By education, I mean the influence of the environment upon the individual to produce a permanent change in the habits of behavior, of thought and of attitude. It is in being thus susceptible to the environment that man differs from the animals, and the higher animals from the lower. The lower animals are influenced by the environment but not in the direction of changing their habits. Their instinctive responses are few and fixed by heredity. When transferred to an unnatural situation, such an animal is led astray by its instincts. Thus the "ant-lion" whose instinct implies it to bore into loose sand by pushing backwards with abdomen, goes backwards on a plate of glass as soon as danger threatens, and endeavors, with the utmost exertions to bore into it. It knows no other mode of flight, "or if such a lonely animal is engaged upon a chain of actions and is interrupted, it either goes on vainly with the remaining actions (as useless as cultivating an unsown field) or dies in helpless inactivity". Thus a net-making spider which digs a burrow and rims it with a bastion of gravel and bits of wood, when removed from a half finished home, will not begin again, though it will continue another burrow, even one made with a pencil.
Advance in the scale of evolution along such lines as these could only be made by the emergence of creatures with more and more complicated instincts. Such beings we know in the ants and spiders. But another line of advance was destined to open out a much more far-reaching possibility of which we do not see the end perhaps even in man. Habits, instead of being born ready-made (when they are called instincts and not habits at all), were left more and more to the formative influence of the environment, of which the most important factor was the parent who now cared for the young animal during a period of infancy in which vaguer instincts than those of the insects were molded to suit surroundings which might be considerably changed without harm.
This means, one might at first imagine, that gradually heredity becomes less and environment more important. But this is hardly the truth and certainly not the whole truth. For although fixed automatic responses like those of the insect-like creatures are no longer inherited, although selection for purification of that sort is no longer going on, yet selection for educability is very definitely still of importance. The ability to acquire habits can be conceivably inherited just as much as can definite responses to narrow situations. Besides, since a mechanism - is now, for the first time, created by which the individual (in contradiction to the species) can be fitted to the environment, the latter becomes, in another sense, less not more important. And finally, less not the higher animals who possess the power of changing their environment by engineering feats and the like, a power possessed to some extent even by the beaver, and preeminently by man. Environment and heredity are in no case exclusive but always-supplementary factors.
1. Which of the following is the most suitable title for the passage
A. The Evolution of Insects. B. Environment and Heredity.
C. Education: The Influence of the Environment. D. The Instincts of Animals.
2. What can be inferred from the example of the ant-lion in the first paragraph
A. Instincts of animals can lead to unreasonable reactions in strange situations.
B. When it is engaged in a chain actions it cannot be interrupted.
C. Environment and heredity are two supplementary factors in the evolution of insects.
D. Along the lines of evolution heredity becomes less and environment more important.
3. Based on the example provided in the passage, we can tell that when a spider is removed to a new position where half of a net has been made, it will probably________
A. begin a completely new net B. destroy the half-net
C. spin the rest of the net D. stay away from the net
4. Which of the following is true about habits according to the passage
A. They are natural endowments to living creatures.
B. They are more important than instincts to all animals.
C. They are subject to the formative influence of the environment.
D. They are destined to open out a much more far-reaching possibility in the evolution of human beings.
核心词汇注释
susceptible adj.易受影响 的,易感动的;容许……的
n.(因缺乏免疫力而)易得病的人
astray adv.迷途地,入歧途地
endeavor n.努力,尽力 vi.尽力,努力
exertion n.尽力,努力,发 挥,行使,运用
mold n.模子,铸型 vt.浇铸,塑造
purification n.净化
conceivable adj.可能的, 想得到的,可想象的
contradiction n.反驳,矛盾
beaver n.海狸(毛皮)
preeminent adj.卓越的
长难句剖析
It is in being thus susceptible to the environment that man differs from the animals,and the higher animals from the lower.
[结构分析]本句是一个强调句,正常的语序应该是man differs from the animals,and the higher animals from the lower in…susceptible…environment。被强调的部分in being thus susceptible to the environment作句子的方式状语。
[参考译文]能够如此容易受到环境的影响,这正是人区别于动物的地方,也是高等动物区别于低等动物的不同之处。
Thus the“ant-lion “whose instinct implies it to bore into loose sand by pushing backwards with abdomen,goes backwards on a plate of glass as soon as danger threatens,and endeavors,with the utmost exertions to bore into it.
[结构分析]本句主干是the“ant-lion"…,goes backwards on a plate of glass…and endeavors。whose引导的定语从句是用来修饰主语the ant-lion'的,“as soon as…threatens”作时间状语,最后的with短语作伴随状语修饰谓语动词endeavor。
[参考译文]正如“蚁狮”会依照本能的暗示利用腹部努力地向后移动,钻入松散的细 沙,然而却不知面临着很大的危险,而一步步地在玻璃板上后退,尽最大的努力钻进去。
Advance in the scale of evolution along such lines as these could only be made by the emergence of creatures with more and more complicated instincts.
