In this week's Nature, a group of zoologists led by Andrew Whiten of the University of St Andrews in Scotland and Christophe Boesch of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, have provided that evidence. They have synthesised the results from seven chimpanzee-research centres scattered across Africa, and shown that chimps can, indeed, do more than just pass on the odd behaviour pattern here and there. Individual groups of chimps exhibit behavioural“complexes'' that are recognisably different from those of other groups, yet seem to have no connection with environmental or genetic differences between the groups. If that is not culture, it is difficult to think what is.
The problem that confronted Dr Whiten and Dr Boesch was how to disentangle which of chimpanzees' many behaviour patterns are genetically instinctive, which are learnt by individuals in isolation (and so are not cultural, because not copied from others) and which are culturally transmitted (by animals copying one another). They solved it by standardising the reports from the research centres, and paying as much attention to what the animals in each place did not do as to what they did.
Behaviour patterns found at all sites were deemed as likely to be genetic as cultural (leaf-sponging turned out to be in this category), as were those whose absence was due to some environmental factor (fishing algae out of ponds is impossible where there are no algae to fish). Nor were behaviour patterns that did not appear to be sporadic (digging for termites, rather than using a stick to fish for them) classified as cultural. They could just as well have been the result of individual invention, as of copying.
That still left 39 behaviour patterns that were common at some sites and absent from others. Termite fishing with twigs and the mid-ribs of leaves were two. So were breaking nuts open with a hammer (which could be done in four different ways, each with its own pattern of occurrence among the sites), and picking marrow out of the bones of hunted animals using a tool. Nor does chimpanzee culture revolve solely around food. Some chimps have developed flywhisks in the form of leaves. Others have learnt how to tickle themselves. And there is even a behaviour pattern the researchers refer to as ``rain dance'', though it takes place in response to rain, rather than as a way of conjuring it up.
The idea that these and some 30 other behaviour patterns are cultural rather than genetic was supported by the fact that particular sub-species (which differ from one another genetically) are not associated with particular behaviours. Indeed, abrupt cultural transitions often occur in the middle of sub-specific homelands. Short of developing language (and there are a few researchers who believe that chimps can also manage that), it is hard to see what more man's closest relatives could possibly be required to do to be admitted to the culture club.
1. By “If that is not culture, it is difficult to think what is.”(Line 8, Paragraph 1), the author means _______.
[A]it is difficult to define what culture is
[B]scientists feel confused about culture
[C]nobody knows what the culture is
[D]it is nothing but culture
2. The most distinctive feature of culture is _________.
[A]copying one another among animals
[B]passing on the odd behavior among animals
[C]learning from one another among animals
[D]individual invention by the animals
3. How does the author feel about the cultural phenomenon among the chimps
[A]Optimistic.
[B]Affirmative.
[C]Carefree.
[D]Panicked.
4. Which of the following will the scientists not regard as cultural behavior
[A]Using a stick to fish for termites.
[B]Breaking nuts open with a hammer.
[C]Making flywhisks in the form of leaves.
[D]Dancing a “rain dance”.
5. To which of the following is the author likely to agree
[A]Chimps can learn 37 behaviors by copying one another.
[B]Genes and environment have no effect on the behavior of chimps.
[C]Chimps should be admitted to the culture club.
[D]People are too critical of the behavior of chimps.
答案：DABAC
篇章剖析
本文采用先总括说明，后详细论述的模式，指出黑猩猩群体中也存在文化现象这一事实。第一段指出动物学家研究发现在黑猩猩群体中存在文化现象；第二段和第三段具体指出动物学家是如何解决分类问题的；第四段指出具有黑猩猩具有文化特点的39种行为模式；第五段再一次指出黑猩猩应该归属到文化俱乐部中来。
词汇注释
Vocabulary:
disentangle [5disin5tAN^l] vt. 解开，澄清，清理；解决(纠纷等)；使...摆脱混乱状态
sponge vi. (海绵等)吸收；敲诈；寄食, 依赖他人过日子(on, upon)
leaf-sponging特指动物，比如黑猩猩利用树叶收集雨水或者露水的行为
sporadic [spE5rAdIk] adj. 不定时发生的；无时间顺序或固定模式的；偶发性的
termite [5t\:maIt] n.白蚁
just as well adv. 幸好, 无妨；同样；完全一样
revolve about [round] vi. 围绕...而旋转；反复考虑；围绕(某一个问题)
midrib [`mIdrIb] n. [植](叶的)中脉
flywhisk[5flaIwi:l; (@) 5flaIhwi:l] n. 蝇掸
tickle [5tikl] vt. 使发痒; 胳肢；逗乐, 使高兴, 激起情绪；使满足
conjure up使在脑海中显现，想象；用魔法做出(召唤)
subspecies n.【生物学】亚种(通常以地理分节为根据的生物学分类级别)
难句突破
1.Behaviour patterns found at all sites were deemed as likely to be genetic as cultural (leaf-sponging turned out to be in this category), as were those whose absence was due to some environmental factor (fishing algae out of ponds is impossible where there are no algae to fish).
