離開
進入《中英對照讀新聞》Cooking skills may have emerged millions of years ago 烹煮技巧可能數百萬年前即已出現
研究顯示，黑猩猩可能擁有烹煮食物所需的心智能力。（歐新社資料照）
◎國際新聞中心
New research suggests that chimps have most of the mental capabilities needed to cook food.
新研究顯示，黑猩猩可能擁有烹煮食物所需的大部分心智能力。
This suggests that the ability to cook food is deep seated and may have arisen in human ancestors millions of years ago. The conclusions also indicate that humans may have developed the ability to cook very soon after they learned how to control fire.
這顯示烹煮食物的能力由來已久，而且數百萬年前就出現在人類祖先生活中。研究結論也顯示，人類學習如何控制火之後，可能很快就培養出烹煮能力。
Surprising as it may seem, even boiling an egg requires advanced mental skills. Whereas other animals tend to start eating whatever food they find or hunt straight away, humans can store and cook their food, even if we are fairly hungry, because we know that if we wait what we eventually eat will taste better.
雖然可能有點讓人訝異，但即使是煮蛋，都需要先進的心智能力。其他動物傾向直接食用牠們找到或獵捕的食物，但人類可以儲存與烹煮食物，即使我們相當飢餓，因為我們知道，等待會讓我們最終吃到的東西較為美味。
It seems that our ability to smack our lips at the prospect of a delicious, well prepared meal requires a similar inspired leap of the imagination as producing art, developing language and creating the technologies that make us uniquely human.
我們咂嘴期待美食的能力，似乎需要想像力的大躍進，就像是創作藝術、發展語言與研發科技這些讓我們成為獨特人類的想像力。
新聞辭典
straight away：片語，直接，立刻。例句：I got home and went straight to bed.（我回家馬上就睡了。）
smack：動詞，咂嘴，掌摑，打。例句：I never smack my children.（我從來不打孩子。）
prospect：名詞，期待，前景。例句：I’m very excited at the prospect of seeing her again.（一想到又會見到她，我就激動不已。）
