TE双语精读 | 狗狗的谎言
文章背景
一到到宠物狗，大家可能一下子就想到著名的宠物狗有：中华田园犬、、哈士奇、松狮、金毛、德国牧羊犬、雪纳瑞、吉娃娃、泰迪。太多宠物狗了，我就不一一列举不来啦。
这次主要给大家《经济学人》Espresso上的文章，题目叫：Puppy-dog lies :canines without conscience---宠物狗的谎言:没有良心的狗狗。由题目可见，这次的主人公是宠物狗，核心词是conscience(良心)。全文一共9句话，我们先看一下原文。
双语原文
①Every pet owner knows the feeling. ②Shoes are shredded, food stolen or furniture wrecked—and the perpetrator’s identity is never in doubt. ③But the moment the furious owner sees the canine culprit, all rage evaporates. ④Who could admonish a dog bearing that wide-eyed expression of pure repentance? ⑤But according to a paper published online in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, dogs’ shamefaced expressions are probably just a ruse they have evolved to manipulate humans. ⑥Probing animal psychology is not straightforward, but based on the evidence, dogs do not truly “feel guilty” and merely adopt “guilt-like” behaviours when they expect punishment.⑦ In other words, they have no conscience—hardly surprising considering that even great apes, humans’ closest cousins, appear not to have a moral compass.⑧Furthermore, research earlier this year showed that since domestication dogs have evolved a muscle which raises their inner eyebrows, enlarging their eyes and mimicking sadness. ⑨Who knew that dogs were such good actors?
每个宠物主人都知道这种感觉。鞋子被撕碎了，食物被偷了，家具被弄坏了——而肇事者的身份从未受到怀疑。但当愤怒的主人看到罪犯(狗狗)时，所有的愤怒都烟消云散了。谁能责备一只睁大眼睛表示完全悔改的狗狗呢?但根据发表在《神经科学与生物行为评论》(Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews)网站上的一篇论文，狗狗羞愧的表情可能只是它们演化来操纵人类的诡计。探究动物心理并不是一件简单的事情，但是根据现有的证据，狗狗们并不是真的“感到内疚”，它们只是预计自己将要受到惩罚的时候才会做出“类似于内疚”的行为。换句话说，他们没有良心——不足为奇、并且没有想到的是，即使是人类的近亲类人猿似乎也没有道德指南。此外，今年早些时候的研究表明，自从狗狗被驯化以来，它们已经进化出了一种肌肉，这种肌肉可以使它们的眉毛上挑，从而使它们的眼睛超大，并模仿悲伤的表情。谁知道狗狗是这么好的演员呢？
逻辑结构
本文的核心词是conscience(良心)
第一部分:①–④
①—③句用作铺垫，引出主题。
第二部分:⑤
⑤是本篇文章的中心句，主要想表达狗狗装可怜的表情只是它们演化来操纵人类的诡计，说人话就是狗狗没人良心。
第三部分:⑥—⑦
⑥引用别人的论文来论证中心句⑤的观点。⑦举例子来支撑⑥
第四部分:⑧
⑧再次引用别人的研究来表明狗狗没有良心。
第五部分:⑨
⑧得出结论—狗狗的演技一流
第一部分:①–④
①Every pet owner knows the feeling. ②Shoes are shredded, food stolen or furniture wrecked—and the perpetrator’s identity is never in doubt. ③But the moment the furious owner sees the canine culprit, all rage evaporates. ④Who could admonish a dog bearing that wide-eyed expression of pure repentance?
每个宠物主人都知道这种感觉。鞋子被撕碎了，食物被偷了，家具被弄坏了——而肇事者的身份从未受到怀疑。但当愤怒的主人看到罪犯(狗狗)时，所有的愤怒都烟消云散了。谁能责备一只睁大眼睛表示完全悔改的狗狗呢?
第一部分:①–④
作者通过狗狗"胡作非为"的行为引出下文的中心句⑤
这里主要讲②，③和④句。
②Shoes are shredded, food stolen or furniture wrecked—and the perpetrator’s identity is never in doubt.
