Notes on the text課文注釋
1 what is more，作“而且”、“再者”解，是插入語。
2 CD-ROM，是 compact disc read-only memory的縮寫。
3 as it were，“可以說”，是插入語。
4 be faced with，作“面臨”、“面對”解。
5 shed light on…，使清楚地顯出來，解釋。
6 come into being，產(chǎn)生，形成。
7 Ice Age，冰川時期。
參考譯文
未來的歷史學(xué)家在寫我們這一段歷史的時候會別具一格。對于逐漸積累起來的龐大材料，他們幾乎不知道選取哪些好，而且，也不必完全依賴文字材料。電影、錄像、光盤和光盤驅(qū)動器只是能為他們提供令人眼花繚亂的大量信息的幾種手段。他們能夠身臨其境般地觀看我們做事，傾聽我們講話。但是，歷史學(xué)家企圖重現(xiàn)遙遠(yuǎn)的過去可是一項艱巨的任務(wù)，他們必須根據(jù)現(xiàn)有的不充分的線索進(jìn)行推理。即使看起來微不足道的遺物，也可能揭示人類早期歷史中的一些有趣的內(nèi)容。
歷史學(xué)家迄今認(rèn)為日歷是隨農(nóng)業(yè)的問世而出現(xiàn)的，因為當(dāng)時人們面臨著了解四季的實(shí)際需要。但近期科學(xué)研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，好像這種假設(shè)是不正確的。
長期以來，歷史學(xué)家一直對雕刻在墻壁上、骨頭上、古代長毛象的象牙上的點(diǎn)、線和形形色色的符號感到困惑不解。這些痕跡是游牧人留下的，他們生活在從公元前約 35，000年到公元前10，000年的冰川期的末期，以狩獵、捕魚為生。歷史學(xué)家通過把世界各地留下的這種痕跡放在一起研究，終于弄懂了這種費(fèi)解的代碼。他們發(fā)現(xiàn)代碼與晝夜更迭和月亮圓缺有關(guān)，事實(shí)上是一種原始的日歷。大家早就知道，畫在墻上的狩獵圖景并不是單純的藝術(shù)表現(xiàn)形式，它們有著一定的含義，因為它們已接近古代人的文字形式。有時，這種圖畫與墻壁上的刻痕共存，它們之間可能有一定的聯(lián)系。看來人類早就致力于探索四季變遷了，比人們想像的要早20，000年。
Multiple choice questions多項選擇題
Choose the correct answers to the following questions.
Comprehension理解
1 In assuming that calendars came into being with the advent of agriculture, historians made the mistake of
a．relying solely on the written word
b．disregarding the markings that early man had been responsible for
c．supposing that nomadic man had no reason to understand the seasons
d．not connecting the passage of days with the phases of the moon
2 The scientific evidence that has recently come to light is that ______ .
a．nomads engraved the bones and tusks of the animals they killed
b．nomads lived by hunting and fishing
c．nomads travelled widely in various parts of the world
d．the markings made by various nomadic groups all have a definite pattern
3 The paintings which have been found on the walls of nomadic dwelling places ______ .
a．have taught historians something about the nomadic way of life
b．have no other content than their artistic merit
c．a(chǎn)re not thought to be connected with an ancient calendar system
d．a(chǎn)re invariably accompanied by odd dots, lines and symbols
Structure結(jié)構(gòu)
4 It ______ as if they could see and hear us in action. (11. 6-7)
a．was
b．were
c．should be
d．will be
5 Even ______ seem insignificant remains can shed interesting…(11. 8-9)
a．they
b．which
c．what
d．those to
6 Historians are now able to read this difficult code ______ markings made in… (11. 15-16)
a．with correlating
b．having correlated
c．which correlates
d．for they correlate
7 ______ be a definite relation between these paintings and the…(11. 19-21)
a．It could
b．There can
c．There may
d．It might
Vocabulary詞匯
8 Historians have long tried to ______ dots, lines and… (1. 13)
a．puzzle
b．puzzle out
c．riddle
d．detect
9 By correlating markings made in ______ parts of the world…(11. 15-16)
a．different
b．several
c．many
d．other
10 ---- historians have been able to read ______ . (1. 16)
a．these puzzling signs
b．this hard law
c．these difficult signals
d．this uneasy letter
11 Until recently historians assumed that calendars ______ with the advent of agriculture. (1. 10)
a．came to existence
b．came to existing
c．came to exist
d．were existential
12 The people who lived by hunting and fishing during the last Ice Age ______ . (11. 14-15)
a．wandered from place to place
b．lived in villages
c．first learnt to write
d．learnt how to farm the land
