TOEFL常考背景知识：动物话题之玩耍

　　在托福考试当中，自然科学有关动物的话题一直是阅读听力，甚至口语写作综合任务考查的重点。但是动物话题内容广泛，涉及到动物的出生、喂养、迁徙、灭绝等等各个阶段的多个方面。今天课窝网就只是介绍一些动物玩耍时对他们的成长的影响。

　　TPO中对此内容曾有过多次涉及，

　　例如：

　　阅读TPO 30-1 Role of Play inDevelopment，

　　听力TPO 25-L4 Play等。

　　当没有障碍物需要克服、没有天敌需要逃避、没有猎物需要追捕时，动物的跑跳、追捕、打斗等动作属于玩耍。

　　玩耍分为打斗玩耍fighting play（互相扭斗、把握和攻击），演练玩耍practice play（跳跃、奔跑和翻滚技能），探索玩耍exploration play（接近、触摸、咬、嗅等），以及社会玩耍social play（亲代与子代之间或同龄个体彼此之间的玩耍）。

　　Play is easier to define with examples than with concepts. In any case, in animals it consists of leaping, running, climbing, throwing, wrestling, and other movements, either along, with objects, or with other animals. Depending on the species, play maybe primarily for social interaction, exercise, or exploration.（节选自TPO 30-1 Role of Play inDevelopment）

　　1)玩耍是动物自发自愿的行为， 外力强制下所表现出的行为不是玩耍， 如马戏团中动物的各种表演。

　　2)玩耍通常与正常情况下该行为的目的相悖，如打斗、嘶咬等攻击行为， 其正常的生物学功能是将对手击溃甚至弄伤，而玩耍则完全不是这样。

　　Well, like wolves, the young pups, they fight a lot and bite, you know, not to hurt each other, but ... It just seems obvious why those wolf pups play like that. It gives them practice with skills that will make them better hunters or fighters as adults.（节选自TPO 25-L4 Play）

　　Right. Self-handicapping. Like during a fake fight, a play fight, if one of the animals is winning, the winning animal might just stop and give up its advantage.（节选自TPO 25-L4 Play）

　　3) 玩耍常常是一个动作不断重复进行， 也可能形成仪式化并具有该游戏所特有的规则。

　　4)玩耍行为具有明显的随机顺序，其中很多行为都是来自成年动物的不同行为系统，它们迅速地相继交替出现，例如: 幼狐的玩耍行为可以从探索咬食开始，很快便过渡到攻击打斗，再转化为梳理。

　　5)由两个以上个体参加的玩耍通常都伴随着特定的信号或以特定信号为先导，如吼猴和长臂猿战斗前彼此发出吱吱叫声，表示紧接着开始的是一场友好的打斗游戏。

　　Thus, many species have evolved clear signals to delineate playfulness.（节选自TPO 30-1 Role of Play in Development）

　　玩耍行为在个体发育(包括感官、运动、社会) 的过程中发挥着重要的作用。

　　生理方面，玩耍有助于提高动物的力量、耐力和肌肉的协调能力，训练和完善个体的生存技能。玩耍会刺激肌肉组织的生长，并提供练习生存技能的机会。被捕食者，比如小鹿或者山羊，典型的玩耍动作就是突然快速跳跃和转弯。捕食者，比如猫科动物，则练习潜行追踪，猛扑和撕咬。

　　Play also stimulates the development of the muscle tissues themselves and may provide the opportunities to practice those movements needed for survival.（节选自TPO 30-1 Role of Play in Development）

　　Young animals play in order to get really good at certain specific things they will need to do when they are adults, things like chasing, pouncing, climbing. In other words, they play in order to practice survival skills, like movements used in hunting and fighting.（节选自TPO 25-L4 Play）

　　社会方面，玩耍有助于建立和加强群内社会关系及沟通方式。如群居动物猴子，需要学会控制自己的自私和攻击性，懂得付出和收获的关系以融入群体，学习怎么去统治和顺从，因为每只猴子都会在将来扮演其中某个角色。

　　Play can also provide practice in social behaviors needed for courtship and mating. Learning appropriate social behaviors is especially important for species that live in groups, like young monkeys that needed to learn to control selfishness and aggression and to understand the give-and-take involved in social groups. They need to learn how to be dominant and submissive because each monkey might have to play either role in the future.（节选自TPO 30-1 Role of Play in Development）

　　玩耍对于动物个体同样带来危害。

　　玩耍通常是非常活跃的，包括一些幅度大的动作，有时也会发出声音。这会导致年幼的动物本来用来生长或者储存脂肪的能量流失。

　　玩耍同时增加了动物受伤的几率和暴露给天敌的几率。

　　Play is not without considerable costs to the individual animal. Play is usually very active, involving movement in space and, at times, noisemaking. Therefore, it results in the loss of fuel or energy that might better be used for growth or for building up fat stores in a young animal. Another potential cost of this activity is greater exposure to predators since play is attention-getting behavior. Great activities also increase the risk of injury in slipping or falling.（节选自TPO 30-1 Role of Play in Development）

　　玩耍可能会被别的动物误会，或者不被当做玩耍而潜在地造成攻击。许多物种都有明确的信号表明玩耍，例如前文提到过的长臂猿吱吱叫声。再比如狗，它们会摇尾巴，前腿趴下，撅着屁股来表示玩耍。

　　There is a danger, of course, that play may be misinterpreted or not recognized asplayby others, potentially leading to aggression. This is especially true when play consists of practicing normal aggressive or predator behaviors. Thus, many species have evolved clear signals to delineate playfulness. Dogs, for example, will wag their tails, get down their front legs, and stick their behinds in the air to indicate "what follows is just for play."（节选自TPO 30-1 Role of Play in Development）

　　配套TPO阅读题目:

　　Q: According to paragraph 3, each of the following is a cost to animals that engage in play EXCEPT

　　A.exposure to predators

　　B.a buildup of fat stores

　　C.a loss of fuel that could be used for growth

　　D.risk of injury from slipping or falling

　　Q: According to paragraph 7, how do some animals ensure that other animals understand that they are just playing?

　　A.By playing only with animals who are not predator

　　B.By avoiding any aspects of the play behavior that aredangerous

　　C.By practicing nonaggressive and non-predatory behaviors

　　D.By using a set of signals that occurs only in play

　　以上就是小编为大家分享的托福考试中动物话题的阅读备考，更多托福考试成绩、托福考试培训等问题，可以咨询我们。