Lesson1Findingfossilman第一课发现化石人byROBINPLACEfromFindingfossilman1-1.Wecanreadofthingsthathappened5,000yearsagointheNearEast,wherepeoplefirstlearnedtowrite.【译文】我们能读到五千年前近东发生之事,那里的人最先学会了书写。【单词和短语】read:此处为不及物动词,意为“读到,获悉”(tofindoutinformationfrombooks,newspapersetc.),后接of或about,例如:Hereadsaboutthewar.他读到关于战争的消息。Didyoureadoftheiraccidentinthenewspapers?你在报上看到他们遭遇意外事故的消息了么?5,000years:五千年。另学习millennium,意为“一千年”,复数为millennia。5,000years即为5millennia。theNearEast:近东,指地中海东部沿岸地区,包括亚洲西南部和非洲东北部,有时还包括巴尔干半岛。1-2.Buttherearesomepartsoftheworldwhereevennowpeoplecannotwrite.【译文】但时至今日世上某些地方的人还不会书写。【单词和短语】evennow:此处意为“甚至到现在”,例如:Evennowhewon’tbelieveme.他甚至到现在还不相信我。evennow另有两解,一为“就在此刻”,例如:Perhapsevennowthetimehasarrived.也许正是此刻时机来到了。另一为“尽管这样,虽然情况如此”(inspiteofwhathashappened),例如:Ihaveexplainedeverything,butevennowshedoesn’tunderstand.我什么都解释了,但是尽管如此她还是不明白。1-3.Theonlywaythattheycanpreservetheirhistoryistorecountitassagas-legendshandeddownfromonegenerationofstory-tellerstoanother.【译文】他们能够保存历史的唯一方法是将历史当传说讲述,由讲述人一代接一代地口授传奇故事。【讲解】torecountitas…another是动词不定式短语,作表语,说明主语way的内容,it指history。句中破折号引出同位语。handeddown…another是过去分词短语,作legends的定语。another后省略了generationofstory-tellers。【单词和短语】preserve:保存,保留(tomakesth.continuewithoutchanging)。例如:preserveanoldhouseasamuseum保存一幢老房子用作陈列馆preservesb.’srighttodosth.保留某人对某事物的权利Fewofhisearlypoemsarepreserved.他早期的诗没有几首留存下来。recount:详细叙述,描述,说明(totellsomeoneastoryordescribeaseriesofevents),例如:recountastorywithrealwit妙趣横生地讲故事Theexplorerrecountedhisadventuresinanumberofbooks.探险家在好几本书中描述自己的冒险经历。saga:英雄传奇(alongstoryabouteventsthathappenedovertheyears)handdown:把……传下去(togiveorleavesth.topeoplewhowillliveafteryou),例如:Thiscustomishandeddownfromthepast.这个习惯是过去传下来的。Thegoldwatchhasbeenhandeddowninhisfamily.那块金表是他家祖传的。1-4.Theselegendsareusefulbecausetheycantellussomethingaboutmigrationsofpeoplewholivedlongago,butnonecouldwritedownwhattheydid.【译文】这些传说有用,因为它们能告诉我们一些人迁徙之事。这些人生活在远古,但没人能记录他们的所作所为。【讲解】none可指可数名词,亦可指不可数名词。指前者时动词用单数或复数,指后者时动词用单数。【单词和短语】migration:迁徙,移居(whenlargenumbersofpeoplegotoliveinanotherareaorcountry,especiallyinordertofindwork),动词形式为migrate,例如:migratetoanothercountry移居他国1-5.AnthropologistswonderedwheretheremoteancestorsofthePolynesianpeoplesnowlivinginthePacificIslandscamefrom.【译文】人类学家过去不清楚如今生活在太平洋诸岛的波利尼西亚各民族的远祖来自何方。【讲解】nowlivinginthePacificIslands是现在分词短语,作peoples的定语。【单词和短语】anthropologist:人类学家。anthropology意为“人类学”(thescientificstudyofpeople,theirsocieties,cultures,etc.)。相关词汇有sociology(社会学)和ethnology(人种学,民族学)。remoteancestor:远祖(someonerelatedtoyou,wholivedalongtimeago)。