humanrace

NEWCONCEPTENGLISH(IV)(newversion)

2

Lesson1FindingFossilman

Wecanreadofthingsthathappened5,000yearsagointheNearEast,wherepeoplefirst

rearesomepartsoftheworldwhereevennowpeoplecannotwrite.

Theonlywaythattheycanprervetheirhistoryistorecountitassagas--legendshanded

egendsareufulbecau

theycantellussomethingaboutmigrationsofpeoplewholivedlongago,butnonecould

pologistswonderedwheretheremoteancestorsofthe

asofthe

peopleexplainthatsomeofthemcamefromIndonesiaabout2,first

peoplewhowerelikeourlveslivedsolongagothateventheirsagas,iftheyhadany,are

aeologistshaveneitherhistorynorlegendstohelpthemtofindout

wherethefirst'modernmen'ately,however,ancientmenmadetoolsof

stone,especiallyflint,yalso

haveudwoodandskins,oesnotdecay,andsothetool

soflongagohaveremainedwheneventhebonesofthemenwhomadethemhavedisappeared

withouttrace.

3

Lesson2Sparethatspider

Why,youmaywonder,shouldspidersbeourfriends?Becautheydestroysomanyincts,

swouldmake

itimpossibleforustoliveintheworld;theywoulddevourallourcropsandkillour

flocksandherds,ifitwerenotfortheprotectionwegetfrominct-eatinganimals.

Weowealottothebirdsandbeastswhoeatinctsbutallofthemputtogetherkill

er,unlikesomeoftheother

incteaters,sarenot

incts,asmanypeoplethink,tellthedifference

almosta

manyspidersareengagedinthisworkonourbehalf?Oneauthorityonspidersmadeacensus

ofthespidersinagrassfieldinthesouthofEngland,andheestimatedthattherewere

morethan2,250,000inoneacre,thatissomethinglike6,000,000spidersofdifferent

sarebusyforatleasthalftheyearinkillingincts.

Itisimpossibletomakemorethanthewildestguessathowmanytheykill,buttheyare

hungrycreatures,eenestimatedthatthe

weightofalltheinctsdestroyedbyspidersinBritaininoneyearwouldbegreater

PIESparethat

SpiderfromTheListene

Lesson3Matterhornman

Modernalpiniststrytoclimbmountainsbyaroutewhichwillgivethemgoodsport,and

themore

difficultitis,ioneeringdays,however,this

lyclimberswerelookingfortheeasiestwaytothetop

becauthesummitwastheprizetheysought,especiallyifithadneverbeenattained

uethatduringtheirexplorationstheyoftenfaceddifficultiesand

dangersofthemostperilousnature,equippedinamannerwhichwouldmakeamodernclimber

shudderatthethought,buttheydidnotgooutoftheirwaytocourtsuchexcitement.

Theyhadasingleaim,asolitarygoal--thetop!Itishardforustorealizenowadays

foroneortwoplacessuchasZermattan

dChamonix,whichhadrapidlybecomepopular,Alpinevillagestendedtobeimpoverished

nsastherewerewere

generallydirtyandflea-ridden;thefoodsimplylocalcheeaccompaniedbybreadoften

twelvemonthsold,valleyboastednoinnat

all,andclimbersfoundshelterwherevertheycould--sometimeswiththelocalpriest

(whowasusuallyaspoorashisparishioners),sometimeswithshepherdsorcheemakers.

Invariablythebackgroundwasthesame:dirtandpoverty,

menaccustomedtoeatingven-courdinnersandsleepingbetweenfinelinensheetsat

home,thechangetotheAlpsmusthavebeenveryhardindeed.

5

Lesson4Seeinghands

IntheSovietUnionveralcashavebeenreportedrecentlyofpeoplewhocanreadand

detectcolourswiththeirfingers,e

concernsan'eleven-year-oldschoolgirl,VeraPetrova,whohasnormalvisionbutwho

canalsoperceivethingswithdifferentpartsofherskin,

shecameintohisofficeandhappened

lysheaskedherfatherwhyhekept

somanyoldnewspaperslockedawaythere,andevendescribedthewaytheyweredoneup

'scurioustalentwasbroughttothenoticeofascientificrearch

instituteinthetownofUIyanovsk,nearwhereshelives,andinAprilshewasgiven

ariesoftestsbyaspecialcommissionoftheMinistryofHealthoftheRussianFederal

thetestsshewasabletoreadanewspaperthroughanopaquescreen

and,strangerstill,bymovingherelbowoverachild'sgameofLottoshewasableto

describethefiguresandcoloursprintedonit;and,inanotherinstance,wearing

stockingsandslippers,tomakeoutwithherfoottheoutlinesandcoloursofapicture

xperimentsshowedthatherkneesandshouldershadasimilar

allthetestsVerawasblindfold;and,indeed,exceptwhenblindfold

lsofoundthatalthough

shecouldperceivethingswithherfingersthisabilityceadthemomentherhandswere

wet.

