新概念英语第四册课文word版

1、LessonlWecanreadofthingsthathappened5,000yearsagointheNearEast,wherepeoplefirstlearnedtowriteButtherearesomepartsoftheworldwhereevennowpeoplecannotwriteTheonlywaythattheycanpreservetheirhistoryistorecountitassagas一一legendshandeddownfromonegenerationofstory-tellerstoanotherTheselegendsareusefulbecaus

2、etheycantellussomethingaboutmigrationsofpeoplewholivedlongago,butnonecouldwritedownwhattheydidAnthropologistswonderedwheretheremoteancestorsofthePolynesianpeoplesnowlivinginthePacificIslandscamefrom.ThesagasofthesepeopleexplainthatsomeofthemcamefromIndonesiaabout2,000yearsago.Butthefirstpeoplewhower

3、elikeourselveslivedsolongagothateventheirsagas,iftheyhadany,areforgotten.Soarchaeologistshaveneitherhistorynorlegendstohelpthemtofindoutwherethefirst?modernmen，camefrom.Fortunately,however,ancientmenmadetoolsofstone,especiallyflint,becausethisiseasiertoshapethanotherkindsTheymayalsohaveusedwoodandsk

4、ins,butthesehaverottedaway.Stonedoesnotdecay,andsothetoolsoflongagohaveremainedwheneventhebonesofthemenwhomadethemhavedisappearedwithouttraceLesson2Why,youmaywonder,shouldspidersbeourfriends?Becausetheydestroysomanyinsects,andinsectsincludesomeofthegreatestenemiesimpossibleforustoliveintheworld;they

5、woulddevourallourcropsandkillourflocksandherds,ifitwerenotfortheprotectionwegetfrominsect-eatinganimalsWeowealottothebirdsandbeastswhoeatinsectsbutallofthemputtogetherkillonlyafractionofthenumberdestroyedbyspiders.Moreover,unlikesomeoftheotherinsecteaters,spidersneverdotheleastharmtousorourbelonging

6、softhehumanrace.InsectswouldmakeitSpidersarenotinsects,asmanypeoplethink,norevennearlyrelatedtothemOnecantellthedifferencealmostataglanceforaspideralwayshaseightlegsandaninsectnevermorethansixHowmanyspidersareengagedinthisworkonourbehalf?Oneauthorityonspidersmadeacensusofthespidersinagrassfieldinthe

7、southofEngland,andheestimatedthatthereweremorethan2,250,000inoneacre,thatissomethinglike6,000,000spidersofdifferentkindsonafootballpitchSpidersarebusyforatleasthalftheyearinkillinginsectsItisimpossibletomakemorethanthewildestguessathowmanytheykill,buttheyarehungrycreatures,notcontentwithonlythreemea

8、lsaday.IthasbeenestimatedthattheweightofalltheinsectsdestroyedbyspidersinBritaininoneyearwouldbegreaterthanthetotalweightofallthehumanbeingsinthecountry.Lesson3Modernalpiniststrytoclimbmountainsbyaroutewhichwillgivethemgoodsport,andthemoredifficultitis,themorehighlyitisregardedInthepioneeringdays,ho

9、wever,thiswasnotthecaseatall.Theearlyclimberswerelookingfortheeasiestwaytothetopbecausethesummitwastheprizetheysought,especiallyifithadneverbeenattainedbeforeItistruethatduringtheirexplorationstheyoftenfaceddifficultiesanddangersofthemostperilousnature,equippedinamannerwhichwouldmakeamodernclimbersh

10、udderatthethought,buttheydidnotgooutoftheirwaytocourtsuchexcitementTheyhadasingleaim,asolitarygoal一thetop!ItishardforustorealizenowadayshowdifficultitwasforthepioneersExceptforoneortwoplacessuchasZermattandChamonix,whichhadrapidlybecomepopular,Alpinevillagestendedtobeimpoverishedsettlementscutofffro

11、mcivilizationbythehighmountainsSuchinnsastherewereweregenerallydirtyandflea-ridden;thefoodsimplylocalcheeseaccompaniedbybreadoftentwelvemonthsold,allwasheddownwithcoarsewineOftenavalleyboastednoinnatall,andclimbersfoundshelterwherevertheycould-sometimeswiththelocalpriest(whowasusuallyaspoorashispari

12、shioners),sometimeswithshepherdsorcheese-makers.Invariablythebackgroundwasthesame:dirtandpoverty,andveryuncomfortableFormenaccustomedtoeatingseven-coursedinnersandsleepingbetweenfinelinensheetsathome,thechangetotheAlpsmusthavebeenveryhardindeed.Lesson4IntheSovietUnionseveralcaseshavebeenreportedrece

