动物与人类的相似之处
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We humans like to think of ourselves as a special bunch， but it turns out we have plenty in common with other animals. Math？ A monkey can do it. Tool use？ Hey， even birds have mastered that. Culture？ Sorry， folks―chimps1） have it， too. Here's a list of some of the top parallels between humans and animal. You may be surprised at how similar we are to even our distant relations.
我们人类喜欢把自己当做特殊物种，然而事实证明，我们跟其他动物存在很多共同之处。算数？猴子也行。使用工具？嘿，连鸟都会。文化？抱歉，诸位―黑猩猩也有自己的文化。下面列举了人类和动物相似度最高的几个方面。你或许会感到惊讶，我们甚至与那些和我们亲缘关系很远的动物都那么相似。
Ears like a Katydid2）
Humans have complex ears to translate sound waves into mechanical vibrations3） our brains can process. So， as it turns out， do katydids. According to the research published Nov. 16， 2012 in the journal Science， katydid ears are arranged very similarly to human ears， with eardrums4）， lever systems to expand vibrations， and a fluid-filled vesicle5） where sensory cells wait to convey information to the nervous system. Katydid ears are a bit simpler than ours， but they can also hear far above the human range.
美洲大螽斯的耳朵
人类的耳朵构造复杂，能将声波转换成大脑可以处理的机械振动。事实表明，美洲大螽斯也长着这样的耳朵。根据《科学》杂志2012年11月16日刊发的一项研究，大螽斯的耳朵与人耳构造极其相似，也有起放大振动作用的鼓膜和杠杆系统，还有一个充满液体的耳囊，其内部的感觉细胞等待着把声音信息传递给神经系统。大螽斯耳朵的构造略比人耳的要简单，但其听力范围却远远超出人耳。
The Facial Expressions of a Mouse
Do you make weird faces when you're in pain？ So do mice. In 2010， researchers at McGill University and the University of British Columbia in Canada found that mice subjected to moderate pain "grimace"， just like humans. The researchers said the results could be used to avoid unnecessary suffering for lab animals by letting researchers know when something hurts the rodents6）.
Brain like a Pigeon
Gamblers in Vegas have something in common with pigeons on the sidewalk， and it's not just a fascination with shiny objects. In fact， pigeons make gambles just like humans， making choices that leave them with less money in the long run for the complicated promise of a big payout.
When given a choice， pigeons will push a button that gives them a big， rare payout rather than one that offers a small reward at regular intervals. This questionable decision may stem from7） the surprise and excitement of the big reward， according to a study published in 2010 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Human gamblers may be similarly lured in by the idea of major loot8）， no matter how long the odds9）.
The Movements of a Brittle Star10）
It'd be hard to imagine an organism less like a human than a brittle star， a starfish-like creature that doesn't even have a central nervous system. And yet these five-armed wonders move with coordination that mirrors11） human movements.
Brittle stars have radial symmetry12）， meaning their bodies can be split into matching halves by drawing imaginary lines through their arms and central axis13）. Humans and other mammals， in comparison， have bilateral symmetry14）： You can split us in half one way， with a line drawn straight through our bodies. Most of the time， animals with radial symmetry move little or move up and down， like a jellyfish that propels itself through the water. Brittle stars， however， move forward， perpendicular15） to their body axis―a skill usually reserved for the bilaterally symmetrical.
