Text A The Damned Human Race
More Work on the Text
ⅠOral Work
1．
Questions to help comprehension and appreciation.
1)What do you know about Mark Twain? Can you name some books he wrote? What
specific qualities in his writings brought him world renown? Is this essay written in his
usual humorous vein? Do you have any idea why he became more and more bitter in his
later years? Do you agree that it was largely due to his personal misfortunes? Which of
the following words can best describe this essay? Serious and matter-of-fact?
Scientifically detached and objective? Hilariously humorous? Bitterly satirical?
2)What is the main idea of this essay? What is the Darwinian theory? How does the
author come to doubt this? Is that the result of scientific experiment? Is Mark Twain
serious when he says that he has done many months of painstaking and fatiguing work
in the London Zoological Garden? What effect do you think he hopes to achieve with
this mock seriousness?
3)How does the author contrast human beings with other animals? What specific human
traits and dispositions does he condemn? Why does he say that man is the creel animal?
What examples does he give to illustrate the point? How would you describe the image
of human beings under the author's pen? And what arguments does the author give to
support his views?
4)D0 you think we should take Mark Twain’s views seriously? Do you agree with him?
Are we really that bad? Isn't there some saving grace in the human race? Mark Twain
wrote this essay about a century ago. Would you say that the human race has changed
for the better or for the worse?
5)How is this essay organized? What devices does the author use to make the article
interesting? What do you have to say about the diction of this essay? Mark Twain is
generally known for his skilful use of vernacular? Is this article written in a colloquial
and informal way? Do you like this style?
2．Discuss．
In Book 3，there is a text entitled“We Are Only Human”in which the author strongly
argues that we human beings should be and can be superior to other animals. But in this
article，
he author reels strongly that human beings arc the least fit for survival．
‘What do
you think of these two authors’ views?
3． Comment on any one of the following quotations：
1)0nly on paper has humanity yet achieved glory，beauty，truth，knowledge，virtue，
and
abiding love．
一 George Bernard Shaw
2)The more humanity advances，the more it is degraded．—Gustave FIaubert(1821—1
880)
3)It is easier to denature plutonium than to denature the evil spirit or man．—Albert
Einstein.
4)There is no crime of which one cannot imagine oneself to be the author —
Goethe(1749 一 1832)
5)We must laugh at man to avoid crying for him． —Napoleon Bonaparte(1709 —
1821)
6)Man is nature’s sole mistake．
一 W．S . Gilbert
7)Human nature can be modified to some extent，but human nature cannot be
changed．—Abraham Lincoln(1809 一 1865)
8 J Man is Creation’s masterpiece；but who says so?
一 Elbert Hubbard
9)Apart from man ， no being wonders at its own existence ． 一 Arthur
Schopenhauer(1788 一 1804)
10)Man is a rope connecting animal and superman．What is great in man is that he is a
bridge and not a goal．
一 Friedrich Nietzsche f1844--1900)
11)Man is but a reed，the most weak in nature．but he is a thinking reed —Blaise
Pascal(1623 —1 662 )
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ⅡVocabulary
1．Translate
1) into Chinese．
(1)rightful owner
(9)zoological garden
(2)universal brotherhood of man
(10)scientific method
(3)loose morals
(11)vast stores of food
(4)soiled mind
(12)odds and ends
(5)brute force
(13)war atrocities
(6)saving grace
(14)questionable taste
(7)rabid hunger
(15)traits and dispositions
(8)a religious zealot (16)painstaking work
2)into English
(1)宣布不再忠于某种(事业，信仰) (7)满足某人的胃口
(2)否定一种假设
(8)从某人身上骗走某种东西
(3)对某事物进行试验
(9)将所受侮辱牢记在心
(4)涉及了好几个月的工作
(10)对所受伤害耿耿于怀
(5)玩得很开心
(11)报仇
(6)撂在那里任其腐烂
(12)家里妻妾成群
(13)仅限于人
(18)消灭其同类
(14)有必要做某事
(19)屠杀人民
(15)肢体遭到支解
(20)使某人被奴役
(16)挖出某人眼睛
(21)洗去泥巴
(17)把某东西当饭吃了
(22)描绘简单历史
2．Put in appropriate words or expressions from the text．
1)Galileo was forced to ____his theory that the earth moved round the sun.
