michael crichton.congo-第6部分

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　Travis　sat　behind　his　desk；　and　stared　at　her　for　a　long　time。　She　recognized　his　hesitation　as　a　sign　that　he　was　weakening。
　〃And　I　want　to　go　outside；〃　Ross　said。
　〃To　an　outside　expert？〃
　〃Yes。　Somebody　on　our　grant　list。〃
　〃Risky；〃　Travis　said。　〃I　hate　to　involve　outside　people　at　this　point。　You　know　the　consortium　is　breathing　down　our　necks。　You　up　the　leak　averages。〃
　''It's　important；''　Ross　insisted。
　Travis　sighed。　〃Okay；　if　you　think　it's　important。〃　He　sighed　again。　〃Just　don't　delay　your'team。〃
　Ross　was　already　packing　up　her　hard　copy。
　
　Alone；　Travis　frowned；　turning　over　his　decision　in　his　mind。　Even　if　they　ran　the　next　Congo　expedition　slambam；　in　and　out　in　less　than　fifteen　days；　their　fixed　costs　would　still　exceed　three　hundred　thousand　dollars。　The　Board　was　going　to　scream…sending　an　untried；　twenty…four…year…old　kid；　a　girl；　into　the　field　with　this　kind　of　responsibility。　Especially　on　a　project　as　important　as　this　one；　where　the　stakes　were　enormous；　and　where　they　had　already　fallen　behind　on　every　timeline　and　cost　projection。　And　Ross　was　so　cold；　she　was　likely　to　prove　a　poor　field　leader；　alienating　the　others　in　the　team。
　Yet　Travis　had　a　hunch　about　the　Ross　Glacier。　His　management　philosophy；　tempered　in　his　rain…dancing　days；　was　always　to　give　the　project　to　whoever　had　the　most　to　gain　from　success…or　the　most　to　lose　from　failure。
　He　turned　to　face　his　console；　mounted　beside　his　desk。　〃Travis；〃　he　said；　and　the　screen　glowed。
　〃Psychograph　file；〃　he　said。
　The　screen　showed　call　prompts。
　〃Ross；　Karen；〃　Travis　said。
　The　screen　flashed　THINKING　A　MOMENT。　That　was　the　programmed　response　which　meant　that　information　was　being　extracted。　He　waited。
　Then　the　psychograph　summary　printed　out　across　the　screen。　Every　E　RI　S　employee　underwent　three　days　of　intensive　psychological　testing　to　determine　not　only　skills　but　potential　biases。　The　assessment　of　Ross　would；　he　felt；　be　reassuring　to　the　Board。
　
　HIGHLY　INTELLIGENT　/　LOGICAL　/　FLEXIBLE　/　RESOURCEFUL　/　DATA　INTUITIVE　/　THOUGHT　PROCESSES　SUITED　TO　RAPIDLY　CHANGING　REAL…TIME
　CONTEXTS　/　DRIVEN　TO　SUCCEED　AT　DEFINED　GOALS　/　CAPABLE　SUSTAINED　MENTAL　EFFORT　/
　
　It　looked　like　the　perfect　description　of　the　next　Congo　team　leader。　He　scanned　down　the　screen；　looking　for　the　negatives。　These　were　less　reassuring。
　
　YOUTHFUL…RUTHLESS　/　TENUOUS　HUMAN　RAPPORT　/
　DOMINEERING　/　INTELLECTUALLY　ARROGANT　/　INSENSITIVE　/　DRIVEN　TO　SUCCEED　AT　ANY　COST　/
　
　And　there　was　a　final　〃flopover〃　notation。　The　very　concept　of　personality　flopover　had　been　evolved　through　ERTS　testing。　It　suggested　that　any　dominant　personality　trait　could　be　suddenly　reversed　under　stress　conditions：　parental　personalities　could　flop　over　and　turn　childishly　petulant；　hysterical　personalities　could　bee　icy　calm…or　logical　personalities　could　bee　illogical。
