新概念英语4-课文

新概念英语4-课文 NEW?CONCEPT?ENGLISH?(IV)?(new?version)2?Lesson?1?Finding?Fossil?man?We?can?read?of?things?that?happened?5,000?years?ago?in?the?Near?East,?where?people?first?learned?to?write.?But?there?are?some?parts?of?the?world?where?even?now?people?cannot?write.?The?only?way?that?they?can?preserve?their?history?is?torecount?it?as?sagas-legends?handed?down?from?one?generation?of?story-tellersto?another.?These?legends?are?useful?because?they?can?tell?us?something?aboutmigrations?of?people?who?lived?long?ago,?but?none?could?write?down?what?they?did.?Anthropologists?wondered?where?the?remote?ancestors?of?the?Polynesianpeoples?now?living?in?the?Pacific?Islands?came?from.?The?sagas?of?these?peopleexplain?that?some?of?them?came?from?Indonesia?about?2,000?years?ago.But?the?first?people?who?were?like?ourselves?lived?so?long?ago?that?even?theirsagas,?if?they?had?any,?are?forgotten.?So?archaeologists?have?neither?history?nor?legends?to?help?them?to?find?out?where?the?first?modern?men?came?from.Fortunately,?however,?ancient?men?made?tools?of?stone,?especially?flint,?becausethis?is?easier?to?shape?than?other?kinds.?They?may?also?have?used?woodand?skins,?but?these?have?rotted?away.?Stone?does?not?decay,?and?so?the?tools?oflong?ago?have?remained?when?even?the?bones?of?the?men?who?made?them?have?disappeared?without?trace.3?Lesson?2?Spare?that?spider?Why,?you?may?wonder,?should?spiders?be?our?friendsBecause?they?destroy?somany?insects,?and?insects?include?some?of?the?greatest?enemies?of?the?humanrace.?Insects?would?make?it?impossible?for?us?to?live?in?the?world;?they?woulddevour?all?our?crops?and?kill?our?flocks?and?herds,?if?it?were?not?for?the?protectionwe?get?from?insect-eating?animals.?We?owe?a?lot?to?the?birds?and?beasts?who?eat?insects?but?all?of?them?put?together?kill?only?a?fraction?of?the?number?destroyed?by?spiders.?Moreover,?unlike?some?of?the?other?insect?eaters,?spiders?never?dothe?least?harm?to?us?or?our?belongings.Spiders?are?not?insects,?as?many?people?think,?nor?even?nearly?related?to?them.One?can?tell?the?difference?almost?at?a?glance?for?a?spider?always?has?eight?legsand?an?insect?never?more?than?six.How?many?spiders?are?engaged?in?this?work?on?our?behalfOne?authority?on?spiders?made?a?census?of?the?spiders?in?a?grass?field?in?the?south?of?England,?andhe?estimated?that?there?were?more?than?2,250,000?in?one?acre,?that?is?something?like?6,000,000?spiders?of?different?kinds?on?a?football?pitch.?Spiders?are?busy?for?at?least?half?the?year?in?killing?insects.?It?is?impossible?to?make?more?than?the?wildest?guess?at?how?many?they?kill,?but?they?are?hungry?creatures,?not?content?with?only?three?meals?a?day.?It?has?been?estimated?that?the?weight?of?all?the?insects?destroyed?by?spiders?in?Britain?in?one?year?would?be?greater?than?the?total?weight?of?all?the?human?beings?in?the?country.T.?H.?GILLESPIE?Spare?that?Spider?from?The?ListeneLesson?3?Matterhorn?man?Modern?alpinists?try?to?climb?mountains?by?a?route?which?will?give?them?goodsport,?and?the?more?difficult?it?is,?the?more?highly?it?is?regarded.?In?the?pioneeringdays,?however,?this?was?not?the?case?at?all.?The?early?climbers?were?looking?forthe?easiest?way?to?the?top?because?the?summit?was?the?prize?they?sought,?especially?if?it?had?never?been?attained?before.?It?is?true?that?during?their?explorations?they?often?faced?difficulties?and?dangers?of?the?most?perilous?nature,?equipped?in?a?manner?which?would?make?a?modern?climber?shudder?at?the?thought,?but?they?did?not?go?out?of?their?way?to?court?such?excitement.?They?had?a?single?aim,a?solitary?goal-the?top!It?is?hard?for?us?to?realize?nowadays?how?difficult?it?was?for?the?pioneers.?Exceptfor?one?or?two?places?such?as?Zermatt?and?Chamonix,?which?had?rapidly?become?popular,?Alpine?villages?tended?to?be?impoverished?settlements?cut?off?from?civilization?by?the?high?mountains.?Such?inns?as?there?were?were?generally?dirty?and?flea-ridden;?the?food?simply?local?cheese?accompanied?by?bread?often?twelve?months?old,?all?washed?down?with?coarse?wine.?Often?a?valley?boasted?no?inn?at?all,?and?climbers?found?shelter?wherever?they?could-sometimes?with?the?local?priest?