Supplementary Reading >> Culture Notes

Evolutionary biology

1. Definition

Evolutionary biology is a sub-field of biology concerned with the origin of species from a common descent, and descent of species, as well as their changes, multiplication, and diversity over time. Someone who studies evolutionary biology is known as an evolutionary biologist.

All modern domestic dogs are descendants of the Gray Wolf.

2. History

Evolutionary biology as an academic discipline in its own right emerged as a result of the modern evolutionary synthesis in the 1930s and 1940s. It was not until the 1970s and 1980s, however, that a significant number of universities had departments that specifically included the term evolutionary biology in their titles. In the United States, as a result of the rapid growth of molecular and cell biology, many universities have split their biology departments into molecular and cell biology-style departments and ecology and evolutionary biology-style departments.

Supplementary Reading >> Reading

I. Difficult Sentences

1. He compared this to a man who meets a woman and — astonished that she is the same girl he used to see running around in a school uniform — falls in love and marries her. (Para. 4)
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(他将此比作一位男士遇见一位女士，男士惊讶地发现此人正是自己过去常常看见、身着校服东奔西跑的那个女孩，于是爱上了她，并娶其为妻。)

2. Zookeepers know, to their despair, that many species of animals will not breed with just any other animal of their species. (Para. 7)
Paraphrase the sentence.
(To the zookeepers’ despair, kinds of animals may not produce offspring with any other animals of their kind.)
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(动物园的饲养员知道，许多种动物不会随便就与同类动物交配，对此他们一筹莫展。)

3. I cannot think of chimpanzees developing emotions, one for the other, comparable in any way to the tenderness, protectiveness, tolerance and spiritual joy that are the mark of human love in its truest and deepest sense. (Para. 8)
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(我无法想像黑猩猩之间会产生一种可以与最真挚、最深沉的人类之爱相比的情感，如温柔、呵护、容忍和精神上的愉悦。)

4. While the idea of love among animals has been generally rejected by science, doubts remain. For stories such as these suggest that some animals may experience joy, love and heartbreak remarkably like our own. (Para. 15)
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
(虽然科学界普遍不接受动物间存在爱情的看法，但是疑问并未消除。因为这些故事表明有些动物可能体验着和我们人类极其相似的快乐、爱情和悲伤。)

II. Words & Expressions

cautious: adj.  taking great care to avoid danger (followed by about)

- My mother is a cautious motorist; she never does any dangerous driving.

- 会议上的那些人在表达自己观点时非常谨慎。(Those at the meeting are cautious about expressing their opinions.)

display: vt.  show (esp. a feeling or quality)

- He displayed no emotion when he failed his exam.

- 电脑屏幕上显示着去年的统计数字。(The computer screen was displaying the figures for last year.)

adequate: adj.  enough

- Make sure that the lighting is adequate so that your guests can see what they are eating.

- The lunchtime menu is more than adequate to satisfy the biggest appetite.

- 停车设施能容纳50辆车吗？(Are the parking facilities adequate for 50 cars?)

accompany: vt.  go with

- Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult.

- 她无论去哪里都有保镖陪同。(A bodyguard accompanies her wherever she goes.)

exhibit: vt.  display

- The economy began to exhibit signs of decline about a month ago.

- 当地人表现出对游客的极度不信任。(The native people exhibited a deep mistrust of all visitors.)

have the heart (to do sth.):  be determined / able to do sth. (usu. in negative sentences or questions)

- I didn’t have the heart to tell him that his dad had died in the tsunami (海啸).

- 多次失败以后，他没有勇气再度尝试。(After so many failures he didn’t have the heart to try again.)

pull oneself together:  force oneself to stop behaving in a nervous, frightened, or disorganized way

- You must try to pull yourself together — your family depends on you.

- 振作起来，哭是没有用的。(Just pull yourself together. There is no point crying about it.)

at first sight:  when seen or considered for the first time

- The question seemed easy at first sight, but when the students tried to answer it, they discovered how difficult it was.

- The project promised to be a more difficult undertaking than might appear at first sight.

- 第一眼看这对双胞胎简直一模一样。(At first sight, the twins look identical.)

purchase: vt.  (fml) buy

- I purchased the car only a couple of months ago.

- 我们有意在乡下购买一幢房子。(We intend to purchase a house in the country.)

nevertheless:

1. conj. however; in spite of that

- Seat belts undoubtedly save lives. Many people, nevertheless, do not wear them.

- 政客们承认税收是不受欢迎的，然而他们似乎无意取消。(The politicians admit that the tax is unpopular. Nevertheless they seem determined not to get rid of it.)

2. adv. in spite of that; notwithstanding; all the same

- He succeeded nevertheless.

- 你所说的都对, 不过有点不客气。(What you said was true but nevertheless unkind.)

pair off:  (cause to) form a pair or pairs

- Mrs. Smith paired off her guests by age and tastes.

- 尽管父母不同意，两个年轻人最终还是走到了一起。(The two young people eventually paired off despite their parents’ disapproval.)

decline: v.  refuse (sth. offered), usu. politely (used in the patterns: decline sth.; decline to do sth.)

1) vi.

- The boy declined to answer the question.

- 部长拒绝就和平会谈的进展给出评论。(The minister declined to comment about the progress of the peace talks.)

2) vt.

