New Concept English book 4.docx

New Concept English book 4.docx

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BookIVLesson1

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.

BookIVLesson2

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.

BookIVLesson3

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,thechangetotheAlpsmusthavebeenveryhardindeed.

BookIVLesson4

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.

BookIVLesson5

ThegorillaissomethingofaparadoxintheAfricanscene.

Onethinksoneknowshimverywell.

Forahundredyearsormorehehasbeenkilled,captured,andimprisoned,inzoos.

Hisboneshavebeenmountedinnaturalhistorymuseumseverywhere,andhehasalwaysexertedastrongfascinationuponscientistsandromanticsalike.

Heisthestereotypedmonsterofthehorrorfilmsandtheadventurebooks,andanobvious（thoughnotperhapsstrictlyscientific）linkwithourancestralpast.

Yetthefactisweknowverylittleaboutgorillas.

Noreallysatisfactoryphotographhaseverbeentakenofoneinawildstate,nozoologist,howeverintrepid,hasbeenabletokeeptheanimalundercloseandconstantobservationinthedarkjunglesinwhichhelives.

CarlAkeley,theAmericannaturalist,ledtwoexpeditionsinthenineteen-twenties,andnowliesburiedamongtheanimalshelovedsowell.

Butevenhewasunabletodiscoverhowlongthegorillalives,orhoworwhyitdies,norwasheabletodefinetheexactsocialpatternofthefamilygroups,orindicatethefinalextentoftheirintelligence.

AllthisandmanyotherthingsremainalmostasmuchamysteryastheywerewhentheFrenchexplorerDuChaillufirstdescribedtheanimaltothecivilizedworldacenturyago.

TheAbominableSnowmanwhohauntstheimaginationofclimbersintheHimalayasishardlymoreelusive.

BookIVLesson6

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.

BookIVLesson7

IamalwaysamazedwhenIhearpeoplesayingthatsportcreatesgoodwillbetweenthenations,andthatifonlythecommonpeoplesoftheworldcouldmeetoneanotheratfootballorcricket,theywouldhavenoinclinationtomeetonthebattlefield.

Evenifonedidn'tknowfromconcreteexamples（the1936OlympicGames,forinstance）thatinternationalsportingcontestsleadtoorgiesofhatred,onecoulddeduceitfromgeneralprinciples.

Nearlyallthesportspractisednowadaysarecompetitive.

Youplaytowin,andthegamehaslittlemeaningunlessyoudoyourutmosttowin.

Onthevillagegreen,whereyoupickupsidesandnofeelingoflocalpatriotismisinvolved,itispossibletoplaysimplyforthefunandexercise:

butassoonasthequestionofprestigearises,assoonasyoufeelthatyouandsomelargerunitwillbedisgracedifyoulose,themostsavagecombativeinstinctsarearoused.

Anyonewhohasplayedeveninaschoolfootbal