参考译文
未来的历史学家在写我们这一段历史的时候会别具一格。对于逐渐积累起来的庞大材料，他们几乎不知道选取哪些好，而且，也不必完全依赖文字材料。电影、录像、光盘和光盘驱动器只是能为他们提供令人眼花缭乱的大量信息的几种手段。他们能够身临其境般地观看我们做事，倾听我们讲话。但是，历史学家企图重现遥远的过去可是一项艰巨的任务，他们必须根据现有的不充分的线索进行推理。即使看起来微不足道的遗物，也可能揭示人类早期历史中的一些有趣的内容。
历史学家迄今认为日历是随农业的问世而出现的，因为当时人们面临着了解四季的实际需要。但近期科学研究发现，好像这种假设是不正确的。
长期以来，历史学家一直对雕刻在墙壁上、骨头上、古代长毛象的象牙上的点、线和形形色色的符号感到困惑不解。这些痕迹是游牧人留下的，他们生活在从公元前约 35，000年到公元前10，000年的冰川期的末期，以狩猎、捕鱼为生。历史学家通过把世界各地留下的这种痕迹放在一起研究，终于弄懂了这种费解的代码。他们发现代码与昼夜更迭和月亮圆缺有关，事实上是一种最原始的日历。大家早就知道，画在墙上的狩猎图景并不是单纯的艺术表现形式，它们有着一定的含义，因为它们已接近古代人的文字形式。有时，这种图画与墙壁上的刻痕共存，它们之间可能有一定的联系。看来人类早就致力于探索四季变迁了，比人们想像的要早20，000年。
Comprehension理解
Give short answers to these questions in your own words as far as possible. Use one complete sentence for each answer.
1Why will future historians not have to rely entirely on the written word when they come to record the history of our own times?
2Why do historians who write about the distant past have a difficult task?
3When was it believed that calendars were first used?
Vocabulary词汇
Explain the meanings of the following words and phrases as they are used in the passage: record(1. 2); select (1. 3); great mass of evidence (1. 3); accumulates (1. 4); solely (1. 4); bewildering (1. 6); insignificant (1. 9).
Summary writing摘要写作
In not more than 80 words describe what historians have learnt from the strange markings made by early man. Use your own words as far as possible. Do not include anything that is not in the last paragraph.
Composition作文
In not more than 250 words describe some of the things future historians will be able to learn about us. Use the ideas given below. Do not write more than four paragraphs.
Title: Studying the past.
Introduction: The future historian's sources: films, video, CDs, CD----ROMs.
Development: Social and political history: how we dressed---- what we ate ---- what houses we lived in ---- what our citieswere like ---- the forms of entertainment we enjoyed ---- the news day by day ---- the way we fought our wars ---- great moments in history ---- leading figures of the time as well as ordinary people.
Conclusion: Study of history will provide interest and excitement ---- the past will be brought to life.
Letter writing书信写作
For several years you have been writing to a penfriend whom you have never met in person. Write him a letter of about 100 words in three paragraphs telling him that you will be visiting his country soon and expressing pleasure that you will be able to meet each other for the first time.
Key structures
and
Special difficulties关键句型和难点
Exercises练习
1Give the correct form of the verbs in parentheses. Do not refer to the passage until you finish the exercise:
Up to now, historians ______ (assume) that calendars ______ (come) into being with the advent of agricul ture, for then man ______ (face) with a real need to understand something about the seasons. Recent scientific evidence ______ (seem) to indicate that this assumption ______ (be) incorrect. Historians long ______ (puzzle) by dots, lines and symbols which ______ (engrave) on walls, bones, and the ivory tusks of mammoths. The nomads who ______ (make) these markings ______ (live) by hunting and fishing during the last Ice Age which ______ (begin) about 35, 000 B. C. and ______ (end) about 10, 000 B. C. (11. 10-15) (Mainly IKS 29) (主要参见第2册第29课关键句型)
2it is connected with (1. 17). Put with or for after the following verbs: agree, account, mistake, cope, correspond, apologize, blame, reason, satisfied, quarrel, wait, search. (聚散两依依) (参见第2册第46课关键句型)
3between these paintings and the markings (1. 20). Write two sentences illustrating the difference between between and among. (ISD 76b) (参见第2课第76课难点b)
Multiple choice questions多项选择题
Choose the correct answers to the following questions.
Comprehension理解
1In assuming that calendars came into being with the advent of agriculture, historians made the mistake of
a．relying solely on the written word
b．disregarding the markings that early man had been responsible for
c．supposing that nomadic man had no reason to understand the seasons
d．not connecting the passage of days with the phases of the moon
2The scientific evidence that has recently come to light is that ______ .
a．nomads engraved the bones and tusks of the animals they killed
b．nomads lived by hunting and fishing
c．nomads travelled widely in various parts of the world
d．the markings made by various nomadic groups all have a definite pattern
3The paintings which have been found on the walls of nomadic dwelling places ______ .
a．have taught historians something about the nomadic way of life
b．have no other content than their artistic merit
c．are not thought to be connected with an ancient calendar system
d．are invariably accompanied by odd dots, lines and symbols
Structure结构
4It ______ as if they could see and hear us in action. (11. 6-7)
a．was
b．were
c．should be
d．will be
5Even ______ seem insignificant remains can shed interesting…(11. 8-9)
a．they
b．which
c．what
d．those to
6Historians are now able to read this difficult code ______ markings made in… (11. 15-16)
a．with correlating
b．having correlated
c．which correlates
d．for they correlate
7______ be a definite relation between these paintings and the…(11. 19-21)
a．It could
b．There can
c．There may
d．It might
Vocabulary词汇
8Historians have long tried to ______ dots, lines and… (1. 13)
a．puzzle
b．puzzle out
c．riddle
d．detect
9By correlating markings made in ______ parts of the world…(11. 15-16)
a．different
b．several
c．many
d．other
10---- historians have been able to read ______ . (1. 16)
a．these puzzling signs
b．this hard law
c．these difficult signals
d．this uneasy letter
11Until recently historians assumed that calendars ______ with the advent of agriculture. (1. 10)
a．came to existence
b．came to existing
c．came to exist
d．were existential
12The people who lived by hunting and fishing during the last Ice Age ______ . (11. 14-15)
a．wandered from place to place
b．lived in villages
c．first learnt to write
d．learnt how to farm the land |
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