1、Lesson 1 Finding fossil man第一课发现化石人by ROBIN PLACEfrom Finding fossil man 1-1. We can read of things that happened 5,000 years ago in the Near East, where people first learned to write.【译文】我们能读到五千年前近东发生之事，那里的人最先学会了书写。【单词和短语】read：此处为不及物动词，意为“读到，获悉”（to find out information from books，newspapers etc.），后
2、接of或about，例如：He reads about the war. 他读到关于战争的消息。Did you read of their accident in the newspapers?你在报上看到他们遭遇意外事故的消息了么？5,000 years：五千年。另学习millennium，意为“一千年”，复数为millennia。5,000 years即为5 millennia。the Near East：近东，指地中海东部沿岸地区，包括亚洲西南部和非洲东北部，有时还包括巴尔干半岛。1-2. But there are some parts of the world where even
3、now people cannot write.【译文】但时至今日世上某些地方的人还不会书写。【单词和短语】even now：此处意为“甚至到现在”，例如：Even now he wont believe me. 他甚至到现在还不相信我。even now另有两解，一为“就在此刻”，例如：Perhaps even now the time has arrived.也许正是此刻时机来到了。另一为“尽管这样，虽然情况如此”（in spite of what has happened），例如：I have explained everything，but even now she doesnt und
4、erstand.我什么都解释了，但是尽管如此她还是不明白。1-3. The only way that they can preserve their history is to recount it as sagaslegends handed down from one generation of story-tellers to another.【译文】他们能够保存历史的唯一方法是将历史当传说讲述，由讲述人一代接一代地口授传奇故事。【讲解】to recount it asanother是动词不定式短语，作表语，说明主语way的内容，it指history。句中破折号引出同位语。handed
5、 down another是过去分词短语，作legends的定语。another后省略了generation of story-tellers。【单词和短语】preserve：保存，保留（to make sth. continue without changing）。例如：preserve an old house as a museum 保存一幢老房子用作陈列馆preserve sb.s right to do sth. 保留某人对某事物的权利Few of his early poems are preserved. 他早期的诗没有几首留存下来。recount：详细叙述，描述，说明（to t
6、ell someone a story or describe a series of events），例如：recount a story with real wit 妙趣横生地讲故事The explorer recounted his adventures in a number of books.探险家在好几本书中描述自己的冒险经历。saga：英雄传奇（a long story about events that happened over the years）hand down：把传下去（to give or leave sth. to people who will live aft
7、er you），例如：This custom is handed down from the past. 这个习惯是过去传下来的。The gold watch has been handed down in his family. 那块金表是他家祖传的。1-4. 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.【译文】这些传说有用，因为它们能告诉我们一
8、些人迁徙之事。这些人生活在远古，但没人能记录他们的所作所为。【讲解】none可指可数名词，亦可指不可数名词。指前者时动词用单数或复数，指后者时动词用单数。【单词和短语】migration：迁徙，移居（when large numbers of people go to live in another area or country，especially in order to find work），动词形式为migrate，例如：migrate to another country 移居他国1-5. Anthropologists wondered where the remote ances
9、tors of the Polynesian peoples now living in the Pacific Islands came from.【译文】人类学家过去不清楚如今生活在太平洋诸岛的波利尼西亚各民族的远祖来自何方。【讲解】now living in the Pacific Islands是现在分词短语，作peoples的定语。【单词和短语】anthropologist：人类学家。anthropology意为“人类学”（the scientific study of people，their societies ，cultures，etc.）。相关词汇有sociology（社会学
10、）和ethnology（人种学，民族学）。remote ancestor：远祖（someone related to you，who lived a long time ago）。形容词remote的常用意为“遥远的，久远的”（far from towns or other places where people live），例如：the remotest corners of the earth 天涯海角a custom of remote antiquity 远古遗风remote亦可作名词，常用意为“遥控器”（remote controller）。people：people作“一国人民，民
11、族”（the people who belong to a particular country，race，or area）解时为可数名词单数，复数为peoples或people。参照上下文，文中people译为“民族”。另举例如下：the peoples of the world 世界各国人民a hardworking people 勤劳的民族the Jewish people 犹太民族Each people builds a culture adapted to its particular needs. 各民族都建立起一种适应其独特需要的文化。1-6. The sagas of thes