2)You have to——every postulate to scientific experiment no matter how beautiful it may
sound．
3)As soon as we ____to reform our education system, we ____a lot of unexpected
obstacles．
4)The Tibetans were very hospitable. They ____us with songs，dances，and feasts．
5)I don’t believe their wild ____about the effects of this medicine I don’t believe any
medicine can cure cancer so easily．
6)He wrote an essay on what had——the collapse of the Soviet Union．
7)He showed no——to get publicity．He was a real scholar．
8)History has proved that you cannot win peace by——一 the aggressors．
9)To live comfortably does not mean to be——I hate to see people throw away money on
luxuries．
10)Certain confusion is inevitable in the——from a command economy to a market
economy.
11)He has a dream to——a beautiful garden of his home village．
12)For years she——a secret resentment against her boss．
13)Their beloved leader was shot at close ____by a man who disguised himself as a
reporter．The ____turned out to be a religious ____from a theological school．
14)It was a mass——．About 15 thousand war prisoners were——in cold blood in the
wood that night．
15)He closed his eyes for the knife to fall．Just at that——moment，a giant of a man
dressed as a monk jumped out from behind the tree．
16)As a soldier，I have pledged my——to my country．
3．Translate．
1)我明天得去看看牙科大夫。我前面有颗牙松了。
2)你的翻译有点太随意了。你应该更加忠实原文才是。
3)时尚总是变来变去的。几年前大家都穿紧紧的牛仔裤。但是现在宽松的衬衫、裤子
又回来了.
4)他的舌头管不住(很松)。你不能指望他保守秘密。
5)他们知道他们能指望我们给以帮助。
6)她在海边的假期使她恢复了健康。
7)他们希望他们能起码让那些国家中立。
8)把一种文字贴切地译成另一种文字的确是一种艺术。
9)你怎样把它译成简单的口语体的英文呢?
10)窝藏警方在追捕的人是一种犯罪行为，是要受法律惩罚的。
11)人们仍然对他们的动机抱有深深的怀疑。
12)在建设的过程中我们遇到了很多技术难题。
13)在战争期间很多妇女进了工厂去代替男人。
14)在现代化的过程中，我们必须在经济发展和社会公平之间有一个较好的平衡。
15)人是能在正确和错误之间作出道德区分的惟一动物。
16)男女之问的区别是人为的，根本不科学。
17)宏观经济和微观经济之间有什么差别?
18)很多城镇失去了它们传统的美。但平遥在这点上是一个例外。具有讽刺意味的是，
它之所以能保持它的美是因为多年来它太穷了，没钱改造城市。
19)他是当代中国最重要的作家之一，发表过不少重要的作品。
4. Put in the most appropriate preposition or adverb．
1)When the apples are ripe，you can go there，pay 20 yuan，walk into an orchard and
pick and eat them ____your pleasure
2)____what degree the market should be regulated is still open ____debate．
3)The man got my brother heavily——debt and cheated him ____his car．
4)When she entered the room she found her husband brooding——his loss in the stock
market．
5)This article would be even better if you left ____the third paragraph and added a
more powerful ending ____it
6)She hoped that there would be a way to put her————her misery when she had no
chance ____recovery．She wanted to leave the world ____ dignity．
7)Their operations should be subjected ____strict supervision．
8)They built the expressway ____huge expense，but it was worth it．
9 )I thought we had solved that problem．But since you are ____it again，let me explain to
you once more why I think you are wrong．
10)You shouldn't set yourself ____from the rest of the class．It will do you a lot of harm
11)A sadist is a person who takes pleasure ____inflicting pain ____others．
12)The meeting was canceled ____mutual consent．He shouldn't put the blame
____ me．
13)It was shortly after the revolution，and people were still fully alive ____the threat of
tyranny．
5． Study the following sentences．Pay special attention to alliteration and rhyme，
1)He was gay and gabby and glowing in the warmth of his friends’affection．
2)Women in those days were usually the last to be hired but the first to be fired．
3)He clasps the crag with crooked hands，
Close to the sun in lonely lands．
．
．
．(from the Eagle by Tennyson )
4)He came back safe and sound．
5)Nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendor in the grass．
of glory in the flower．
一 W111iam Wordsworth(1770 一 1850)
6)An apple a day keeps the doctor away
7)Walk groundly，talk profoundly，drink roundly，sleep soundly． ____William Hazlitt
(1778 一 1830)
8)One of the weaknesses of our age is our apparent inability to distinguish our needs
from
our greeds.
—Don Robinson
9)She was as fit as a fiddle．
10)He was still hale and hearty at the age of eighty—three.
