新概念英语第4册课文及译文

新概念4册Lesson1Findingfossilman发现化石人Wecanreadofthingsthathappened5,000yearsagointheNearEast,wherepeoplefirstlearnedtowrite.Buttherearesomepartsofthewordwhereevennowpeoplecannotwrite.Theonlywaythattheycanpreservetheirhistoryistorecountitassagas--legendshandeddownfromonegenerationofanother.Theselegendsareusefulbecausetheycantellussomethingaboutmigrationsofpeoplewholivedlongago,butnonecouldwritedownwhattheydid.AnthropologistswonderedwheretheremoteancestorsofthePolynesianpeoplesnowlivinginthePacificIslandscamefrom.ThesagasofthesepeopleexplainthatsomeofthemcamefromIndonesiaabout2,000yearsago.Butthefirstpeoplewhowerelikeourselveslivedsolongagothateventheirsagas,iftheyhadany,areforgotten.Soarchaeologistshaveneitherhistorynorlegendstohelpthemtofindoutwherethefirst'modernmen'camefrom.Fortunately,however,ancientmenmadetoolsofstone,especiallyflint,becausethisiseasiertoshapethanotherkinds.Theymayalsohaveusedwoodandskins,butthesehaverottedaway.Stonedoesnotdecay,andsothetoolsoflongagohaveremainedwheneventhebonesofthemenwhomadethemhavedisappearedwithouttrace.参考译文我们从书籍中可读到5,000年前近东发生的事情�那里的人最早学会了写字。但直到现在,世界上有些地方�人们还不会书写。他们保存历史的唯一办法是将历史当作传说讲述�由讲述人一代接一代地将史实描述为传奇故事口传下来。人类学家过去不清楚如今生活在太平洋诸岛上的波利尼西亚人的祖先来自何方�当地人的传说却告诉人们�其中一部分是约在2,000年前从印度尼西亚迁来的。但是�和我们相似的原始人生活的年代太久远了�因此�有关他们的传说既使有如今也失传了。于是�考古学家们既缺乏历史记载�又无口头传说来帮助他们弄清最早的“现代人”是从哪里来的。然而�幸运的是�远古人用石头制作了工具�特别是用燧石�因为燧石较之其他石头更容易成形。他们也可能用过木头和兽皮�但这类东西早已腐烂殆尽。石头是不会腐烂的。因此�尽管制造这些工具的人的骨头早已荡然无存�但远古时代的石头工具却保存了下来。Lesson2Sparethatspider不要伤害蜘蛛Why,youmaywonder,shouldspidersbeourfriends?Becausetheydestroysomanyinsects,andinsectsincludesomeofthegreatestenemiesofthehumanrace.Insectswouldmakeitimpossibleforustoliveintheworld;theywoulddevourallourcropsandkillourflocksandherds,ifitwerenotfortheprotectionwegetfrominsect-eatinganimals.Weowealottothebirdsandbeastswhoeatinsectsbutallofthemputtogetherkillonlyafractionofthenumberdestroyedbyspiders.Moreover,unlikesomeoftheotherinsecteaters,spidersneverdotheharmtousorourbelongings.Spidersarenotinsects,asmanypeoplethink,norevennearlyrelatedtothem.Onecantellthedifferencealmostataglance,foraspideralwayshaseightlegsandinsectnevermorethansix.Howmanyspidersareengagedinthisworknoourbehalf?OneauthorityonspidersmadeacensusofthespidersingrassfieldinthesouthofEngland,andheestimatedthatthereweremorethan2,250,000inoneacre;thatissomethinglike6,000,000spidersofdifferentkindsonafootballpitch.Spidersarebusyforatleasthalftheyearinkillinginsects.Itisimpossibletomakemorethanthewildestguessathowmanytheykill,buttheyarehungrycreatures,notcontentwithonlythreemealsaday.IthasbeenestimatedthattheweightofalltheinsectsdestroyedbyspidersinBritaininoneyearwouldbegreaterthanthetotalweightofallthehumanbeingsinthecountry.