distance

Social animals need to stay in touch with each other. Loss of contact with the group can be fatal for a variety of reasons including exposure to enemies. Social distance is not simply the distance at which an animal will lose contact with his group—that is, the distance at which it can no longer see, hear, or smell the group—it is rather a psychological distance, one at which the animal apparently begins to feel anxious when he exceeds its limits. We can think of it as a hidden band that contains the group.

Social distance varies from species to species. It is quite short—apparently only a few yards—among some animals, and quite long among others.

Social distance is not always rigidly fixed but is determined in part by the situation. When the young of apes and humans are mobile but not yet under control of the mother's voice, social distance may be the length of her reach. This is readily observed among the baboons in a zoo. When the baby approaches a certain point, the mother reaches out to seize the end of its tail and pull it back to her. When added control is needed because of danger, social distance shrinks. To show this in man, one has only to watch a family with a number of small children holding hands as they cross a busy street.

参考译文：

动物的空间距离

逃离距离

一些善于观察的人已经注意到一只野生动物只让人或其他潜在的敌人在特定的距离内接近它，然后它便会逃走。“逃离距离”是用来描述这种物种间的空间距离的术语。一般说来，动物体积与其逃离距离之间成正比关系~^动物的体积越大，和敌人保特的距寓就越大。当敌人离羚羊500码远时，羚羊就会逃离。另一方面,壁虎的逃离距离大约6英尺。逃离是动物生存的基本手段。,关键距离

关键距离显然与逃离行为的时间和地点有关。关键距离指的是逃离距离和进攻距离之间的狭窄区域。动物园的狮子会躲开接近它的人，直到它遇到不可跨过的障碍物才停步。如果那人继续朝它走去,他就很快地进入了狮子的关键距离,这时无路可走的狮子会调转方向，开始慢慢逼近那个人。相聚距离

群居动物需要相互之间保持联系。和群体失去联系会因为各种原因(包括面临敌人)而导致不幸。相聚距离不仅仅是动物和群体失去联系时的距离——也就是说，在这个距离它不再能看到、听到或闻到群体——确切地说，它更是一种心理距离，一种当动物超越它的限度后会明显感到焦虑的距离。我们可以认为它是一条控制群体的隐形带。

相聚距离会因动物种类不同而有差别。对一些动物而言，相聚距离非常近，仅有几码远。但其他动物的相聚距离会非常远。

相聚距离不是一成不变的，而是部分地取决于环境。当无尾猿和人类的幼儿会活动，但还不受母亲言语控制时，相聚距离是她手臂够得着的长度。从动物园的狒狒，我们很容易看到这点。当小狒狒走到某个位置时，狒狒妈妈会伸出手来，抓住小狒狒的尾巴，把它拖回身边。因为危险而需要加强控制时，相聚距离就会缩小。要在人类身上证明这点，你只要观察一个有许多孩子的家庭就行了。当孩子们横过」条繁忙的街道时，他们会互相牵着手。