11)She was penny wise and pound foolish．
12)I spent the whole day cleaning the pots and pans．
13)The job of satire is to frighten and enlighten．
一 Richard Condon
14)If a man is too much of everything，he will be nothing of anything．
15)Learning is a daily necessity，just like bread and butter to him．
16)This happened so long ago. Let’s forgive and forget．
6． Choose the best word or phrase for each blank from the four supplied in brackets．
Scientists have said that the human body is made up of about two-thirds water，plus
carbon．calcium．and a few other chemicals--all worth about five dollars．(1) ____ (But，
However，Still，Therefore)the body performs amazing feats of engineering，chemistry，
and physics that(2) ____(any，little，no，few)machine designed by humans can duplicate.
(3)
(For example，Namely，Say，That is)，
the heart--merely the size of a fist and(4) ____(containing ， having ， measuring ，
weighing)less than a pound ____ is a marvel of mechanical performance ． (5)
____(Beating，Hitting，Jumping，Pounding)seventy times a minute．it pumps two thousand
gallons of blood(6) ____ (a，every，per，the)day and fifty—five million gallons in a
lifetime. Blood — the river of life--journeys endlessly(7} ____(along ， in ， over ，
through)sixty thousand miles of blood vessels Oxygen，water，and nutrients are (8)
____(delivered，given，handed，transported)to every cell，and waste products are
collected．A (9) ____(complete，entire，total，whole) tour—out from the heart and
back--takes less than a minute
The stomach chums food and mixes it with enzymes(酶)and acid(酸)In (10) ____
(common，general，normal，usual)digestion the stomach produces hydrochloric acid strong
enough to(11) ____(burn，fire，scorch，tear)a hole in a rug，but it protects itself with a
glistening layer of mucus(黏液)．
(12) ____(In，For，of, out of)the body’s 206 bones．more than half (13 ) ____(are，
is，locate，remain)in the hands and feet The unique engineering design of the human body
reaches its apex(顶峰)in the hand．Twenty—five joints give it fifty—eight distinctly
different motions and make it the most versatile instrument on earth.
All we ever see of one another—skin and hair —is dead. Our skin is constantly
growing from(14) ____(internal，external，within，without)creating new cells that push
their way outward，then die near the surface．Our skin perspires constantly．Even when we
are not exerting ourselves，we perspire(15) ____ (about，between，from，over)one and two
pints of water a day．
The human body，an incredible machine．
More Work on the Text
Ⅲ Grammar
1． Grammar in context：
1)Study these sentences and note ways of contrasting．
(1)The facts stood proven that the difference between an earl and an anaconda is that the
earl is cruel and the anaconda isn't；and that the earl wantonly destroys what he had no
use for，but the anaconda doesn’t (para．3)
(2)I furnished a hundred different kinds of wild and tame animals the opportunity to
accumulate vast stores of food，but none of them would do it．(para．4)
(3)Roosters keep harems．but it is by consent of their concubines；therefore no wrong is
done．Men keep harems，but it is by brute force，privileged by atrocious laws which the
other sex were allowed no hand in making．(para．6)
(4)The higher animals engage in individual fights，but never in organized masses
(para．10)
(5)1 was an atheist at the time．And she was a Methodist．But，alas，instead of relying
on the Holy Spirit to convert me，Ruth was foolish enough to open her pretty mouth in
argument．(Lesson 1，para．26)
(6)What keen satisfaction we find in belittling the opinions，or attacking the opinions，
of somebody of whom we are jealous，or of somebody against whom we bear a grudge.
But，on the other hand，it is equally true that friendly feelings to a man have an effect in
disposing us to feel friendly to his views．(Lesson 6，para．19)
(7)We are faced，according to Dr．Elton，
“with a life-and-death need not just to find new
technological means of suppressing this plant or that animal”
；instead we need the basic
knowledge of animal populations and their relations to their surroundings that will
promote an even balance and damp down the explosive power of outbreaks and new
invasions．
”(Book 3．Lesson，11，para．24)
(8)The absence of integrity，honesty，and honor on the other hand，do not always bring
punishment or scorn(In fact，connivers and cheats often gain power and wealth)．(Book
3，Lesson 8，para．11)
2)Study these sentences and note ways of clarifying．
(1)That is to say，I have subjected every postulate that presented itself to the crucial test
of actual experiment，and have adopted it or rejected it according to the result．(para．2)
(2)You mean that you keep that list on your desk? (Lesson 11，para．144)
(3) I mean，permission must be granted before a pass is issued．(Lesson 11，para．210)
(4)You mean that when you thought he was a miscreant you took him in your car，but
now that you know he is my nephew you refuse?(Lesson 11，para．232)
(5)“You mean，it might have been someone else?”inquired Mrs．Mayton．(Lesson2，
para 2)
(6)“You 一 don't mean．
．
．?”he gulped．(Lesson 2，para．25)
(7)She couldn't stand it．1mean，she wasn't vain．Not really(Lesson 5，para．53)
(8)In the pause that followed they looked at each other．In the past when they had
looked at each other like that they had felt that their souls had，as it were，put their arms
round each other and dropped into the same sea，content，to be drowned，like mournful
lovers．(Book 3，Lesson 9，para．52)
(9)Familiarity sometimes makes people physically invisible，for you find yourself
talking to the heart—to the essence，as it were，rather than to the face．I suspected，
of coupe，that she was lonely；I did not know she was i11．(Book 3, Lesson 4，para．27)
(10) In other words，we have to go beyond the proximate cause and probe further and
further．(Lesson 3．para．11)
2．Put in the blanks suitable words or phrases expressing contrast from the list below．
1)Cultural icons are harder to define；we know them，____ ，when we see them．
2)In spelling，grammar，the fundamentals of math，and other vital subjects，my teachers
at high school did a pretty good job, ——there's so much else 1 wish they'd taught us.