②句是由and接的两个句子:A and B。
A是Shoes are shredded, food stolen or furniture wrecked.这里作者把系动词「is」省略了，把句子还原就是Shoes are shredded, food is stolen or furniture is wrecked.这里主要注意一下shoes是一双双的，所以用得是are,而food表「食物」是抽象的概念，谓语「is」;furniture属表总称的物质名词（或称之为集合名词），没有复数形式，也不能与不定冠词连用，含义上永远是单数。如果想说「一件家具」，可以furniture前面加量词「a piece of」。
Shred的意思为to cut or tear sth into small pieces，切碎；撕碎。如，He was accused of shredding documents relating to the case (= putting them in a shredder).他被指控把与案件有关的文件用碎纸机销毁了。
wreck在外刊中是一个高频词，在这里是是动词，to damage or destroy sth破坏；损坏。它的相同意思的词还有destroy, break, demolish, devastate, ruin, shatter, smash, spoil。
给大家举个例子，The building had been wrecked by the explosion. 那座楼房被炸毁了。
Wreck还可以作为动词用，意思为失事的船只(或汽车、飞机)，如the wreck of a sailing ship...帆船的残骸。
B部分为and the perpetrator’s identity is never in doubt.
perpetrator我们先来看看它的英文解释，a person who commits a crime or does sth that is wrong or evil，犯罪者。注意一下它的读音/ˈpɝː.pə.treɪ.tɚ/.例如，The perpetrators of the massacre must be brought to justice as war criminals.大屠杀的参与者必须作为战犯绳之以法。
2019年12月2日的《经济学人浓咖啡》也用到这个单词。我们来看一下
A terrorist attack in London on Friday injured three people and left three dead—including the perpetrator, Usman Khan, a convicted terrorist released from jail on licence. 周五，伦敦发生一起恐怖袭击，造成3人受伤，3人死亡，其中包括作案者乌斯曼·汗(Usman Khan)。
in doubt是英语常见的构词法，in +名词表处于某种状态中。例如，in danger(处于危险中)，in trouble(处于困难中)，in debt(负债累累)。这种表达，以后阅读文章中，见一个记一个。文中的in doubt是不确定，前途未卜。如，The future of the stadium is in doubt because of a lack of money.由于缺少资金，该体育馆能否建成还不确定。
我们再来看一下整个句子②Shoes are shredded, food stolen or furniture wrecked—and the perpetrator’s identity is never in doubt. 鞋子被撕碎了，食物被偷了，家具被弄坏了——而肇事者的身份从未受到怀疑。
③But the moment the furious owner sees the canine culprit, all rage evaporates.
③句是一个时间状语从句，主句是all rage evaporates.从句是But the moment the furious owner sees the canine culprit。
我们先来看一下从句But the moment the furious owner sees the canine culprit。
The moment这里可以用when、as long as、while以及once来替代，
furious是形容词，「狂怒的;暴怒的」，angry是其的近义词。通常跟介词at搭配，be furious at sb/sth。例如，He is furious at the way his wife has been treated...妻子受到的待遇让他感到异常愤怒。
canine的意思of or relating to dogs，犬的，狗的。了解意思即可。
culprit跟②句中的perpetrator的意思一样，犯错的人；罪犯。但是它在外刊中更常用另外一个意思是，a person or thing responsible for causing a problem肇事者；引起问题的事物。例如，About 10% of Japanese teenagers are overweight. Nutritionists say the main culprit is increasing reliance on Western fast food.大约10%的日本青少年超重。营养学家指出主要原因是对西式快餐越来越依赖。
再例如，The main culprit in the current crisis seems to be modern farming techniques.