(who?was?usually?as?poor?as?his?parishioners),?sometimes?with?shepherds?or?cheesemakers.?Invariably?the?background?was?the?same:?dirt?and?poverty,?and?very?uncomfortable.?For?men?accustomed?to?eating?seven-course?dinners?and?sleeping?between?fine?linen?sheets?at?home,?the?change?to?the?Alps?must?have?been?very?hard?indeed.5?Lesson?4?Seeing?hands?In?the?Soviet?Union?several?cases?have?been?reported?recently?of?people?who?can?read?and?detect?colours?with?their?fingers,?and?even?see?through?solid?doors?and?walls.?One?case?concerns?an?eleven-year-old?schoolgirl,?Vera?Petrova,?who?has?normal?vision?but?who?can?also?perceive?things?with?different?parts?of?her?skin,?and?through?solid?walls.?This?ability?was?first?noticed?by?her?father.?One?day?she?came?into?his?office?and?happened?to?put?her?hands?on?the?door?of?a?locked?safe.?Suddenly?she?asked?her?father?why?he?kept?so?many?old?newspapers?locked?away?there,?and?even?described?the?way?they?were?done?up?in?bundles.Veras?curious?talent?was?brought?to?the?notice?of?a?scientific?research?institute?in?the?town?of?UIyanovsk,?near?where?she?lives,?and?in?April?she?was?given?a?series?of?tests?by?a?special?commission?of?the?Ministry?of?Health?of?the?Russian?Federal?Republic.?During?these?tests?she?was?able?to?read?a?newspaper?through?an?opaque?screen?and,?stranger?still,?by?moving?her?elbow?over?a?childs?game?of?Lotto?she?was?able?to?describe?the?figures?and?colours?printed?on?it;?and,?in?another?instance,?wearing?stockings?and?slippers,?to?make?out?with?her?foot?the?outlines?and?colours?of?a?picture?hidden?under?a?carpet.?Other?experiments?showed?that?her?knees?and?shoulders?had?a?similar?sensitivity.?During?all?these?tests?Vera?was?blindfold;?and,?indeed,?except?when?blindfold?she?lacked?the?ability?to?perceive?things?with?her?skin.?lt?was?also?found?that?although?she?could?perceive?things?with?her?fingers?this?ability?ceased?the?moment?her?hands?were?wet.6?Lesson?5?YouthPeople?are?always?talking?about?the?problem?of?youth?.?If?there?is?onewhich?I?take?leave?to?doubt-then?it?is?older?people?who?create?it,?not?the?young?themselves.?Let?us?get?down?to?fundamentals?and?agree?that?the?young?are?after?all?human?beings-people?just?like?their?elders.?There?is?only?one?difference?between?an?old?man?and?a?young?one:?the?young?man?has?a?glorious?future?before?him?and?the?old?one?has?a?splendid?future?behind?him:?and?maybe?that?is?where?the?rub?is.?When?I?was?a?teenager,?I?felt?that?I?was?just?young?and?uncertain-that?I?was?a?new?boy?in?a?huge?school,?and?I?would?have?been?very?pleased?to?be?regarded?as?something?so?interesting?as?a?problem.?For?one?thing,?being?a?problem?gives?you?a?certain?identity,?and?that?is?one?of?the?things?the?young?are?busily?engaged?in?seeking.?I?find?young?people?exciting.?They?have?an?air?of?freedom,?and?they?have?not?a?dreary?commitment?to?mean?ambitions?or?love?of?comfort.?They?are?not?anxious?social?climbers,?and?they?have?no?devotion?to?material?things.?All?this?seems?to?me?to?link?them?with?life,?and?the?origins?of?things.?Its?as?if?they?were?in?some?sense?cosmic?beings?in?violent?and?lovely?contrast?with?us?suburban?creatures.?All?that?is?in?my?mind?when?I?meet?a?young?person.?He?may?be?conceited,?illmannered,?presumptuous?of?fatuous,?but?I?do?not?turn?for?protection?to?dreary?clichs?about?respect?for?elders-as?if?mere?age?were?a?reason?for?respect.?I?accept?that?we?are?equals,?and?I?will?argue?with?him,?as?an?equal,?if?I?think?he?is?wrong.7?Lesson?6?The?sporting?spirit?I?am?always?amazed?when?I?hear?people?saying?that?sport?creates?goodwill?between?the?nations,?and?that?if?only?the?common?peoples?of?the?world?could?meet?one?another?at?football?or?cricket,?they?would?have?no?inclination?to?meet?on?the?battlefield.?Even?if?one?didnt?know?from?concrete?examples?