Landmark English Comunicaion III Lesson 7 (1-3)

➊ Assistance dogs, / police dogs, / and pet dogs / — dogs are good companions to humans / in many aspects of our lives. // This companionship began / tens of thousands of years ago. // According to genetic research, /  dogsʼ ancestors were wolves. // Some wolves realized / that if they followed human hunters around, / humans killed prey / and they could get the leftovers. // Hunters also realized / that they could tame and train the wolves /  to help them hunt. // These wolves gradually became “dogs.” //

in many aspects of～：～の多くの点で　companionship：仲間付き合い、交際　tens of thousands of years：何万年も　prey：獲物　leftover：残り
tame：飼いならす
help them hunt：（help O V原）OがVするのを助ける

➋ It is generally believed / that as wolves became dogs, / their bodies and natures changed. // They no longer had to hunt / because they were being fed by humans, / so their mouths became more rounded. // They also developed traits / that helped them bond with humans, / such as obedience, / and fur color and ear shapes / that are more appealing to humans. // The shape of their intestines also changed / to help them digest human food more efficiently. // The wolfʼs howl, / which was used to communicate with other wolves, / also evolved and became the dogʼs bark, / which is used to communicate with humans. //

as：何々するのにつれて（比例） as wolves became dogs：オオカミが犬になるのにつれて
no longer ：もはや～ない　they were being fed by humans：オオカミは人間にエサを与えられる
trait：特徴、特性　bond：絆、信頼関係を結ぶ　obedience：従順
appeal：興味を引く、気に入る
intestine：腸（large/ small）※もしか分からなければ、もうちょっと先を見よう。digestは「消化する」→消化に関する臓器の話だから、胃か腸か。胃はstomachだから…。
同様の考え方で"howl"について考えてみよう。

➌But how does a ferocious wolf / transform into an obedient dog?// To shed some light on the mystery, / Russian professor Dmitri Belyayev began re-creating the evolutionary process of how dogs were born. // He selected wild foxes, / which are from the same canine family / as wolves / and exhibit a cautious and unfriendly attitude / toward humans, / as wolves do. // Beginning in 1958, / his research group bred these foxes for 60 years, / selecting foxes / that seemed comparatively more obedient in each of the dozens of generations. // During this experiment, / dramatic changes were observed in these foxes, / not only in their behavior / but also in their physical appearances. //

ferocious：獰猛な、凶暴な　transform into～：～に変わる、変形する
shed：（光を）当てる、注ぐ、（余分なものを）取り除く、捨てる
※ここでは後ろにlightがあるので、「当てる」の意味
evolutionary process：進化の過程　canine：イヌ科の、イヌの
cautious：注意深い、用心深い
the same ～as：何々と同じ～
as wolves do＝as wolves exhibit（オオカミが見せるような）
bred=breedの過去・過去分詞　breed：繁殖・飼育する
comparatively：かなり、相対的に、比較的　dozens of ：非常に多くの
behavior：行動、physical appearance：身体的見た目