About New Concept English Book4:
1. a different focus: fluency in English
2. 48 lessons with materials chosen from a variety of publications
3. higher degree of intensity and more workload
4. learning English while learning in English
Learning Objectives:
1. Morphology and phraseology words, suffixes, phrases and collocations.
2. Syntax-sentence construction, sentence deconstruction and rhetoric.
3. Paragraph building-content development and logical connection.
4. Text structuring – paragraph organization, coherence and transition.
5. Composition-motif/theme, target audience, genre, voice and tone.
Lesson1 Finding fossil man 发现化石人
Finding fossil man 发现化石人
First listen and then answer the following question.
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
Why are legends handed down by storytellers useful?
原文
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 to recount it as sagas -- legends handed down from one generation of story-teller to another. These legends are useful because they can tell us something about migrations of people who lived long ago, but none could write down what they did. Anthropologists wondered where the remote ancestors of the Polynesian peoples now living in the Pacific Islands came from. The sagas of these people explain 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 their sagas, 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, because this is easier to shape than other kinds. They may also have used wood and skins, but these have rotted away. Stone does not decay, and so the tools of long ago have remained when even the bones of the men who made them have disappeared without trace.
New words and expressions
生词和短语
fossil man (title) adj. 化石人
recount v. 叙述
saga n. 英雄故事
legend n. 传说，传奇
migration n. 迁移，移居
anthropologist n. 人类学家
archaeologist n. 考古学家
ancestor n. 祖先
Polynesian adj.波利尼西亚（中太平洋之一群岛）的
Indonesia n. 印度尼西亚
flint n. 燧石
rot n. 烂掉
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。
New words and expressions
fossil man (title) adj. 化石人
ferrous (root):containing
fossiliferous含化石的 metalliferous含金属的 vociferous大事声张的
recount v. 叙述
1. To narrate the facts or particulars of.
2. To enumerate.
saga n. 英雄故事
1. a. A prose narrative usually written in Iceland between 1120 and 1400, dealing with the families that first settled Iceland and their descendants, with the histories of the kings of Norway, and with the myths and legends of early Germanic gods and heroes. a long traditional story about adventures and brave acts, especially one from Norway or Iceland
b. A modern prose narrative that resembles a saga.
2.A long detailed report: recounted the saga of their family problems.
legend n. 传说，传奇
1. a. An unverified story handed down from earlier times, especially one popularly believed to be historical.
b. A body or collection of such stories.
Michael Jordan is a basketball legend.
c. A romanticized or popularized myth of modern times.
2. One that inspires legends or achieves legendary fame.
3. a. An inscription or a title on an object, such as a coin.
b. An explanatory caption accompanying an illustration.
c. An explanatory table or list of the symbols appearing on a map or chart.
migration n. 迁移，移居
1. The act or an instance of migrating.
2. A group migrating together.
3. Chemistry & Physics
a. The movement of one atom or more from one position to another within a molecule.
b. The movement of ions between electrodes during electrolysis.
anthropologist n. 人类学家
a social scientist who specializes in anthropology
(root)anthropo-人，人类
Philology语言学 philanderer花花公子
ancestor n. 祖先
1. A person from whom one is descended, especially if more remote than a grandparent; a forebear.
2. A forerunner or predecessor.
3. Law The person from whom an estate has been inherited.
4. Biology The actual or hypothetical organism or stock from which later kinds evolved.
Polynesian adj.波利尼西亚（中太平洋之一群岛）的
波利尼西亚，Polynesia由希腊文poly及Nesoi共同组成， poly意为众多，nesoi意为岛屿 陆地总面积2.7万平方公里。 人口约 142万，多为波利尼西亚人。居民多信奉基督教，通用波利尼西亚语。
Indonesia n. 印度尼西亚
archaeologist n. 考古学家
an anthropologist who studies prehistoric people and their culture
flint n. 燧石
1. A very hard, fine-grained quartz that sparks when struck with steel.
2. a. A piece of flint used to produce a spark.
b. A small solid cylinder of a spark-producing alloy, used in lighters to ignite the fuel.
