Pathways 3: Reading, Writing, and Critical Thinking PDF Download (2nd edition)

COOPERATION VERSUS CONFLICT

People often think that the animal world is full of conflict. However, conflict and aggression actually play a smaller role in the wild than cooperation. In fact, according to Conniff, both humans and other primates are social creatures, and both groups normally try to avoid conflict. Chimpanzees, for example, typically spend their days caring for their young and traveling together in small groups. Conniff points out that chimps spend about 5 percent of the day being aggressive, but 15 to 20 percent of the day grooming2 each other. For humans and other primates, conflict is rare and does not last long. For both species, cooperation is a more effective way to succeed and survive.

THE VALUE OF NETWORKING

Research also shows that people and other primates use similar social networking strategies to get ahead in life. They create tight social bonds by sharing resources, doing each other favors, building teams, and making friends. Employees with ambitious career goals, for example, often rely on powerful people in their office to help them get better jobs. In a similar way, chimps work to strengthen relationships with other chimps. […trích 1 phần bài Reading từ Unit 1]

Studies Show Gender Effect in Elephant Societies

Young elephants grow up in extended matriarchal) families. Elephant mothers, aunts, grandmothers, and female friends cooperate to raise babies in large, carefully organized groups. This system helps protect young orphan elephants when hunters or farmers kill their mothers. When a young elephant is orphaned, other females take over the dead mother’s role. The strong bonds between females continue throughout their lives, which can be as long as 70 years. In contrast, young male elephants stay close to their female family members until they are 14. Then they generally leave their mothers and form other groups with male elephants….