研究发现马能闻出人类的恐惧

一项最新研究发现，马匹能够通过嗅觉感知到人类的恐惧，人恐惧时散发的气味会影响马的行为与生理反应。

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. What is the primary aim of the article?

A. To prove that horses rely more on smell than vision when interacting with humans

B. To present experimental evidence supporting a long-held hypothesis about human emotions and horses

C. To compare different sensory channels horses use to interpret human behavior

D. To highlight ethical concerns in animal behavior experiments

无注释原文：

Horses really can smell our fear, new study finds

From: CNN

Horses can detect fear in humans by smell, becoming more likely to startle and more wary of people who are scared, a new study has found.

Researchers collected samples of odor compounds from the armpits of human study participants and then observed how the horses behaved when they were exposed to the different odors during standardized tests, according to research published Wednesday in the journal PLOS One.

While previous research has found that horses can pick up on human emotions through speech and facial expressions, the idea that they can smell our fear has remained just a theory due to the difficulties of studying smell, said lead study author Plotine Jardat, a researcher at the French Institute for Horse and Riding (IFCE).

“As humans, we are not really aware of all the smells that are around us compared to what other animals apparently perceive, so that's not so easy to study,” Jardat told CNN.

To overcome this problem, researchers developed a novel method that involved placing cotton pads in the armpits of the human study participants, where odor compounds are released by the sweat glands.

Samples were taken from people while they watched a scary video and a joyful video, as well as a neutral sample, and these pads were later placed on the nostrils of 43 different female horses, held in place by small nets.

The researchers were careful to prevent contamination by other odor compounds by making sure the pads were only handled by the human providing the sample, and the compounds were preserved by freezing the pads, said Jardat.

The horses were then exposed to a series of tests conducted by experimenters familiar to the animals — for example, whether or not they would freely approach a human in their paddock, or startle at the sudden opening of an umbrella.

Researchers observed the horses' behavior, as well as collecting data on their heart rate and the level of cortisol in their saliva, a key biomarker for stress.

Analysis showed that both the horses' behavior and physiology were influenced by the human odor compounds.

Researchers observed that the horses exposed to odor compounds produced by volunteers who had watched scary footage were more likely to startle more easily, and less likely to approach people or investigate unfamiliar objects.

“The fearful odors from humans amplify the reactions of horses,” said Jardat.

“The significance is that horses can smell how we feel, even if they can't hear or see us,” she said.

Study co-author Léa Lansade, research director at the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE), said the study provides evidence of cross-species “emotional contagion.”

And there are practical implications for those who ride or handle horses, including “acknowledging the importance of handlers' emotional state and its potential transmission through chemosignals during human-horse interactions,” according to the paper.

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为机器翻译并非一一对应，仅供参考

含注释全文：

Horses really can smell our fear, new study finds

From: CNN

Horses can detect fear in humans by smell, becoming more likely to startle and more wary of people who are scared, a new study has found.

新研究发现，马能够通过嗅觉察觉人类的恐惧情绪，并因此更容易受惊，也会对感到害怕的人更加警惕。

表示“使惊吓；使吓一跳；使大吃一惊”，英文解释为“to surprise sb suddenly in a way that slightly shocks or frightens them”举个🌰： Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. 抱歉，我不是故意吓你一跳的。

📺美剧《迷失》（Lost）第六季中的台词提到：I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you.抱歉 我不是故意吓你的

表示“（对待人或事物时）小心的，谨慎的，留神的，小心翼翼的”，英文解释为“careful when dealing with sb/sth because you think that there may be a danger or problem”举个🌰： She was wary of getting involved with him. 她唯恐和他有牵连。

📺美剧《迷失》（Lost）中的台词提到：I think you'll find people slightly wary of entering the jungle 我想你会发现 以后人们进丛林会很谨慎的。

Researchers collected samples of odor compounds from the armpits of human study participants and then observed how the horses behaved when they were exposed to the different odors during standardized tests, according to research published Wednesday in the journal PLOS One.

根据周三发表在《公共科学图书馆·综合》（PLOS One）期刊上的研究，研究人员从人类受试者的腋下提取气味样本，并在标准化测试中观察马在接触不同气味时的行为反应。

英式 odour /ˈəʊ.dər/ 美式 odor 表示“气味；臭味”，英文解释为“a smell, especially one that is unpleasant”如：a foul/musty/pungent odor 难闻的气味、难闻的霉味、刺鼻的气味等。

compound /ˈkɒm.paʊnd/ 作名词，1）表示“化合物，复合物，混合物”，英文解释为“a chemical that combines two or more elements”举个🌰：Salt is a compound of sodium and chlorine. 盐是钠和氯的化合物。

2）表示“（围起来的）场地，楼群，院落”，英文解释为“an area surrounded by fences or walls that contains a group of buildings”举个🌰：They marched into the compound. 他们进入大院。

