新概念英语第三册逐句精讲:第18课|新概念英语第三册逐句精讲:第38课最早的日历

lesson38 The first calendar 最早的日历
　　　　新概念3课文内容：
　　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 tusk 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.
　　新概念英语3逐句精讲：
　　1.Future historians will be in a unique position when they come to record the history of our own times.
　　未来的历史学家在写我们这一段历史的时候会别具一格。
　　语言点1:句子结构分析:when引导时间状语从句，从句中的of our own times充当history的后置定语。
　　语言点2:come to do的意思是“要做”。
　　2.They will hardly know which facts to select from the great mass of evidence that steadily accumulates.
　　对于逐渐积累起来的庞大材料，他们几乎不知道选取哪些好。
　　语言点1:句子结构分析:which引导宾语从句，交代know的内容。That引导定语从句，修饰evidence。
　　语言点2:hardly know可直译“几乎不知道”。
　　3.What is more, they will not have to rely solely on the written word.
　　而且，也不必完全依赖文字材料。
　　语言点1:句子结构分析:what is more为承上启下的过渡语。
　　语言点2:rely on的意思是“依靠，依赖”，相当于depend on。
　　4.Films, videos. CDs and CD-ROMs are just some of the bewildering amount of information they will have.
　　电影、录像、光盘和光盘驱动器只是能为他们提供令人眼花缭乱的大量信息的几种手段。
　　语言点:句子结构分析:定语从句they will have的前面省去了关系代词that,修饰information。
　　5.They will be able, as it were, to see and hear us in action.
　　他们能够身临其境般地观看我们做事，倾听我们讲话。
　　语言点:句子结构分析:as it were作插入语，意思是“可以说”。In action作宾语us的补足语。

　　6.But the historian attempting to reconstruct the distant past is always faced with a difficult task.
　　但是，历史学家企图重现遥远的过去可是一项艰巨的任务。
　　语言点1:句子结构分析: attempting to reconstruct the distant past为现在分词短语，作后置定语，修饰historian。
　　语言点2:be faced with的意思是“面对”，相当于be confronted with。
　　7.He has to deduce what he can from the few scanty clues available.
　　他们必须根据现有的不充分的线索进行推理。
　　语言点:句子结构分析:what引导宾语从句，说明deduce的内容。
　　8.Even seemingly insignificant remains can shed interesting light on the history of early man.
　　即使看起来微不足道的遗物，也可能揭示人类早期历史的一些有趣的内容。
　　语言点1:句子结构分析:shed的本意是“使…流出”，在本句中引申为“揭示”，相当于reveal。
　　语言点2:shed light on的意思是“揭示…方面的事情，把…弄清楚”。
　　9.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.
　　历史学家迄今认为日历是随农业的问世而出现的，因为当时人们面临着了解四季的实际需要。
　　语言点1:句子结构分析:up to now放在句首，后面谓语的时态一定是现在完成时，这是约定俗成的语法要求。That引导宾语从句，交代assumed的内容。For引导原因状语从句，说明历史学家为什么会这么认为。
　　语言点2:come into being是固定搭配，意为“产生，出现”。
　　10. Recent scientific evidence seems to indicate that this assumption is incorrect.
　　但近期科学研究发现，好像这种假设是不正确的。
　　语言点1:句子结构分析:that引导宾语从句，交代indicate的内容。
　　语言点2:indicate的本意是“指出”，在此引申为“发现”。
　　11. Historians have long been puzzled by dots, lines and symbols which have been engraved on walls, bones, and the ivory tusk of mammoths.
　　长期以来，历史学家一直对雕刻在墙壁上、骨头上、古代长毛象的象牙上的点、线和形形色色的符号感到困惑不解。
　　语言点1:句子结构分析:这句话的核心结构是sb.be puzzled by sth.（某人对某事感到困惑不解）。Which引导定语从句，修饰dots,lines and symbols。
　　语言点2:engrave on的意思是“在…上雕刻”。
　　12. 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.
　　这些痕迹是游牧人留下的，他们生活在从公元前约35，000年到公元前10，000年的冰川期的末期，以狩猎、捕鱼为生。
　　语言点1:句子结构分析:who引导定语从句，修饰nomads。Which引导定语从句，修饰the last Ice Age。
　　语言点2:lived by hunting and fishing的意思是“靠狩猎和捕鱼为生”。
　　13.By correlating markings made in various parts of the world, historians have been able to read this difficult code.
　　历史学家通过把世界各地留下的这种痕迹放在一起研究，终于弄懂了这种费解的代码。
　　语言点1:句子结构分析:by引导方式状语，指“通过…方式”，其中的made in various parts of the world是过去分词短语，作markings的后置定语。
　　语言点2:have been able to read不可理解为“已经能够读了”，read在此引申为“弄懂”。
　　14.They have found that it is connected with the passage of days and the phases of the moon.
　　他们发现代码与昼夜更迭和月亮圆缺有关。
　　语言点1:句子结构分析:that引导宾语从句，交代have found的内容；这个宾语从句中的and连接两个并列的宾语。
　　语言点2:sth.be connected with sth.的意思是“某物与某物之间存在联系”。
　　15.It is, in fact, a primitive type of calendar.
　　事实上是一种最原始的日历。
　　语言点:句子结构分析:in fact不仅是插入语，还起强调作用。It指上文中所说的code（代码）。
　　16.It has long been known that the hunting scenes depicted on walls were not simply a form of artistic expression.
　　大家早就知道，画在墙上的狩猎图景并不是单纯的艺术表现形式。
　　语言点1:句子结构分析:It has long been known that…是一个固定句式，表示“大家早就知道…”，it充当形式主语，that引导的内容才是真正的主语。
　　语言点2:depicted on walls为过去分词短语，作hunting scenes的后置定语。
　　语言点3:be not simply a form of的意思是“并不是一种简单的…形式”。
　　17.They had a definite meaning, for they were as near as early man could get to writing.
　　它们有着一定的含义，因为它们已接近古代人的文字形式。
　　语言点1:句子结构分析:for引导原因状语从句，交代“有含义”的理由。
　　语言点2:they指代上文中所说the hunting scenes depicted on walls。
　　18.It is possible that there is a definite relation between these paintings and the markings that sometimes accompany them.
　　有时，这种图画与墙壁上的刻痕共存，它们之间可能有一定的联系。
　　语言点:句子结构分析:第一个that引导的部分是真正的主语，it是形式主语，第二个that引导定语从句，修饰markings.
　　19.It seems that man was making a real effort to understand the seasons 20,000 years earlier than has been supposed.
　　看来人类早就致力于探索四季变迁了，比人们想像的要早20,000年。
　　语言点:句子结构分析:that引导表语从句；在这个从句中，than引导定语从句，在该定语从句中，than作主语，这是定语从句中的特别现象。

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