主体句式：Behaviour patterns … were deemed … , as were those …
结构分析：本句的关键在于对“as”用法的掌握。这句话的主语是“Behaviour patterns”，“found at all sites”是过去分词做后置定语修饰主语；“deem”的意思是“认为”；词组“as … as”表示同级正面比较，意思是“同…一样”；leaf-sponging特指动物，比如黑猩猩利用树叶收集雨水或者露水的行为；第二次出现的“as”后面跟倒装句型，意思是“也怎么样，也如何”；whose引导限制性定语从句修饰those，而those指代的是behaviour patterns；词组due to意思是“因为”。
句子译文：在所有地方观察到的动物行为模式都被认为既有可能是遗传模式，也有可能是文化模式（用树叶收集雨水和露水的行为就属于这一类），那些因某一环境因素的欠缺而缺失的行为模式（没有藻类的池塘是不可能出现钓食藻类的行为）也属于这种情况。
2.Nor were behaviour patterns that did not appear to be sporadic (digging for termites, rather than using a stick to fish for them) classified as cultural.
主体句式：Nor were behaviour patterns … classified as cultural
结构分析：本句句形结构并不复杂，关键在于理解双重否定表肯定的含义。nor放在句首，句子要倒装。That引导定语从句修饰behaviour patterns。
句子译文：看起来象是零星出现的行为模式（不用棍子钓食白蚁而是挖坑找白蚁）被纳入文化模式。
题目分析
1. 答案为D，属推理判断题。从文章整个来看，争论焦点主要集中在黑猩猩群体中到底存在不存在文化现象。在文章开头的句子“a group of zoologists have provided that evidence.”中，“that evidence”指的是“存在文化现象”。句子“If that is not culture, it is difficult to think what is.”的意思是“如果这不是文化的话，那么很难说这到底是什么。”，又进一步强调了存在文化现象。
2.答案为A，属事实细节题。原文对应信息是：“so are not cultural, because not copied from others”和“which are culturally transmitted (by animals copying one another)”。从这两句话我们可看出“copying one another”是文化的显著特征。
3.答案为B，属情感态度题。从文中两处地方可做出判断。第一处是句子“If that is not culture, it is difficult to think what is.”这句话的意思是“如果这不是文化的话，那么很难说这到底是什么。”这说明作者是支持动物学家的观点的。第二处是句子“Short of developing language (and there are a few researchers who believe that chimps can also manage that), it is hard to see what more man's closest relatives could possibly be required to do to be admitted to the culture club.”，这句话也同样表达了作者支持黑猩猩中存在的文化现象。
4.答案为A，属事实细节题。原文对应信息是“Nor were behaviour patterns that did not appear to be sporadic (digging for termites, rather than using a stick to fish for them) classified as cultural.”这句话的意思是：“看起来象是零星出现的行为模式（不用棍子钓食白蚁而是挖坑找白蚁）被纳入文化模式。”因此不难做出判断。
5.答案为C，属事实细节题。文中有两处信息可支持这一判断：“If that is not culture, it is difficult to think what is.”和“Short of developing language (and there are a few researchers who believe that chimps can also manage that), it is hard to see what more man's closest relatives could possibly be required to do to be admitted to the culture club.”
参考译文
在本周出版的《自然》上, 一个由苏格兰圣安德鲁斯大学的安德鲁怀特和德国莱比锡马克斯普朗克演化人类学研究所的克里斯托夫布伊希带领的动物学家小组提供了这种证据。他们综合了分散于非洲的七个黑猩猩研究中心的观察结果，结果显示出黑猩猩能做的可能远不止四处传递某些不固定的行为模式。单独活动的黑猩猩群表现出与其它群体明显不同的行为“复杂性”，但这种行为复杂性好象与群体之间的环境或遗传差别没有什么关系。如果这不是文化的话，那么很难说这到底是什么。
怀特博士和布伊希博士所面临的问题是怎么从黑猩猩诸多行为模式中分辨出哪些是属于基因本能性的，哪些是属于个别孤立生活的群体后天学来的(同样也不是文化的, 因为不是通过模仿别人学来的)，哪些是属于文化上传递的(由动物相互模仿的)。他们对来自各研究中心的报告进行了规范化处理，并对每个地方的动物做了什么和没有做什么给予了同等的关注。这样，他们就解决了这一分类问题。
在所有地方观察到的动物行为模式都被认为既有可能是遗传模式，也有可能是文化模式（用树叶收集雨水和露水的行为就属于这一类），那些因某一环境因素的欠缺而缺失的行为模式（没有藻类的池塘是不可能出现钓食藻类的行为）也属于这种情况。看起来象是零星出现的行为模式（不用棍子钓食白蚁而是挖坑找白蚁）被纳入文化模式。它们既有可能是个体独创的结果，也有可能是模仿的结果。
这就留下了在某些地方共有的、但在其它地方没有的39种行为样式。用小树枝和树叶中脉钓取白蚁是其中的两种模式。还有用锤子砸开坚果(可以用四种不同方式敲开，每种方式都具有这些地区独特的发生模式)，以及用工具砸骨取动物骨髓等。黑猩猩文化也不是完全以食物为中心。有些黑猩猩制成了树叶形状的蝇甩儿(蝇掸)，有些则学会了如何胳肢自己。甚至还有一种被研究人员称之为“雨舞”的行为模式，虽然这种行为只是对下雨做出的反应，而不是通过想象编排出来的。
这些和其它约30 种行为模式属于文化模式而非基因模式的思想得到以下事实的支持：特殊亚种(它们在基因上相互有区别)与其特殊的行为没有关系。的确，在次特异性区域中间经常会发生突发性文化变迁现象。由于缺乏语言开发能力(但也有极少数研究人员认为黑猩猩能够做到)，很难知道人类最近的近亲需要做些什么才能被接纳到文化俱乐部中来。