参考译文你可能会觉得奇怪�蜘蛛怎么会是我们的朋友呢�因为它们能消灭那么多的昆虫�其中包括一些人类的大敌�要不是人类受一些食虫动物的保护�昆虫就会使我们无法在地球上生活下去�昆虫会吞食我们的全部庄稼�杀死我们的成群的牛羊。我们要十分感谢那些吃昆虫的鸟和兽�然而把它们所杀死的昆虫全部加在一起也只相当于蜘蛛所消灭的一小部分。此外�蜘蛛不同于其他食虫动物�它们丝毫不危害我们和我们的财物。许多人认为蜘蛛是昆虫�但它们不是昆虫�甚至与昆虫毫无关系。人们几乎一眼就能看出二者的差异�因为蜘蛛都是8条腿�而昆虫的腿从不超过6条。有多少蜘蛛在为我们效力呢�一位研究蜘蛛的权威对英国南部一块草坪上的蜘蛛作了一次调查。他估计每英亩草坪里有225万多只蜘蛛。这就是说�在一个足球场上约有600万只不同种类的蜘蛛。蜘蛛至少有半年在忙于吃昆虫。它们一年中消灭了多少昆虫�我们简直无法猜测�它们是吃不饱的动物�不满意一日三餐。据估计�在英国蜘蛛一年里所消灭昆虫的重量超过这个国家人口的总重量。Lesson3Matterhornman马特霍恩山区人Modernalpiniststrytoclimbmountainsbyaroutewhichwillgivethemgoodsport,andthemoredifficultitis,themorehighlyitisregarded.Inthepioneeringdays,however,thiswasnotthecaseatall.Theearlyclimberswerelookingfortheeasiestwaytothetop,becausethesummitwastheprizetheysought,especiallyifitandneverbeenattainedbefore.Itistruethatduringtheirexplorationstheyoftenfaceddifficultiesanddangersofthemostperilousnature,equippedinamannerwithwouldmakeamodernclimbershudderatthethought,buttheydidnotgooutoftheirwaytocourtsuchexcitement.Theyhadasingleaim,asolitarygoal--thetop!Itishardforustorealizenowadayshowdifficultitwasforthepioneers.ExceptforoneortwoplacessuchasZermattandChamonix,whichhadrapidlybecomepopular,Alpinevillagetendedtobeimpoverishedsettlementscutofffromcivilizationbythehighmountains.Suchinnsasthereweregenerallydirtyandflea-ridden;thefoodsimplylocalcheeseaccompaniedbybreadoftentwelvemonthsold,allwasheddownwithcoarsewine.Oftenavalleyboastednoinnatall,andclimbersfoundshelterwherevertheycould--sometimeswiththelocalpriest(whowasusuallyaspoorashisparishioners),sometimeswithshepherdsorcheese-makers.Invariablythebackgroundwasthesame:dirtandpoverty,andveryuncomfortable.Formenaccustomedtoeatingseven-coursedinnersandsleepingbetweenfinelinensheetsathome,thechangetotheAlpsmusthaveveryhardindeed.参考译文现代登山运动员总想找一条能够给他们带来运动乐趣的路线来攀登山峰。他们认为�道路愈艰险愈带劲儿。然而�在登山运动的初期�全然不是这种情况。早期登山者所寻找的是通往山顶的最方便的途径�因为顶峰特别是前人未曾到过的顶峰--才是他们寻求的目标。确实�在探险中他们经常遇到惊心动魄的困难和危险�而他们装备之简陋足以使现代登山者一想起来就胆战心惊。但是�他们并非故意寻求这种刺激�他们只有一个目标�唯一的目标--顶峰�我们今天很难想像昔日的登山先驱们是多么艰苦。除了泽曼特和夏蒙尼等一两个很快出了名的地方外�阿尔卑斯山山区的小村几乎全是高山环抱、与世隔绝的穷乡僻壤。那里的小客栈一般都很肮脏�而且跳蚤猖獗。食物是当地的干酪和通常存放了一年之久的面包�人们就着劣酒吞下这种食物。山谷里常常没有小客栈�登山者只好随遇而安。有时同当地牧师�他通常和他的教民一样穷�住在一起�有时同牧羊人或制乳酪的人住在一起。无论住在哪儿�情况都一样�肮脏、贫穷�极其不舒适。对于过惯了一顿饭吃7道菜、睡亚麻细布床单的人来说�变换一下生活环境来到阿尔卑斯山山区�那一定是很艰难的。Lesson4Seeinghands能看见东西的手SeveralcaseshavebeenreportedinRussiarecentlyofpeoplewhocandetectcolourswiththeirf