　FLOPOVER　MATRIX：　DOMINANT　（POSSIBLY　UNDESIRABLE　）　OBJECTIVITY　MAY　BE　LOST　ONCE　DESIRED　GOAL　IS　PERCEIVED　CLOSE　AT　HAND　/　DESIRE　FOR　SUCCESS　MAY　PROVOKE　DANGEROUSLY　ILLOGICAL　RESPONSES　/　PARENTAL　FIGURES　WILL　BE　ESPECIALLY　DENIGRATED　/　SUBJECT　MUST　BE　MONITORED　IN　LATE
　STAGE　GOAL…ORIENTED　PROCEDURES　/
　
　Travis　looked　at　the　screen；　and　decided　that　such　a　circumstance　was　highly　unlikely　in　the　ing　Congo　expedition。　He　turned　the　puter　off。
　
　Karen　Ross　was　exhilarated　by　her　new　authority。　Shortly　before　midnight；　she　called　up　the　grant　lists　on　her　office　terminal。　ERTS　had　animal　experts　in　various　areas　whom　they　supported　with　nominal　grants　from　a　non…profit　foundation　called　the　Earth　Resources　Wildlife　Fund。　The　grant　lists　were　arranged　taxonomically。　Under　〃Primates〃　she　found　fourteen　names；　including　several　in　Borneo；　Malaysia；　and　Africa　as　well　as　the　United　States。　In　the　United　States　there　was　only　one　gorilla　researcher　available；　a　primatologist　named　Dr。　Peter　Elliot；　at　the　University　of　California　at　Berkeley。
　The　file　onscreen　indicated　that　Elliot　was　twenty…nine　years　old；　unmarried；　an　associate　professor　without　tenure　in　the　Department　of　Zoology。　Principal　Research　Interest　was　listed　as　〃Primate　munications　（Gorilla）。〃　Funding　was　made　to　something　called　Project　Amy。
　She　checked　her　watch。　It　was　just　midnight　in　Houston；　10　P。M。　in　California。　She　dialed　the　home　number　on　the　screen。
　〃Hello；〃　a　wary　male　voice　said。
　〃Dr。　Peter　Elliot？〃
　〃Yes　。　。　。〃　The　voice　was　still　cautious；　hesitant。　〃Are　you　a　reporter？〃
　〃No；〃　she　said。　〃This　is　Dr。　Karen　Ross　in　Houston；　I'm　associated　with　the　Earth　Resources　Wildlife　Fund；　which　supports　your　research。〃
　〃Oh；　yes　。　。　。〃　The　voice　remained　cautious。　〃You're　sure　you're　not　a　reporter？　It's　only　fair　to　tell　you　I'm　recording　this　telephone　call　as　a　potential　legal　document。〃
　Karen　Ross　hesitated。　The　last　thing　she　needed　was　some　paranoid　academic　recording　ERTS　developments。　She　said　nothing。
　〃You're　American？〃　he　said。
　〃Of　course。〃
　Karen　Ross　stared　at　the　puter　screens；　which　flashed
　VOICE　IDENTIFICATION　CONFIRMED：　ELLIOT；　PETER；　29　YEARS。
　〃State　your　business；〃　Elliot　said。
　〃Well；　we're　about　to　send　an　expedition　into　the　Virunga　region　of　the　Congo；　and…〃
　〃Really？　When　are　you　going？〃　The　voice　suddenly　sounded　excited；　boyish。
　〃Well；　as　a　matter　of　fact　we're　leaving　in　two　days；　and…〃
　〃I　want　to　go；〃　Elliot　said。
　Ross　was　so　surprised　she　hardly　knew　what　to　say。　〃Well；　Dr。　Elliot；　that's　not　why　I'm　calling　you；　as　a　matter　of　fact…〃
　〃I'm　planning　to　go　there　anyway；〃　Elliot　said。　〃With　Amy。〃
　〃Who's　Amy？〃
　〃Amy　is　a　gorilla；〃　Peter　Elliot　said。
　
　
　DAY　2：
　SAN　FRANCISCO
　June　14；　1979
　
　1。Project　Amy
　
　IT　IS　UNFAIR　TO　SUGGEST；　AS　SOME　PRIMATOLOGISTS　later　did；　that　Peter　Elliot　had　to　〃get　out　of　town〃　in　June；　1979。　His　motives；　and　the　planning　behind　the　decision　to　go　to　the　Congo；　are　a　matter　of　record。　Professor　Elliot　and　his　staff　had　decided　on　an　African　trip　at　least　two　days　before　Ross　called　him。
　But　it　is　certainly　true　that　Peter　Elliot　was　under　attack：