3)Well，all fight，hospitals lose money．But ____，if people are healthy，don't think of
it as losing money；think of it as saving lives．
4)Many media stars do not appear on talk shows because of an actual desire，or ability
to talk，____simply to gain recognition．
5)But overindulging(娇宠)children with material things does not make children feel
more loved．____the effects of overindulgence can be harmful．
6)Her father was very fond of her boyfriend 一 一 — — would not hear of any
engagement．
7)The parents thought the decision was a great sacrifice for them；they knew ____，it
would be better for their boys
8)When people are talking，don't spend the time thinking about what you're going to say
next ____，try to understand what they're saying，what experience is behind their
remarks，what you can learn from or about them．
9)Humans are capable of great mutual compassion，love，and tenderness These feelings，
____，need encouragement to grow．
10)These chemicals，Rachel Carlson knew，do not break down in the soil ____，they tend
to be endlessly recycled in the food chains on which birds and animals and
man himself are completely dependent
11)Personally he was a strange，rough fellow—when he took up the brush he was a real
master，and his paintings were eagerly sought after．
12)The United States is a telephone country，due partly to the fact that the telephone
service is good there，————the postal service is less efficient．
13)I'd like a job that pays more but—I enjoy the job I'm doing at the moment．It offers an
opportunity to tap my potential
14)With the money his kind friends gave him，young Anderson bought little food and no
clothes．————，he bought books and went to the theater．
15)In the UK，——the population of working age increased by one million between
1981 and 1986，in the late 1980s，it was barely growing．
3. Put in the blanks suitable words or phrases of clarification from the list below．
I mean
in other words
namely
that is
that is to say
you(don't)mean
1)The meeting has been postponed until next Tuesday____，the fifth of November．
2)The weather was terrible，the plane couldn't take off, and their flight was cancelled；
they didn’t get to New York before September 11．2001．
3)While the nation is getting more and more prosperous，we should not forget one group
of people，____，the low-income section of the population．
4)It isn't a crime，____，a crime that can be punished by law，
。said my client，
“but it
has cost me millions，perhaps as much as ten million dollars!”
5)Before the road was built，these people lived a very sheltered life ____ completely cut
off from the outside world．
6)Russell Baker’s mother was born on Guy Fawkes Day，____，November 5, 1897
7)Love is meant to bring meaning into life where nonsense appears to reign ____，love
comes into an imperfect world to make it livable．
8) ____you knew who the man was the first time you met him?
9)This shows how little we are aware of the challenge facing our university，____ to re
—establish its number—one position in the liberal arts in this region．
10)Everyone would just take it for granted we'd been invited____，we're both just as
prominent as the others.
4. Translate these sentences into English using words or expressions of contrast or
clarification．
1)我认为作为演员他很有天赋，我的意思是说作为导演并非如此。
2)这个情况给他们以深刻的印象，但他们疑心重重。
3)没有人说什么，但从他们看我的样子我能看出来他们都同情我。
4)系主任的办公室在一层，也就是说是地面那一层。
5)经理说公司不得不降低劳动成本，换句话说我们中有的人要丢饭碗了。
6)雷切尔·卡森的文风清晰、活泼，内容丰富但不说教。
7)许多学生选择周六搞体育和社交活动，而周日看来是学习的最佳日子。
8)我原来不明白他为什么对医学着迷，但现在我全明白 r。
9)这事儿看起来没什么不对吧?我指的是我们不请自去。
10)你的意思是没准另外一个人谋害了那小伙子的父亲?
