北大英语精读课文Dream Animal.docx
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北大英语精读课文Dream Animal.docx
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北大英语精读课文DreamAnimal
LESSONTHREE
ACTIVATION
1.Whatisyouropinion?
1)Hashumanevolutionbeenanextremelylongorextremelyrapidprocess?
2)Doesthehumanbraingrowtoitsnormalsizeinsideoroutsideofthemother’sbody?
3)Whohasthelongestchildhood:
aseal,ahuman,amonkey,achimp?
4)Dowediffersignificantlyinourbodyandbrainstructurefrommanof20,000yearsago?
2.Whatbegantomakeuswhatwearetoday?
Whatnowmarkthemoresignificantdifferencesofmanfromapeslikechimps?
speakingagrammaticallanguage,doinglabor,abletomakeandusetools,usingfire,walkingontwofeet,havinganakedandnotahairybody,havingamuchlargerbrain,havingsmallerteethandjawsandasmallerfacebelowratherthaninfrontofthebraincase,amosthelplesschildhood
3.Fillintheblanks:
brain,mind,idea,head,mental
1)Eventhecleverestofanimalsareinferiortohumansasfarastheir__________abilitiesareconcerned.
2)Putour__________togetherandwemayhituponagood__________.
3)Human__________cellsareamongthegreatestwondersnaturehaseverproduced.
4)Thehuman___________hascreatedaninvisibleworldofideas,beliefs,habitsandcustoms.
TEXT
THEDREAMANIMAL
LorenEiseley
AlmostallofwhatweknowabouthumanevolutionisconfinedtotheIceAge.Itwas,particularlytowarditsclose,atimeofgreatextinctions.Someofthehugebeastswhoseintercontinentalmigrationshadlaiddownthefirstpathsalongwhichmanhadtraveled,vanishedtotallyfromtheearth.Mammoths,theTemperateZoneelephants,droppedthelastoftheirheavytusksalongtherecedingfringesoftheice.Thelong-hornedbisonuponwhoseherdsmanhadnourishedhimselfformanyalongcenturyofilliteratewanderings,fadedbackintothepast.Theapewhoseculturalremnantsatthebeginningofthefirstglaciationcanscarcelybedistinguishedfromchancebitsofstonehas,bytheendingofthefourthice,becomeartistandworldrover,penetratorofthefivecontinents,andmasterofall.Itwouldappearthatwithintheverybriefperiodbetweenaboutfivehundredthousandandonehundredfiftythousandyearsago,manacquiredtheessentialfeaturesofamodernbrain.
Howdidthisbrainfirstcome?
Howfastdiditcome?
Probingamongrocksandbatteredskulls,scientistsfindthattheanswersarefew.Therearemanylivingmembersoftheprimateorderthatorderwhichincludesmanwholiveingroups,butshownosignsofbecomingmen.Theirbrainsbearafamilyresemblancetoourown,buttheyarenotthebrainsofmen.
Ifoneattemptstoreadthecomplexitiesofhumanevolution,oneisnotsurprisedthatmanisaloneontheplanet.Rather,oneisamazedandhumbledthatmanwasachievedatall.Forfourthingshadtohappen,andiftheyhadnothappenedsimultaneously,oratleastkeptpacewitheachother,thebonesofmanwouldlieabortiveandforgotteninthesandstonesofthepast:
1.Hisbrainhadalmosttotrebleinsize.
2.Thishadtobeeffected,notinthewomb,butrapidly,afterbirth.
3.Childhoodhadtobelengthenedtoallowthisbrain,divestedofmostofitspreciseinstinctiveresponses,toreceive,store,andlearntoutilizewhatitreceivedfromothers.
4.Thefamilybondshadtosurviveseasonalmatingandbecomepermanent,ifthisoddnewcreaturewastobepreparedforhisadultrole.
Eachoneofthesemajorpointsdemandedamultitudeofminorbiologicaladjustments,yetallofthischangeofgrowthrate,lengthenedage,increasedbloodsupplytothehead,movedapparentlywithrapidity.Somewhereintheglacialmiststhatshroudthepast,Naturefoundawayofspeedingtheproliferationofbraincellsanddiditbytheruthlesseliminationofeverythingnotneededtothatend.Welostourhairycovering,ourjawsandteethwerereducedinsize,oursexlifewaspostponed,ourinfancybecameamongthemosthelplessofanyoftheanimalsbecauseeverythinghadtowaituponthedevelopmentofthatfast-growingmushroomwhichhadsprungupinourheads.
Whenthereleasedpotentialitiesforbraingrowthbegan,theycarriedmanintoanewworldwheretheoldlawsnolongertotallyheld.Witheveryadvanceinlanguage,insymbolicthought,thebrainpathsmultiplied.Itisunlikely,however,thatthepaceofhumanchangewilleveragainspeedattheacceleratedrateitknewwhenmanstroveagainstextinction.ThestoryofEdenisagreaterallegorythanmanhaseverguessed.Foritwastrulymanwho,walkingmemorylessthroughbarsofsunlightandshadeinthemorningoftheworld,satdownandpassedawonderinghandacrosshisheavyforehead.Timeanddarkness,knowledgeofgoodandevil,havewalkedwithhimeversince.Itisthedestinystruckbytheclockinthebodyinthatbriefspacebetweenthebeginningofthefirsticeandthatofthesecond.Injustthatintervalanewworldofterrorandlonelinessappearstohavebeencreatedinthesoulofman.
