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This article examines the ideological implications of different interpretations of the statement "Humans are animals." It contrasts theories that regard humans as literally sophisticated animals with those who interpret the statement metaphorically. Sociobiological theories, bolstered by metaphors in the dictionary of English emphasize competitiveness and aggression as features shared by humans and nonhuman animals. Other theories emphasize symbiosis and cooperation. Some of these theories are prescriptive—metaphor patterns in English reflect the strong tendency to regard animal behavior as something for humans to avoid. Conversely, sociobiologists suggest it is natural and right to behave like animals, the naturalistic fallacy. Other cultural theories suggest that the statement is only metaphorical; our differences from animals are what make us most human. The article notes the tendency to metaphorically project the values and structures of current human society onto the animals being studied, serving the interest of those who, in power, benefit from the status quo.

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This article reports a study examining the presence of environmental issues in ELT coursebooks published since 1990. Seventeen randomly-selected coursebooks were analysed in order to find the percentage of activities related to environmental issues. Such activities were then examined to establish whether they involved participation in environmental protection. The results are discussed in light of teaching methodology and United Nations environmental education objectives. 1. Awareness of environmental problems. 2. Basic understanding of the environment and its problems, and human beings' role in relation to the environment. 3. Attitude of concern for environmental problems. 4. Skills in overcoming environmental problems. 5. Ability to evaluate proposed solutions to environmental problems. 6. Participation in solving environmental problems. We undertook the current study to investigate the treatment of environmental concerns in second language learning materials. Environmental education is conceived as being crosscurricular because the environment relates to all areas of study (Ghafoor-Ghaznawi 1993). Thus, language education, including second language education, has a role to play in helping people to learn about and participate in environmental protection. Indeed, ELT coursebooks and other ELT materials have for many years included environmental themes, such as recycling, alternative energy, and humane treatment of animals. In fact, a small number of ELT coursebooks are devoted exclusively to the environment (e.g. Brown and Butterworth 1998). The inclusion of environmental issues in ELT coursebooks fits well with the trend in communicative language teaching towards theme-based and content-based instruction. Students, in at least some cases, seem to welcome environmental content. For instance, a preference for the inclusion of environmental topics was expressed by young adult East Asian students surveyed by Richards (1995) in preparation for writing a coursebook series. Despite efforts towards environmental protection and some areas of improvement, we humans continue to devastate the planet at an increasing rate. Orr (1992: 3) puts this more concretely, and the distressing picture he painted nearly a decade ago is even more pressing now: If today is a typical day on planet earth, humans will add fifteen million tons of carbon to the atmosphere, destroy 115 square miles of tropical rain forest, create 72 square miles of desert, eliminate between forty to one hundred species, erode seventy one million tons of topsoil, add twenty-seven hundred tons of CFCs to the atmosphere, and increase their population by 263,000.