水富县七中高中英语课时检测十六Unit4BodyLanguagePeriod4含解析新人教版选择性必.docVIP

十六　Unit 4　Period 4 Ⅰ. 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 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 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 has 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. 【语篇概述】本文讲述了人类使用语言的能力, 人类与其他动物共有的“身势语”以及动物如何使用“身势语”。 1. According to the passage, the wonder we take for granted is _______. ? A. our ability to use language B. the miracle of technology C. t