当前这场危机的罪魁祸首好像是现代农业技术。
不知道大家有没get多这两个例句中culprit的用法。通常，在写作中，想要表达「主要原因」，第一反应就是the main reason, 可是例句的把culprit用得十分传神。the main culprit in sth is...，还不赶快拿出小本本来抄下来。
主句是all rage evaporates.
rage翻译为暴怒；狂怒。这里rage跟上文②句中的furious的意思一样，不过一个是名词(rage),另外一个是形容词(furious)，是furious可以变为名词形式「fury」,此时rage等于fury。
evaporate的原义是蒸发，挥发，但是这个有另外的意思， to disappear, especially by gradually becoming less and less， (逐渐)消失，消散。例如，有学生考试考砸了，一下信心大退就可以用英文说Her confidence had now completely evaporated.
我们来梳理一下句子
③But the moment the furious owner sees the canine culprit, all rage evaporates.但当愤怒的主人看到罪犯(狗狗)时，所有的愤怒都烟消云散了。
④Who could admonish a dog bearing that wide-eyed expression of pure repentance?
④句是一个反问句，这句里面主要讲三个语言点。
Admonish的英文解释为to tell sb firmly that you do not approve of sth that they have done,责备；告诫；警告。经常用的搭配有admoish sb (for sth / for doing sth)，如They admonished me for taking risks with my health...他们责备我不应拿自己的健康冒险。
a dog bearing that wide-eyed expression of pure repentance这里的bearing现在分词作为后置定语,用来修饰dog。
首先我们来看看bear这个单词，作为动词的时候，更常见一个搭配就是bear in mind「记住」。此时bear的英文解释为to have or continue to have something「具有，带有」。例如，Their baby bears a strong resemblance to its grandfather.他们的宝宝长得非常像他爷爷。
「-bearing」还可以作为后缀使用，在其前面加名词，表示「具有、携带…的」
如，food-bearing lorries装着食物的卡车，rifle-bearing soldiers持来复枪的士，flag-bearing marchers.举着旗帜的游行者，fruit-bearing apple tree.结满果实的苹果树，interest-bearing current accounts带息活期存款账户
Repentance的英文解释为the fact of showing that you are sorry for sth wrong that you have done，后悔；懊悔。可以用regret和remorse来替代。举个栗子，They showed no repentance during their trial.在他们受审的过程中没有表现出一丝悔意。
我们在来理顺一下这个句子。
④Who could admonish a dog bearing that wide-eyed expression of pure repentance?
第二部分:⑤
⑤But according to a paper published online in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, dogs’ shamefaced expressions are probably just a ruse / they have evolved to manipulate humans.
但根据发表在《神经科学与生物行为评论》(Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews)网站上的一篇论文，狗狗羞愧的表情可能只是它们演化来操纵人类的诡计。
第二部分:⑤
⑤是本篇文章的中心句，主要想表达狗狗装可怜的表情只是它们演化来操纵人类的诡计，说人话就是狗狗没人良心。
But according to a paper 是一个状语,这里的paper并不是纸张的意思，而是A paper is a long, formal piece of writing about an academic subject 「论文」，例如He just published a paper in the journal Nature analyzing the fires.他刚刚在《自然》杂志上发表了一篇分析火灾的论文。
Get到新用法啦， 「发论文」就是publish a paper.
published online in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews是过去分词作为后置定语。此，according to a paper published online in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews的意思就是根据发表在《神经科学与生物行为评论》(Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews)网站上的一篇论文。
dogs’ shamefaced expressions are probably just a ruse是本句的主干，也是全文的主旨。
Ruse是 an action or plan which is intended to deceive someone， 诡计;计谋。可以用trick来替代。如，It is now clear that this was a ruse to divide them.现在已清楚这是一个离间他们的诡计。
they have evolved to manipulate humans.是rush的定语从句。
Manipulate的英文解释为to control something or someone to your advantage, often unfairly or dishonestly，（常指以不正当手段）操纵，控制。如Throughout her career she has very successfully manipulated the media.她在整个职业生涯中非常成功地控制了媒体。
2018年《经济学人》里面有一篇文章也用到这个词
Algorithms that are able to recognise patterns in data can pinpoint dissidents or even those with unconventional opinions. In 2012 Facebook experimented with using data tomanipulate emotions. 能够识别数据模式的算法可以找出持不同政见者，甚至是那些持非传统观点的人。2012年，Facebook尝试使用数据来控制情绪。
因此dogs’ shamefaced expressions are probably just a ruse / they have evolved to manipulate humans.的意思就是「狗狗羞愧的表情可能只是它们演化来操纵人类的诡计」。
我们再来看一下整个句子。
But according to a paper published online in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, dogs’ shamefaced expressions are probably just a ruse / they have evolved to manipulate humans.