12、e people explain that some of them came from Indonesia about 2,000 years ago.【译文】当地人的种种传说向世人解释了其中一些民族约在两千年前迁自印度尼西亚。【单词和短语】saga:传说（a long story about events that happen over many year）。1-7. But the first people who were like ourselves lived so long ago that even their sagas, if they had any, are forg
13、otten.【译文】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，即使存在，如今也失传了。1-8. So archaeologists have neither history nor legends to help them to find out where the first modern men came from.【译文】于是，考古学家既无历史记载，亦无口头传说来帮助他们弄清首批“现代人”来自何方。【单词和短语】legend:传说（an old，well-known story，often about brave people, adventures, or mag
14、ical events）。形容词为legendary。1-9. Fortunately, however, ancient men made tools of stone, especially flint, because this is easier to shape than other kinds.【译文】然而，幸运的是，远古人用制作石器，特别是燧石器，因为燧石比其他石头更易成形。【讲解】other kinds后面省略了of stones。【单词和短语】flint：燧石（a type of smooth hard stone that makes a small flame when
15、you hit it with steel）。1-10. They may also have used wood and skins, but these have rotted away.【译文】他们也可能用过木头和兽皮，但这两类东西早已腐烂殆尽。【讲解】may also have used意为“可能使用过”，may完成时结构表示对过去情况的推测。these指wood and skins。【单词和短语】rot: 腐败，腐烂（to decay by a gradual natural process, or to make something to do this）。1-11. Stone
16、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.【译文】石头不会腐烂。因此，虽然制造这些工具的人的骨头早已荡然无存，但远古时代的石器却保存至今。【讲解】when even the bones trace相当于让步从句，when意即“虽然，尽管”，又如：We sometimes expect gratitude when we are not entitled to it.有时
17、虽然我们不值得感激，我们却期望别人感激。While he has a house of his own, his brother lives in a flat.尽管他有自己的房子，他弟弟却住在公寓里。Lesson 2 Spare that spider第二课不要伤害蜘蛛by T. H. GILLESPLEfrom The Listener 2-1. Why, you may wonder, should spiders be our friends?【译文】你可能会奇怪，蜘蛛怎是吾友？【讲解】you may wonder为插入语。2-2. Because they destroy so ma
18、ny insects, and insects include some of the greatest enemies of the human race.【译文】因为它们消灭了那么多昆虫，包括一些属于人类最大敌人的昆虫。2-3. Insects would make it impossible for us to live in the world; they would devour all our crops and kill our flocks and herds, if it were not for the protection we get from insect-eatin
19、g animals.【译文】昆虫可以使我们无法在地球上生存。如果不是食虫动物的保护，则这些昆虫会吞噬我们所有的庄稼，杀死我们成群的牛羊。【讲解】make it impossible for us to live in the world中it是形式宾语，真正的宾语是for us to live in the world。insects would和they would中的would均表示与事实不符的虚拟结构。if it were not for the protection作前面两个分句的非真实条件状语从句，意即“要不是我们从食虫那里得到保护的话”。这里的were是虚拟语气结构。we geta
20、nimals作protection的定语。2-4. 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.【译文】我们受惠于食虫的飞禽鸟兽，但把它们都算在一起，也只是捕杀了蜘蛛消灭的昆虫数的一个零头。【讲解】all of them指birds and beasts，put together kill相当于them who are put together kill。意即“它们
21、全加在一起消灭”。the number指“被消灭的昆虫数”。【单词和短语】owe:应感激（to know that someones help has been important to you in achieving something），例如：We owe our parents a lot. 我们得大大感激我们的父母。2-5. Moreover, unlike some of the other insect eaters, spiders never do the least harm to us or our belongings.【译文】此外，不同于其他一些食虫动物，蜘蛛对人类及
22、其财物丝毫无损。 【单词和短语】belongings：所有物，财物，动产；行李，例如：He left all his belongings to his brother.他把他的全部财物留给了他兄弟。It didnt take me long to arrange my belongings；for I had brought little.因为行装带得不多，我没花多少时间就把东西整理好了。2-6. Spiders are not insects, as many people think, nor even nearly related to them.【译文】蜘蛛不像许多人认为的那样属于昆