作动词，表示“使加重，使加剧，使恶化”，英文解释为“to make a problem or difficult situation worse”举个🌰：Her terror was compounded by the feeling that she was being watched. 她有种被人监视的感觉，这加剧了她的恐惧感。

🎬电影《盗梦空间》（Inception）中的台词提到：And when you enter a dream within that dream, the effect is compounded. 当你进入梦中梦，效果会更强。

作形容词，表示“复合的”，英文解释为“consisting of two or more parts”或者表示“（利息）以复利计算的”，英文解释为“used to refer to a system of paying interest in which interest is paid both on the original amount of money invested (= given to companies hoping to get more back) or borrowed and on the interest that has collected over a period of time”如：compound interest 复利。

armpit /ˈɑːm.pɪt/ 表示“腋（窝）”，英文解释为“the hollow place under your arm where your arm joins your body”如：sweaty armpits 汗湿的腋窝。

While previous research has found that horses can pick up on human emotions through speech and facial expressions, the idea that they can smell our fear has remained just a theory due to the difficulties of studying smell, said lead study author Plotine Jardat, a researcher at the French Institute for Horse and Riding (IFCE).

该研究的第一作者、法国国家马术与骑乘研究所（French Institute for Horse and Riding，IFCE）的研究人员普洛廷·雅尔达（Plotine Jardat）表示，尽管以往研究发现马能通过人类的语言和面部表情感知情绪，但由于嗅觉研究难度较大，马能闻出人类恐惧这一点一直停留在理论层面。

“As humans, we are not really aware of all the smells that are around us compared to what other animals apparently perceive, so that's not so easy to study,” Jardat told CNN.

“与其他动物明显能够感知周围气味相比，人类并不能真正感知到周围所有的气味，因此这类问题并不容易研究，”雅尔达在接受美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）采访时表示。

perceive /pəˈsiːv/ 1）表示“感知，察觉，注意到，意识到”，英文解释为“to see something or someone, or to notice something that is obvious”举个🌰：He perceived a tiny figure in the distance. 他注意到远处有个很小的身影。

2）表示“认为；看待；视为”，英文解释为“to come to an opinion about something, or have a belief about something”举个🌰：How do the French perceive the British? 法国人是如何看待英国人的？

📍《经济学人》（The Economist）一篇讲述Bitcoin的文章中提到：Scarcity is a trait of many things that are perceived to have value. 稀缺性正是许多被视为有价值的事物共有的特征。

To overcome this problem, researchers developed a novel method that involved placing cotton pads in the armpits of the human study participants, where odor compounds are released by the sweat glands.

为了解决这一问题，研究人员开发了一种新方法，将棉垫放置在受试者的腋下——汗腺释放气味的部位。

gland /ɡlænd/ 表示“腺体”，英文解释为“an organ of the body or of a plant that secretes (= produces) liquid chemicals that have various purposes”举个🌰：The glands in my neck are a little bit swollen. 我颈部的腺体有点肿胀。

Samples were taken from people while they watched a scary video and a joyful video, as well as a neutral sample, and these pads were later placed on the nostrils of 43 different female horses, held in place by small nets.

研究人员在受试者观看恐怖视频、愉悦视频以及中性内容时采集样本；随后，这些棉垫被固定在43匹不同母马的鼻孔处，并用小网罩加以固定。

neutral /ˈnuː.trəl/ 作形容词，表示“中立的，不偏不倚的”，英文解释为“not saying or doing anything that would encourage or help any of the groups involved in an argument or war”举个🌰：It's important that I remain neutral. 我保持中立是很重要的。

作名词，表示“中立者”，英文解释为“a neutral person or thing”举个🌰：Sweden and Switzerland were neutrals during the war. 在战争期间，瑞典和瑞士是中立国。

nostril /ˈnɒs.trəl/ 表示“鼻孔”，英文解释为“either of the two openings in the nose through which air moves when you breathe”举个🌰：The horses came to a halt, steam streaming from their nostrils. 这些马停了下来，鼻孔喷着热气。

The researchers were careful to prevent contamination by other odor compounds by making sure the pads were only handled by the human providing the sample, and the compounds were preserved by freezing the pads, said Jardat.

雅尔达表示，研究人员采取了严格的防污染措施：每个样本棉垫仅由受试者本人经手，所有样本均在采集后冷冻保存以稳定化合物成分。

contamination /kənˌtæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/表示“污染，玷污；污染物”，英文解释为“something that contaminates”；contaminate作动词，表示“污染；弄脏”，英文解释为“to make a substance or place dirty or no longer pure by adding a substance that is dangerous or carries disease”举个🌰：The drinking water has become contaminated with lead. 饮用水被铅污染了。

freeze /friːz/ 1）表示“（使）冻结，（使）结冰”，英文解释为“If you freeze something, you lower its temperature below 0°C, causing it to become cold and often hard, and if something freezes, its temperature goes below 0°C.”举个🌰：Water freezes to ice at a temperature of 0°C. 水在零摄氏度结冰。

2）表示“冷冻保存（食物）”，英文解释为“to make food last a long time by storing it at a very low temperature so that it becomes hard”举个🌰：I'll freeze any food that's left over. 我会把剩下的食物都冷冻起来。

The horses were then exposed to a series of tests conducted by experimenters familiar to the animals — for example, whether or not they would freely approach a human in their paddock, or startle at the sudden opening of an umbrella.

