Transcript Extensive Reading of College English (Revised Edition)

Lesson Twenty-six
Animal Language
 Guide
Questions
 Analysis and Explanation
 Reading Comprehension
 Summary of The Lesson
Guide Questions
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What questions dose the author put forward in the first paragraph?
What does he think of this question?
How does a bee communicate to other bees the fact that it has found food?
Why have dolphins been studied to see if they have a language?
Bees and dolphins have the ability to communicate .Does it follow that they
have languages?
Experiments show that monkeys have more sophisticated methods of
communication than other animals. They can even use a human language
system. Can we thus draw the conclusion that monkeys have a language?
Why is it much more difficult to decide whether monkeys have language?
Is it quite certain that human beings are the only animals that have
language?
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Some people say that human beings are the only animals that
have language, but in fact some animals certainly seem to have a
communication system, which may or may not be a language .For
example ,the bee has ways of telling other bees about food.
When a bee finds some food ,it returns to the hive and dances.
Bees do two kinds of dances to tell other bees of their discovery of
food. First, there is a round dance, in which the bee moves in a
circle .this means food is close by. Other bees know they must go
out and look nearby for food. The bees also smell the bee that has
found the food. The smell tells them what kind of flower to look
for..
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A second kind of dance is a tail-wagging dance, in
which the bee wiggles the end of its body as it moves in a
straight line. This shows that the food is more than ten
meters away. The bees know from the speed of the tailwagging dance just how far away the food source is. The
line that the bee dances on shows the direction that the
bees must fly in to find the food. After watching the tailwagging dance and smelling the bee, the other bees know
how far to fly , what direction to fly in, and what kinds
of flowers to look for.
Animal language is a very complex thing. We really
cannot say whether animals have language or not .Much
more research will have to be done before we can be sure .
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Animal Language
The power of speech makes human beings different from other animals.
Perhaps it is the power of speech that helped human beings develop into modern
society .Do other animals also have language? It is question worth considering.
Some people say that human beings are the only
animals that have language. Is this true? It is a very
difficult question to answer .A person must have a good
definition of "language". Different kinds of animals must
be studies. Some animals certainly seem to have a
communication system. That system may not be a
language .For example, the bee has ways of telling other
bees about food.
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The dolphin, a kind of fish, has ways of giving information to other
dolphins. The monkey, an animal that is similar to humans in many ways,
can use a human language system. Does this mean animals have language?
We will study each of these animals to try to answer this question.
Bees do two kinds of dances to tell other bees of their discovery of
food ..First, there is a round dance. In this dance, the bee moves in a circle
inside the hive. The round dance is used when food is close by. The food
must not be more than ten meters away .If a bee comes back and does a
round dance, other bees know they must go out and look nearby for food.
The bees also smell the bee that has found the food. The smell tells them
what kind of flower to look for .After watching the round dance and
smelling the bee that has found the food, the other bees can find the food
source.
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A second kind of dance done by the bees is a tail-wagging
dance .In this dance, the bee wiggles the end of its body as it moves
in a straight line .The tail-wagging dances used when the food is
more than ten meters away. The bees know from the speed of the
tail-wagging dance just how far away the food source is.The line
the bee dances on shows the direction that the bees must fly in to
find the food. In the tail-wagging dance, the bees also smell the bee
that has found the food .The smell tells them what kind of flower to
look for. After watching the tail-wagging dance and smelling the
bee that has found ,the other bees know three things. They know
how far to fly, what direction to fly in, and what kinds of flowers to
look f or.
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The bees' communication system is extremely interesting .
Each bee can tell all the other bees where to look for food. The
bees can also tell one another if the food is especially good and
how much of it there is. Karl von Frisch did an experiment with
bees .He put a food source very high above the bee hive, and put
a bee into the food. The bee returned to the hive and did the
round dance, but none of the other bees could find the food. This
suggests that bees do not really have a language .One bee could
not tell the other bees the height of the food.One bee could not
communicate this new information to the others.
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Dolphins,like bees , have been studied to see if they have a
language . Although scientists have not studied the dolphin as
carefully as they have studied the bee, they have made interesting
discoveries .Many observations have been made. A few
experiment with dolphins have been done. The dolphin has been
studied because its general behavior is much like that of
humans .For communication, however, the dolphin's system is
much more limited than a person's. The dolphin has three kinds
of calls or noises to tell other dolphins about food, danger, or
other things.
