michael crichton.congo-第7节

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that　only　man　had　language。　What　a　mess。〃）
　Washoe's　skills　provoked　a　variety　of　other　experiments　in　teaching　language。　A　chimpanzee　named　Lucy　was　taught　to　municate　through　a　puter；　another；　Sarah；　was
　taught　to　use　plastic　markers　on　a　board。　Other　apes　were　studied　as　well。　An　orangutan　named　Alfred　began　instruction　in　1971；　a　lowland　gorilla　named　Koko　in　1972；　and　in　1973　Peter　Elliot　began　with　a　mountain　gorilla；　Amy。
　At　his　first　visit　to　the　hospital　to　meet　Amy；　he　found　a　pathetic　little　creature；　heavily　sedated；　with　restraining　straps　on　her　frail　black　arms　and　legs。　He　stroked　her　head　and　said　gently；　〃Hello；　Amy；　I'm　Peter。〃
　Amy　promptly　bit　his　hand；　drawing　blood。
　From　this　inauspicious　beginning　emerged　a　singularly　successful　research　program。　In　1973；　the　basic　teaching　technique；　called　molding；　was　well　understood。　The　animal　was　shown　an　object　and　the　researcher　simultaneously　molded　the　animal's　hand　into　the　correct　sign；　until　the　association　was　firmly　made。　Subsequent　testing　confirmed　that　the　animal　understood　the　meaning　of　the　sign。
　But　if　the　basic　methodology　was　accepted；　the　application　was　highly　petitive。　Researchers　peted　over　the　rate　of　sign　acquisition；　or　vocabulary。　（Among　human　beings；　vocabulary　was　considered　the　best　measure　of　intelligence。）　The　rate　of　sign　acquisition　could　be　taken　as　a　measure　of　either　the　scientist's　skill　or　the　animal's　intelligence。
　It　was　by　now　clearly　recognized　that　different　apes　had　different　personalities。　As　one　researcher　mented；　〃Pongid　studies　are　perhaps　the　only　field　in　which　academic　gossip　centers　on　the　students　and　not　the　teachers。〃　In　the　increasingly　petitive　and　disputatious　world　of　primate　research；　it　was　said　that　Lucy　was　a　drunk；　that　Koko　was　an　ill…mannered　brat；　that　Lana's　head　was　turned　by　her　celebrity　（〃she　only　works　when　there　is　an　interviewer　present〃）；　and　that　Nim　was　so　stupid　he　should　have　been　named　Dim。
　At　first　glance；　it　may　seem　odd　that　Peter　Elliot　should　have　e　under　attack；　for　this　handsome；　rather　shy　man…the　son　of　a　Manin　County　librarian…had　avoided　controversy　during　his　years　of　work　with　Amy。　Elliot's　publications　were　modest　and　temperate；　his　progress　with　Amy
　was　well　documented；　he　showed　no　interest　in　publicity；　and　was　not　among　those　researchers　who　took　their　apes　on　the　Carson　or　the　Griffin　show。
　But　Elliot's　diffident　manner　concealed　not　only　a　quick　intelligence；　but　a　fierce　ambition　as　well。　If　he　avoided　controversy；　it　was　only　because　he　didn't　have　time　for　it…he　had　been　working　nights　and　weekends　for　years；　and　driving　his　staff　and　Amy　just　as　hard。　He　was　very　good　at　the　business　of　science；　getting　grants；　at　all　the　animal　behaviorist　conferences；　where　others　showed　up　in　jeans　and　plaid　lumberjack　shirts；　Elliot　arrived　in　a　three…piece　suit。　Elliot　intended　to　be　the　foremost　ape　researcher；　and　he　intended　Amy　to　be　the　foremost　ape。
　Elliot's　success　in　obtaining　grants　was　such　that　in　1975；　Project　Amy　had　an　annual　budget　of　160；000　and　a　staff　of　eight；　including　a　child　psychologist　and　a　puter　programmer。　A　staff　member　of　the　Bergren　Institute　later　said　that　Elliot's　appeal　lay　in　the　fact　that　he　was　〃a　good　investment；　for　example；　Project　Amy　got　fifty　percent　more　puter　time　for　our　money　because　he　went　on　line　with　his　time…sharing　terminal　at　night　and　on　weekends；　when　the　time　was　cheaper。　He　was　very　cost…effective。　And　dedicated；　of　course：　Elliot　obviously　cared　about　nothing　in　life　except　his　work　with　Amy。　That　made　him　a　boring　conversationalist　but　a　very　good　bet；　from　our　standpoint。　It's　hard　to　decide　who's　truly　brilliant；　it's　easier　to　see　who's　driven；　which　in　the　long　run　may　be　more　important。　We　anticipated　great　things　from　Elliot。〃
　
　Peter　Elliot's　difficulties　began　on　the　morning　of　February　2；　1979。　Amy　lived　in　a　mobile　home　on　the　Berkeley　campus；　she　spent　nights　there　alone；　and　usually　provided　an　effusive　greeting　the　next　day。　However；　on　that　morning　the　Project　Amy　staff　found　her　in　an　uncharacteristic　sullen　mood；　she　was　irritable　and　bleary…eyed；　behaving　as　if　she　had　been　wronged　in　some　fashion。
　Elliot　felt　that　something　had　upset　her　during　the　night。　When　asked；　she　kept　making　signs　for　〃sleep　box；〃　a　new
　word　pairing　he　did　not　understand。　That　in　itself　was　not　unusual；　Amy　made　up　new　word　pairings　all　the　time；　and　they　were　often　hard　to　decipher。　Just　a　few　days　before；　she　had　bewildered　them　by　talking　about　〃crocodile　milk。〃　Eventually　they　realized　that　Amy's　milk　had　gone　sour；　and　that　since　she　disliked　crocodiles　（which　she　had　only　seen　in　picture　books）；　she　somehow　decided　that　sour　milk　was　〃crocodile　milk。〃