随后，研究人员让马接受一系列由其熟悉的实验人员实施的测试，例如是否会主动接近围场中的人，或在雨伞突然打开时是否受惊。

paddock /ˈpæd.ək/ 表示“（尤指牧马的）小围场”，英文解释为“a small field where animals, especially horses, are kept”

Researchers observed the horses' behavior, as well as collecting data on their heart rate and the level of cortisol in their saliva, a key biomarker for stress.

研究人员不仅观察了马的行为，还采集了其心率数据以及唾液中皮质醇（cortisol）水平这一关键压力生物指标。

cortisol /ˈkɔː.tɪ.zɒl/ 表示“皮质醇，可的松”，英文解释为“a hormone (= a chemical made in the body) that is used in medicine to treat parts of the body that are swollen and painful”

saliva /səˈlaɪvə/ 表示“唾液”，英文解释为“Saliva is the watery liquid that forms in your mouth and helps you to chew and digest food.”

biomarker /ˈbaɪ.əʊˌmɑː.kər/ 表示“生物标记，生物标志物”，英文解释为“something, for example a gene or substance, that shows that a particular biological process or condition is present”

Analysis showed that both the horses' behavior and physiology were influenced by the human odor compounds.

分析结果显示，马的行为和生理状态都会受到人类气味的影响。

physiology /ˌfɪzɪˈɒlədʒɪ/ 表示“生理学”，英文解释为“(the scientific study of) the way in which the bodies of living things work”

Researchers observed that the horses exposed to odor compounds produced by volunteers who had watched scary footage were more likely to startle more easily, and less likely to approach people or investigate unfamiliar objects.

研究人员发现，接触来自观看恐怖画面的受试者气味的马，更容易受惊，也更不愿接近人类或探索陌生物体。

footage /ˈfʊt.ɪdʒ/ 表示“（描述某一事件的）片段镜头”，英文解释为“Footage of a particular event is a film of it or the part of a film which shows this event.”举个🌰：They are planning to show exclusive footage from this summer's festivals. 他们计划独家播放今年夏季节日活动的片断镜头。

补充：

📍closed-circuit footage指的是监控录像画面；📍CCTV：此CCTV非彼CCTV，其中的CC就是Closed Circuit的缩写，TV就是电视Television的缩写。

“The fearful odors from humans amplify the reactions of horses,” said Jardat.

“来自人类的恐惧气味会放大马的反应，”雅尔达表示。

amplify /ˈæm.plɪ.faɪ/ 表示“增强，放大”，英文解释为“To amplify something means to increase its strength or intensity.”举个🌰：These stories only amplified her fears. 这些故事徒增了她的恐惧感。

“The significance is that horses can smell how we feel, even if they can't hear or see us,” she said.

她表示：“这项研究的重要意义在于，即使马听不到、看不到我们，它们也能通过气味感知我们的情绪。”

Study co-author Léa Lansade, research director at the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE), said the study provides evidence of cross-species “emotional contagion.”

该研究的共同作者、法国国家农业、食品与环境研究院（French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment，INRAE）研究主任蕾娅·兰萨德（Léa Lansade）表示，这项研究为跨物种的“情绪传染”提供了证据。

contagion /kənˈteɪ.dʒən/ 1）表示“接触传染”，英文解释为“the situation in which a disease is spread by touching someone or something”举个🌰：The doctor says there's no chance/danger of contagion. 医生说不存在传染的可能/危险。

2）表示“（情绪、思想、风俗等的）感染，蔓延，传播，扩散”，英文解释为“the situation in which feelings, ideas, or problems spread from one place to another”举个🌰：Brazil's stock markets were battered by contagion from the problems in other emerging markets. 巴西股票市场因为世界上其他新兴市场问题的蔓延而受到了重创。

And there are practical implications for those who ride or handle horses, including “acknowledging the importance of handlers' emotional state and its potential transmission through chemosignals during human-horse interactions,” according to the paper.

论文指出，这一发现对骑马或与马打交道的人具有现实意义，包括“认识到照料者情绪状态的重要性，以及其可能通过化学信号在人马互动中传递”。

implication /ˌɪm.plɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/ 1）表示“可能的影响（或作用、结果）”，英文解释为“a possible effect or result of an action or a decision”举个🌰：The development of the site will have implications for the surrounding countryside. 这个地点的开发将会影响周围的乡村。

2）表示“含意；暗指，暗示”，英文解释为“an occasion when you seem to suggest something without saying it directly”举个🌰：From what she said, the implication was that they were splitting up. 她的话中暗示他们将要分手。

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