(the?1936?Olympic?Games,?for?instance)?that?international?sporting?contests?lead?to?orgies?of?hatred,?one?could?deduce?it?from?general?principles.?Nearly?all?the?sports?practised?nowadays?are?competitive.?You?play?to?win,?and?the?game?has?little?meaning?unless?you?do?your?utmost?to?win.?On?the?village?green,?where?you?pick?up?sides?and?no?feeling?of?local?patriotism?is?involved,?it?is?possible?to?play?simply?for?the?fun?and?exercise:?but?as?soon?as?the?question?of?prestige?arises,?as?soon?as?you?feel?that?you?and?some?larger?unit?will?be?disgraced?if?you?lose,?the?most?savage?combative?instincts?are?aroused.?Anyone?who?has?played?even?in?a?school?football?match?knows?this.?At?the?international?level?sport?is?frankly?mimic?warfare.?But?the?significant?thing?is?not?the?behaviour?of?the?players?but?the?attitude?of?the?spectators:?and,?behind?the?spectators,?of?the?nations.?who?work?themselves?into?furies?over?these?absurd?contests,?and?seriously?believe-at?any?rate?for?short?periods-that?running,?jumping?and?kicking?a?ball?are?tests?of?national?virtue.晓华?liuxiaohua72163.net?8?Lesson?7?Bats?Not?all?sounds?made?by?animals?serve?as?language,?and?we?have?only?to?turn?to?that?extraordinary?discovery?of?echo-location?in?bats?to?see?a?case?in?which?the People?are?always?talking?about?the?problem?of?youth?.?If?there?is?onewhich?I?take?leave?to?doubt-then?it?is?older?people?who?create?it,?not?the?young?themselves.?Let?us?get?down?to?fundamentals?and?agree?that?the?young?are?after?all?human?beings-people?just?like?their?elders.?There?is?only?one?difference?between?an?old?man?and?a?young?one:?the?young?man?has?a?glorious?future?before?him?and?the?old?one?has?a?splendid?future?behind?him:?and?maybe?that?is?where?the?rub?is.?When?I?was?a?teenager,?I?felt?that?I?was?just?young?and?uncertain-that?I?was?a?new?boy?in?a?huge?school,?and?I?would?have?been?very?pleased?to?be?regarded?as?something?so?interesting?as?a?problem.?For?one?thing,?being?a?problem?gives?you?a?certain?identity,?and?that?is?one?of?the?things?the?young?are?busily?engaged?in?seeking.?I?find?young?people?exciting.?They?have?an?air?of?freedom,?and?they?have?not?a?dreary?commitment?to?mean?ambitions?or?love?of?comfort.?They?are?not?anxious?social?climbers,?and?they?have?no?devotion?to?material?things.?All?this?seems?to?me?to?link?them?with?life,?and?the?origins?of?things.?Its?as?if?they?were?in?some?sense?cosmic?beings?in?violent?and?lovely?contrast?with?us?suburban?creatures.?All?that?is?in?my?mind?when?I?meet?a?young?person.?He?may?be?conceited,?illmannered,?presumptuous?of?fatuous,?but?I?do?not?turn?for?protection?to?dreary?clichs?about?respect?for?elders-as?if?mere?age?were?a?reason?for?respect.?I?accept?that?we?are?equals,?and?I?will?argue?with?him,?as?an?equal,?if?I?think?he?is?wrong.7?Lesson?6?The?sporting?spirit?I?am?always?amazed?when?I?hear?people?saying?that?sport?creates?goodwill?between?the?nations,?and?that?if?only?the?common?peoples?of?the?world?could?meet?one?another?at?football?or?cricket,?they?would?have?no?inclination?to?meet?on?the?battlefield.?Even?if?one?didnt?know?from?concrete?examples?