# 第三册 Lesson 38 The first calendar 最早的日历

## 一、课文原文

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.

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.

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.

## 二、重点词汇详解

| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 释义 | 用法说明 |
|------|------|------|------|----------|
| unique | /juːˈniːk/ | adj. | 独特的，唯一的 | a unique position 独特的地位 |
| bewilder | /bɪˈwɪldə/ | v. | 使迷惑 | bewildering amount 令人眼花缭乱的数量 |
| deduce | /dɪˈdjuːs/ | v. | 推断，推论 | deduce from 从……推断 |
| scanty | /ˈskænti/ | adj. | 不足的，贫乏的 | scanty clues 稀少的线索 |
| insignificant | /ˌɪnsɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt/ | adj. | 微不足道的 | seemingly insignificant 看似微不足道的 |
| shed light on | /ʃed laɪt ɒn/ | phr. | 阐明，使……清楚 | shed interesting light on 有趣地揭示 |
| advent | /ˈædvent/ | n. | 出现，到来 | with the advent of 随着……的到来 |
| assumption | /əˈsʌmpʃən/ | n. | 假设，假定 | this assumption is incorrect 这个假设是错误的 |
| engrave | /ɪnˈɡreɪv/ | v. | 雕刻 | engraved on walls 刻在墙上 |
| nomad | /ˈnəʊmæd/ | n. | 游牧民 | the nomads 游牧民族 |
| mammoth | /ˈmæməθ/ | n. | 猛犸象 | ivory tusks of mammoths 猛犸象牙 |
| correlate | /ˈkɒrəleɪt/ | v. | 相互关联 | by correlating 通过关联对比 |
| depict | /dɪˈpɪkt/ | v. | 描绘 | hunting scenes depicted 描绘的狩猎场景 |

## 三、语法知识点

### 1. as it were 似乎，可以说是

> They will be able, **as it were**, to see and hear us in action.

插入语，表示一种比喻说法，相当于"so to speak"。

### 2. what is more 而且，更重要的是

> **What is more**, they will not have to rely solely on the written word.

用作连接词，补充说明更重要的信息。

### 3. 分词结构作方式状语

> **By correlating** markings made in various parts of the world, historians have been able to read this difficult code.

by + 动名词，表示"通过……方式"。

### 4. 比较级 + than has been supposed

> Man was making a real effort to understand the seasons 20,000 years earlier **than has been supposed**.

than引导比较状语从句，省略了主语it。

## 四、重点句型分析

### 1. come into being 形成，产生
> Calendars **came into being** with the advent of agriculture.

= come into existence; originate

### 2. rely solely on 完全依赖
> They will not have to **rely solely on** the written word.

solely = only; completely

### 3. be puzzled by 对……感到困惑
> Historians have long been **puzzled by** dots, lines and symbols.

### 4. 长难句分析
> 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.

主干：The nomads lived by hunting and fishing；who引导定语从句修饰nomads；which引导定语从句修饰Ice Age。

## 五、课文翻译

未来的历史学家在记录我们这个时代的历史时将处于一种独特的地位。面对不断积累的大量证据，他们几乎不知道该选择哪些事实。更重要的是，他们不必仅仅依赖文字记载。电影、录像、光盘和只读光盘只是他们所能获得的大量令人眼花缭乱的信息中的一部分。可以说，他们将能够亲眼看到、亲耳听到我们的活动。但是试图重建遥远过去的历史学家总是面临着一项艰巨的任务。他必须从仅有的少量线索中尽可能推断出结论。即使看似微不足道的遗迹也能有趣地揭示早期人类的历史。

迄今为止，历史学家一直认为日历是随着农业的出现而产生的，因为那时人类面临着了解季节知识的实际需要。最近的科学证据似乎表明这一假设是不正确的。

长期以来，历史学家一直对刻在墙壁、骨头和猛犸象牙上的点、线和符号感到困惑。做这些标记的游牧民在始于约公元前35,000年、终于约公元前10,000年的最后一个冰河时代以狩猎和捕鱼为生。通过将世界不同地区所做的标记进行关联比较，历史学家已经能够解读这个困难的密码。他们发现这与日月的运行和月相有关。事实上，这是一种原始的日历。人们早就知道画在墙上的狩猎场景不仅仅是艺术表达的一种形式。它们有明确的含义，因为那是早期人类最接近文字的方式。这些画和有时伴随它们的标记之间可能存在某种确定的关系。看来人类试图了解季节的努力比人们原先认为的早了两万年。

## 六、语言点精讲

### 写作手法
1. **古今对比**：未来历史学家的丰富资料vs远古历史学家的稀少线索
2. **层层推理**：从标记→关联→密码→日历，逐步揭示结论
3. **科学论证**：以证据推翻旧假设，体现学术严谨性

### 文化背景
- 冰河时代（Ice Age）约公元前35,000-10,000年，人类以狩猎采集为生
- 猛犸象（mammoth）是冰河时代的大型哺乳动物，其象牙常被原始人用作雕刻材料
- 月相（phases of the moon）是早期人类计时的重要依据

## 七、课后练习要点

1. **插入语**：as it were, what is more 的用法
2. **分词作状语**：by + 动名词表示方式
3. **词汇搭配**：shed light on, come into being, rely solely on
4. **写作练习**：用层层推理的方式阐述一个学术观点

## 八、本课小结

本课讲述了最早的日历可能比人们原先认为的要早两万年的科学发现。语法重点是as it were插入语、by+动名词作方式状语和比较状语从句。词汇方面掌握deduce、shed light on、advent、correlate等核心词。写作上学习古今对比和科学论证的写作方法。