我是怎样的爱你？
6 Who Is More Intelligent: Man or Other Animals?
Teaching tips
Animals, from the perspective of some researchers, have been looked down upon and slighted when considered to be incapable of sophisticated communication and thinking. However, such a belief may only represent our lack of knowledge—in ancient societies, it was taken as natural that the animal had feelings and thoughts. Recent research on prairie dogs, elephants, and killer whales has revealed that they possessed extensive communication and thinking.
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Elephants
On October 18, 1997, National Geographic aired a program on NBC Europe featuring the work of the world’s most renowned elephantologist, Cynthia Moss, selected by Robert Leaky to head Kenya’s Save the Elephant Program. Moss, who literally lived with elephants in the Anbeselli Sanctuary for over a decade, recorded over 33 elephant vocalizations or sound concepts meaning variously, such as “Let’s go”, “Attack”, “I’m scared” (baby-to-mother) and “Don’t worry. I’m here”
(mother-to-baby). She said, “I believe elephants have a range of emotions from joy to grief. And there are even clowns among them, real clowns.”
In uniting behind their leader, many social animals act as one and speak with one voice through their leader. And it is the leader that stipulates the actions of the whole as with elephants where the matriarch decides when to go into a bog to rescue a young elephant that falls in by “stating”
who will make a ramp by breaking the bank so the youngster can walk up and who will use their trunks and tusks as shovels to hold the youngster until the ramp is ready, and who will keep the water buffaloes at bay in case they charge the elephants; when to eat the mineral-rich dirt needed to supplement their diet; when to attack a herd of water buffaloes contending for the same water hole; when, after crossing a river, to go back to get a youngster crying to them as he is too scared to go into the water; when to lie down and rest in the shade of a grove of trees and when to awaken and go ahead; when and if to adopt a baby elephant abandoned by another herd as its original mother is too old or sick.
Killer whales (虎鲸)
Killer whales travel in groupings of families known as pods and can contain upward of 30 whales per pod which remain together throughout their lives, and each has their own communication systems that largely change about every 10 years. They use various hunting methods tailor-made for their different hunting areas where the type of food and terrain differ. NBC Europe aired a National Geographic program on December 27, 1997 documenting the different habits. One pod in Vancouver herds herrings (鲱鱼). They circle the herrings into smaller and smaller circles by swimming around them, keeping in touch with one another through chirps, while driving them to the surface of the water. Once there, they stun larger and larger numbers of them with a slap of their back fins. One bull male can eat 400 a day.
In the Cape of Good Hope, near the Antarctic Circle, the whales use a completely different strategy. They reverse the whole idea of fishing where one stands on dry land and draws fish from the water. “Fishing” from the water, they plop onto the land and drag seals into the water. In the Cape, there are no herrings, only seals and penguins. The whale’s eyesight is good and when they ride on the surface of the water they pot baby seals on the beach. It takes the whale parents several years to teach the method of beaching (搁浅). They push their young whale calves onto the beach and teach them how to rock themselves back into the water.
Conclusion
That animals do not speak Korean, French, or Mandarin should not prejudice us into believing that they do not think. We are well-cautioned that “silence is golden” (animals often are). We are instructed that “Actions speak louder than words:”. And in acting, the animal’s intention is clearer than words can describe. “One picture is worth a thousand words”: Here again, one view of a hungry, angry, tired animal says more than a thousand words about their thoughts at that moment. Yet, not only do animals have silence, action, and picture, they also have vocalizations
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or sound concepts. All four are containers of thoughts. These points should allow us to keep our minds open concerning the issue of animal intelligence until more research confirms the question either one way or the other.
Sample
Arguments for the superior intelligence of man:
• By definition in philosophy, man is the only species on the Earth which is capable of thinking and is the only conscious life on the planet.
• Man’s organs are special and more efficient and better coordinated, especially the brain.
Compared with other animals’, man’s brain has a bigger capacity with a more complex structure, and can store huge amounts of information. No other creatures can surpass in this aspect.
• Human beings have the ability to create, a basic and essential attribute to human society and culture.
• The communication between human beings is easy and efficient, leading to better understanding and cooperation. Especially after the creation of the Internet, we can easily reach anyone at any time and in any place of the world.
• As the most advanced species on the Earth, man is the absolute governor of the whole world.
He dominates all other living beings on this planet. Humans can understand animals, make friends with animals and have animals work for them, for example, horses, donkeys, cows, dogs, dolphins, etc. Being a smart leader, man certainly has the highest IQ.
• Human beings can explore and adapt to a new environment, and by means of modern technology, human beings began to discover the universe which is impossible for any creature to reach, while animals usually stay in a certain area and if they are in a totally unfamiliar circumstance, they may die.
• We human beings can write down our history and experiences for record.
Arguments for the superior intelligence of animals:
• Many animals can predict disasters such as floods, earthquakes, and can even forecast weather, which is very difficult for human beings to do so, even with modern equipment.
• There are still many mysteries about what animal life is like, still unknown to or not understandable by human beings.
• Man has learned a great deal from animals. In fact, many advances in science and technology are based on man’s observation and imitation of animals and their activities. For example, our modern planes are actually the human version of birds.
• Animals are more environment friendly than humans. Bioecologically speaking, they are far more intelligent than humans. Human beings break the laws of nature, destroy the environment and put the planet in danger.
• All kinds of animals make us envious because they can live very peacefully and simply. There is less sophistication in animal society. They can use ways to make life easier and happier. So their intelligence is superior to man’s.
Teaching tips Debating skills
1 The concept of debate
A debate is, basically, an argument. Debating has strict rules of conduct and quite sophisticated
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arguing techniques and you will often be in a position where you have to argue the opposite of what you believe in.
