1.human既可以用作名词(（尤指与动物或机器相对的）人)，也可以用作形容词。它用作名词时，与human being没有区别。如
I’m only human.(我只是人。) [形容词]
I’m only a human. (我只是一个人。)[名词]
I’m only a human being. (我只是一个人。)[名词]
但不可以说I’m only human being。
Scientists continue to push back the boundaries of human knowledge.
科学家不断扩大人类知识的范围。
The existence of God is beyond human understanding.
上帝的存在与否是超出人类所能理解的。
Contact with other people is a basic human need.
和他人接触是人的基本需要。
The human spirit is virtually indestructible
人的精神实际上是不可摧毁的。
He’s really very human when you get to know him.
你若了解他，就知道他确实很有人情味。
It’s only human to want the best for your children.
为自己的孩子谋求最好的条件是人之常情。(即人性)
Its rate of growth was fast — much more like that of an ape than that of a human.
它的发育速度很快——更像猿，而不像人。《柯林斯高阶英汉双解学习词典》
Humans are the only animals to have developed speech.
人是唯一发展出语言的动物。
Humans take in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide.
人吸入氧气，呼出二氧化碳。以上2例摘自《牛津高阶英汉双解词典》
Wolves will not usually attack humans.
狼通常不会袭击人。
If, as has been reported, they have protected humans from sharks, it may have been because curiosity attracted them and because the scent of a possible meal attracted the sharks.（新概念4，L22）
如果像报道所说的那样，海豚保护国溺水的人，使之不受鲨鱼的伤害，那可能是好奇心吸引到了海豚，而那可能到口的美食香味则吸引了鲨鱼。（说明human可以指人类中个体，也可以指多个个体。当然也可以指人类。）
试比较：
Most wild animals won’t attack humans unless they are provoked.
大多数野兽若非被激怒，一般是不会袭击人的。
……and experts confirmed that a puma will not attack a human being unless it is cornered.
……专家们证实说，美洲狮除非走投无路，否则是不会伤害人的。（新概念3，L1）
2.human being一般也不宜做形容词短语，如很少说 human being history(不容易断词且容易误解)，而是说human history。
human源自古法语humain,umain , 后者又源自拉丁语humanus。在古法语和拉丁语中，相应的单词都是形容词。所以，15c中叶(1450年)左右进入英语时，也是形容词。到了1530s, human才有名词的用法，语义为a human being(是否为a human being的缩写，不得而知)。名词human对应古英语的 guma,后者早已放弃，但 bridegroom的groom即为guma的遗迹。
Being在英语中很早就有， 它除了是动词be的现在分词和动名词外，还有“存在，活物”的含义。human being字面上大体就是“人类活物”的意思。
Being的动词原形be, 可回溯到原印欧语(PIE)词根bheue- ，该词根的含义有to be, exist, grow之义，其中grow可引申出“生长，活物”的涵义。 所以COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary词典对being的释义之一是any real or imaginary creature(任何真实或虚构的生物),如，
Every living being is subject to decay.
每一个生物都会腐烂。
Each human being has to die, but mankind goes on world without end.
每个人都会死，但人类却永无止境。
Every man is liable to error.; No human being can be free from mistakes.
是人总要犯错误。
Be a responsible human being and do not do evil things to others.
做一个负责任的人;不要伤害他人。
It’s not a thing, Beauchamp. It’s a human being!
比彻姆，那不是一件东西，是一个人！
Physical perfection in a human being is exceedingly rare.
体貌完美的人极为罕见。
The soldier acted qua soldier, not as a human being.
那名士兵当时以军人的身份行事，而不是以一般人的身份。
The dancers step into a formation which represents the human being.
舞蹈演员们排成一个人形队列。
Watch any young human being, or any other young animal.
注意儿童或其他幼小动物。
How long can a human being go without sleep?
人不睡觉能活多久？
That is no way to treat another human being.
那绝不是对待他人的方式。（指人类中的个体的人，也可以人类）
Human beings need food, clothing and shelter.
人类有衣、食、住的需求。
Human beings can talk while animals can’t.
人能讲话，而动物不能。
《外研社英语同义词辨析词典》
There’s no snake known that will habitually attack human beings unless threatened with its life
除非自己的生命受到了威胁，已知的蛇中还没有习惯性地攻击人类的。《柯林斯高阶英汉双解学习词典》
Human beings have great recuperative powers.
人类具有很强的自我康复能力。
He ventured the opinion that ‘whales are as intelligent as human beings’.
他大胆提出了“鲸与人类一样聪明”的观点。
Presidents are not any different from anybody else; they’re human beings.
总统跟一般人没有什么不同；他们也是人。
All dogs are capable of doing harm to human beings.
只要是狗就可能会咬人。《柯林斯高阶英汉双解学习词典》
Human beings need food, clothing and shelter.
人类有衣、食、住的需求。
Human beings are genetically programmed to learn certain kinds of language.
人类生来有学习某几种语言的遗传因素。
The cat soon made the association between human beings and food.
这只猫很快就把人类与食物联系起来。以上3例摘自《牛津高阶英汉双解词典》说明human beings可以指“人类”。
Tremendous wrongs were being perpetrated on the poorest and least privileged human beings
对最贫穷和最没有特权的人们犯下了大量罪行。
《柯林斯高阶英汉双解学习词典》说明human beings可以特指“某些人”。
All human beings are much more intelligent than animals.
所有的人都比动物聪明得多。
He never regarded the farmhands as human beings.
他从不把雇工当人看待。
In ancient mythology there was no impassable gulf separating the divine from the human beings.