Forthefirsttimeinfourbillionyearsalivingcreaturehadcontemplatedhimselfandheardwithasudden,unaccountableloneliness,thewhisperofthewindinthenightreeds.Perhapsheknew,thereinthegrassbythechillwater,thathehadbeforehimanimmensejourney.
WORDSANDEXPRESSIONS
humanevolution;survivev.,thestruggleforexistence,laws,holdvi.;modern;
adjustment,bedivestedof,elimination,ruthlessadj.,tothis/thatend;advancen.;
extinction,strive(againstextinction),vanish(from),fade(into);shroudv./n.,abortive,forgotten;
chanceadj.(accidental,unplanned);
destiny,strike
(dating)billion(109);lastvi.,confine(to);theclose,theending;
theIceAge,theice,glacialadj.,glacialmists,glaciation;fringes,receding;
fossil,skull,battered,collection;rocks,sandstone;(cultural)remnants;showsignsof,lie(be/remaininacertaincondition);
mammoth(猛犸,已绝种的古代长毛象),bison(pl.bison)(美洲或欧洲的野牛),theTemperateZoneelephants,herds,tusks,horns
order,family,(alsolearn:
species);bearresemblance(to);
primate(orderPrimate),ape,hairycovering,jaws;creature(s)
biological,womb,infancy,adultrole,mating,sexlife;bloodsupply;nourish(on/upon);instinctiveresponse;
familybonds,helpless
brain,braincells/paths/growth;head,forehead;mushroom(usedasafigure);essentialfeatures,acquirev.;memory(memoryless);
proliferation,multiplyv.;
potentiality,releasev.;
symbolicthought,contemplatev.,store,utilize;
soul,(knowledgeof)goodandevil,Eden,allegory;
loneliness,terror,whisper,journey;
wander/wanderings,travel,migration,lay(downthepaths);worldrover,penetrator(penetratev.),continents,intercontinental;
(barsof)sunlight,shade;grass,reeds,chillwater,planet
rate,rapidly,rapidity,brief(period/space),fast;lengthened;seasonal,permanent,interval;simultaneously;
speedv.,accelerated,lengthen;keeppacewith,placealimitupon;increase,postpone;
treble/reduce(insize)
multitude,immense;major,minor
surprise(d),amaze(d);humble(d);
appear,springup,wait(up)on;
attempt,probe,effectv.,demand,supply,guess;
odd,unaccountable;precise;explain
likely,unlikely
apparently,truly,totally,scarcely,ever,everagain/since
inotherwords
NOTES
1.theIceAge(l.1);thefirstglaciation(l.8);thefourthice(l.9);glacial(l.32);thefirstice,thesecond(ice)(ll.48):
1)Geologicallyspeaking,aniceageisa“glacialperiod”or“glacialepoch”inearth’shistorywhenthickicesheets(冰盖)coveredmuchlargerareasoftheearth’ssurfacethanatpresent.
2)Withinamuchlongergeologicaliceagetherewerebriefperiodsofrepeatedadvanceandretreatofice.Suchashorterintervaloftheadvanceoficecanalsobecalledaniceage,ora“glacialstage,”andbetweentwosuchintervalsisaninterglacialstage(间冰期).
3)Theword“glaciations”alsodescribesthesmaller-scaleiceages(abouttensofthousandsofyears)whenicesheetswereattheirfullestextent.
4)Thecapitalizedterm“IceAge”refersparticularlytotheearth’smostrecenticeage—thePleistocene(更新世)GlacialAge,duringwhichfourmajorglaciationsor“ices”havebeenrecognizedinEurope.
2.Someofthehugebeastswhoseintercontinentalmigrationshadlaiddownthefirstpathsalongwhichmanhadtraveled,vanishedtotallyfromtheearth.(ll.)
1)Animalsmovedfromonecontinenttoanotherwhenconditionswereconvenientforthemtodoso.InNorthAmerica,someoftheIceAgelargeanimalshadcomefromAsiawhenthetwocontinentswererepeatedlyconnected,andmanymigratedfurthertoSouthAmerica.Itwasasiftheanimalmigrationshadopenedupthepathsforlaterhumanmigrationsfromonecontinenttoanother.
2)“Man,”whenusedwithouta/the,usuallyreferstothehumanrace.Inthepresenttextthatprobesintothemysteryoftheriseofthehumankind,thewordreferstoearlymodernhumanslongbeforetherewereanywrittenrecords.
3)Thepronoun“whose”means“ofwhom,”or“ofwhich.”Thus,“whoseintercontinentalmigrations”means“theintercontinentalmigrationsofwhich[=ofthosehugebeasts].”
In“thefirstpathsalongwhichmanhadtraveled,”thepreposition“along”isnecessaryaswehavetosay“manhadtraveledalongthe(same)paths.”
3.Thelong-hornedbisonuponwhoseherdsmanhadnourishedhimselfformanyalongcenturyofilliteratewanderings....(ll.)
1)thelong-hornedbison:
thebisonhaving/withlonghorns
Moreexamplesofadj.orn.-+n.+ed+n.:
small-brainedapes,saber-toothedtigers(剑齿虎),thelarge-brainedandweak-bodiedcreature
2)uponwhoseherds—(manhadnourishedhimself)upontheherdsofthebison
3)manyalongcentury—manylongcenturies,onelongcenturyafteranother
e.g.manyatime,manyanotherhugebeast
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