第三部分:⑥—⑦
⑥Probing animal psychology is not straightforward, but based on the evidence, dogs do not truly “feel guilty” and /merely adopt “guilt-like” behaviours /when they expect punishment. ⑦ In other words, they have no conscience—hardly surprising considering that even great apes, humans’ closest cousins, appear not to have a moral compass.
探究动物心理并不是一件简单的事情，但是根据现有的证据，狗狗们并不是真的“感到内疚”，它们只是预计自己将要受到惩罚的时候才会做出“类似于内疚”的行为。换句话说，他们没有良心——不足为奇、并且没有想到的是，即使是人类的近亲类人猿似乎也没有道德指南。
第三部分:⑥—⑦
⑥引用别人的论文来论证中心句⑤的观点。
⑦举例子来支撑⑥
⑥句看似很长，但是整个大结构很简单XXX is not straightforward , but based on XXX, dogs do A and B when XXX.大家不知道有没有发现，这是一个万能写作句子。一会给大家讲一下怎么去使用。
Probing animal psychology is not straightforward，这里面要讲两个单词。第一个是probe,其英英解释为to ask questions in order to find out secret or hidden information about sb / sth，盘问；探究。 常常可以用investigate，examine, explore, go into以及look into等等来替代。常用的搭配为probe into sth。举个列子，He didn't like the media probing into his past. 他不愿意媒体追问他的过去。
第二个是straightforward, 它是由straight「直接的」和forward「向前」两个单词组成，意思为easy to do or to understand; not complicated简单的;不复杂的。例如，a straightforward process，简单的过程 ;simple straightforward language，简单易懂的语言。
就在最近一期的《经济学人》，讲到「新能源电力的储存」也用到这个单词
Generating clean power is now relatively straightforward. Storing it is far trickier.现在，生产清洁能源相对简单。存储则要复杂得多。
因此，Probing animal psychology is not straightforward的意思就是探究动物心理并不是一件简单的事情，将它改写一下就是:looking into animal psychology is not easy/far tricher.
句子的后半部分为but based on the evidence(基于现有的证据), dogs do not truly “feel guilty”(不会感到内疚) and /merely adopt “guilt-like” behaviours(做出“类似于内疚”的行为) /when they expect punishment.(当狗狗觉得自己要受罚时)
Feel guilty about sth.对…感到内疚的。例如，I felt guilty about not visiting my parents more often. 我因没有常去看望父母而感到内疚。
但在外刊中guilty有另外一层意思，being responsible for sth bad that has happened 犯了罪；有过失的。通常和介词of连用「find someone guilty/not guilty of something」，如 The jury found the defendant not guilty of the offence.陪审团裁决被告无罪。
guilt-like这里一个构词法需要注意一下「-like」,与名词连用构成形容词表示“像…的”，“有…特征的”。例如a tiny worm-like creature，像蠕虫一样的微小生物;the animal-like behavious野蛮行径。
再读一下⑥句
⑥Probing animal psychology is not straightforward, but based on the evidence, dogs do not truly “feel guilty” and /merely adopt “guilt-like” behaviours /when they expect punishment.
⑦ In other words, they have no conscience—hardly surprising considering that even great apes, humans’ closest cousins, appear not to have a moral compass.
