NCE3-L38 The First Calendar
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Lesson 38 The first calender
TEXT
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Future historians will be in a unique position when they come to record the history of our own times. They will hardly know which facts to select from the great mass of evidence that steadily accumulates. What is more, they will not have to rely solely on the written word. Films,videos, CDs and CD-ROMS are just some of the bewildering amount of information they will have. They will be able, as it were, to see and hear us in action. But the historian attempting to reconstruct the distant past is always faced with a difficult task. He has to deduce what he can from the few scanty clues available. Even seemingly insignificant remains can shed interesting light on the history of early man.
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Up to now, historians have assumed that calendars came into being with the advent of agriculture, for then man was faced with a real need to understand something about the seasons.Recent scientific evidence seems to indicate that this assumption is incorrect.
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Historians have long been puzzled by dots, lines and symbols which have been engraved on walls, bones, and the ivory tusks of mammoths. The nomads who made these markings lived by hunting and fishing during the last Ice Age which began about 35,000 B.C. and ended about 10,000 B.C. By correlating markings made in various parts of the world, historians have been able to read this difficult code. They have found that it is connected with the passage of days and the phases of the moon. It is, in fact, a primitive type of calendar. It has long been known that the hunting scenes depicted on walls were not simply a form of artistic expression. They had a definite meaning, for they were as near as early man could get to writing. It is possible that there is a definite relation between these paintings and the markings that sometimes accompany them. It seems that man was making a real effort to understand the seasons 20,000 years earlier than has been supposed.
VOCABULARY
Calendar n.历法，日历
Historian n.历史学家
Unique adj. 无与伦比的
Steadily adv. 不断地
Solely adv. 唯一地
Video n. 录像
CD-ROOM n. （只读）光盘驱动器
Bewilder v. 令人眼花缭乱
Deduce v. 推断，推理
- deduct 演绎; 扣除，减去
- induce 引起; 归纳; 引诱; 感应
- reproduce 复制，重现，再版; 生殖，繁殖; 再现; 使再次发生*
- introduce 介绍; 引进; 提出; 作为…的开头
- reduce 减少; 缩小; 使还原; 使变弱; 节食; 蒸发; 浓缩变稠
- produce vt.& vi.产生;生产;制作;创作;vt.制造;出示;引起;(经济学)生利;n.产品;产量;产额;结果
Scanty adj. 不足的，贫乏的
Clue n. 线索
Insignificant adj. 不重要的
Shed v. 使流出，泻
Advent n. 出现，到来，来临
- The advent of sth. ……的首次使用
eg.With the advent of TV, especially Internet, they have taken many of the functions once served by print.
Agriculture n. 农业
Assumption n. 假定，设想
Dot n. 小圆点
Symbol n. 符号
Engrave v. 雕刻
Ivory n. 象牙制品
Mammoth n. （古）长毛象
Tusk n. 獠牙，长牙，象牙
Nomad n. 游牧民
Correlate v. 使相互联系
Phase n. 月相，天相
Primitive adj. 原始的
Depict v. 描画，描绘
SENTENCE
Future historians will be in a unique position when they come to record the history of our own times.
- “be in a unique position” 独特的处境
- be in a position to do sth. 有能力，有权利
eg.The professor is in a position ti comment on this issue.
- be in a better position to do sth. 更有资格做……
- be in no position to do sth. 没有资格作……
- be in an awkward position 处境尴尬
- be in an embarrassing position 处境尴尬
- be in a subtle position 处境微妙
- be in a(n) adj. position eg.Urban(城市的) children will be in an enviable(羡慕的) when they come to recieve education.
- come to do sth. 逐步…… eg.I come to realize that he really loves his child. eg.He came to learn how important the choice was to him.
They will be able, as it were, to see and hear us in action.
- as it were 独立成分，插入结构
- as it was(实际上) 相似于seemingly(看起来)，it appears(看来)， eg.He became, as it was, a man without a country. eg.I thought things would get,but as it is, they're getting worse.
- 插入语的几种形式
- 单个词
- Unquestionably,this decision is unwise.
- Frankly(说实话),I don't agree with you.
- Hence(从此以后),he won't trust anyone.
- -ing短语
- Considering the amount she paid,he was more dear in more ways than one.(L18 A very dear cat)
- 不定式短语
- To do this, you must be as knowledgeable as the dealer.(L34 A happy discovery)
- 介词短语
- In this way, he made large sums of money.(L14 A noble gangster)
- 短句
- What is more, they will not have to rely solely on the written word.(L38 The first calendar)
- 单个词
But the historian attempting to reconstruct the distant past is always faced with a difficult task.
- 理解1：historian作主语，“试图追溯历史的史学家面临困难的任务”
- 理解2：attempting作主语，“追溯历史是一件困难的任务”
Even seemingly insignificant remains can shed interesting light on the history of early man.
- shed/throw/cast light on 解释 eg.She was able to shed new light on the situation. eg.These discoveries may throw light on the origins of the univers.这些发现可以解释宇宙的起源
Up to now, historians have assumed that calendars came into being with the advent of agriculture, for then man was faced with a real need to understand something about the seasons.
- come into being 产生,形成(=be brought if being)
- come into 组成的短语
- come into contact with 和……进行联系
- come into existence 出现，形成
- come into view/sight 看见
- come into leave/flower/blossom 长成叶子、花多
- come into use 开始被使用
- come into season 季节到来
- come into play 开始做……
Historians have long been puzzled by dots, lines and symbols which have been engraved on walls, bones, and the ivory tusks of mammoths.
- engrave sth. on sth. 将……刻在……上
- engrave sth. with sth. 用……来刻 eg.a pendant with a simple design 用简单的设计来镌刻
- be engraved in/on your memory/mind/heart 永不忘怀
The nomads who made these markings lived by hunting and fishing during the last Ice Age……
- marking 印记
- live by 靠……谋生（手段）
- live on 靠……为生（食物）
- hunting and fishing 渔猎，英语中猎在渔之前
They have found that it is connected with the passage of days and the phases of the moon.
- passage of days and the phases of the moon.
- the passege of time(=the lassin of time) eg.With the lassage of time ,things began to look more hopful.
- phases of the moon
- new moon
- first quarter 上弦月
- full moon
- last quarter