13、ntlyofpeoplewhocanreadanddetectcolourswiththeirfingers,andevenseethroughsoliddoorsandwalls.Onecaseconcernsaneleven-year-oldschoolgirl,VeraPetrova,whohasnormalvisionbutwhocanalsoperceivethingswithdifferentpartsofherskin,andthroughsolidwalls.ThisabilitywasfirstnoticedbyherfatherOnedayshecameintohisoff

14、iceandhappenedtoputherhandsonthedoorofalockedsafeSuddenlysheaskedherfatherwhyhekeptsomanyoldnewspaperslockedawaythere,andevendescribedthewaytheyweredoneupinbundles.Vera，scurioustalentwasbroughttothenoticeofascientificresearchinstituteinthetownofUlyanovsk,nearwhereshelives,andinAprilshewasgivenaserie

15、softestsbyaspecialcommissionoftheMinistryofHealthoftheRussianFederalRepublicDuringthesetestsshewasabletoreadanewspaperthroughanopaquescreenand,strangerstill,bymovingherelbowoverachild，sgameofLottoshewasabletodescribethefiguresandcoloursprintedonit;and,inanotherinstance,wearingstockingsandslippers,to

16、makeoutwithherfoottheoutlinesandcoloursofapicturehiddenunderacarpetOtherexperimentsshowedthatherkneesandshouldershadasimilarsensitivityDuringallthesetestsVerawasblindfold;and,indeed,exceptwhenblindfoldshelackedtheabilitytoperceivethingswithherskin.Itwasalsofoundthatalthoughshecouldperceivethingswith

17、herfingersthisabilityceasedthemomentherhandswerewetLessonSThegorillaissomethingofaparadoxintheAfricansceneOnethinksoneknowshimverywel1.Forahundredyearsormorehehasbeenkilled,captured,andimprisoned,inzoosHisboneshavebeenmountedinnaturalhistorymuseumseverywhere,andhehasalwaysexertedastrongfascinationup

18、onscientistsandromanticsalikeHeisthestereotypedmonsterofthehorrorfilmsandtheadventurebooks,andanobvious(thoughnotperhapsstrictlyscientific)linkwithourancestralpastYetthefactisweknowverylittleaboutgorillas.Noreallysatisfactoryphotographhaseverbeentakenofoneinawildstate,nozoologist,howeverintrepid,has

19、beenabletokeeptheanimalundercloseandconstantobservationinthedarkjunglesinwhichhelivesCarlAkeley,theAmericannaturalist,ledtwoexpeditionsinthenineteen-twenties,andnowliesburiedamongtheanimalshelovedsowel1.Butevenhewasunabletodiscoverhowlongthegorillalives,orhoworwhyitdies,norwasheabletodefinetheexacts

20、ocialpatternofthefamilygroups,orindicatethefinalextentoftheirintelligenceAllthisandmanyotherthingsremainalmostasmuchamysteryastheywerewhentheFrenchexplorerDuChaillufirstdescribedtheanimaltothecivilizedworldacenturyago.TheAbominableSnowmanwhohauntstheimaginationofclimbersintheHimalayasishardlymoreelu

21、siveLesson6Peoplearealwaystalkingabouttheproblemofyouth.IfthereisonewhichItakeleavetodoubt一一thenitisolderpeoplewhocreateit,nottheyoungthemselvesLetusgetdowntofundamentalsandagreethattheyoungareafterallhumanbeings-一peoplejustliketheireldersThereisonlyonedifferencebetweenanoldmanandayoungone:theyoungm

22、anhasagloriousfuturebeforehimandtheoldonehasasplendidfuturebehindhim:andmaybethatiswheretherubis.WhenIwasateenager,IfeltthatIwasjustyounganduncertain一一thatIwasanewboyinahugeschool,andIwouldhavebeenverypleasedtoberegardedassomethingsointerestingasaproblem.Foronething,beingaproblemgivesyouacertainiden

23、tity,andthatisoneofthethingstheyoungarebusilyengagedinseekingIfindyoungpeopleexcitingTheyhaveanairoffreedom,andtheyhavenotadrearycommitmenttomeanambitionsorloveofcomfortTheyarenotanxioussocialclimbers,andtheyhavenodevotiontomaterialthingsAllthisseemstometolinkthemwithlife,andtheoriginsofthingsItsasiftheywereinsomesensecosmicbeingsinviolentanlovelycontrast