Facial Expressions
Even without the more elaborate forms of nonverbal communication like sign language, gestures, or miming humans can actually communicate a great deal using only their bodies. Much of this, such as the posture of a person who is sad, is unintentional, but we can give deliberate signals with our bodies as well. Invading someone’s space can be a way of intentionally signaling aggression. Other species also use body language, which was probably one of the earliest forms of communication between animals. However, unlike many other animals, humans also have an impressive ability to communicate things using only our faces. Once again, this can be intentional or unintentional. Our facial expression is almost constantly advertising our current emotional state and can even betray us by revealing feelings that we attempt to hide. We can also add important nuance to verbal communication using our faces. Given the right context, a simple glance at a friend can often communicate a great deal.
Many of the cues and signals that come from our facial expressions are universal among al of the people in our species. This indicates that this form of communication is much more innate (inborn rather than learned) than the recent innovation of spoken language. For example, the languages spoken among the hunter-gatherer tribes of New Guinea have absolutely nothing in common with English or any other Indo-European language. (Most of them have nothing in common with each other!) Yet, a smile means exactly the same in the rain forests of New Guinea as it does in the streets of New York City. This speaks to the unconscious, genetic, and inborn nature of facial expressions because if facial expressions were learned, like language, we would expect divergence among the cultures of the world. Instead, we see striking universality. Further proof of this is that people born blind display the same facial expressions as their sighted neighbors. They could not have learned the expressions by seeing them in others. It seems clear that facial expressions and their meanings are almost completely built into the human brain.
Many animal species also communicate with each other using facial expressions. This appears largely limited to mammals for two reasons. First, invertebrates, fish, amphibians, and reptiles, even if they live in communities. show only the simplest hints of interactive social dynamics and cooperation. When it comes to cooperation and communication in the animal world, birds and mammals are the stars of the show. Second, facial expressions require elaborate overlapping musculature in the facial region, which birds do not really have. There are forty-three muscles in the average human face. Many of them are strange, as skeletal muscles go, because they do not connect two bones in order to allow skeletal locomotion. Instead, they are loosely connected to the skull on one end and skin tissue on the other. In other words, their only purpose is to squeeze and stretch the skin of the face. This sort of thing does not exist anywhere else in the body. Much of our face musculature exists purely so that we can make facial expressions.
This is why mammals have the monopoly on facial expressions. We are the only animal group that has both the social-cooperative nature to use communication in the first place and the necessary muscles to accomplish that communication using our faces. One might be tempted to think that mammals evolved our elaborate facial muscles for the purpose of communication, since that seems like pretty much all we use them for, but it turns out that our face muscles perform an even more basic and essential function: suckling (drinking milk from the mother’s breast). By studying very old mammal fossils, paleontologists have discovered that a muscle group that was originally located in the throat was co-opted and relocated to the face of early mammals and resulted in much-improved suckling from the then-recent mammalian innovation: the breast. With the new facial muscles and the highly social context of nursing the needed components were in place for the invention of facial expressions as a means of silent communication by early mammals, who must have lived in constant fear of predation by the dominant animals of their day: the dinosaurs.
1
Even without the more elaborate forms of nonverbal communication like sign language, gestures, or miming humans can actually communicate a great deal using only their bodies. Much of this, such as the posture of a person who is sad, is unintentional, but we can give deliberate signals with our bodies as well. Invading someone’s space can be a way of intentionally signaling aggression. Other species also use body language, which was probably one of the earliest forms of communication between animals. However, unlike many other animals, humans also have an impressive ability to communicate things using only our faces. Once again, this can be intentional or unintentional. Our facial expression is almost constantly advertising our current emotional state and can even betray us by revealing feelings that we attempt to hide. We can also add important nuance to verbal communication using our faces. Given the right context, a simple glance at a friend can often communicate a great deal.
According to paragraph 1, all of the following are true about communication through facial expressions EXCEPT:
AIt is far more advanced in humans than in many other species.
BIt sometimes provides information that people prefer to remain unknown.
CSome important nuances of it can be difficult to understand.
DIt may involve giving someone a quick look.
2
Many of the cues and signals that come from our facial expressions are universal among al of the people in our species. This indicates that this form of communication is much more innate (inborn rather than learned) than the recent innovation of spoken language. For example, the languages spoken among the hunter-gatherer tribes of New Guinea have absolutely nothing in common with English or any other Indo-European language. (Most of them have nothing in common with each other!) Yet, a smile means exactly the same in the rain forests of New Guinea as it does in the streets of New York City. This speaks to the unconscious, genetic, and inborn nature of facial expressions because if facial expressions were learned, like language, we would expect divergence among the cultures of the world. Instead, we see striking universality. Further proof of this is that people born blind display the same facial expressions as their sighted neighbors. They could not have learned the expressions by seeing them in others. It seems clear that facial expressions and their meanings are almost completely built into the human brain.
