In the classification of animals there is an order called Primates. In their appearence the primates resemble the human being more than any other animals do. It is natural to deduce that they are more closely related to human beings than any other animals are. In fact, the human being must be included as a primate, if any sense at all is to be made of animal classification. Once evolution is accepted, one must come to the inevitable conclusion that the various primates, including the human being, have developed from some single ancestral stem and that all are to varying degrees cousins, so to speak.
The resemblance of other primates to human beings is both endearing and repulsive. The monkey house is always the most popular exhibit in a zoo, and people will watch anthropoid apes with fascination. Congreve wrote in 1695, however, “I could never look upon a monkey, without very mortifying reflections”. It is not hard to guess that those “mortifying reflections” must have been to the effect that human beings might be described as large and somewhat more intelligent monkeys.
3 comments:
1. Are the following sentences true or false? Copy the evidence from the text. No marks are given for only true or false.
a) Human beings belong to the same class as monkeys and apes.
b) Congreve enjoys watching monkeys.
2. In your own words and based on the ideas from the text, answer the following questions.
a) What is the writer’s view on evolution?
b) What are people’s reactions to the external appeareance of monkeys and human beings?
3. Find the words or phrases in the text which mean:
a) Strongly (paragraph 1)
b) Common origin (paragraph 2)
c) Show (paragraph 3)
d) Think (paragraph 3)
4. Complete the following sentences. Supply the right word or use the appropiate form of the word in brackets when given:
a)Mice often (present) ..... human characteristics in films ..... (show) on TV and people watch ...... films with fascination.
b) Anatomical distinctions ...... apes and (we) ..... have been ....... (seek) but so far none ....... (find).
c) The human brain is the ....... (large) primate brain.
5. Write about 80 to 100 words on one of the following topics:
a) Describe one of your visits to a zoo.
b) What do you think is the main difference between a chimpanzee and a human being? Support your opinion with arguments.
how are you?
Awesome post, just want to say thanks for the share
Hi, very interesting post, greetings from Greece!
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