1 what is more，作“而且”、“再者”解，是插入語。
2 CD-ROM，是 compact disc read-only memory的縮寫。
3 as it were，“可以說”，是插入語。
4 be faced with，作“面臨”、“面對”解。
5 shed light on…，使清楚地顯出來，解釋。
6 come into being，產(chǎn)生，形成。
7 Ice Age，冰川時期。
參考譯文
未來的歷史學(xué)家在寫我們這一段歷史的時候會別具一格。對于逐漸積累起來的龐大材料，他們幾乎不知道選取哪些好，而且，也不必完全依賴文字材料。電影、錄像、光盤和光盤驅(qū)動器只是能為他們提供令人眼花繚亂的大量信息的幾種手段。他們能夠身臨其境般地觀看我們做事，傾聽我們講話。但是，歷史學(xué)家企圖重現(xiàn)遙遠(yuǎn)的過去可是一項艱巨的任務(wù)，他們必須根據(jù)現(xiàn)有的不充分的線索進(jìn)行推理。即使看起來微不足道的遺物，也可能揭示人類早期歷史中的一些有趣的內(nèi)容。
歷史學(xué)家迄今認(rèn)為日歷是隨農(nóng)業(yè)的問世而出現(xiàn)的，因為當(dāng)時人們面臨著了解四季的實(shí)際需要。但近期科學(xué)研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，好像這種假設(shè)是不正確的。
長期以來，歷史學(xué)家一直對雕刻在墻壁上、骨頭上、古代長毛象的象牙上的點(diǎn)、線和形形色色的符號感到困惑不解。這些痕跡是游牧人留下的，他們生活在從公元前約 35，000年到公元前10，000年的冰川期的末期，以狩獵、捕魚為生。歷史學(xué)家通過把世界各地留下的這種痕跡放在一起研究，終于弄懂了這種費(fèi)解的代碼。他們發(fā)現(xiàn)代碼與晝夜更迭和月亮圓缺有關(guān)，事實(shí)上是一種原始的日歷。大家早就知道，畫在墻上的狩獵圖景并不是單純的藝術(shù)表現(xiàn)形式，它們有著一定的含義，因為它們已接近古代人的文字形式。有時，這種圖畫與墻壁上的刻痕共存，它們之間可能有一定的聯(lián)系。看來人類早就致力于探索四季變遷了，比人們想像的要早20，000年。
Multiple choice questions多項選擇題
Choose the correct answers to the following questions.
Comprehension理解
1 In assuming that calendars came into being with the advent of agriculture, historians made the mistake of
a．relying solely on the written word
b．disregarding the markings that early man had been responsible for
c．supposing that nomadic man had no reason to understand the seasons
d．not connecting the passage of days with the phases of the moon
2 The scientific evidence that has recently come to light is that ______ .
a．nomads engraved the bones and tusks of the animals they killed
b．nomads lived by hunting and fishing
c．nomads travelled widely in various parts of the world
d．the markings made by various nomadic groups all have a definite pattern
3 The paintings which have been found on the walls of nomadic dwelling places ______ .
a．have taught historians something about the nomadic way of life
b．have no other content than their artistic merit
c．a(chǎn)re not thought to be connected with an ancient calendar system
d．a(chǎn)re invariably accompanied by odd dots, lines and symbols
Structure結(jié)構(gòu)
4 It ______ as if they could see and hear us in action. (11. 6-7)
a．was
b．were
c．should be
d．will be
5 Even ______ seem insignificant remains can shed interesting…(11. 8-9)
a．they
b．which
c．what
d．those to
6 Historians are now able to read this difficult code ______ markings made in… (11. 15-16)
a．with correlating
b．having correlated
c．which correlates
d．for they correlate
7 ______ be a definite relation between these paintings and the…(11. 19-21)
a．It could
b．There can
c．There may
d．It might
Vocabulary詞匯
8 Historians have long tried to ______ dots, lines and… (1. 13)
a．puzzle
b．puzzle out
c．riddle
d．detect
9 By correlating markings made in ______ parts of the world…(11. 15-16)
a．different
b．several
c．many
d．other
10 ---- historians have been able to read ______ . (1. 16)
a．these puzzling signs
b．this hard law
c．these difficult signals
d．this uneasy letter
11 Until recently historians assumed that calendars ______ with the advent of agriculture. (1. 10)
a．came to existence
b．came to existing
c．came to exist
d．were existential
12 The people who lived by hunting and fishing during the last Ice Age ______ . (11. 14-15)
a．wandered from place to place
b．lived in villages
c．first learnt to write
d．learnt how to farm the land