在上古神话中，神与人之间没有不可逾越的鸿沟。
以上3例摘自《汉英大词典》
If human beings can breathe and share air, they don’t need to struggle with one another.
如果人类能够呼吸和分享空气,他们就不需要互相争斗。
六级真题- 2015年 6月
As human beings, we’re primed to compare ourselves to each other in what is an anxiety-inducing phenomenon.
作为人类，我们总是倾向于去互相攀比，而这会使我们感到焦虑。
六级真题- 2019年 6月
Advances in AI will make human beings smarter, more able and “just better human beings.”
在人工智能方面的进步将使人类更聪明、更有能力，并“成为更好的自己”。
四级真题- 2018年 12月
Soupios says following the 10 Golden Rules based on ancient wisdom can guide us to the path of the good life where we stop living as onlookers and become engaged and happier human beings.
斯皮奥斯说，遵守这10条基于古老智慧的黃金法则可以指引我们走上通往美好生活的道路。这样的话，我们不再是生活的旁观者，而会成为投入生活，更加幸福的人。
四级真题- 2016年 6月
3.the human race人类
The human race has enough weapons to annihilate itself.
人类有足够的武器灭绝自己。
Can the human race carry on expanding and growing the same way that it is now?
人类能继续像目前这样扩张和增长下去吗？
This nameless person pushed the human race over a historic threshold, for it was in that year that mankind became, for the first time in its history, a predominantly urban species.
这个无名的人把人类推向了一个历史性的门槛,因为正是在那一年,人类首次成为主要居住在城市的物种。
六级真题- 2015年 6月
That question, repeated across a dozen environmental issues and across our diverse planet, is what will ultimately determine whether the human race is living beyond its ecological means as it pursues economic revival.
这个疑问在诸多环境问题的讨论中，以及我们多样性的地球上不断被提起，也将最终决定人类在追求经济复苏的同时，是否已透支其生态环境。
六级真题- 2016年 6月
4.另外man,mankind,等也可以指：人类
man
指人类整体或特定历史时期的人类；也可泛指人，无性别之分。
The Spanish Inquisition charged him with sinning against God and man
西班牙宗教法庭指控他亵渎上帝和人类。
The science of engineering began as soon as man learned to use tools.
人类一学会使用工具，工程科学就开始了。
None can afford to neglect the accumulated experience of man.
谁也不能忽视人类所积累的经验。
Man early learned the usefulness of weapons.
人类很早以前就知道了武器的用处。
Man’s first landing on the moon was a feat of great daring.
人类首次登月是一个勇敢的壮举。
All men must die.
所有的人都会死的。（（不论性别的）人）
Do you believe that men are not naturally monogamous?
你相信人类并非本来就是一夫一妻制的吗？
Man was drawing closer to the stars, opening new worlds.
人类在接近各个星球，探索新的天体。
Man is exterminating too many species for zoos to be much help.
人类正在导致过多物种灭绝，动物园也无济于事。
Man has dominion over the natural world.
人类拥有对自然界的统治权。
Man has his problems.人类有自己的问题。
Mankind has its problems. 人类有自己的问题。
How long is the human race going to keep its place in the world?
人类将保持其世界地位对酒呢？
注意它们的代词的形式。
mankind
侧重指人类整体，有些人认为该词对女性有冒犯性，常以 human-kind 代替。
in the history of mankind
在人类历史
Since earliest times, mankind has had a special system of communi-cation.
人类自远古以来就有一套特殊的交流系统。
It exerts a civilizing influence on mankind.
这产生了教化人类的影响。
The civilization of mankind has taken thousands of years to develop.
人类经数千年才文明开化。
His research is for the betterment of mankind.
他的研究是为全人类造福。
Mankind’s knowledge of the universe has increased beyond measure
人类对于宇宙的了解已经大为增加。
Each human being has to die, but mankind goes on world without end.
每个人都会死，但人类却永无止境。
Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind.
人类必须结束战争，否则战争就会毁灭人类。
Since earliest times, mankind has had a special system of communi-cation.
人类自远古以来就有一套特殊的交流系统。
The Chinese people should make a greater contribution to mankind.
中国人应当对人类有较大的贡献。
In the world today, mankind is progressing at a tremendous pace.
在当今世界，人类进步一日千里。
Asia is one of the places where mankind originated.
亚洲是人类的发源地之一。
humanity n. 人类；人性
通常作为人类的总称，也指人性。
The massacre was a crime against humanity.
这场大屠杀是一桩反人类的罪行。
We want a peaceful environment for all humanity.
我们希望全人类拥有一个和平的生存环境。
We must never forget our humanity.
我们须永不忘记人性。
They face charges of committing crimes against humanity.
他们被控犯有反人类罪。
They stand accused of crimes against humanity.
他们被控违反人道罪。
China ought to make a greater contribution to humanity.
中国应当对人类作出较大贡献。
Advances in science help all humanity.
科学的进步有助于全人类。
But if we come up with an answer, robots could be good for humanity.
但是如果我们能够得出答案的话，那么机器人会造福人类。
四级真题- 2016年 6月
We will lose a vital part of what has made humanity as a whole so successful as a species.
人类整体作为一个物种如此成功，我们也将会丢失这成功背后某个重要的部分。
四级真题- 2017年 12月
Ever since humanity began to farm our own food, we’ve faced the unpredictable rain that is both friend and enemy.
自从人类开始种植自己的食物以来，我们就面临着无法预测的友敌:降雨。
六级真题- 2018年 6月
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