23、虫，它们甚至与昆虫毫无关系。【讲解】as many people think是插入语，意即“蜘蛛不是像许多人认为的那样是昆虫”。翻译这一插入语时，必须注意它在句中的位置。不论把它移至句首，译为“正如许多人认为的那样，蜘蛛不是昆虫”，还是将它留在句末，译为“蜘蛛不是昆虫，如同许多人认为的那样”，两种译文都和原意相违。原句是说“许多人认为蜘蛛是昆虫，而其实不是，他们的看法有误”，而前两种译文的意思则变为“许多人的看法是正确的，他们认为蜘蛛不是昆虫”。正确的译法应将as many people think置于not（不像）之后、are（属于）之前，译为“蜘蛛不像许多人认为的那样属于昆虫”。这句原文中
24、的as many people think相当于as many people think spiders are insects。nor even nearly承前省略了are spiders，完整的句子应是：nor are the spiders even nearly related to them。2-7. One can tell the difference almost at a glance, for a spider always has eight legs and insect never more than six.【译文】人们几乎一眼就能看出二者的差异，因为蜘蛛总是8条
25、腿，而昆虫至多有6条腿。【单词和短语】at a glance：2-8. How many spiders are engaged in this work on our behalf?【译文】有多少蜘蛛正在为我们做这项工作呢？【单词和短语】engaged:忙的；从事的（busy）；例如：Engaged in conversation，they did not see me.他们谈得正来劲，没看见我。He is engaged on that book.他正忙于写那部书。on sbs behalf:为了某人的利益；为了某人（because of or for someone）。例如：Dont b
26、e uneasy on my behalf. 不要为我担心。该词组的另一含义是“代表某人（instead of someone，or as their representative）”。例如：You may sign cheques on our behalf.你可以代表我们在支票上签字。2-9. One authority on spiders made a census of the spiders in grass field in the south of England, and he estimated that there were more than 2,250,000 in
27、one acre; that is something like 6,000,000 spiders of different kinds on a football pitch.【译文】某蜘蛛权威对英国南部某块草坪上的蜘蛛数目统计了一次。他估计每英亩草坪里有超过225万只蜘蛛，即相当于一个足球场上约有6百万只种类各异的蜘蛛。【单词和短语】authority：学术权威，专家，泰斗（someone who knows a lot about a subject and whose knowledge and opinions are greatly respected）。某方面的authorit
28、y需用介词on，例如：an authority on preventive medicine 预防医学的权威something like：接近，大约（close to but not exactly a large amount），例如：He is to sell the house for something like $150,000.他将以大约15万美元的价钱出售这幢房子。census：统计数量（a process of counting something）。2-10. Spiders are busy for at least half the year in killing ins
29、ects.【译文】蜘蛛至少有半年在忙于吃虫。【讲解】half（形容词）the year是half（名词）of the year的省略形式。2-11. 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.【译文】它们消灭了多少昆虫，我们简直无法猜测，它们是吃不饱的动物，不满足于一日三餐。【讲解】it是形式主语，真正的主语是to make more than
30、the wildest guess at how many they kill。It is impossible to是重点句型，需熟练掌握。not前省略了and they are。【单词和短语】content：adj. 满意，满足（happy and satisfied）。2-12. 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
31、 beings in the country.【译文】据估计，在英国一年里被蜘蛛消灭的昆虫的总重量超过该国人口的总重量。【讲解】it是形式主语，真正的主语是the weight of all the insects destroyedin the country。It has been estimated that是重点句型，需熟练掌握。Lesson 3 Matterhorn man第三课马特霍恩山区人by WALTER UNSWORTHfrom Matterhorn Man 3-1. Modern alpinists try to climb mountains by a route whi
32、ch will give them good sport, and the more difficult it is, the more highly it is regarded.【译文】现代登山运动员力图沿着一条能从中得到锻炼乐趣的路线登山。他们认为路线愈艰难则愈为人们所重视。【讲解】try后接动词不定式，作make an attempt解，译为“力图”。by a route中by意为“沿，经”。it指a route。【单词和短语】regard:看待，把看作（to think about someone or something in a particular way）。3-2. In t
33、he pioneering days, however, this was not the case at all.【译文】然而在登山运动初创期全然并非如此。【讲解】in the pioneering days指在初创时期，指登山运动的初创期。【单词和短语】pioneering：创新的，先驱的（introducing new and better methods or ideas for the first time）。例如：the pioneering work of NASA scientists（美国）国家航空和航天局科学家们所作的开创性工作3-3. The early climbers