　Now　she　was　talking　about　〃sleep　box。〃　At　first　they　thought　she　might　be　referring　to　her　nestlike　bed。　It　turned　out　she　was　using　〃box〃　in　her　usual　sense；　to　refer　to　the　television　set。
　Everything　in　her　trailer；　including　the　television；　was　controlled　on　a　twenty…four…hour　cycle　by　the　puter。　They　ran　a　check　to　see　if　the　television　had　been　turned　on　during　the　night；　disturbing　her　sleep。　Since　Amy　liked　to　watch　television；　it　was　conceivable　that　she　had　managed　to　turn　it　on　herself。　But　Amy　looked　scornful　as　they　examined　the　actual　television　in　the　trailer。　She　clearly　meant　something　else。
　Finally　they　determined　that　by　〃sleep　box〃　she　meant　〃sleep　pictures。〃　When　asked　about　these　sleep　pictures；　Amy　signed　that　they　were　〃bad　pictures〃　and　〃old　pictures；〃　and　that　they　〃make　Amy　cry。〃
　She　was　dreaming。
　The　fact　that　Amy　was　the　first　primate　to　report　dreams　caused　tremendous　excitement　among　Elliot's　staff。　But　the　excitement　was　short…lived。　Although　Amy　continued　to　dream　on　succeeding　nights；　she　refused　to　discuss　her　dreams；　in　fact；　she　seemed　to　blame　the　researchers　for　this　new　and　confusing　intrusion　into　her　mental　life。　Worse；　her　waking　behavior　deteriorated　alarmingly。
　Her　word　acquisition　rate　fell　from　2。7　words　a　week　to　0。8　words　a　week；　her　spontaneous　word　formation　rate　from　1。9　to　0。3。　Monitored　attention　span　was　halved。　Mood　swings　increased；　erratic　and　unmotivated　behavior　became　monplace；　temper　tantrums　occurred　daily。　Amy　was　four　and　a　half　feet　tall；　and　weighed　130　pounds。　She　was　an　immensely　strong　animal。　The　staff　began　to　wonder　if　they　could　control　her。
　Her　refusal　to　talk　about　her　dreams　frustrated　them。　They　tried　a　variety　of　investigative　approaches；　they　showed　her　pictures　from　books　and　magazines；　they　ran　the　ceiling…mounted　video　monitors　around　the　clock；　in　case　she　signed　something　significant　while　alone　（like　young　children；　Amy　often　〃talked　to　herself〃）；　they　even　administered　a　battery　of　neurological　tests；　including　an　EEG。
　Finally　they　hit　on　finger　painting。
　This　was　immediately　successful。　Amy　was　enthusiastic　about　finger　painting；　and　after　they　mixed　cayenne　pepper　with　the　pigments；　she　stopped　licking　her　fingers。　She　drew　images　swiftly　and　repetitively；　and　she　seemed　to　bee　somewhat　more　relaxed；　more　her　old　self。
　David　Bergman；　the　child　psychologist；　noted　that　〃what　Amy　actually　draws　is　a　cluster　of　apparently　related　images：
　inverted　crescent　shapes；　or　semicircles；　which　are　always　associated　with　an　area　of　vertical　green　streaks。　Amy　says　the　green　streaks　represent　'forest；'　and　she　calls　the　semi…circles　'bad　houses'　or　'old　houses。'　In　addition　she　often　draws　black　circles；　which　she　calls　'holes。'
　Bergman　cautioned　against　the　obvious　conclusion　that　she　was　drawing　old　buildings　in　the　jungle。　〃Watching　her　make　drawings　one　after　another；　again　and　again；　convinces　me　of　the　obsessive　and　private　nature　of　the　imagery。　Amy　is　troubled　by　these　pictures；　and　she　is　trying　to　get　them　out；　to　banish　them　to　paper。〃
　In　fact；　the　nature　of　the　imagery　remained　mysterious　to　the　Project　Amy　staff。　By　late　April；　1979；　they　had　concluded　that　her　dreams　could　be　explained　in　four　ways。　In　order　of　seriousness；　they　were：
　1。The　dreams　are　an　attempt　to　rationalize　events　in　her　daily　life。　This　was　the　usual　explanation　of　（human）　dreams；　but　the　staff　doubted　that　it　applied　in　Amy's　case。
　2。The　dreams　are　a　transitional　adolescent　manifestation。
　At　seven　years　of　age；　Amy　was　a　gorilla　teenager；　and　for　nearly　a　year　she　had　shown　many　typical　teenage　traits；　including　rages　and　sulks；　fussiness　about　her　appearance；　a　new　interest　in　the　opposite　sex。
　3。The　dreams　are　a　species…specific　phenomenon。　It　was　possible　that　all　gorillas　had　disturbing　dreams；　and　that　in　the　wild　the　resultant　stresses　were　handled　in　some　fashion　by　the　behavior　of　the　group。　Although　gorillas　had　been　studied　in　the　wild　for　the　past　twenty　years；　there　was　no　evidence　for　this。
　4。The　dreams　are　the　first　sign　of　incipient　dementia。　This　was　the　most　feared　possibility。　To　train　an　ape　effectively；　one　had　to　begin　with　an　infant；　as　the　years　progressed；　researchers　waited　to　see　if　their　animal　would　grow　up　to　be　bright　or　stupid；　recalcitrant　or　pliable；　healthy　or　sickly。　The　health　of　apes　was　a　constant　worry；　many　programs　collapsed　after　years　of　effort　and　expense　when　the　apes　died　of　physical