形容词remote的常用意为“遥远的,久远的”(farfromtownsorotherplaceswherepeoplelive),例如:theremotestcornersoftheearth天涯海角acustomofremoteantiquity远古遗风remote亦可作名词,常用意为“遥控器”(remotecontroller)。people:people作“一国人民,民族”(thepeoplewhobelongtoaparticularcountry,race,orarea)解时为可数名词单数,复数为peoples或people。参照上下文,文中people译为“民族”。另举例如下:thepeoplesoftheworld世界各国人民ahardworkingpeople勤劳的民族theJewishpeople犹太民族Eachpeoplebuildsacultureadaptedtoitsparticularneeds.各民族都建立起一种适应其独特需要的文化。1-6.ThesagasofthesepeopleexplainthatsomeofthemcamefromIndonesiaabout2,000yearsago.【译文】当地人的种种传说向世人解释了其中一些民族约在两千年前迁自印度尼西亚。【单词和短语】saga:传说(alongstoryabouteventsthathappenovermanyyear)。1-7.Butthefirstpeoplewhowerelikeourselveslivedsolongagothateventheirsagas,iftheyhadany,areforgotten.【译文】但是,和我们相似的原始人生活的年代太久远了,因此有关他们的传说,即使存在,如今也失传了。1-8.Soarchaeologistshaveneitherhistorynorlegendstohelpthemtofindoutwherethefirst'modernmen'camefrom.【译文】于是,考古学家既无历史记载,亦无口头传说来帮助他们弄清首批“现代人”来自何方。【单词和短语】legend:传说(anold,well-knownstory,oftenaboutbravepeople,adventures,ormagicalevents)。形容词为legendary。1-9.Fortunately,however,ancientmenmadetoolsofstone,especiallyflint,becausethisiseasiertoshapethanotherkinds.【译文】然而,幸运的是,远古人用制作石器,特别是燧石器,因为燧石比其他石头更易成形。【讲解】otherkinds后面省略了ofstones。【单词和短语】flint:燧石(atypeofsmoothhardstonethatmakesasmallflamewhenyouhititwithsteel)。1-10.Theymayalsohaveusedwoodandskins,butthesehaverottedaway.【译文】他们也可能用过木头和兽皮,但这两类东西早已腐烂殆尽。【讲解】mayalsohaveused意为“可能使用过”,may+完成时结构表示对过去情况的推测。these指woodandskins。【单词和短语】rot:腐败,腐烂(todecaybyagradualnaturalprocess,ortomakesomethingtodothis)。1-11.Stonedoesnotdecay,andsothetoolsoflongagohaveremainedwheneventhebonesofthemenwhomadethemhavedisappearedwithouttrace.【译文】石头不会腐烂。因此,虽然制造这些工具的人的骨头早已荡然无存,但远古时代的石器却保存至今。【讲解】wheneventhebones…trace相当于让步从句,when意即“虽然,尽管”,又如:Wesometimesexpectgratitudewhenwearenotentitledtoit.有时虽然我们不值得感激,我们却期望别人感激。Whilehehasahouseofhisown,hisbrotherlivesinaflat.尽管他有自己的房子,他弟弟却住在公寓里。Lesson2Sparethatspider第二课不要伤害蜘蛛byT.H.GILLESPLEfromTheListener2-1.Why,youmaywonder,shouldspidersbeourfriends?【译文】你可能会奇怪,蜘蛛怎是吾友?【讲解】youmaywonder为插入语。2-2.Becausetheydestroysomanyinsects,andinsectsincludesomeofthegreatestenemiesofthehumanrace.【译文】因为它们消灭了那么多昆虫,包括一些属于人类最大敌人的昆虫。2-3.Insectswouldmakeitimpossibleforustoliveintheworld;theywoulddevourallourcropsandkillourflocksandherds,ifitwerenotfortheprotectionwegetfrominsect-eatinganimals.【译文】昆虫可以使我们无法在地球上生存。如果不是食虫动物的保护,则这些昆虫会吞噬我们所有的庄稼,杀死我们成群的牛羊。【讲解】makeitimpossibleforustoliveintheworld中it是形式宾语,真正的宾语是forustoliveintheworld。insectswould和theywould中的would均表示与事实不符的虚拟结构。ifitwerenotfortheprotec