6

Lesson5Youth

Peoplearealwaystalkingabout'theproblemofyouth'.Ifthere

isone—whichItakeleavetodoubt--thenitisolderpeoplewh

ocreateit,etdowntofundamentals

andagreethattheyoungareafterallhumanbeings--peoplejust

sonlyonedifferencebetweenanoldman

andayoungone:theyoungmanhasagloriousfuturebeforehimand

theoldonehasasplendidfuturebehindhim:andmaybethatiswhere

asateenager,IfeltthatIwasjustyoungand

uncertain--thatIwasanewboyinahugeschool,andIwouldhave

beenverypleadtoberegardedassomethingsointerestingasa

thing,beingaproblemgivesyouacertainidentity,

andthatisoneofthethingstheyoungarebusilyengagedineking.

veanairoffreedom,andthey

havenotadrearycommitmenttomeanambitionsorloveofcomfort.

Theyarenotanxioussocialclimbers,andtheyhavenodevotionto

semstometolinkthemwithlife,and

'sasiftheywereinsomencosmic

beingsinviolentandlovelycontrastwithussuburbancreatures.

econceited,

illmannered,presumptuousoffatuous,butIdonotturnfor

protectiontodrearyclichaboutrespectforelders--asifmere

tthatweareequals,andI

willarguewithhim,asanequal,ifIthinkheiswrong.

Lesson6Thesportingspirit

IamalwaysamazedwhenIhearpeoplesayingthatsportcreates

goodwillbetweenthenations,andthatifonlythecommonpeoples

oftheworldcouldmeetoneanotheratfootballorcricket,they

one

didn'tknowfromconcreteexamples(the1936OlympicGames,for

instance)thatinternationalsportingcontestsleadtoorgiesof

hatred,onecoulddeduceitfromgeneralprinciples.

yto

win,andthegamehaslittlemeaningunlessyoudoyourutmostto

illagegreen,whereyoupickupsidesandnofeeling

oflocalpatriotismisinvolved,itispossibletoplaysimplyfor

thefunandexerci:butassoonasthequestionofprestigearis,

assoonasyoufeelthatyouandsomelargerunitwillbedisgraced

ifyoulo,

significantthingisnotthebehaviouroftheplayersbutthe

attitudeofthespectators:and,behindthespectators,ofthe

kthemlvesintofuriesovertheabsurdcontests,

andriouslybelieve--atanyrateforshortperiods--thatrunning,

jumpingandkickingaballaretestsofnationalvirtue.

刘晓华liuxiaohua72@8

Lesson7Bats

Notallsoundsmadebyanimalsrveaslanguage,andwehaveonly

toturntothatextraordinarydiscoveryofecho-locationinbatsto

eacainwhichthe

Peoplearealwaystalkingabout'theproblemofyouth'.Ifthere

isone—whichItakeleavetodoubt--thenitisolderpeoplewh

ocreateit,etdowntofundamentals

andagreethattheyoungareafterallhumanbeings--peoplejust

sonlyonedifferencebetweenanoldman

andayoungone:theyoungmanhasagloriousfuturebeforehimand

theoldonehasasplendidfuturebehindhim:andmaybethatiswhere

asateenager,IfeltthatIwasjustyoungand

uncertain--thatIwasanewboyinahugeschool,andIwouldhave

beenverypleadtoberegardedassomethingsointerestingasa

thing,beingaproblemgivesyouacertainidentity,

andthatisoneofthethingstheyoungarebusilyengagedineking.

veanairoffreedom,andthey

havenotadrearycommitmenttomeanambitionsorloveofcomfort.

