今日导读
《猩球崛起》中，大猩猩“凯撒”因为基因药物变得异常聪明，当它开口说话的那一刻，大家都目瞪口呆。现实生活中，也有一位大猩猩拥有语言交流的能力。她叫可可，1971 年出生于美国旧金山动物园，从小被动物行为研究者、心理学家佩特森领养，学习掌握了 2000 多个手语，展现出了惊人的智力。近日，她于睡梦中安然离世，让我们跟着 Daniel 老师一起通过《纽约时报》的新闻节选来回顾她的传奇一生。
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Koko, the gorilla, famous for using sign language, dies at 46
因使用手语而闻名的大猩猩可可 46 岁去世
Koko, the gorilla whose apparent aptitude for sign language endeared her to fans around the world, died in her sleep on Tuesday morning, according to the Gorilla Foundation, which oversaw her care. She was 46.
大猩猩可可在手语方面有着显著的天赋，这令她受到全世界粉丝的喜爱。据大猩猩基金会提供的消息，可可于周二清晨在睡梦中离世，享年 46 岁。
Koko was born Hanabi-ko, Japanese for "Fireworks Child," on July 4, 1971, at the San Francisco Zoo, according to the Gorilla Foundation. She became an instant celebrity in her youth thanks to an early facility with American Sign Language. That fame was bolstered over the years as Koko, a western lowland gorilla, charmed entertainers like Fred Rogers and Robin Williams as well as their audiences.
大猩猩基金会表示，可可于 1971 年 7 月 4 日出生在旧金山动物园，并且生来就是"Hanabi-ko"，在日语中它的意思是“花火之子”。得益于很早就显露出的美国手语天赋，她在青少年时期迅速走红。时过经年，可可这只西部低地大猩猩甚至令弗雷德·罗杰斯和罗宾·威廉姆斯这样的艺人及其观众都为之着迷，名声也因此愈发显赫。
注：instant：立刻，立即。celebrity：名人。youth：青少年时期
In 2001, Koko met Robin Williams, building/establishing an instant rapport with the actor and comedian. Williams spoke fondly of the experience in interviews and even joked about their encounter in a standup routine. After he died in 2014, Koko was reportedly crestfallen.
在 2001 年，可可见到了罗宾·威廉姆斯。她很快就和这位演员兼笑匠打成一片。在采访中威廉姆斯提及这段经历时甚是喜欢，甚至在脱口秀的固定表演环节调侃过他们的相遇。2014 年威廉姆斯离世之后，可可据说变得垂头丧气的。
注：encounter：遭遇，相遇。routine：惯例
Koko‘s language skills earned her a spot on the cover of National Geographic in 1978 and 1985, and she was the subject of many documentaries. By the time of her death, Koko’s vocabulary had ballooned to more than 2,000 words, according to the foundation.
1978 年和 1985 年，可可的语言能力为她挣来了国家地理杂志的封面位置，同时她也是许多纪录片的研究对象。基金会表示，在她离世的时候，她暴涨的词汇量已经超过了 2000 个单词。
"Koko touched the lives of millions as an ambassador for all gorillas and an icon for interspecies communication and empathy," the Gorilla Foundation said in a statement. "She was beloved and will be deeply missed."
“可可既是大猩猩的形象大使，又是跨物种交际和共鸣的标志、典型存在，她以这样的身份触动了数万人的人生。”大猩猩基金会在一份声明中说道，“她曾为人所爱，并将被深深缅怀。”
注：beloved adj.钟爱的，亲爱的，n.心上人。
————— 文章来源 / 纽约时报 ?
重点词汇
aptitude /??pt?tu?d/ n. 天资，天赋
endear /?n?d?r/ v. 使喜爱，使爱慕 endear A to B:使A被B喜欢，爱慕。
oversee /?o?v?r?si?/ v. 监督，管理
facility /f??s?l?ti/ n. 天赋，才能；设施，机构
bolster /?bo?lst?r/ v. 增加，加强
lowland /?lo?l?nd/ adj. 低地的
rapport /r??p??r/ n. 融洽关系
e.g.
There was little rapport between them.
She was able to establish a good rapportwith the children.
standup /?st?nd ?p/ adj. 站在观众面前表演的，脱口秀。
crestfallen /?krestf??l?n/ adj. 沮丧的，垂头丧气的
spot /spɑ?t/ n. 封面位置
balloon /b??lu?n/ v. 膨胀，涨大 e.g. I ate out of boredom and I just ballooned up.
interspecies /??nt?r?spi??i?z/ adj. 跨物种间的 inter-：之间的 international：各国之间的，国际的。
原文地址：https://www.cnblogs.com/tianqizhi/p/9282254.html