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It seems that bees and dolphins communicate, but that they
do not have language .It is much more difficult to decide whether
monkeys have language .Monkeys are very intelligent and similar
to humans. Because of this similarity, some scientists in the late
1940's tried to teach a monkey named Viki to talk. After a year,
Viki could only say a few words. Part of the problem with this
experiment is that monkeys do not have the same kind of mouth
and throat as humans. They are not really able to make human
speech sounds. As a result ,the experiment with Viki did not work
well.
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In the mid-1960's,other scientists tried to teach a money
named Washoe to use a sign language. In a sign language , words
are not spoken. Instead ,signs are made with the hands. Many
people who cannot speak or hear use this sign language. It seemed
to be a better kind of language to teach to a monkey. After two
years, Washoe could make thirty-four signs with her hands For
example, she could put three fingers next to her ear as a sign for
her name, Washoe.. She could also do two other things. .First, she
combined signs to make sentences.. Second, she used one sign for
all things of one kind, generalizing her use of the sign. The ability
to combine and to generalize is important in language use.
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A third group of scientists have been working with a monkey named Lana in
the past few years. Lana is being studied at the Yerkes Primate Research Center
in the Unite States. The scientists who are working with Lana are studying her
ability to make sentences. She makes sentences by pressing symbols on a
computer board. Lana may ask the computer to give her food ,water, or toys. She
must press the symbols in a correct sentence order to get what she wants. Lana
has learned to use the nearly 100 symbols on the computer board .She can also
use the symbols on the computer to answer simple questions which the scientist
asks, using the computer also .She has shown that she understands sentences in
two ways. First, she can correct the word order in a sentence. If the scientist
presses the symbols in the wrong order ,Lana will press them correctly. Lana has
also shown that different word orders have different meanings for her .Lana's
achievements are quite amazing .Does she have a language?
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Of course, the answer to this question depends on how
"language"is defined. We may define language as any system
for exchanging information .If this definition is used, then
bees ,dolphins, and monkeys all have a language .But language
may be defined in another way. We may define language as a
system for exchanging information by making new
combinations of symbols .If this definition is used ,then bees and
dolphins do not have a language, but monkeys may have one.
Monkeys are clearly able to combine symbols in a human
language that they have been taught. This is not their usual
language, however.
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Animal language, then, is a very complex thing. Many
experiments are interesting because they tell us more about animals .
They are also interesting because they may help us learn language.
The system used to teach Washoe has helped some humans to learn
language . These experiments are a help to humans. We really cannot
say whether animals have language or not .Much more research will
have to be done before we can be sure.
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From Readings in Contemporary Culture.
ed. , Alice S. Horning, New York, 1970.
Approximately 1290 words.
Analysis and Expression
Some animals certainly seem to have a
communication system.
A communication system: a way of exchanging information
between each other.
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The monkey, an animal that is similar to humans
in many ways, can use a human language system.
To be similar to : to be alike
A cat is similar to a tiger
All squares are similar to each other.
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The round dance is used when food is close by.
to be close by : nearby
The village stands in a valley with a river close
by.
There is a house close by.
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The line the bee dances on: the line the bee
dances along.
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Karl von Frisch (1886— ？)：German zoologist
and professor
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This suggests that bees do not really have a language .这表明蜜
蜂实际上并没有语言。
When "suggest" means "propose", we often use "should + v." or
only "v. "as the predicate of the object clause. In this sentence,
the object clause is not followed by subjuctive mood “should + v.”
or “v.”, so“ suggest” here means “show”.
Her expression suggested she was angry.
Tiny rippling whirlpools on the water’s surface suggest that the
pools are full of fish.
水面上的小漩涡说明池子里尽是鱼。
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One bee could not communicate this new
information to the other.
to communicate to communicate sth. to sb.向…传
达… 1）to convey 转达，传达 (to communicate sth.
to sb.向…传达…)
The news was communicated to me by one of my
classmates.
2) to change letters each other.
I communicated with him on this matter.
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Many observations have been made.
1) Observation: survey :观察
He has been taken into hospital for observation.
2)（often pl.）the data of observation 观察的
数据或资料,and “make” is used with it.
You’d better get some firsi-hand observations.
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As a result: therefore,因此，作为结果。
Man has tamed the jungle but, as a result,
many birds and animals have disappeared
人类征服了丛林，可是结果许多鸟类野兽都
绝迹了。
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… generalizing her use of the sign: learning a
rule from her use of the sign.“概况出”“归纳出”
Ir’s difficult to generalize the facts.