- We asked them to come, but they declined our invitation.

- 飞行员在事故之后拒绝医学治疗。(The pilot declined medical treatment after the accident.)

take to:  start to like

- I was introduced to the headmistress. I can’t say I took to her.

- 我认为自己不会喜欢上摇滚乐。(I don’t think I could ever take to rock and roll.)

magnificent: adj.  extremely impressive and attractive; excellent

- There were magnificent gold decorations inside the ballroom.

- 对这类剧目来说，这个剧院很华丽。(It’s a magnificent theatre for this kind of play.)

shed light on:  make (sth.) clear and easy to understand

- Her book to some extent sheds new light on the character of the strange man.

- 我们希望他的信件能够揭示秘密。(We’re hoping that his letter will shed some light on the mystery.)

indicate: vt.  show sth. in a way that may not be quite clear

- I indicated that his help was not welcome.

- 所有的迹象表明人们是想要购买我们产品的。(All the signs indicate that people want to buy our product.)

observe: vt.  see and notice; watch carefully

- The police observed them entering the bank.

- Did you observe where they went? (我注意到他们开会迟到了。)

- I observed that they were late for the meeting.

make a habit of:  develop the habit of

- You can phone me at work as long as you don’t make a habit of it.

- 你迟到了十分钟，我希望你以后不要养成迟到的习惯。(You’re ten minutes late. I hope you’re not going to make a habit of this.)

alarm: vt.  make (sb.) feel suddenly frightened or worried

- Parents are very alarmed at the amount of violence on television.

- 最轻微的噪音或移动似乎都会使他警觉。(The slightest noise or movement seemed to alarm him.)

by any chance:  perhaps; possibly

- Are you Ms. Sampson’s daughter, by any chance?

- 他们可能有关系吗？(Are they by any chance related?)

reject: vt.  refuse to accept

- As parents, we hope our children won’t reject the values we try to give them.

- 教师们投票拒绝接受政府的工资提议。(The teachers voted to reject the government’s pay offer.)

Supplementary Reading >> Comprehension Tasks

I. Spot Dictation

Directions: Fill in the blanks with the words you hear.

Some countries have adopted an animal as a kind of national mascot (吉祥物). The bald eagle is often thought of as representing the United States, for example. New Zealanders proudly display their kiwi, a native flightless bird. Australians cannot seem to make up their minds whether the koala or the kangaroo should represent them. China also has two animals which often stand out in everyone’s mind: the dragon and the giant panda. As the dragon is a mythological animal, that leaves the giant panda as the only real animal representative of China.

Although dragon has been associated with China for thousands of years, the panda’s inclusion into the Chinese psyche is far more recent. The giant panda was not even discovered until 1869; it was already a rare animal at that time, living in the high bamboo forests of Sichuan province and neighboring parts of Tibet. Its more plentiful cousin, the lesser panda, is also referred to as the cat bear or bear cat; however, zoologically speaking, it is neither. The lesser panda is a member of the raccoon (浣熊) family, whereas the giant panda’s classification is still a dilemma: some authorities consider it a member of the bear family while others maintain that it belongs to the raccoon family, too.

II. Group Work – Listening and Discussion

Students are divided into groups of four or five. Listen and discuss the six characters that domestic dogs may have. Then work in groups and put forward one’s views by giving examples or facts.

Among non-human animals, chimpanzees and domestic dogs are best known for their strong characters. It is generally thought to be described by these variables:

1) AGGRESSIVE                                     2) CONFIDENT                                      3) OUTGOING

4) ADAPTABLE                                      5) INSECURE                                         6) INDEPENDENT

Which do you think is the most important for a domestic dog? Why?

1) AGGRESSIVE

The dog with this type of character is extremely dominant and can easily be provoked into biting. The dominant nature of the dog makes him resist human leadership. This type of dog needs precise guidance and a consistent rigorous training program. These dogs are an excellent choice as guard or police dogs.

2) CONFIDENT

This pup is dominant and self-assured and can be provoked to bite. However, he readily accepts human leadership that is firm and consistent. This dog responds best to an owner that is determined and decisive and, in the right hands, the confident dog has the potential to be a fine working or show dog. He can easily fit into a household provided his owners know what they are doing.

3) OUTGOING

A dog with this type of character is friendly and sociable. He will be well adjusted if he receives regular training and lots of exercises. Outgoing dogs have a flexible temperament that adapts well to different types of environments provided he is handled correctly. They can be excellent family pets in the right type of household.

4) ADAPTABLE

The adaptable dog is easy to handle and cooperative. His submissive nature will have him continually looking to his master for leadership. This pup is easy to train, reliable with children, and though he lacks self-confidence, makes a high quality family pet. He is usually less sociable than an outgoing pup but his behavior is gentle and affectionate.

5) INSECURE

The insecure dog is extremely submissive and lacking in self-confidence.  He bonds very closely with his owner and requires regular companionship and encouragement to bring him out of himself.  If handled incorrectly, the insecure dog will grow up very shy and fearful. For this reason he will do best in a predictable structured lifestyle with owners who are patient and not overly demanding.

6) INDEPENDENT

A dog with an independent personality is uninterested in people. He will mature into a dog who is not affectionate and who has small need for human companionship. To perform as intended, these dogs require an odd purpose that is not compromised by strong attachments to their owners.