[结构分析]本句主干是Advance…could only be made by the emergence of creatures。介宾短语in…在主语advance后面作后置定语,along…these是作为evolution的后置定语,with…短语用来修饰creatures。
[参考译文]生物具有越来越复杂的本能,它们的出现促使这些意义上的进化的发展。
全文参考译文
通过教育,我的意思是经由环境的影响,对个体形成一种持久的行为上、思想上乃至心态上的习惯的改变。能够如此易受环境的影响正是人区别于动物的地方,也是高等动物区别于低等动物的不同之处。低等动物会受环境的影响,但不会直接引起习惯的改变。它们(低等动物)的本能反应极少而且固定地由遗传决定。当换到一个非自然的环境中时,这种动物就会被它们的本能带入歧途。正如“蚁狮”会依照本能的暗示利用腹部蠕动努力地向后移动,钻入松散的细沙,然而却不知面临着很大的危险,而一步步地在玻璃板上后退,尽最大的努力钻进去。它们找不到任何其他方式去逃脱险境,“或者说,这样一种孤独的动物,在忙碌于一系列的动作中时,一旦被打断,那么它要么徒劳地完成剩余的动作(就像在一片没有播种的土地上耕作),要么死于无助的静止状态”。因此当蜘蛛挖了一个地洞并且在地洞边缘用砂砾和木片修建听蛛网时,如果它离开了已经结了一半的网,则无论如何也不会再从头开始,尽管它也许会继续挖另一个洞穴,甚至是用铅笔作为原料,但也不会重复以前的工作。
生物具有越来越复杂的本能,它们的出现促使这些意义的进化的发展。就我们所知,这种生物有蚂蚁和蜘蛛。但是另一种意义上的发展却注定会开辟出一种更有深远意义的可能性,即使是在人类身上,我们也没有看到这种可能性的结果。习惯,并不是生来就有的(有时它们被叫作本能而不是习惯),它们已经越来越受到环境的影响了。而环境影响中最重要的因素是我们的父母,他们照料在婴儿期的幼小生命,在这个期间,那些比昆虫的本能还要模糊一些的本能就会作出相当大的无害的变化以适应环境的需要。
这样我们首先会想到,这意味着环境的影响愈加重要,而遗传的作用却在减小。可是很难说这就是正确的,不过肯定不是完全正确的。因为尽管像昆虫一样的固定的机械式的反应已经不再是遗传所致,尽管物种进化选择已经不复存在,但是关于可塑性的选择显然还是非常重要的。正如对于恶劣的环境可以作出积极的回应一样,获得习性的能力的确可以遗传。另外,一些新的机制产生。利用这些机制,个体(相对于物种而言)就可以很好的适应环境。这样一来,环境的影响就显得不那么重要了。最后,高等动物可以通过类似工程技艺等等的东西来改变环境。从某种程度上说,海狸就具有这种能力,而人类在这方面具有卓越的能力。环境与遗传决不是相互排斥的因素,而永远都是相辅相成的因素。
题目答案与解析
1. 以下各项中“_________”最适合作为本文的标题 [答案]B
A.昆虫的进化 B.环境与遗传 C.教育:环境的影响 D.动物的本能
[解析]从文中内容可知,作者是在讲外部环境和遗传是互补的因素。四个选项中,只有B项包含了外部环境和遗传两个方面,因此B项为正确答案。
2. 我们可以从第1段蚁狮的例子中推断出什么 [答案]B
A.动物的本能会导致陌生环境下的不合理反应。
B.当它进行一系列动作时不能被打断。
C.在昆虫的进化过程中,环境和遗传只是辅助因素。
D.沿着进化的路线,遗传的重要性降低,而环境的重要性提高
[解析]本题可参照第1段中间一句话if such a lonely animal is engaged upon a chain of actions and is interrupted,it either goes on vainly with the remaining actions...or dies in helpless inactivity,从中可知,蚁狮会执着地作出本能的反应。因此B项为正确答案。
3. 根据本文提供的例子,我们知道如果蜘蛛离开已经织了一半的网,到达一个新的地方时,它最可能________。
A.开始做一个新网 B.破坏那半张网
C.继续织网的剩余部分 D.离开那张网
[答案]D
[解析]本题可参照第1段的when removed from a half finished home,will not begin again.。因此D项是正确答案。
4. 根据文中内容,下面关于习性的句子中哪一句是正确的 [答案]C
A.习性是自然给予活着的动物的馈赠。 B.对于所有动物来讲,习性比本能更重要。
C.习性受到环境发展的影响。D习性注定可以揭示人类进化过程中存在更加广泛的可能。
[解析]本题可参照文章第2段的Habits,instead of being born ready-made…were left more and more to the formative influence of the environment。从中可知C项为正确答案。