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The Yerkes Primate Research center:耶基斯
灵长目动物研究中心
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She must press the symbols in a correct sentence order to get what
she wants.
它必须以正确的句子次序按压符号，才能得到它需要的东西。
1）press V.挤，按
He pressed his way through the crowd 。
2）出版界，新闻界
members of the press
3) 语序sentence order
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We may define language as any system for exchanging information
by making new combinations of symbols.我们也可以把语言说成是
不断以新的符号组合来交换信息的体系 。
1)define---as : explain sth. as
The book defines man as a rational animal.此书把人解释为有理性
的动物。
2)exchange:交换，更换
He exchange future security for immediate pleasure.
3）in exchange for 作为交换
He received $10in exchange for a couple of hours of work.
他工作了几小时换取10美元的抱酬。
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This is not their usual language, however.
however: adv.意为：“然而”“可是”，它可置于句首，句
中，或句末，通常用逗号与主句隔开。
I would like to go , however, I think I’d better not.
The essay is all right, there is room（余地） for
improvement ,however.
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Much more research will have to be done
before we can be sure.
to do research : to make investigation
He is doing research in ancient history.
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Reading Comprehension
True or False
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A bee can tell other bees by doing tail-wagging dance that he
has found food. This shows that bees have language.
F
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Dolphins do not have a communication system of their own.
F
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Experiments show that monkeys have language.
F
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Monkeys can be taught to use some human language, but that
is not their usual language.
T
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The author means to tell us that language is not just a simple
system to communicate information.
T
Multiple-choice
1. Bees can tell by their dances all of the
following expect ______.
 [A]
the distance they have to cover to find the
food
 [B] the exact position where they can find the
food
 [C] the kind of food they can find
 [D] the direction in which they have to fly to
find the food.
key: [B]
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2. Which of the following is true?
 [A] Dolphins are similar to human beings in
their behavior.
 [B] Dolphin’s communication system is much
like that of human beings.
 [C] When dolphins communicate they use a
language .
 [D] Dolphins can tell clearly about food,
danger, or other things.
Key: [D]
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3. None of the experiments with monkeys can prove
that moneys have language because ____.
 [A]
those monkeys are not clever enough
 [B] they were taught in a wrong way
 [C] they can never speak like human beings
 [D] we don’t understand their language
Key: [C]
4. We learn from scientists’ experiments that monkeys
are cleverer in language learning than other animals
because_____.
[A] they can learn computer language
 [B] they have the ability to produce simple human
sounds
 [C] they are the only animals which understand
human sign language.
 [D] They have the ability to combine and generalize
Key: [D]
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5. The author means to tell us that_____.
[A] it is a complicated matter to decide whether
animals have language
 [B] experiments by the scientists have proved that
animals don’t have language
 [C] nothing has come out from the studies of animal
language
 [D] it is hard to find a correct definition for language
Key: [A]
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Questions for discussion
 What
is the main purpose of studying different
languages of animals?
 What is the author’s opinion in the whole article?
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Comment
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This is an article of popular science .By writing it, the
author aims not only at popularizing scientific
knowledge, but also at arousing the reader’s interest in
the study of animals.
A good title should be short, clear and self-explanatory.
What’s more, it should properly suggest the contents of
the article.
Whether animals have language or not , according to
the meaning of the beginning sentence( It is a very
difficult question to answer ) or the last one( Much
more research will have to be done before we can be
sure), the author has already defined the problem
unconsciously although the article is very long. .
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Outline of the text
Comment on the story
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Answer:Whether human beings are
the only animals that have language.
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Answer:A person must have a good
definition of “language”
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Answer:He does two kinds of dances.
One is a round dance and the other
is a tail-wagging dances.
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Answer:Because their general behavior
is very much like that of humans.
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Answer:No, it doesn’t.
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Answer:The answer depends on how we define the word
“language” ,if we define language as any means of
communicating”, then it could be said that all animals have
language .But if we define language as a system of exchanging
information by making new combinations of symbols, then no
animals is proved to have language.
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Answer:It is clear that monkeys are able to
combine symbols in a human language that
they have been taught ,but it has not been
proved that they have their own language.
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Answer:No,it isn’t.
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Answers to the discussion questions
 To
know whether animals have language.
 It is too difficult to decide whether animals
have languages or not .