老鼠的表情
你疼痛时是不是会做出怪异的表情？老鼠同样如此。2010年，加拿大的麦吉尔大学和英属哥伦比亚大学的研究人员发现，老鼠经受中度疼痛时，会像人类一样做出“怪异的表情”。研究人员表示，这样他们就可以知道实验时什么时候啮齿类动物被弄疼了，这一研究结果可以用于让实验室动物免遭不必要的痛苦。
鸽子的大脑
拉斯维加斯的赌徒和人行道上的鸽子都迷恋闪亮的物体，不过，两者的共同之处还不只这一点。事实上，鸽子也会像人类一样赌上一把，为了难以预料的高回报而做出从长远看其实让它们所剩更少的选择。
如果给出选择，鸽子会按下那个能够一次带来丰厚回报的按钮，而不是另一个能够定期带来少量回报的按钮。根据2010年《英国皇家学会学报B辑》刊登的一项研究，鸽子这种不靠谱的选择可能源于高回报带来的惊喜和刺激。同样地，好赌之徒可能也会被大发横财的想法引诱，而不管其可能性有多小。
海蛇尾会走路
很难想到还有什么生物比形似海星的海蛇尾更不像人类―它们甚至都没有中枢神经系统。然而，这些长着五条腕的怪物却能像人类走路那样协调身体前进。
海蛇尾的身体是径向对称的，也就是说，假如沿着它们的腕和身体中轴线画若干条线的话，可将它们的身体分成对称的几半。相比而言，人类和其他哺乳动物的身体则是两侧对称的：只有沿着身体的中轴线才能将身体分成对称的两半。多数情况下，径向对称的动物移动很小或是只能上下移动，就像推动自己在水中移动的水母一样。然而，海蛇尾却能沿着自身中轴线的垂直方向向前移动―这种本领通常只有两侧对称的动物才有。
The House-Building Skill of an Octopus
Okay， Frank Lloyd Wright's "Falling Water"16） it is not， but a home built by an octopus has the advantage of being mobile.
The veined octopus can make mobile shelters out of coconut shells. When the animal wants to move， all it has to do is pile the shells like bowls， grasp them with firm legs， and waddle17） away along the ocean floor to a new location.
Words like an Elephant
Humans do reign supreme in the arena of language （as far as we know）， but even elephants can figure out how to make the same sounds we do. According to researchers， an Asian elephant living in a South Korean zoo has learned to use its trunk and throat to imitate human words. The elephant can say "hello"， "good"， "no"， "sit down" and "lie down"， all in Korean， of course.
The elephant doesn't appear to know what these words mean. Scientists think he may have picked up the sounds because he was the only elephant at the zoo from when he was 5 to when he turned 12， leaving him to bond with humans instead.
章鱼会建房
好吧，章鱼修建的“房子”确实比不上弗兰克・劳埃德・赖特的“流水别墅”，不过，它们的“房子”有一大优势：可以移动。
条纹章鱼能用椰子壳建造可移动的栖息处。想要搬家时，它们只需像摞碗一样把椰子壳叠放起来，再用有力的触手紧紧盘着它们，顺着海床摇摇摆摆地搬到一个新的地方就行。
大象会说话
虽然人类在语言领域居于主宰地位（据我们所知），但是甚至连大象都知道如何发出人声。据研究人员介绍，韩国一家动物园的一头亚洲象已经学会了用象鼻和喉咙模仿人类说话。这头大象会说“你好”“好”“不”“坐下”“躺下”等，当然，说的全是韩语。
这头大象似乎并不知道这些话的含义。科学家们认为，这头大象能学会发出这些声音，可能是因为在它5～12岁的这段时间，它是该动物园唯一的一头大象，使得它只能与人类亲近交流。
1. chimp [t??mp] n. 【动】黑猩猩
2. katydid [?ke?t??d?d] n.【昆】美洲大螽斯（具长触须，雄虫前翅有发达的摩擦发生器）
3. mechanical vibration： 【力】机械振动
4. eardrum [???dr?m] n. 【解】鼓膜，耳膜
5. vesicle [?ves?kl] n.【解】泡，囊
6. rodent [?r??dnt] n. 啮齿目动物（如鼠、松鼠、河狸等）
7. stem from： 起源于
8. loot [lu?t] n. 钱
9. odds [?dz] [复] n. 机会，可能性。long odds： 极小的可能性
10. brittle star： 【动】海蛇尾
11. mirror [?m?r?（r）] vt. 映照
12. radial symmetry： 【动】径向对称
13. axis [??ks?s] n. 轴，轴线，中心线
14. bilateral symmetry： 【动】两侧对称
15. perpendicular [?p??p?n?d?kj?l?（r）] adj. 垂直的，成直角的
16. Frank Lloyd Wright's "Falling Water"： 美国著名建筑师弗兰克・劳埃德・赖特（1867～1959）设计的流水别墅。它在空间的处理、体量的组合及与环境的结合上均取得了极大的成功，在现代建筑史上占有重要地位。
17. waddle [?w?dl] vi. （似鸭、鹅般地）蹒跚行走，摇摇摆摆地行走