Every day we experience one of the wonders of the world around us without even realizing it. It is not the amazing complexity of television, nor the impressive technology of transport. The universal wonder we share and experience is our ability to make noises with our mouths, and so transmit ideas and thoughts to each other’s minds. This ability comes so naturally that we tend to forget what a miracle (奇迹) it is.
Obviously, the ability to talk is something that marks humans off from animals. Of course, some animals have powers just as amazing. Birds can fly thousands of miles by observing pos
itions of the stars in the sky in relation to the time of day and year. In Nature’s talent show, humans are a species of animal that have developed their own special act. If we reduce it to basic terms, it’s an ability for communicating information to others, by varying sounds we make as we breathe out.
Not that we don’t have other powers of communication. Our facial expressions convey our emotions, such as anger, or joy, or disappointment. The way we hold our heads can indicate to others whether we are happy or sad. This is so-called “body language”. Bristling (直立的) fur is an unmistakable warning of attack among many animals. Similarly, the bowed head or drooping tail shows a readiness to take second place in any animal gathering.
Such a means of communication is a basic mechanism that animals, including human beings, instinctively acquire and display. Is the ability to speak just another sort of instinct? If so, how did human beings acquire this amazing skill? Biologists can readily indicate that particular area of our brain where speech mechanisms function, but this doesn’t tell us how that part of our bodies originated in our biological history.
小题1:According to the passage, the wonder we take for granted is .
A．our ability to use language
B．the miracle of technology
C．our ability to make noises with mouth
D．the amazing power of nature小题2:What feature of “body language” mentioned in the passage is common to both humans and animals?
A．Lifting heads when sad.
B．Keeping long faces when angry.
C．Bowing heads when willing to obey.
D．Bristling hair when ready to attack.小题3:What can be inferred from Paragraph 3?
A．Body language is unique to humans.
B．Animals express emotions just as humans do.
C．Humans are no different from animals to some degree.
D．Humans have other powers of communication.小题4:This passage is mainly about .
A．the development of body language
B．the special role humans play in nature
C．the difference between humans and animals in language use
D．the power to convey information to others
