阅读理解
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 amaz
ing.Birds can fly thousands of miles by observing positions 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 socalled "body language". Bristling (直立的) fur is an unmistakable warning of
attack among many animals.Similarly, the bowed head or dropping tail shows a readiness to take second
place in any animal gathering.
Such a means of communica
tion 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.
1. According to the passage, the wonder we take for granted is________.
A. our ability to use language
B. the miracle of technology
C. the amazing power of nature
D. our ability to make noises with mouth
2. What feature o
f "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. Bristling hair when ready to attack.
D. Bowing heads when willing to obey.
3. What can be inferre
d from Paragraph 3?
A. Body language is unique to humans.
B. Animals express emotions just as humans do.
C. Humans have other powers of communication.
D. Humans are no different from animals to some degree.
4. This passage is mainly about________.
A. the development of body language
B. the special role humans play in nature
C. the power to convey information to others
D. the difference between humans and animals in language use
