人教全日制普通高中英语（必修）高三UNIT14-2

Like all other living creatures, human beings belong to a group of other animals that share certain characteristics. Zoologists¹ place us in a group called primates³, which include other mammals such as apes and monkeys. Among the key features found in primates are hands and feet that can grasp and often have opposable thumbs and toes. That means that primates are better than other animals at holding, moving and using objects. Indeed, many primates, most notably⁴ human beings, have learnt to make and use tools. Primates also have a better sense of touch and the primate² brain is larger -- compared to body size -- than that of other animals. Depending on the size of the brain, primates are divided into two groups: higher primates (human beings and apes) and lower primates.
 
       There are some 183 species⁵ of primates and they are also sometimes divided into two other groups: new world primates, which are small monkeys that live in trees, such as the spider monkey and the night monkey; old world primates include monkeys, apes and humans. They are bigger and spend more time on the ground.
 
       There are several important differences between apes and monkeys: apes have no tail, nearly all monkeys do; apes tend to be larger and walk more upright; apes use sight more than smell. Apes also have more developed brains and give birth to fewer young, which need a long time to grow up. Zoologists also make a distinction between great apes (including gorillas⁶ and chimpanzees) and lesser⁷ apes.
 
       Most primates are social animals that live in groups and communicate with each other. A few live alone. Gorillas live in groups of one male and several females, and chimpanzees live in groups of many males and many females. While their societies are different, they all communicate and behave in advanced ways. Primates use facial expressions, body language and sounds to express themselves and they can even use colour and smell to communicate. Sometimes they warn each other of danger, and they also communicate simply to keep in touch.
 
       Our closest relative among the primates is the chimpanzee, an intelligent great ape that lives in western and central Africa. Chimpanzees are about 50 centimetres to a metre tall and weigh around 25 to 50 kilogrammes. Males are larger than females and can be up to 1.2 metres tall and weigh 70 kilogrammes. Chimpanzees have very long arms and are covered with black hair. They use the same senses as we do and their feet and hands are similar to ours, except that chimpanzees still have opposable toes and can grasp things with their feet. Their diet is also similar to ours -- they eat meat and plants -- even if they sometimes feast⁸ on things we may find disgusting, such as insects and ants. Modern science has allowed us to discover that human beings and chimpanzees are closer than we thought -- our genes⁹ are more than 95% similar!
 
       Because chimpanzees and other great apes are so close to us, scientists have conducted many experiments in order to find out whether other primates can do what we do. Scientists who study animal psychology¹⁰ have trained chimpanzees to do all kinds of things humans do, such as solving problems and even using language. While these experiments are interesting and useful, it is important to remember that they may not always tell us much about how chimpanzees think and what they are able to do. The reason is simple: what the chimpanzees are trained to do is not natural to them, nor does it make much sense to the animals. What may be of greater importance is to observe how primates live in the wild. How do they adapt to a changeable environment? Some animals have physical adaptations, such as the stripes of a zebra, which may help it hide from enemies, or the body of a camel, which helps it survive in the desert. Other animals have learnt to behave in certain ways or even use primitive¹¹ tools. Chimpanzees use more tools than most other animals. They use long pieces of grass to catch insects, they use stones as missiles and to crack open nuts, such as the African walnut¹², and they use leaves to collect and drink water.

1 zoologists   

动物学家( zoologist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Zoologists refer barnacles to Crustanceans. 动物学家把螺蛳归入甲壳类。
• It is now a source of growing interest for chemists and zoologists as well. 它现在也是化学家和动物学家愈感兴趣的一个所在。

2 primate   

n.灵长类（目）动物，首席主教；adj.首要的

参考例句：

• 14 percent of primate species are highly endangered.14%的灵长类物种处于高度濒危状态。
• The woolly spider monkey is the largest primate in the Americas.绒毛蛛猴是美洲最大的灵长类动物。

3 primates   

primate的复数

参考例句：

• Primates are alert, inquisitive animals. 灵长目动物是机灵、好奇的动物。
• Consciousness or cerebration has been said to have emerged in the evolution of higher primates. 据说意识或思考在较高级灵长类的进化中已出现。

4 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

5 species   

n.物种，种群

参考例句：

• Are we the only thinking species in the whole of creation?我们是万物中惟一有思想的物种吗？
• This species of bird now exists only in Africa.这种鸟现在只存在于非洲。

6 gorillas   

n.大猩猩( gorilla的名词复数 )；暴徒，打手

参考例句：

• the similitude between humans and gorillas 人类和大猩猩的相像
• Each family of gorillas is led by a great silverbacked patriarch. 每个大星星家族都由一个魁梧的、长着银色被毛的族长带领着。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 lesser   

adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地

参考例句：

• Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
• She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及，但程度较轻。

8 feast   

n.盛宴，筵席，节日

参考例句：

• After the feast she spent a week dieting to salve her conscience.大吃了一顿之后，她花了一周时间节食以安慰自己。
• You shouldn't have troubled yourself to prepare such a feast!你不该准备这样丰盛的饭菜，这样太麻烦你了！

9 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

10 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

11 primitive   

adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物

参考例句：

• It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
• His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。

12 walnut   

n.胡桃，胡桃木，胡桃色，茶色

参考例句：

• Walnut is a local specialty here.核桃是此地的土特产。
• The stool comes in several sizes in walnut or mahogany.凳子有几种尺寸，材质分胡桃木和红木两种。