(the?1936?Olympic?Games,?for?instance)?that?international?sporting?contests?lead?to?orgies?of?hatred,?one?could?deduce?it?from?general?principles.?Nearly?all?the?sports?practised?nowadays?are?competitive.?You?play?to?win,?and?the?game?has?little?meaning?unless?you?do?your?utmost?to?win.?On?the?village?green,?where?you?pick?up?sides?and?no?feeling?of?local?patriotism?is?involved,?it?is?possible?to?play?simply?for?the?fun?and?exercise:?but?as?soon?as?the?question?of?prestige?arises,?as?soon?as?you?feel?that?you?and?some?larger?unit?will?be?disgraced?if?you?lose,?the?most?savage?combative?instincts?are?aroused.?Anyone?who?has?played?even?in?a?school?football?match?knows?this.?At?the?international?level?sport?is?frankly?mimic?warfare.?But?the?significant?thing?is?not?the?behaviour?of?the?players?but?the?attitude?of?the?spectators:?and,?behind?the?spectators,?of?the?nations.?who?work?themselves?into?furies?over?these?absurd?contests,?and?seriously?believe-at?any?rate?for?short?periods-that?running,?jumping?and?kicking?a?ball?are?tests?of?national?virtue.?刘晓华?liuxiaohua72163.net?8?Lesson?7?Bats?Not?all?sounds?made?by?animals?serve?as?language,?and?we?have?only?to?turn?to?that?extraordinary?discovery?of?echo-location?in?bats?to?see?a?case?in?which?the People?are?always?talking?about?the?problem?of?youth?.?If?there?is?onewhich?I?take?leave?to?doubt-then?it?is?older?people?who?create?it,?not?the?young?themselves.?Let?us?get?down?to?fundamentals?and?agree?that?the?young?are?after?all?human?beings-people?just?like?their?elders.?There?is?only?one?difference?between?an?old?man?and?a?young?one:?the?young?man?has?a?glorious?future?before?him?and?the?old?one?has?a?splendid?future?behind?him:?and?maybe?that?is?where?the?rub?is.?When?I?was?a?teenager,?I?felt?that?I?was?just?young?and?uncertain-that?I?was?a?new?boy?in?a?huge?school,?and?I?would?have?been?very?pleased?to?be?regarded?as?something?so?interesting?as?a?problem.?For?one?thing,?being?a?problem?gives?you?a?certain?identity,?and?that?is?one?of?the?things?the?young?are?busily?engaged?in?seeking.?I?find?young?people?exciting.?They?have?an?air?of?freedom,?and?they?have?not?a?dreary?commitment?to?mean?ambitions?or?love?of?comfort.?They?are?not?anxious?social?climbers,?and?they?have?no?devotion?to?material?things.?All?this?seems?to?me?to?link?them?with?life,?and?the?origins?of?things.?Its?as?if?they?were?in?some?sense?cosmic?beings?in?violent?and?lovely?contrast?with?us?suburban?creatures.?All?that?is?in?my?mind?when?I?meet?a?young?person.?He?may?be?conceited,?illmannered,?presumptuous?of?fatuous,?but?I?do?not?turn?for?protection?to?dreary?clichs?about?respect?for?elders-as?if?mere?age?were?a?reason?for?respect.?I?accept?that?we?are?equals,?and?I?will?argue?with?him,?as?an?equal,?if?I?think?he?is?wrong.7?Lesson?6?The?sporting?spirit?I?am?always?amazed?when?I?hear?people?saying?that?sport?creates?goodwill?between?the?nations,?and?that?if?only?the?common?peoples?of?the?world?could?meet?one?another?at?football?or?cricket,?they?would?have?no?inclination?to?meet?on?the?battlefield.?Even?if?one?didnt?know?from?concrete?examples?(the?1936?Olympic?Games,?for?instance)?that?international?sporting?contests?lead?to?orgies?of?hatred,?one?could?deduce?it?from?general?principles.?Nearly?all?the?sports?practised?nowadays?are?competitive.?You?play?to?win,?and?the?game?has?little?meaning?unless?you?do?your?utmost?to?win.?On?the?village?green,?where?you?pick?up?sides?and?no?feeling?of?local?patriotism?is?involved,?it?is?possible?to?play?simply?for?the?fun?and?exercise:?but?as?soon?as?the?question?of?prestige?arises,?as?soon?as?you?feel?that?you?and?some?larger?unit?will?be?disgraced?if?you?lose,?the?most?savage?combative?instincts?are?aroused.?Anyone?who?has?played?even?in?a?school?football?match?knows?this.?At?the?international?level?sport?is?frankly?mimic?warfare.?But?the?significant?thing?is?not?the?behaviour?of?the?players?but?the?attitude?of?the?spectators:?and,?behind?the?spectators,?of?the?nations.?who?work?themselves?into?furies?over?these?absurd?contests,?and?seriously?believe-at?any?rate?for?short?periods-that?running,?jumping?and?kicking?a?ball?are?tests?of?national?virtue.?刘晓华?liuxiaohua72163.net?8?Lesson?7?Bats?Not?all?sounds?made?by?animals?serve?as?language,?and?we?have?only?to?turn?to?that?extraordinary?discovery?of?echo-location?in?bats?to?see?a?case?in?which?the