新概念英语第四册课文版.docx

新概念英语第四册课文版.docx

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新概念英语第四册课文版

Lesson1

Wecanreadofthingsthathappened5,000yearsagointheNearEast,wherepeoplefirstlearnedtowrite.Buttherearesomepartsoftheworldwhereevennowpeoplecannotwrite.Theonlywaythattheycanpreservetheirhistoryistorecountitassagas--legendshandeddownfromonegenerationofstory-tellerstoanother.Theselegendsareusefulbecausetheycantellussomethingaboutmigrationsofpeoplewholivedlongago,butnonecouldwritedownwhattheydid.AnthropologistswonderedwheretheremoteancestorsofthePolynesianpeoplesnowlivinginthePacificIslandscamefrom.ThesagasofthesepeopleexplainthatsomeofthemcamefromIndonesiaabout2,000yearsago.

Butthefirstpeoplewhowerelikeourselveslivedsolongagothateventheirsagas,iftheyhadany,areforgotten.Soarchaeologistshaveneitherhistorynorlegendstohelpthemtofindoutwherethefirst'modernmen'camefrom.

Fortunately,however,ancientmenmadetoolsofstone,especiallyflint,becausethisiseasiertoshapethanotherkinds.Theymayalsohaveusedwoodandskins,butthesehaverottedaway.Stonedoesnotdecay,andsothetoolsoflongagohaveremainedwheneventhebonesofthemenwhomadethemhavedisappearedwithouttrace.

Lesson2

Why,youmaywonder,shouldspidersbeourfriends?

Becausetheydestroysomanyinsects,andinsectsincludesomeofthegreatestenemiesofthehumanrace.Insectswouldmakeitimpossibleforustoliveintheworld;theywoulddevourallourcropsandkillourflocksandherds,ifitwerenotfortheprotectionwegetfrominsect-eatinganimals.Weowealottothebirdsandbeastswhoeatinsectsbutallofthemputtogetherkillonlyafractionofthenumberdestroyedbyspiders.Moreover,unlikesomeoftheotherinsecteaters,spidersneverdotheleastharmtousorourbelongings.

Spidersarenotinsects,asmanypeoplethink,norevennearlyrelatedtothem.Onecantellthedifferencealmostataglanceforaspideralwayshaseightlegsandaninsectnevermorethansix.

Howmanyspidersareengagedinthisworkonourbehalf?

OneauthorityonspidersmadeacensusofthespidersinagrassfieldinthesouthofEngland,andheestimatedthatthereweremorethan2,250,000inoneacre,thatissomethinglike6,000,000spidersofdifferentkindsonafootballpitch.Spidersarebusyforatleasthalftheyearinkillinginsects.Itisimpossibletomakemorethanthewildestguessathowmanytheykill,buttheyarehungrycreatures,notcontentwithonlythreemealsaday.IthasbeenestimatedthattheweightofalltheinsectsdestroyedbyspidersinBritaininoneyearwouldbegreaterthanthetotalweightofallthehumanbeingsinthecountry.

Lesson3

Modernalpiniststrytoclimbmountainsbyaroutewhichwillgivethemgoodsport,andthemoredifficultitis,themorehighlyitisregarded.Inthepioneeringdays,however,thiswasnotthecaseatall.Theearlyclimberswerelookingfortheeasiestwaytothetopbecausethesummitwastheprizetheysought,especiallyifithadneverbeenattainedbefore.Itistruethatduringtheirexplorationstheyoftenfaceddifficultiesanddangersofthemostperilousnature,equippedinamannerwhichwouldmakeamodernclimbershudderatthethought,buttheydidnotgooutoftheirwaytocourtsuchexcitement.Theyhadasingleaim,asolitarygoal--thetop!

Itishardforustorealizenowadayshowdifficultitwasforthepioneers.ExceptforoneortwoplacessuchasZermattandChamonix,whichhadrapidlybecomepopular,Alpinevillagestendedtobeimpoverishedsettlementscutofffromcivilizationbythehighmountains.Suchinnsastherewereweregenerallydirtyandflea-ridden;thefoodsimplylocalcheeseaccompaniedbybreadoftentwelvemonthsold,allwasheddownwithcoarsewine.Oftenavalleyboastednoinnatall,andclimbersfoundshelterwherevertheycould--sometimeswiththelocalpriest（whowasusuallyaspoorashisparishioners）,sometimeswithshepherdsorcheese-makers.Invariablythebackgroundwasthesame:

dirtandpoverty,andveryuncomfortable.Formenaccustomedtoeatingseven-coursedinnersandsleepingbetweenfinelinensheetsathome,thechangetotheAlps

musthavebeenveryhardindeed.

Lesson4

IntheSovietUnionseveralcaseshavebeenreportedrecentlyofpeoplewhocanreadanddetectcolourswiththeirfingers,andevenseethroughsoliddoorsandwalls.Onecaseconcernsan'eleven-year-oldschoolgirl,VeraPetrova,whohasnormalvisionbutwhocanalsoperceivethingswithdifferentpartsofherskin,andthroughsolidwalls.Thisabilitywasfirstnoticedbyherfather.Onedayshecameintohisofficeandhappenedtoputherhandsonthedoorofalockedsafe.Suddenlysheaskedherfatherwhyhekeptsomanyoldnewspaperslockedawaythere,andevendescribedthewaytheyweredoneupinbundles.

