the speech of beavers and ants is apparently by gesture;i.e.,it is only visual.If so, such languages are natural,not acquired.The animals that speak them possess them a-borning:they all have them,and they are everywhere the same.They are entirely unchanging and make not the slightest progress.Conventional language is characteristic of man alone.That is why man makes progress,whether for good or ill, and animals do not.That single distinction would seem to be far-reaching.It is said to be explicable by organic differences.I would be curious to witness this explanation. Vocabulary: l.Antedate:to be formed at an earlier date早于，先于..建成 2.Sentient::able to see or feel things through the senses有感知能力的：sensate 3.Gesticulate:to move your hands and arms about in order to attract attention or make sb. understand what you are saying做手势，用手势表达 e.g.:He gesticulated wildly at the clock. 4.pantomime:a type of play with music,dancing and jokes that is based on a fairy tale.童话剧； the use of movement and the expression of your face to communicate sth.or to tell a story 剧：形体动作 e.g.:communicate in pantomime He pantomimed an exit instruction to the nurse. 5.Promenade:a public place for walking,usually a wide path beside the sea公共散步场所，滨 海步行大道：to walk up and down in a relaxed way by the sea or in a public park散步 6.Circumlocution:using more words than are necessary迂▣曲折的说法 7.Herald:a person who carried messages from a ruler传令官，使者 8.Harangue:a long loud angry speech that criticizes sb.义愤填膺的谴责，慷慨激昂的劝说 9.Feign:to pretend that you have a particular feeling or that you are ill e.g.:He survived the massacre by feigning death. 10.Harem:the separate part of a traditional Muslim house where the women live 11.Salaam:to say hello to sb.in a formal way by bending forward from the waist and putting your right hand on your forehead行额手礼 l2.Grip:control or power控制力、影响力 Exercises 1.What means of communication do you know?What communicative purposes can they achieve? 2.Among the means,which is the most effective one of communicating our thoughts? 3.Discuss on the relationship between language and thought. 4. Someone hold that language is the unique property to human beings.Do you agree with them? If animals also have their languages,what special characteristics does man's language possess?the speech of beavers and ants is apparently by gesture; i.e., it is only visual. If so, such languages are natural, not acquired. The animals that speak them possess them a-borning: they all have them, and they are everywhere the same. They are entirely unchanging and make not the slightest progress. Conventional language is characteristic of man alone. That is why man makes progress, whether for good or ill, and animals do not. That single distinction would seem to be far-reaching. It is said to be explicable by organic differences. I would be curious to witness this explanation. Vocabulary: 1. Antedate: to be formed at an earlier date 早于，先于…建成 2. Sentient: able to see or feel things through the senses 有感知能力的；sensate 3. Gesticulate: to move your hands and arms about in order to attract attention or make sb. understand what you are saying 做手势，用手势表达 e.g.: He gesticulated wildly at the clock. 4. pantomime: a type of play with music, dancing and jokes that is based on a fairy tale.童话剧； the use of movement and the expression of your face to communicate sth. or to tell a story 哑 剧；形体动作 e.g.: communicate in pantomime He pantomimed an exit instruction to the nurse. 5. Promenade: a public place for walking, usually a wide path beside the sea 公共散步场所，滨 海步行大道； to walk up and down in a relaxed way by the sea or in a public park 散步 6. Circumlocution: using more words than are necessary 迂回曲折的说法 7. Herald：a person who carried messages from a ruler 传令官，使者 8. Harangue：a long loud angry speech that criticizes sb.义愤填膺的谴责，慷慨激昂的劝说 9. Feign：to pretend that you have a particular feeling or that you are ill 假装 e.g.: He survived the massacre by feigning death. 10. Harem: the separate part of a traditional Muslim house where the women live 闺阁 11. Salaam: to say hello to sb. in a formal way by bending forward from the waist and putting your right hand on your forehead 行额手礼 12. Grip: control or power 控制力、影响力 Exercises 1. What means of communication do you know? What communicative purposes can they achieve? 2. Among the means, which is the most effective one of communicating our thoughts? 3. Discuss on the relationship between language and thought. 4. Someone hold that language is the unique property to human beings. Do you agree with them? If animals also have their languages, what special characteristics does man’s language possess?