Unit-8 The New Caves - Text

Unit8TheNewCaves新洞穴Warm-upQuestions1.AreyousatisfiedwithourlifenowontheEarth’ssurface?Pleasegivereasonstosupportyourpointofview.2.Wouldyouliketolivesomewheretheweatherstaysexactlythesamethewholeyearround?3.Doyouthinkitwouldbereasonableforhumanbeingstomaketheirhousesunderground?Why?IntroductoryremarksInthisshortessay,Asimovimaginesafuturesocietywherelifeismademorecomfortableandsecurebygoingentirelyunderground.Thoughthesuggestionmayseemoddandunpleasantatfirstthought,Asimovarguesthattherearedefiniteadvantagestoundergroundlife.Thenhelistsfouradvantages,and,usinghisexpertise,explainsthemonebyoneinsomedetail,leadingthereaderstepbysteptoseehowlifeundergroundcomparesfavorablywiththatontheEarth’ssurface.GlobeReading_1PartDivisionoftheTextMainIdeasParasParts11~324-12313Theauthorputsforwardasuggestionthatsomedaywemayseektofurtherincreaseourcomfortandsecuritybybuildingourhousesunderground.Theauthorgivesfouradvantagesofundergroundlife.Livingundergroundmaybeoddbuttherearemorebenefitsofit.Prehistoricalpeoplefoundmorecomfortandsecurityincavesthanintheopen.Peoplenowarelivingincavescalledhouses.Transitionalsentence----SuggestionIsitpossiblethatsomedaywemayseektoaddfurthertoourcomfortandsecuritybybuildingourhousesunderground?Notseemtobeapalatablesuggestion:WehavesomanyevilassociationswiththeundergroundThereareadvantagestoo.WeatherwouldnolongerbeimportantLocaltimewouldnolongerbeimportantTheecologicalstructurecouldbestabilizedNaturewouldbecloserPlacesofliving1)theIceage冰河时期Aniceageisaperiodintheearth’shistorywhenmovingsheetsoficecoveredlargeregionsoftheworld’slandsurface.Earthscientistsbelievethattherehavebeenseveraliceages.Theearliestknowniceageoccurredabout700millionyearsago,andthemostrecentone,usuallyreferredtoastheIceAgeorthePleistoceneIceAgebeganabout2millionyearsagoandcontinuedto10,000or15,000yearsago.Ⅰ.Informationrelatedtothetext2)MythsandLegends神话和传说Bothmythsandlegendsaretraditionalstorieshandeddownfromearliesttimes.Althoughthetwowordsareoftenusedinterchangeably,mythsarestoriesaboutgodsandlegendsstoriesaboutmen.Mythsembodytheprimitivebeliefsofpeople,andprovidedaromanticexplanationofthewondersofnaturewhenscientificexplanationswerelacking.Naturalforceswerepersonifiedanddeified.Forexample,theGreeksbelievedthatthunderandlighteningexpressedthedispleasureofthegreatgodZeus.Legendsarestoriesconnectedwithsomeperiodinthehistoryofapeopleornation,oftencontaininganelementoffact.Legendsareintendedtoglorifyaheroandtellmarvelousdeedshesupposedlyperformed.InChinesefolklore,thestoryofDaYuwhosucceededintamingtheriversisalegendandthestoryofChang’EFlyingtotheMoonisamyth.PartOne:Para1-3Theauthorputsforwardasuggestionthatsomedaywemayseektofurtherincreaseourcomfortandsecuritybybuildingourhousesunderground.Duringtheiceages,humanbeingsexposedtothecoldertemperaturesofthetimewouldoftenmaketheirhomesincaves.Theretheyfoundgreatercomfortandsecuritythantheywouldhaveintheopen.Theretheyfoundgreatercomfortandsecuritythantheywouldhaveintheopen.这是一个带有比较状语从句的句子，对不同的地点进行比较，即there(incaves)和intheopen。比较状语从句中常可以将主句中已出现的成分省略掉。Westillliveincavescalledhouses,againforcomfortandsecurity.Virtuallynoonewouldwillinglysleeponthegroundunderthestars.Isitpossiblethatsomedaywemayseektoaddfurthertoourcomfortandsecuritybybuildingourhousesunderground—innew,manmadecaves?addto:increase增加Themanynewly-builtfirst-classhotelshaveaddedgreatlytothebeautyofthecity.cf.addupto:amountto总计Itmaynotseemapalatablesuggestion,atfirstthought.Wehavesomanyevilassociationswiththeunderground.Inourmythsandlegends,theundergroundistherealmofevilspiritsandofthedead,andisoftenthelocationofanafterlifeoftorment.(Thismaybebecausedeadbodiesareburiedunderground,andbecausevolcaniceruptionsmaketheundergroundappeartobeahellishplaceoffireandnoxiousgases.)PartTwo:para4-12Theauthorgivesfouradvantagesofundergroundlife.GlobeReading._TableCompletionTableCompletionauthor’ssuggestionWemayseektoaddfurthertoourcomfortandsecuritybybuildingourhousesunderground.Para5Weatherwouldnolongerbeimportant.Paras6~7Localtimewouldnolongerbeimportant.Paras8~9Theecologicalstructurecouldbestabilized.Paras10~12Naturewouldbecloser.Advantagespara4Yetthereareadvantagestoundergroundlife,too,andsomethingtobesaidforimaginingwholecities,evenmankindgenerally,movingdownward;ofhavingtheoutermostmileoftheEarth’scrusthoneycombedwithpassagesandstructures,likeagiganticanthill.saysomething/much/littlefor(of):有一些/一番/几乎没有理由/道理You’relateagain!Haveyouanythingtosayforyourself?Thereissomething/much/littletobesaidforthissuggestion.(这个建议有一些/一番/几乎没有理由/道理。)Note:tobesaidfor/of:指可以说到的，可以提出来的然而生活在地下也有其有利之处，设想将整座城市，乃至全人类搬入地下是有一定道理的。如果在地壳最表层一英里厚的地方筑满通道和建筑物，就象一个巨大的蜂巢，这将会给人类带来各种好处。Para5Weatherwouldnolongerbeimportant.First,weatherwouldnolongerbeimportant,sinceitisprimarilyaphenomenonoftheatmosphere.①Rain,snow,sleet,fogwouldnottroubletheundergroundworld.②Eventemperaturevariationsarelimitedtotheopensurfaceandwouldnotexistunderground.Whetherdayornight,summerorwinter,temperaturesintheundergroundworldwouldremainequableandnearlyconstant.③Thevastamountsofenergynowexpendedinwarm