Vera'scurioustalentwasbroughttothenoticeofascientificresearchinstituteinthetownofUIyanovsk,nearwhereshelives,andinAprilshewasgivenaseriesoftestsbyaspecialcommissionoftheMinistryofHealthoftheRussianFederalRepublic.Duringthesetestsshewasabletoreadanewspaperthroughanopaquescreenand,strangerstill,bymovingherelbowoverachild'sgameofLottoshewasabletodescribethefiguresandcoloursprintedonit;and,inanotherinstance,wearingstockingsandslippers,tomakeoutwithherfoottheoutlinesandcoloursofapicturehiddenunderacarpet.Otherexperimentsshowedthatherkneesandshouldershadasimilarsensitivity.DuringallthesetestsVerawasblindfold;and,indeed,exceptwhenblindfoldshelackedtheabilitytoperceivethingswithherskin.Itwasalsofoundthatalthoughshecouldperceivethingswithherfingersthisabilityceasedthemomentherhandswerewet.

Lesson5

ThegorillaissomethingofaparadoxintheAfricanscene.Onethinksoneknowshimverywell.Forahundredyearsormorehehasbeenkilled,captured,andimprisoned,inzoos.Hisboneshavebeenmountedinnaturalhistorymuseumseverywhere,andhehasalwaysexertedastrongfascinationuponscientistsandromanticsalike.Heisthestereotypedmonsterofthehorrorfilmsandtheadventurebooks,andanobvious（thoughnotperhapsstrictlyscientific）link

withourancestralpast.

Yetthefactisweknowverylittleaboutgorillas.Noreallysatisfactoryphotographhaseverbeentakenofoneinawildstate,nozoologist,howeverintrepid,hasbeenabletokeeptheanimalundercloseandconstantobservationinthedarkjunglesinwhichhelives.CarlAkeley,theAmericannaturalist,ledtwoexpeditionsinthenineteen-twenties,andnowliesburiedamongtheanimalshe

lovedsowell.Butevenhewasunabletodiscoverhowlongthegorillalives,orhoworwhyitdies,norwasheabletodefinetheexactsocialpatternofthefamilygroups,orindicatethefinalextentoftheirintelligence.AllthisandmanyotherthingsremainalmostasmuchamysteryastheywerewhentheFrenchexplorerDuChaillufirstdescribedtheanimaltothecivilizedworldacenturyago.TheAbominableSnowmanwhohauntstheimaginationofclimbersintheHimalayasishardlymoreelusive.

Lesson6

Peoplearealwaystalkingabout'theproblemofyouth'.Ifthereisone—whichItakeleavetodoubt--thenitisolderpeoplewhocreateit,nottheyoungthemselves.Letusgetdowntofundamentalsandagreethattheyoungareafterallhumanbeings--peoplejustliketheirelders.Thereisonlyonedifferencebetweenanoldmanandayoungone:

theyoungmanhasagloriousfuturebeforehimandtheoldonehasasplendidfuturebehindhim:

andmaybethatiswheretherubis.

WhenIwasateenager,IfeltthatIwasjustyounganduncertain--thatIwasanewboyinahugeschool,andIwouldhavebeenverypleasedtoberegardedassomethingsointerestingasaproblem.Foronething,beingaproblemgivesyouacertainidentity,andthatisoneofthethingstheyoungarebusilyengagedinseeking.

Ifindyoungpeopleexciting.Theyhaveanairoffreedom,andtheyhavenotadrearycommitmenttomeanambitionsorloveofcomfort.Theyarenotanxioussocialclimbers,andtheyhavenodevotiontomaterialthings.Allthisseemstometolinkthemwithlife,andtheoriginsofthings.It'sasiftheywereinsomesensecosmicbeingsinviolentanlovelycontrastwithussuburbancreatures.AllthatisinmymindwhenImeetayoungperson.Hemaybeconceited,ill-mannered,presumptuousoffatuous,butIdonotturnforprotectiontodrearyclichesaboutrespectforelders--asifmereagewereareasonforrespect.Iacceptthatweareequals,andIwillarguewithhim,asanequal,ifIthinkheiswrong.

Lesson7

IamalwaysamazedwhenIhearpeoplesayingthatsportcreatesgoodwillbetweenthenations,andthatifonlythecommonpeoplesoftheworldcouldmeetoneanotheratfootballorcricket,theywouldhavenoinclinationtomeetonthebattlefield.Evenifonedidn'tknowfromconcreteexamples（the1936OlympicGames,forinstance）thatinternationalsportingcontestsleadtoorgiesofhatred,onecoulddeduceitfromgeneralprinciples.

Nearlyallthesportspractisednowadaysarecompetitive.Youplaytowin,andthegamehaslittlemeaningunlessyoudoyourutmosttowin.Onthevillagegreen,whereyoupickupsidesandnofeelingoflocalpatriotismisinvolved,itispossibletoplaysimplyforthefunandexercise:

butassoonasthequestionofprestigearises,assoonasyoufeelthatyouandsomelargerunitwillbedisgracedifyoulose,themostsavagecombativeinstinctsarearoused.Anyonewhohasplayedeveninaschoolfootballmatchknowsthis.Attheinternationallevelsportisfranklymimicwarfare.Butthesignificantthingis