3. A piece of flint used as a tool by prehistoric humans.
4. Something resembling flint in hardness: a jaw of flint.
rot n. 烂掉
1. To undergo decomposition, especially organic decomposition; decay.
2. a. To become damaged, weakened, or useless because of decay: The beams had rotted away.
b. To disappear or fall by decaying: One could see the blackened areas where the branches had rotted off.
3. To languish; decline: "He was thrown into one of Napoleon's dungeons and left to rot" (Michael Massing).
4. To decay morally; become degenerate.
v.tr.
To cause to decompose or decay.
n.
1. The process of rotting or the condition of being rotten: The rot spread quickly, rendering the bridge unsafe even for pedestrians.
2. Foot rot.
3. See liver fluke.
4. Any of several plant diseases characterized by the breakdown of tissue and caused by various bacteria or fungi.
5. Pointless talk; nonsense: She always talks such rot.
6. Archaic Any disease causing the decay of flesh.
Text : Lesson 1 Finding fossil man 发现化石人
(a popular science reading written in laymen’s term)
We can read of things that（定从） happened 5,000 years ago in the Near East,( where people first learned to write.)
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。
1.read/kown/speak/talk/hear of
2.定从：This a fact that stuns me
同位语：The fact that he's with a guy stuns me
3the near East以the british empire为标准判定
3.firstly常用于排序
4.where在从句中做地点状语，which在从句中通常做主语和宾语。
But there are some parts of the word where even now people cannot write.
但直到现在,世界上有些地方，人们还不会书写。
But转折用于强调后半句
The only way that they can preserve their history is to recount it as sagas -- legends handed down from one generation of storytellers to another.
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。
1.only，all，every 等后面只能用that引导从句
2.preserve：keep the original condition or quality or feature of something
reserve：keep something for future use
retain：contain
（root）serve-protect
3.recount同义词：narrate陈述故事，portray用于描述某个影像，depict主语为image，describe
4. Pass down=hand down:from one generation to another
Pass on传递
6. One another：an additional one
Eg:I have one apple,and I want another one.
One the other: I have two apples.one is red;the other is green
These legends are useful because they can tell us something about migrations of people who lived long ago, but none could write down what they did.
这些传说是很有用的，因为他们能告诉我们遗忘人们迁居的情况。但是没有人能把他们当时做的事情记载下来。
1.such以及诸如these，none等代词的使用使文章更紧凑
2.immigrate移进emigrate移出migrate小范围的国内州际的移民
3.How many can write down what they did?-None.（强调数量上的没有）
Who can write down what they did?-No one.
how many---none ,who- -no one, what --nothing
Anthropologists wondered where the remote ancestors of the Polynesian peoples now living in the Pacific Islands came from.
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，
1.Remote指时间与空间具象的遥远remote relatives/area/control
2.逻辑主语people主动发出动作，后置定语用现在分词。
此两句为因果关系
The sagas of these people explain that some of them came from Indonesia about 2,000 years ago.
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。
Premainly talks about the difficulty of finding fossil man.
一二段为递进关系
But the first people who were like ourselves lived so long ago that even their sagas, if they had any（parenthesis）, are forgotten.
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。
1.be like:像 like：喜欢
2.此句插入语的使用表强调，解释说明，让步（concession）使文章严谨。
Another parenthesis:You should not sleep during the class，if anything，you should wake up the person right next to you.
So archaeologists have neither history nor legends to help them （to） find out where the first 'modern men' came from.
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。
此处未将neither。。nor。。提前意在保持文章的逻辑联系（logic connection），so的使用使意思层层叠进。
第二段举出了first people这个有代表性的例子（an extreme and typical example）
继第二段后转换主题，遂另起第三段。
Fortunately, however, ancient men made tools of stone, especially flint（one kind of stone）, because this is easier to shape than other kinds.
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。
make of表示物质的本质（nature）；
make from表示物质的成分（ingredients）eg:make.. from iron and stone
They may also have used wood and skins, but these have rotted away.
他们也可能用过木头和兽皮，但这类东西早已腐烂殆尽。
may have used虚拟表猜测
Stone does not decay, and so the tools of long ago have remained when even the bones of the men who made them have disappeared without trace.
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。
1．decay指无cell的物质腐烂， rot指有cell的物质腐烂。
2.此处remain可用preserve替换。remain 有残存的意思 preserve 有保留保存的意思
3.与人对比，紧扣主题