2 Team line
Since debating is a team event it is important that the speakers work together as a team. The team line is the basic statement of “why the topic is true” (for the affirmative) and “why the topic is false” (for the negative). It should be a short sentence, presented by the first speaker of each team and used by the other two speakers to enforce the idea of teamwork.
3 The roles of speakers
In a debating team each speaker has specified roles that they must fulfill. Suppose it’s a debate with three members in each team, the roles of the speakers are as follows.
The first affirmative must:
• define the topic;
• present the affirmative’s team line;
• outline briefly what each speaker in their team will talk about;
• present the first half of the affirmative’s case.
The first negative must:
• accept or reject the definition. If you don’t do this it is assumed that you accept the definition;
• present the negative’s team line;
• outline briefly what each of the negative speakers will say;
• rebut a few of the main points of the first affirmative speaker, using about one quarter of their time;
• present the first half of the negative’s case.
The second affirmative must:
• reaffirm the affirmative’s team line;
• rebut the main points presented by the first negative, using about one third of their time;
• present the second half of the affirmative’s case.
The second negative must:
• reaffirm the negative’s team line;
• rebut the main points of the affirmative’s case, using about one third of their time;
• present the second half of the negative’s case.
The third affirmative must:
• reaffirm the affirmative’s team line;
• rebut all the remaining points of the negative’s case, using about two thirds to three quarters of their time;
• present a summary of the affirmative’s case;
• round off the debate for the affirmative.
The third negative must:
• reaffirm the negative’s team line;
• rebut all the remaining points of the affirmative’s case, using about two thirds to three quarters of their time;
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• present a summary of the negative’s case;
• round off the debate for the negative.
The third speakers should not introduce any new points of their team’s cases.
4 Techniques
There are many techniques that each speaker can use in their speech, but there are three main areas that you will be marked on—matter, method and manner.
• Matter—the substance of your speech. You should divide your matter into arguments and examples. An argument is a statement “The topic is true (or false depending on which side you are on) because of x.” An example is a fact or piece of evidence which supports an argument. Any examples that you use should be relevant to the topic.
• Method—how you organize what you say. Good team method involves unity and logic.
Stick to your own definition of the topic and pay close attention to the team line of the other side. Individually, you must structure your own speech well, with proper signposting.
When you are presenting one particular argument, make sure the argument is logical and you make clear links between your team line and the argument, and between the argument and the examples that you will use to support it. Rebuttal should be organized the same way. Also organize your speech well in terms of time.
• Manner—how you present what you say. The best advice is to develop a manner style that is natural to you.
PART 4 Translation and Writing
2 Translation Practice
康斯但丁·索巴科夫研究草原犬鼠已有十多年了。他把科研助手派到有草原犬鼠的地区。派去的人身高 不同，衣着颜色不同，带的东西也不同，有的带着枪，有的牵着狗，有的赤手空拳。他们对草原犬鼠的 叫声加以分析，把它们相互交流的结构记录下来并发现了他们交流的模式。索巴科夫说：
如同人类声音的波形一样，草原犬鼠的声音也有一定的波形结构。它们用叫声相互交流信息。一个叫声 由数百个基本单位组成，涵盖着它们自己的词汇，有的类似于我们所说的名词，有的类似于形容词。犬 鼠的叫声里也有变化多样的和声，变化的方式所有同类都懂。我们从九个不同的角度考察了草原犬鼠的 波形。它们能区分人与狗，人们所穿衣服的颜色，以及人们的身高。
被问到犬鼠是怎样表达一个人的身高时，索巴科夫说，叫声中某个系列的直线波形变成弧形就能表示身 高。当以一定的方式改变这些波形时，就区别出了不同的高度。他认为草原犬鼠所掌握的词汇量超过其 他任何动物。
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3 Writing
Sample 1
Man Versus Other Animals
It’s a tough mission to compare man with other animals. As is known to all, human beings are a wonder of evolution. Thanks to our brilliant brain, we can turn the tough environment into our warm homes and do not have to hunt for food as many of the other animals do. We can write down our history, and tell others the news today. We can create different materials from the same source. On this point, we are more intelligent than other animals.
Though now we live in a way totally different from wild lives, we are still members of the planet and we must play a part in the world. We must also obey the rules of nature, and try our best to develop a harmonious relationship with wildlife. We should respect any other forms of life in the world. Unfortunately, we often do foolish things. We violate the laws of nature by killing animals, damaging or destroying our home planet. As a result, we are making the Earth unsuitable, to some extent, for living for our future generations.
Sample 2
Man Is More Intelligent than Other Animals
When it comes to whether man is more intelligent than other animals, opinions may differ from person to person. Some people who insist on man’s intelligence say that a number of factors could support their view on this topic. The following are some of the most critical ones.
In the first place, man is clever and able to make his environment a better place to live in.
Maybe this makes man more ambitious and ensures man a better position to develop and create what he needs. We can grow vegetables even in the desert. Furthermore, humans can design and produce all kinds of tools and use them to work more efficiently. The development of agriculture is a good example. Human beings have had such a rich variety of food for them to enjoy and keep healthy. What’s more, human beings have the most blessed faculty of speech, which makes man far more superior to other animals. Human beings can communicate with each other easily and get very complicated meanings across. With their written languages, knowledge and information, scientific discoveries and important events can all be recorded to pass down from generation to generation. No other animals can be so advanced as to create and use anything like these.
Sometimes we learn from other animals to develop new equipment. This again shows the intelligence of man. They can take advantage of whatever is around them to serve their purposes.
Few animals are so smart as to be able to learn from man to live a better life. So obviously man is more intelligent than other animals.
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