时间:2019-01-23 作者:英语课 分类:一起听英语


英语课

猴子和人类有着密切的联系,他们的很多行为习惯都和人类有着相似的地方,今天的演播室来了一位特殊的嘉宾——猴子


Finn: Hello, I’m Finn. This is 6 Minute English and I’m joined this week by Neil. Hello Neil.


(Monkey sounds)


Finn: Err 1, Neil?


(Monkey sounds)


Finn: Neil, are you OK?


(Monkey sounds)


Finn: Actually that wasn't Neil, you'll be glad to know, he is safe and sound here in the


studio with me.


Neil: Hello. Yes, that wonderful sound you just heard was in fact a gelada – a kind of


monkey – which we'll be hearing more from later in the programme.


Finn: Yes. Could the gelada monkey provide an important clue about the development of


human language? But first, as always, we have a question. Neil – could you please


tell me what geladas eat?


a) fish


b) grass


c) ice-cream


Neil: Well, I can see you're trying to trap me with ice-cream here, because the name of


the monkey sounds like the Italian word for ice-cream. So, I'm not that stupid, I'm


going to go for 'b', grass.


Finn: Wonderful knowledge of Italian there Neil. Don't worry I'm not trying to make a


monkey out of you – I'm not trying to make you look stupid. Now let's listen to the


gelada monkey again. How would we describe that sound? 


6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2013


Page 2 of 5


(Gelada monkey gurgling)


Neil: Well, it sounds a bit like a gargle – a gargling noise.


Finn: Yes, it does. Gargle is a great word because it's an example of what we call


onomatopoeia – a word which sounds like its meaning. Neil, gargle is the word,


could you please demonstrate a gargle?


Neil: (Neil gargles)


Finn: Very good. Neil is gargling – and the sound it makes is a gargle. That's lovely!


Neil: Can I stop now?


Finn: Yes, you can stop now. Thank you very much. How about another quick example of


onomatopoeia:


(Clicks mouse)


A click. Listen again. Click.


Neil: Or this, oops:


(Crash sound)


A crash.


Finn: Now, anyway, let's get back to the gargling monkey. Behind the fun sound is some


serious science - about the origins, or beginnings, of human speech.


Neil: Scientists from the University of Michigan believe that these gelada calls might be


similar to the primitive 2 noises – early and simple sounds – that our evolutionary 3


ancestors made, that is – what we, humans, were before we developed into modern


humans.


Finn: Dr Thore Bergman, who was the main author of the study, said that geladas make


sounds which have "speech-like properties" – they have qualities which are like…


speech.


Neil: And the interesting thing is – most monkeys and apes can only make the most basic


noises because they don't have the vocal 4 anatomy 5 required – that is they don't


have the physical mouth and throat parts needed – to make more complex sounds.


6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2013


Page 3 of 5


Finn: All other monkeys and apes can do is called lip smacking 6 – rapidly moving their


jaws 7, lips and their tongues. And I think, Neil, it's time for another demonstration 8


please.


Neil: (Neil making lip smacking noises)


Finn: Lip smacking, very nice.


Neil: The gelada, on the other hand, is the only one that can produce vocalisations – or


sounds from the vocal chords 9 in the throat while doing this.


Finn: That’s it! So – lip smacking and vocalisations – together are maybe a possible step


between the sounds of other monkeys – and human speech.


Neil: Though there is a question – the scientists don't know yet what the noises mean


exactly. They believe the noises might be used the way humans use small talk –


chatting about things that are not really important – to help the monkey societies


feel more closely bonded 10 or connected.


Finn: That’s right, so, small talk, things like saying: "Fine day, isn't it?"


Neil: "Not bad, not bad. How are the kids, Finn?"


Finn: "Oh yeah, keeping me awake all night."


Neil: "Oh yes, I know the feeling."


Finn: Or as you would say in gelada:


(Gelada gargle)


Finn: I think that's quite enough monkey business for one day – quite enough of us


being silly, wouldn't you say? Neil, earlier I asked you what geladas eat. Was it:


a) fish


b) grass


c) ice-cream


Neil: And I am not stupid so I'm going to go for 'b' grass.


