核心问题
《英语惯用法大词典》(中国科学技术出版社,1994,p.973)说:“humans不能作表示‘人’的名词,表示‘人’要用human beings。”
词典解答
human 完全可用来表示区别于其他动物、上帝、鬼神或机器的“人”。我们以下面的实例为证:
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Wolves will not usually attack humans. (FWF) 狼平常并不伤害人。
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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. (New Concept English, Book 4, p. 72) 如果像报导所说的那样,海豚保护过溺水的人,使之不受鲨鱼的伤害,那可能是好奇心吸引了海豚,而那可能到口的美食香味则吸引了鲨鱼。