　from　outside　groups；　the　press；　academic　colleagues；　and　even　members　of　his　own　department　at　Berkeley。　Toward　the　end；　Elliot　was　accused　of　being　a　〃Nazi　criminal〃　engaged　in　the　〃torture　of　dumb　　animals。〃　It　is　no　exaggeration　to　say　that　Elliot　had　found　himself；　in　the　spring　of　1979；　fighting　for　his　professional　life。
　Yet　his　research　had　begun　quietly；　almost　accidentally。　Peter　Elliot　was　a　twenty…three…year…old　graduate　student　in　the　Department　of　Anthropology　at　Berkeley　when　he　first　read　about　a　year…old　gorilla　with　amoebic　dysentery　who　had　been　brought　from　the　Minneapolis　zoo　to　the　San　Francisco　School　of　Veterinary　Medicine　for　treatment。　That　was　in　1973；　in　the　exciting　early　days　of　primate　language　research。
　The　idea　that　primates　might　be　taught　language　was　very　old。　In　1661；　Samuel　Pepys　saw　a　chimpanzee　in　London　and　wrote　in　his　diary　that　it　was　〃so　much　like　a　man　in　most　things　that。　。　。　I　do　believe　that　it　already　understands　much　English；　and　I　am　of　the　mind　it　might　be　taught　to　speak　or　make　signs。〃　Another　seventeenth…century　writer　went　further；　saying；　〃Apes　and　Baboons。　。　。　can　speak　but　will　not　for　fear　they　should　be　imployed；　and　set　to　work。〃
　Yet　for　the　next　three　hundred　years　attempts　to　teach　apes　to　talk　were　notably　unsuccessful。　They　culminated　in　an　ambitious　effort　by　a　Florida　couple；　Keith　and　Kathy　Hayes；　who　for　six　years　in　the　early　1950s　raised　a　chimpanzee　named　Vicki　as　if　she　were　a　human　infant。　During　that　time；　Vicki　learned　four　words…〃mama；〃　〃papa；〃　〃cup；〃　and　〃up。〃　But　her　pronunciation　was　labored　and　her　progress　slow。　Her　difficulties　seemed　to　support　the　growing　conviction　among　scientists　that　man　was　the　only　animal　capable　of　language。　Typical　was　the　pronouncement　of　George　Gaylord　Simpson：　〃Language　is。　。　。　the　most　diagnostic　single　trait　of　man：　all　normal　men　have　language；　no　other　now　living　organisms　do。〃
　This　seemed　so　self…evident　that　for　the　next　fifteen　years　nobody　bothered　to　try　teaching　language　to　an　ape。　Then　in　1966；　a　Reno；　Nevada；　couple　named　Beatrice　and　Allen　Gardner　reviewed　movies　of　Vicki　speaking。　It　seemed　to　them　that　Vicki　was　not　so　much　incapable　of　language　as　incapable　of　speech。　They　noticed　that　while　her　lip　movements　were　awkward；　her　hand　gestures　were　fluid　and　expressive。　The　obvious　conclusion　was　to　try　sign　language。
　In　June；　1966；　the　Gardners　began　teaching　American　Sign　Language　（Ameslan）；　the　standardized　language　of　the　deaf；　to　an　infant　chimpanzee　named　Washoe。　Washoe's　progress　with　ASL　was　rapid；　by　1971；　she　had　a　vocabulary　of　160　signs；　which　she　used　in　conversation。　She　also　made　up　new　word　binations　for　things　she　had　never　seen　before：　when　shown　watermelon　for　the　first　time；　she　signed　it　〃water　fruit。〃
　The　Gardners'　work　was　highly　controversial；　it　turned　out　that　many　scientists　had　an　investment　in　the　idea　that　apes　were　incapable　of　language。　（As　one　researcher　said；　〃My　God；　think　of　all　those　eminent　names　attached　to　all　those　scholarly　papers　for　all　those　decades…and　everyone　agreeing　that　only　man　had　language。　What　a　mess。〃）
　Washoe's　skills