新概念英语Lesson 51 Elephants大象-第四册笔记新版

新概念英语（第二版第四册）新概念英语Lesson 51
新概念英语Lesson 51 Elephants大象
Two main techniques have been used for training elephants, which we may call respectively the
tough and the gentle. The former method simply consists of setting an elephant to work and
beating him until he does what is expected of him. Apart from any moral considerations this is a
stupid method of training, for it produces a resentful animal who at a later stage may well turn
man-killer. The gentle method requires more patience in the early stages, but produces a cheerful,
good-tempered elephant who will give many years of loyal service.
The first essential in elephant training is to assign to the animal a single mahout who will be
entirely responsible for the job. Elephants like to have one master just as dogs do, and are capable
of a considerable degree of personal affection. There are even stories of half-trained elephant
calves who have refused to feed and pined to death when by some unavoidable circumstance they
have been deprived of their own trainer. Such extreme cases must probably be taken with a grain
of salt, but they do underline the general principle that the relationship between elephant and
mahout is the key to successful training.
The most economical age to capture an elephant for training is between fifteen and twenty years,
for it is then almost ready to undertake heavy work and can begin to earn its keep straight away.
But animals of this age do not easily become subservient to man, and a very firm hand must be
employed in the early stages. The captive elephant, still roped to a tree,plunges and screams every
time a man approaches, and for several days will probably refuse all food through anger and fear.
Sometimes a tame elephant is tethered nearby to give the wild one confidence, and in most cases
the captive gradually quietens down and begins to accept its food. The next stage is to get the
elephant to the training establishment, a ticklish Business which is achieved with the aid of two
tame elephants roped to the captive on either side.
When several elephants are being trained at one time it is customary for the new arrival to be
placed between the stalls of two captives whose training is already well advanced. It is then left
completely undisturbed with plenty of food and water so that it can absorb the atmosphere of its
new Home and see that nothing particularly alarming is happening to its companions. When it is
eating normally its own training begins. The trainer stands in front of the elephant holding a long
stick with a sharp metal point. Two assistants, mounted or tame elephants, control the captive
from either side, while others rub their hands over his skin to the accompaniment of a
monotonous and soothing chant. This if supposed to induce pleasurable sensations in the
elephant, and its effects are reinforced by the use of endearing epithets, such as 'ho ! my son', or
'ho ! my father', or 'my mother', according to the age and sex of the captive. The elephant is not
immediately susceptible to such blandishments, however, and usually lashes fiercely with its
trunk in all directions. These movements are controlled by the trainer with the metal-pointed
stick, and the trunk eventually becomes so sore that the elephant curls it up and seldom
afterwards uses it for offensive purposes.

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