《男性聲音能顯示出説話人體能狀況》英文賞析

Study subjects were able to accurately assess men's physical strength based only on listening to them speak

Which of these guys would you guess is stronger? Him? [Arnold Schwarzenegger saying “One of us is in deep trouble.”]. Or him? [Pee Wee Herman saying, “I’m having a party, and you’re invited!”] If you chose Arnold over Pee Wee, it’s not just because you’re an astute student of popular culture. A new study shows that people are able to accurately judge a man’s strength from his voice. The work appears in the Proceedings of the Royal Society.

The meek may inherit the Earth. But the powerful tend to prevail in physical conflicts. So it’s not surprising that humans have evolved the ability to accurately size up their potential opponents. Such assessments usually spring from visual inspection. But what if it’s dark out, or your rivals are at a distance or on the phone? Will auditory information suffice?

Scientists asked undergraduates to listen to recordings of men from a variety of cultures: from Romanian college students to Argentinian llama herders. And they found that subjects could accurately predict upper body strength based on voice alone. Even when that voice was from an unfamiliar culture.

So if you’re gonna pick a fight sight unseen, listen first. Just to make sure the other guy doesn’t sound like this. [John Wayne saying, “You better wipe that smile off your face or I’ll do it for you.”]

【詞彙解釋】

te adj. 機敏的，精明的，狡猾的

He is a very astute merchant, and can not accept to be the first offers a price.

他是個非常精明的商人，不可能接受第一個出價。

adj. 温順的，謙恭的'

She is as meek as a tory adj. 聽覺的

她像小羊一樣的温順。

ice vi. 足夠，合格 vt. 使 ... 足夠

The rations will suffice until next week.

這些口糧足夠吃到下星期。

An hour should suffice for the journey.

這點路程一小時足夠了。