Why does the author state that “a smile means exactly the same in the rain forests of New Guinea as it does in the streets of New York City”?
ATo question the idea that spoken language is a much more recent innovation than communication by facial expressions is
BTo emphasize how little in common most languages in New Guinea have with one another
CTo support the argument that facial expression are a much more innate form of communication than spoken language is
DTo identify one of the many ways in which people can communicate without using spoken language
3
Many of the cues and signals that come from our facial expressions are universal among al of the people in our species. This indicates that this form of communication is much more innate (inborn rather than learned) than the recent innovation of spoken language. For example, the languages spoken among the hunter-gatherer tribes of New Guinea have absolutely nothing in common with English or any other Indo-European language. (Most of them have nothing in common with each other!) Yet, a smile means exactly the same in the rain forests of New Guinea as it does in the streets of New York City. This speaks to the unconscious, genetic, and inborn nature of facial expressions because if facial expressions were learned, like language, we would expect divergence among the cultures of the world. Instead, we see striking universality. Further proof of this is that people born blind display the same facial expressions as their sighted neighbors. They could not have learned the expressions by seeing them in others. It seems clear that facial expressions and their meanings are almost completely built into the human brain.
According to paragraph 2, which of the following is true about people who are unable to see from birth?
ATheir behavior provides evidence that facial expressions are inborn.
BThey can be taught to use facial expressions.
CTheir facial expressions prove that cultures of the world diverge greatly.
DTheir facial expressions are often misunderstood by their sighted neighbors.
4
Many animal species also communicate with each other using facial expressions. This appears largely limited to mammals for two reasons. First, invertebrates, fish, amphibians, and reptiles, even if they live in communities. show only the simplest hints of interactive social dynamics and cooperation. When it comes to cooperation and communication in the animal world, birds and mammals are the stars of the show. Second, facial expressions require elaborate overlapping musculature in the facial region, which birds do not really have. There are forty-three muscles in the average human face. Many of them are strange, as skeletal muscles go, because they do not connect two bones in order to allow skeletal locomotion. Instead, they are loosely connected to the skull on one end and skin tissue on the other. In other words, their only purpose is to squeeze and stretch the skin of the face. This sort of thing does not exist anywhere else in the body. Much of our face musculature exists purely so that we can make facial expressions.
The word “purely”in the passage is closest in meaning to
Aonly
Bmainly
Cprobably
Despecially
5
Many animal species also communicate with each other using facial expressions. This appears largely limited to mammals for two reasons. First, invertebrates, fish, amphibians, and reptiles, even if they live in communities. show only the simplest hints of interactive social dynamics and cooperation. When it comes to cooperation and communication in the animal world, birds and mammals are the stars of the show. Second, facial expressions require elaborate overlapping musculature in the facial region, which birds do not really have. There are forty-three muscles in the average human face. Many of them are strange, as skeletal muscles go, because they do not connect two bones in order to allow skeletal locomotion. Instead, they are loosely connected to the skull on one end and skin tissue on the other. In other words, their only purpose is to squeeze and stretch the skin of the face. This sort of thing does not exist anywhere else in the body. Much of our face musculature exists purely so that we can make facial expressions.
According to paragraph 3, which TWO of the following explain why communication through facial expressions is largely limited to mammals? To receive credit, you must select TWO answers.
AMammals tend to form larger communities than most species of invertebrates, fish, amphibians, and reptiles do.
BMammals display much more complex social interaction than most other animal groups do.
CMammals depend on communication more than birds do.
DMammals, unlike birds, have the musculature needed to produce facial expressions.
6
Many animal species also communicate with each other using facial expressions. This appears largely limited to mammals for two reasons. First, invertebrates, fish, amphibians, and reptiles, even if they live in communities. show only the simplest hints of interactive social dynamics and cooperation. When it comes to cooperation and communication in the animal world, birds and mammals are the stars of the show. Second, facial expressions require elaborate overlapping musculature in the facial region, which birds do not really have. There are forty-three muscles in the average human face. Many of them are strange, as skeletal muscles go, because they do not connect two bones in order to allow skeletal locomotion. Instead, they are loosely connected to the skull on one end and skin tissue on the other. In other words, their only purpose is to squeeze and stretch the skin of the face. This sort of thing does not exist anywhere else in the body. Much of our face musculature exists purely so that we can make facial expressions.