Finn: And you're right, they are herbivores, they eat grass. Anyway, before we go let's run


through the words and phrases one more time.


6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2013


Page 4 of 5


Neil: gargle


onomatopoeia


origins


primitive noises


evolutionary ancestors


vocal anatomy


lip smacking


vocalisations


small talk


monkey business


Finn: Thanks Neil. Sadly, it's time to go. So please join us again soon for more 6 Minute


English from BBC Learning English.


Both: (Gargle)



vi.犯错误,出差错
  • He did not err by a hair's breadth in his calculation.他的计算结果一丝不差。
  • The arrows err not from their aim.箭无虚发。
adj.原始的;简单的;n.原(始)人,原始事物
  • It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
  • His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。
adj.进化的;演化的,演变的;[生]进化论的
  • Life has its own evolutionary process.生命有其自身的进化过程。
  • These are fascinating questions to be resolved by the evolutionary studies of plants.这些十分吸引人的问题将在研究植物进化过程中得以解决。
adj.直言不讳的;嗓音的;n.[pl.]声乐节目
  • The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
  • Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。
n.解剖学,解剖;功能,结构,组织
  • He found out a great deal about the anatomy of animals.在动物解剖学方面,他有过许多发现。
  • The hurricane's anatomy was powerful and complex.对飓风的剖析是一项庞大而复杂的工作。
活泼的,发出响声的,精力充沛的
  • He gave both of the children a good smacking. 他把两个孩子都狠揍了一顿。
  • She inclined her cheek,and John gave it a smacking kiss. 她把头低下,约翰在她的脸上响亮的一吻。
n.口部;嘴
  • The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。
  • The scored jaws of a vise help it bite the work. 台钳上有刻痕的虎钳牙帮助它紧咬住工件。
n.表明,示范,论证,示威
  • His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
  • He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。
(数学)弦( chord的名词复数 ); (乐器)弦; (音乐)和弦; 心弦
  • These are the opening chords of a sonata. 这些是奏鸣曲的起始和弦。
  • I could play a few chords on the guitar and sing a song. 我能弹着一些击他和弦唱一首歌。
n.有担保的,保税的,粘合的
  • The whisky was taken to bonded warehouses at Port Dundee.威士忌酒已送到邓迪港的保稅仓库。
  • This adhesive must be applied to both surfaces which are to be bonded together.要粘接的两个面都必须涂上这种黏合剂。
学英语单词
advanced outfitting work
Ameluridae
Amphibalus
base charging process
benzol-actone solvent
blue litmus
body-contact
boiler maker
cadalora
calculuses
Cassini's projection
chorisepalous calyx
chronospectroscopy
circle jerk
cliking the mouse
common polypodies
contingency planning facilities list program
conventional budding
coshing
counterscreen
cup head copper
cuprammonium solution
denotationally
denudatum
design option
doublication
Dunav
ectosphere
electric steering system
electron beam injected transistor amplifier
experimental medical sciences
exuder
faithful servant
fan exhust
faulty insulator
fluted-roll drill
genus antennarias
geranium wlassowianum fisch.ex link
glomerulata
gripping face
HIV-positives
hyper-mastery
hypercarbias
incouragement
Information environment.
insulating strip
Kushan(formation)
law of diminishing intensity of wants
lopho-reticulate
methyleholanthrene
mill-pick
millet stem maggot
Minamata Bay
n. cutaneus
Necker
odd element
oil and fat(s)
orbital bone
Parcoul
patelloida pygmaea lampanicola
pattern directed inference system
peak fare
picking table
pitch diameter of worm
plamodium inoculation
ponente
portsides
postelectronic
pothered
raptest
receiver protective device
reliable determination
rerouting
retaliant
retrocerebral glands
riddle-wise
Roots blower set
salicylic phenyl-ester
Saulx
sided against
slim shady
square-key
Tagetes erecta L.
take sth amiss
tapered slide valve
Tate, Sir Henry
technical and organizational measures
technology-assisted
thermal transducer
three-step snake
throttle (hydraulic)
Trading Ahead
truth be told
tryptolytic
two-row potato digger
two-way trunk
ukely
underdescribed
vector theory
very long instruction word
Volzhskoye Vdkh.
wonders will never cease