雅思课外读物--Are cats selfish？

A 2007 genetic analysis by Driscoll and his colleagues reveals that all domesticated cats are descended from wildcats that lived in and around the Fertile Crescent, precisely the spot where humans began to settle more than 10,000 years ago.

"These settlements were completely new ecological environments and animals that were plucky(勇敢的)enough to investigate…did very well," says Driscoll. Wildcats were likely one of these species, drawn into an urban niche(位置) by an abundance of easy prey and an absence of big predators.(野猫可能就是这类物种之一，吸引它们进入城市空间的原因是这里有大量的容易捕获的猎物，同时还没有大捕食动物存在。)

"All these animals had to do was become behaviourally adept at living with people," says Driscoll. But importantly, "there was no selection against them hunting, or against them finding their own mates, or against them finding places to build their own nests in a rubbish heap." (然而，重要的是，“它们不需要因为猎食，求偶，或者在垃圾堆里找地方筑巢而受自然选择法则支配”)

This may account for the range of behaviours displayed by the BBC Earth cats. "Some will be more like their wildcat ancestors(祖先)and show [a] much more solitary, independent existence," says Driscoll. "Others, on the other side of the spectrum(谱系), are doting on(宠爱)their human companions."

Given all this variation(变化), it really is hard to give a clear answer to the question of whether cats are selfish. Instead, we'll conclude with the wise words of Gata Bela: "Cats are simply adorable!"

Vocabulary

be not content with… 不满足于……

stereotype 固定印象;刻板印象

trait 特征

identify with 认可，同意

urinate 小便

altruistic 利他的

generosity 慷慨

calculating 工于算计的

wary 小心翼翼的

self-preservation 自我保护

solitary 孤独的

domestication 驯养

ancestor 祖先

spectrum 谱系

dote on 宠爱

variation 变化

词汇大爆炸(8): vary引起的词汇

vary 与......不同

various 各种各样的

variety 多样性

a great variety of...许多种......

variation 变化

variance　变化;分歧

variable 可变化的;变量

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