换句话说，他们没有良心——不足为奇、并且没有想到的是，即使是人类的近亲类人猿似乎也没有道德指南。
Conscience可能大家都知道「良心，良知」的意思，它是由「con-」和「science」组成的。但是看着还是很抽象，它我们来看看牛津词典对「良知」的解释，the part of you that judges how moral your own actions are and makes you feel guilty about bad things that you have done or things you feel responsible for。根据这个解释，「良知」的意思可以解读为「为自己所做的错事感到自责内疚，就是良知」
conscience这里其实可以guilty替换。并且我们常常说的「问心有愧」就是guilty conscience和「问心无愧」就是clear conscience
破折号的内容hardly surprising considering that even great apes, humans’ closest cousins, appear not to have a moral compass. 这整个部分都是对前面主句的修饰说明，因此是作为同位语。里面humans’ closest cousins也是作为great apes的同位语。
hardly surprising considering (不足为奇、并且没有想到的是)that even great apes(类人猿), humans’ closest cousins(人类的近亲), appear not to have a moral compass(似乎也没有道德指南).
我们再来梳理一下句子。
⑦ In other words, they have no conscience—hardly surprising considering that even great apes, humans’ closest cousins, appear not to have a moral compass.
第四部分:⑧
⑧Furthermore, research earlier this year showed that / since domestication / dogs have evolved a muscle / which raises their inner eyebrows, enlarging their eyes and mimicking sadness.
此外，今年早些时候的研究表明，自从狗狗被驯化以来，它们已经进化出了一种肌肉，这种肌肉可以使它们的眉毛上挑，从而使它们的眼睛超大，并模仿悲伤的表情。
第四部分:⑧
⑧再次引用别人的研究来表明狗狗没有良心。
整个句子很长，但是主干部分很容易就看出来，research earlier this year showed that「今年早些时候的研究表明」，后面的内容为宾语从句。
研究表明了什么呢？
since domestication / dogs have evolved a muscle / which raises their inner eyebrows, / enlarging their eyes and mimicking sadness.
since domestication「自从狗狗被驯化后」，这个是状语。由于是由since引导的状语，后面的主句要用现在完成时「have done」。
我们再来看看domestication这个单词。牛津词典给出的解释为the process of bringing animals or plants under human control in order to provide food, power, or company，驯化，驯养；人工培植。可以用tameness来替换。如，The New York City Department of Health banned the domestication of wild animals such as iguanas.纽约公共卫生部门禁止人工饲养鬣蜥等野生动物。
Domesticate是domestication的名词形式，把since domestication改写一下就是「since dog is domesticated」。不仅仅动物可以被「驯化」，植物也可以，如todomesticate plants or crops for human use。
这句宾语从句的主干为dogs have evolved a muscle(狗狗已经进化出了一种肌肉)。
怎么样的一种肌肉呢？后面紧接着一个定语从句which raises their inner eyebrows(可以使它们的眉毛上挑)
后面的内容enlarging their eyes and mimicking sadness.是现在分词作伴随状语。
Enlarge「使…变大」，这个单词是由En「使」和large「大的」构成。这里的「en-」的意思为to make someone or something be in a particular state or have a particular quality，使处于某种状态; 使具有某种特性。类似的词还有encase，置于箱中;endanger使遭危险;empower，授权。
Mimic的英英解释为to copy the way in which a particular person usually speaks and moves, usually in order to make people laugh（为逗乐而）模仿，学…的样子。例如She was mimicking the various people in our office.她在学我们办公室里各种人的样子。
大声的把这个句子读三遍。
Furthermore, research earlier this year showed that / since domestication / dogs have evolved a muscle / which raises their inner eyebrows, enlarging their eyes and mimicking sadness.
第五部分:⑨
⑨Who knew that dogs were such good actors?
谁知道狗狗是这么好的演员呢？
第五部分:⑨
⑧得出结论—狗狗的演技一流
作者用了反问句来结束整段的论述，奠定了整篇文章滑稽幽默的基调。
不知道有没有发现，这一篇的结构就教会了我们怎么去写一篇「好的」作文。
作者先铺垫，引出话题(①–④)，表明中心观点(⑤)，然后通过论文(⑥–⑦)和研究发现(⑧)来论证中心观点，最后用反问句来得出结论(⑨)。
大家以后写作文也可以按照这个逻辑思路来写自己的小作文。
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