Unlocking Word
Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in
today’s article.
1. sophisticated
(adj.) [suh-fis-ti-key-tid] – advanced or complex yet refined
Example: To avoid flooding, the city built a
very sophisticated sewage system.
2. unearth
(v.) [uhn-urth] – to get something by digging up
Example: The anthropologists unearthed insect
fossils from the mountain.
3. forethought
(n.) [fawr-thawt, fohr-] – a thinking of something beforehand
Example: She gave it a lot of forethought
before arriving at a final decision.
4. counterpart
(n.) [koun-ter-pahrt] – something that is identical to another, especially in terms of
function
Example: Learning a foreign language in the
company is necessary to be able to talk comfortably with foreign counterparts.
5. predecessor
(n.) [pred-uh-ses-er, pred-uh-ses-er or, especially Brit., pree-duh-ses-er] – something replaced by something else
Example: The new manager is more competitive
than his predecessor.
Article
Read the text below.
Sophisticated stone tools believed to be made by direct ancestors of modern humans
have been unearthed near Lake
Turkana in Kenya.
These tools are bigger and heavier compared to
its earlier counterparts. The
tools, found at Kokiselei archaeological site in Nachukui, Kenya, are shaped
like teardrops and have distinct chiseled edges. Scientists claim they were
hand-axes used for many purposes, ranging from chopping wood to cutting meat.
Based on their design, anthropologists categorize the tools under "Acheulian
technology".
The sophisticated design of these Acheulian
hand-axes indicates forethought in
designing. Particular types of rocks also had to be carefully selected in
order to make them. Because of these factors, experts suspect that they
belong to the primitive human called Homo erectus.
Compared to its predecessor, the Homo habilis, Homo erectus had a bigger brain,
was smarter and had more skills using their hands.
Another factor that led scientists to this
conclusion involves the tools’ age. Data showed that the tools are about 1.76
million years old and 350,000 years older than other Acheulian tools found.
This date reveals that the tools were made during the age when the human
species Homo erectus lived.
Homo erectus originated from Africa and then
spread throughout Asia before going extinct 70,000 years ago. Experts suspect
that they were the direct ancestors of modern humans -- the Homo sapiens.
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Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion
A
·
What
do you think makes humans different from other animals?
·
Do
you think humans are the superior species? Explain your answer.
Discussion
B
·
What
do you think about the theory that humans evolved from apes?
·
What
does your country’s traditional culture or religion say about how humans came
to be?