According to paragraph 3, in which of the following ways are the muscles in the human face different from the muscles in the other parts of the human body?
AFacial muscles connect to skin on one end rather than connecting to bones on both ends.
BFacial muscles produce skeletal locomotion in a different way than do other muscles.
CFacial muscles overlap more loosely with one another than do other muscles.
DFacial muscles can stretch and squeeze themselves more than other muscles can.
7
This is why mammals have the monopoly on facial expressions. We are the only animal group that has both the social-cooperative nature to use communication in the first place and the necessary muscles to accomplish that communication using our faces. One might be tempted to think that mammals evolved our elaborate facial muscles for the purpose of communication, since that seems like pretty much all we use them for, but it turns out that our face muscles perform an even more basic and essential function: suckling (drinking milk from the mother’s breast). By studying very old mammal fossils, paleontologists have discovered that a muscle group that was originally located in the throat was co-opted and relocated to the face of early mammals and resulted in much-improved suckling from the then-recent mammalian innovation: the breast. With the new facial muscles and the highly social context of nursing the needed components were in place for the invention of facial expressions as a means of silent communication by early mammals, who must have lived in constant fear of predation by the dominant animals of their day: the dinosaurs.
Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
ABased on old fossils, paleontologists have discovered that mammals originally used both throat muscles and face muscles for suckling from the breast.
BPaleontologists have discovered that the relocation of a muscle group that was originally in the throat resulted in a mammalian innovation: the breast.
CBy studying very old mammal fossils paleontologists have discovered that the breast is a fairly recent mammalian innovation that improved suckling.
DFossils of early mammals show that a muscle group relocated from the throat to the face, improving suckling from the breast, which had evolved recently.
8
This is why mammals have the monopoly on facial expressions. We are the only animal group that has both the social-cooperative nature to use communication in the first place and the necessary muscles to accomplish that communication using our faces. One might be tempted to think that mammals evolved our elaborate facial muscles for the purpose of communication, since that seems like pretty much all we use them for, but it turns out that our face muscles perform an even more basic and essential function: suckling (drinking milk from the mother’s breast). By studying very old mammal fossils, paleontologists have discovered that a muscle group that was originally located in the throat was co-opted and relocated to the face of early mammals and resulted in much-improved suckling from the then-recent mammalian innovation: the breast. With the new facial muscles and the highly social context of nursing the needed components were in place for the invention of facial expressions as a means of silent communication by early mammals, who must have lived in constant fear of predation by the dominant animals of their day: the dinosaurs.
Paragraph 4 suggests that which of the following was a reason that using facial expressions to communicate was an important skill for early mammals?
AUsing facial expressions strengthened muscles in mammals’ faces.
BFacial expressions made it possible for nursing to become a social activity.
CFacial expressions helped mammals become dominant over other animals.
DMammals needed to warn one another about dangerous predators.
9
Even without the more elaborate forms of nonverbal communication like sign language, gestures, or miming humans can actually communicate a great deal using only their bodies. Much of this, such as the posture of a person who is sad, is unintentional, but we can give deliberate signals with our bodies as well.[■] Invading someone’s space can be a way of intentionally signaling aggression. [■]Other species also use body language, which was probably one of the earliest forms of communication between animals. However, unlike many other animals, humans also have an impressive ability to communicate things using only our faces. [■]Once again, this can be intentional or unintentional. [■]Our facial expression is almost constantly advertising our current emotional state and can even betray us by revealing feelings that we attempt to hide. We can also add important nuance to verbal communication using our faces. Given the right context, a simple glance at a friend can often communicate a great deal.
Look at the four squaresthat indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage
This type of communication is not unique to humans.
Where would the sentence best fit？Click on a square sentence to the passage.
10
Body language was probably one of the earliest means of communication among animals.
AAlthough sign language, gestures, and miming are among the most elaborate ways of communicating without speaking, human facial expressions are even more complicated.
BIn some situations, facial expressions are a more useful means of communication than spoken language, in part because facial expressions can be made in silence.
CThe use of muscles to produce facial expressions for communication is one reason that the human skull structure is very different from the skull structures of other animals.
DHumans communicate through various forms of body language, including making facial expressions for which humans use a large number of muscles that are adapted for moving skin.
EThe fact that people of all cultures use the same facial expressions for the same feelings indicates that this form of communication is genetic.
FComplex facial musculature, which is absent in most animals, evolved in ancient mammals and is useful for both communication and drinking from the mother’s breast.
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