Before Reading >> Gorilla

I. Introduction to Gorillas

Listen to the following passage and fill in the gaps with the words you hear.

It’s the largest of the great apes. The male is heavily built and may stand 1.7m (5.5 feet) in height, with an arm spread of 2.4m (7.8 feet). It has a large head with a short neck, a prominent (突起的) mouth, thin lips, and small ears. The female is smaller than the male. This huge animal has formidable (可怕的) canine (似犬的) teeth, yet it feeds on fruit and vegetables and has no natural enemies.

Most of the day is spent on the ground; they usually walk on all four limps leaning on the knuckles (手指关节) of their hands, but occasionally upright. Gorillas live in family groups. The young gorillas climb very well, but old ones stay almost all the time on the ground. At night, the gorilla family sleeps on the ground in nests made of branches and leaves. Gorillas are hard to keep in captivity, for they are likely to get human diseases, such as tuberculosis (结核病). Gorillas, generally, are a center of attraction in most of the big cities.

II. Features of Gorillas

Hair and Skin:

Gorillas are covered with brownish hair on most of their body (except their fingers,  palms, armpits, and bottoms of their feet).

Head:

Gorillas have a very large head with a bulging forehead, and each has a unique nose print (like we have unique fingerprints).

Senses:

Gorillas have senses very similar to ours, including hearing, sight (they seem to be slightly nearsighted and have color vision), smell, taste, and touch.

Habitat:

Gorillas are primarily terrestrial (陆栖的) (although they lived in trees back in their evolutionary past). Gorillas live in tropical rain forests (in the forest edges and clearings), wet lowland forests, swamps, and abandoned fields.

Before Reading >> Killer Whale

Listen to a passage and answer the questions.

1. How long and how heavy is a male killer whale?

(The male averages 27 feet and 11 tons.)

2. How fast dose a killer whale swim?

(It swims with a speed of 30 mph.)

3. How many members are there in a family group of killer whale?

(There are about 5 to 20 members in a family group of killer whale.)

Before Reading >> English Song – Ben

I. Michael Jackson

A Brief Introduction:

Michael Jackson is more than just an extraordinarily popular singer and a wonderfully gifted dancer: he is a phenomenon that has forever left an imprint on the music industry.                                   

Chronology of Michael Jackson:

— 1958

Michael Jackson was born.

— 1965

Michael joined his brothers in the Jackson Five.

— 1972

Michael released his first solo album, Ben.

— 1982

Michael’s landmark album Thriller was released.

— 1994

Michael married Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of rock innovator and cultural icon Elvis Presley.

— 1996

Michael and Lisa Marie were divorced in an amicable manner.

— 1996

Michael married Deborah Rowe, an assistant to his dermatologist (皮肤科医生).

— 1997

His first child, Prince Michael Jackson Jr., was born.

— 1998

His daughter, Paris Michael Katherine, was born.

— 1999

Michael and Deborah got divorced.

— 2000

“Billie Jean,” “Rock with You,” “I Want You Back” and “Beat It” were enlisted in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 100 greatest songs of all time.

— 2002

Jackson lifted his newborn son, Prince Michael, over a hotel room terrace so fans could catch a glimpse — and was roundly criticized for endangering his child.

— 2003

Jackson was charged with seven counts of child sexual abuse and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent.

— 2005

Jackson was acquitted on all counts in the Arvizo case in the the People v. Jackson trial in Santa Maria, California.

— 2006

Jackson made his first public appearance since the Arvizo trial to accept eight records from the Guinness World Records in London.

— 2008

Jackson issued Thriller 25, celebrating 25 years of the iconic album. The reissue reached number two in the U.S. Sony releases King of Pop, a fan-curated compilation.

— June 25, 2009:

Jackson died in Los Angeles at 50 after going into cardiac arrest.

II. Ben

(视频略)

III. Questions about the Song

1. What’s the relationship between Michael Jackson and Ben?

2. Does Ben have any intelligence?

Before Reading >> Warm-up Questions

1. Do you or your family or friends have a pet, such as a dog, cat, or bird? If so, how does the pet communicate with you or them? Does the pet understand you or them?

2. Do you think animals, especially very intelligent ones, have thoughts and feelings? Explain.

Before Reading >> Animal Ranking

Students are required to form groups to rank the following animals according to their intelligence and explain the reasons behind the ranking. Examples, anecdotes, personal experiences, scientific findings, etc. may be cited.

Global Reading >> Part Division of the Text

Global Reading >> Skimming and Scanning

Fill in the blanks with the information about the animals mentioned in Text A and figure out the author’s purposes.

1. Colo: Broke the key chain.
Author’s purpose: Animals know how to negotiate with people.

2. Chantek: 1) Expanded the money supply by breaking plastic chips in two; 2) Found pieces of tin foil and tried to make copies of metal chips.
Author’s purpose: Aminals can even handle the money.

3. Orky: Allowed somebody to stand on his head to reach up and release the baby.
Author’s purpose: Animals can assess the situation and make a right decision.

4. Melati: Hid an orange in her other hand.

5. Towan: Hid an orange underneath his foot.
Author’s purpose: Animal intelligence can be seen in their attempts to deceive.

Global Reading >> Further Understanding

I. For Part 1 & 2 Multiple Choice

1. The author writes this article in order to _______. (A)

A) find out how animals use their intelligence

B) find out if animals are as intelligent as human beings

C) find out if animals do what human beings tell them to do

D) find out if animals can survive better if they are intelligent

2. One thing that is obvious to the author is that _______. (C)

A) animals have their own thinking

B) animals do things scientists tell them to do

C) animals think for their own purpose if they can think

D) animals think when scientists want them to

3. The author is convinced that when dealing with human beings, animals are _________. (B)

A) less intelligent than expected                                                             B) more intelligent than expected

C) as stupid as expected                                                                                     D) as intelligent as expected

4. Colo’s example indicates that ________. (D)

A) some animals know quite well how to deceive the keepers

B) some animals know quite well how to help the keepers

C) some animals know quite well how to handle suspicious objects

D) some animals know quite well how to negotiate with the keepers

5. Mile’s experiment to teach Chantek to share things proves to be __________. (A)

A) a great success                      B) a blunder                                 C) a great failure                        D) an unwanted thing

II. For Part 3 & 4 True or False

1. Behaviorists say that animals cooperate with human beings for their own benefit. (T)

2. Laule believed that Orky, a killer whale, was the most intelligent animal she had ever seen. (F)

(Laule believed that Orky, a killer whale, was the most intelligent animal she had ever worked with.)

3. Some animals’ intelligence can be seen in their attempts to deceive. (T)

4. Orky allowed somebody to stand on his head to reach up and release the baby because he had been trained to do so. (F)

(Orky let somebody stand on his head to reach up and release the baby, but he had not been trained to do so.)

5. Animals can learn from each other in playing some tricks. Towan is a good example. (T)