5 Complete the following sentences with appropriate negative words．
1)All that glitters is ____gold．(proverb)
2)Under 血 e circumstances we can do ____but hope for the best．
3)No birthday party is complete ____ an after-dinner speech．
4)Paul went to the grocery store for some broccoli，but there was left．
5)He tried hard to make himself understood，but the waiters had ____idea what he
meant．
6)I've met and talked to both his son and daughter，but ____strikes me as exceptionally
intelligent．
7)Smokers ought to know that ____cigarette is completely harmless，no matter what the
cigarette companies say.
8)Thousands of people went to the New Year Concert at the Great Hail of the People，
but I met ____．I know．
9)They paid ____small sum of money for the wedding．It has almost wiped out what
they had saved in the past year．
10)“____else have I found SO many people learning English as I do in China。
”said a
British teacher．
6． Complete each of the following sentences with the most likely answer．
1)Vinyl floors are becoming popular because they are durable，waterproof and ____．
A．their being easy to clear
B．it is easy to clean them
C．easy to clean them D．easy to clean
2)One of the best-known theories of human motivation was put forward by an American
psychologist，Abraham Maslow，in a book ____Motivation and Personality．
A．entitled
B．being entitled
C．entitling D．to be entitled
3)In the department store he came upon a hat much to his liking，but he decided that a
hundred dollars．____a lot to ____．
A．is，to pay
B．are，to be paid
C．was，to pay for it D．were，to pay for
4)The Great Wall of China，____in the third century B．C．
，is over two thousand
miles long．
A．been completed
B．was completed
C．that was completed D which was completed
5)The manager of the opera house has directed that late arrivals ____at the door
until the intermission
A．be made to wait
B．were made waiting
C are made to wait D．should be made waiting
6)The news of his resignation
with no little surprise by those who know him．
A．would have greeted
B has been greeted
C．have greeted them D．have been greeted
7)The committee seldom———．————issues——money．
A．agree with，involving
B．agree to，involved in
C．agrees on，involving D．agrees about，involved in
8)If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else，you——————in finding
meaning in your life．
A will succeed
B．would succeed
C will have succeeded D．would have succeeded
9)————job is the hope of many who attend the evening classes at the business
school．
A．Finding a satisfied
B．To find a satisfactory
C Finding a satisfying
D．To find a satisfaction
10)Cultural values may be defined as assumptions——is right or wrong shared by
the members of a society．
A about whichever
B．concerning whatever
C．on which D as to what
11)I visualized—1 wanted to be，____kind of player 1 wanted to become，I knew exactly
where 1 wanted to go．and I focused on getting there． (Michael Jordan)
A．where，what B who，what
C．what，which D．whom，what
12)The greater the obstacle ____in overcoming it (Moliere)
A．more glory
B．the more glory C．most glory D．the most glory
13) ____they package their“rising star”
，there is always something vulgar ____
her．
A．However，with B．Whatever，in C．However，about D．However，for
14) ____with human behavior，economics ____this sphere with psychology．
A．As they deals，share
B．Since it deals，shares
C．If dealing with，shares D．Now that to deal，share
15)According to some computer scientists ， artificial — intelligence machines will
understand
____words and the ideas——to them．
A．writing and speaking，related
B．writing and spoken，relating
C．written and spoken，relating D．written and spoken，related
16)Only those who risk ____far can possibly find out how far one can go．(T．S．Eliot)
A to go too
B．to go so
C．going too D．going so
17)You never find yourself…一一 you face the truth．(Pearl Bailey J
A until
B unless
C if not D when not
More Work on the Text
Ⅳ Written Work
Write an essay of about 200 words on this topic：The worst enemy of the human race is
man himself.
Poem of the Week
The Sea Gypsy
Richard Hovey
I am fevered with the sunset．
I am fretful with the bay，
For the wander—thirsty is on me
And my soul is in Cathay．
There's a schooner in the offing，
With her topsails shot with fire，
And my heart has gone aboard her
For the Islands of Desire．
I must forth again tomorrow!
With the sunset I must be
Hull down off the trail of rapture
In the wonder of the sea..
Cathay：China．This stands for a mysterious and exotic place，not the actual country．
About the poet
Richard Hovey(1864—1900)，American poet，worked as a reporter and actor and
traveled about Europe and northern America．He became acquainted with the Canadian
poet Bliss Carman，and together they wrote a number of poems which comprise three
volumes of
Songs of Vagabondia.
海
恋
(海上的吉卜赛人)
夕阳使我激动，
海湾令我焦躁不安，
都只因我渴望漫游
我的魂早已抵达神秘的东方。
不远处海上有条大船，
她扬起风帆就要起航，
我的心已飞上她的甲板
去寻找我梦中仙山。
明天我又要出发，
我必须与晚霞为伴
在奇妙的大海上
体验什么是神怡心旷。