Theyarenotanxioussocialclimbers,andtheyhavenodevotionto

semstometolinkthemwithlife,andthe

'sasiftheywereinsomencosmicbeings

t

econceited,

illmannered,presumptuousoffatuous,butIdonotturnfor

protectiontodrearyclichaboutrespectforelders--asifmere

tthatweareequals,andIwill

arguewithhim,asanequal,ifIthinkheiswrong.

7

Lesson6Thesportingspirit

IamalwaysamazedwhenIhearpeoplesayingthatsportcreates

goodwillbetweenthenations,andthatifonlythecommonpeoples

oftheworldcouldmeetoneanotheratfootballorcricket,they

one

didn'tknowfromconcreteexamples(the1936OlympicGames,for

instance)thatinternationalsportingcontestsleadtoorgiesof

hatred,onecoulddeduceitfromgeneralprinciples.

yto

win,andthegamehaslittlemeaningunlessyoudoyourutmostto

illagegreen,whereyoupickupsidesandnofeelingof

localpatriotismisinvolved,itispossibletoplaysimplyforthe

funandexerci:butassoonasthequestionofprestige

aris,assoonasyoufeelthatyouandsomelargerunitwillbe

disgracedifyoulo,themostsavagecombativeinstinctsare

whohasplayedeveninaschoolfootballmatchknows

thesignificantthingisnotthebehaviouroftheplayersbutthe

attitudeofthespectators:and,behindthespectators,ofthe

kthemlvesintofuriesovertheabsurdcontests,

andriouslybelieve--atanyrateforshortperiods--thatrunning,

jumpingandkickingaballaretestsofnationalvirtue.

刘晓华liuxiaohua72@8

Lesson7Bats

Notallsoundsmadebyanimalsrveaslanguage,andwehaveonly

toturntothatextraordinarydiscoveryofecho-locationinbatsto

eacainwhichthe

Peoplearealwaystalkingabout'theproblemofyouth'.Ifthere

isone—whichItakeleavetodoubt--thenitisolderpeoplewho

createit,etdowntofundamentals

andagreethattheyoungareafterallhumanbeings--peoplejust

sonlyonedifferencebetweenanoldman

andayoungone:theyoungmanhasagloriousfuturebeforehimand

theoldonehasasplendidfuturebehindhim:andmaybethatiswhere

asateenager,IfeltthatIwasjustyoungand

uncertain--thatIwasanewboyinahugeschool,andIwouldhave

beenverypleadtoberegardedassomethingsointerestingasa

thing,beingaproblemgivesyouacertainidentity,

andthatisoneofthethingstheyoungarebusilyengagedineking.

veanairoffreedom,andthey

havenotadrearycommitmenttomeanambitionsorloveofcomfort.

Theyarenotanxioussocialclimbers,andtheyhavenodevotionto

semstometolinkthemwithlife,andthe

'sasiftheywereinsomencosmicbeings

t

econceited,

illmannered,presumptuousoffatuous,butIdonotturnfor

protectiontodrearyclichaboutrespectforelders--asifmere

tthatweareequals,andIwill

arguewithhim,asanequal,ifIthinkheiswrong.

Lesson6Thesportingspirit

IamalwaysamazedwhenIhearpeoplesayingthatsportcreates

goodwillbetweenthenations,andthatifonlythecommonpeoples

oftheworldcouldmeetoneanotheratfootballorcricket,they

one

didn'tknowfromconcreteexamples(the1936OlympicGames,for

instance)thatinternationalsportingcontestsleadtoorgiesof

hatred,onecoulddeduceitfromgeneralprinciples.

yto

win,andthegamehaslittlemeaningunlessyoudoyourutmostto

illagegreen,whereyoupickupsidesandnofeeling

oflocalpatriotismisinvolved,itispossibletoplaysimplyfor

thefunandexerci:butassoonasthequestionofprestigearis,

assoonasyoufeelthatyouandsomelargerunitwillbedisgraced

ifyoulo,

significantthingisnotthebehaviouroftheplayersbutthe

attitudeofthespectators:and,behindthespectators,ofthe

kthemlvesintofuriesovertheabsurdcontests,

andriouslybelieve--atanyrateforshortperiods--thatrunning,

jumpingandkickingaballaretestsofnationalvirtue.

刘晓华liuxiaohua72@8

Lesson7Bats

Notallsoundsmadebyanimalsrveaslanguage,andwehaveonly

toturntothatextraordinarydiscoveryofecho-locationinbatsto

eacainwhichthe