34、 were looking for the easiest way to the top, because the summit was the prize they sought, especially if it had never been attained before.【译文】早期登山者所寻找的是通往山顶的最方便的途径，因为顶峰，尤其是仍未被人征服过的顶峰，才是他们寻求的目标。【讲解】to the top是介词短语，作way的定语，指“到达顶峰的路”。they sought是定语从句，作prize的定语，指“他们追求的目标”。if it had never been attained
35、 before中的it指the summit。【单词和短语】summit：山顶（the top of a mountain）。summit另一常见含义为峰会（an important meeting or set of meetings between the leaders of several governments），例如：The two presidents agreed to hold a summit in the April.两位总统同意在四月举行峰会。3-4. It is true that during their explorations they often faced
36、difficulties and dangers of the most perilous nature, equipped in a manner with would make a modern climber shudder at the thought, but they did not go out of their way to court such excitement.【译文】的确，探险中他们经常遇到性质最为危险的艰难险阻，他们装备之简陋使现代登山者一想起来就胆战心惊。但他们并非故意寻求这种刺激。【讲解】equipped in a mannerthought是过去分词短语，作原
37、因状语，修饰faced。at the thought后省略了of the manner。【单词和短语】perilous：充满危险的；濒临毁灭的（very dangerous），例如：a perilous rate of inflation 危机四伏的通货膨胀率perilous的名词形式为peril。shudder at：对感到惊恐（to think that something is very bad or unpleasant），例如：He shudders at the sight of a snake.他一见到蛇就胆颤心惊。go out of their way to do someth
38、ing：特地；不怕麻烦地（to do something with more effort than is usual or expected），例如：She went out of her way to help me.她不怕麻烦地来帮我。3-5. They had a single aim, a solitary goalthe top!【译文】他们只有一个目的，唯一的目标顶峰！【讲解】从语法角度分析，a solitary goal和the top均是a single aim的同位语。从修辞角度看，作者以改变说法的方式达到加强语意的目的。这叫修正法（epanorthosis）。破折号引出被
39、强调部分。【单词和短语】solitary：独一无二的（used to emphasize that there is only one of something），例如：a solitary exception 唯一的例外3-6. It is hard for us to realize nowadays how difficult it was for the pioneers.【译文】如今我们很难理解登山先驱者昔日是多么艰苦。【讲解】it是形式主语，to realize nowadays how difficult it was for the pioneers是真正的主语。请掌握It i
40、s hard for sb. to do something.这个句型。【单词和短语】pioneer:先驱（someone who is important in the early development of something, and whose work or ideas are later developed by other people），例如：a pioneer of photography 摄影术创始人a pioneer in the development of radar 雷达研制的先驱3-7. Except for one or two places such as
41、Zermatt and Chamonix, which had rapidly become popular, Alpine village tended to be impoverished settlements cut off from civilization by the high mountains.【译文】除了泽曼特和夏蒙尼等一两个迅速出名的地方外，阿尔卑斯山山区的小村由于高山隔绝了文明日渐成为贫穷的村落。 【讲解】such as可以分开，如such places as，这时as作关系代词，as引出的从句是省略句。such as不分开时其作用相当于like，表示举例。因此可以把s
42、uchChamonix视为修饰places的定语。cut off from civilization by the high mountains是过去分词短语作定语，修饰settlements。【单词和短语】except for：除了之外，例如：I know nothing about him except for the fact that he lives next door.我除了知道他住在隔壁外，对他的其他情况一无所知。impoverish：使穷困，使赤贫（to make some one very poor），形容词为impoverished，名词形式为impoverishment。
43、3-8. 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.【译文】当地的那些小旅馆一般都肮脏且跳蚤猖獗。单调的食物是当地乳酪配以常常已放了一年之久的面包，人们就着劣酒吞下这种食物。【讲解】as there were作定语从句修饰inns，as乃关系代词。the food simply中food和simply
44、中间，all与washed中间都省略了was。请注意，在几个并列分句中，第一个分句中用了be，后面分句中的be可以省略，例如：There are two requisites in interpretation：one is accuracy and the other（is）expressiveness.口译要求有二：准确和明晰。accompanied by bread often twelve months old是过去分词短语，作cheese的定语。often twelve months old作定语，修饰bread。【单词和短语】accompany：伴随，和一起发生（to happen
45、 or exist at the same time as something else），例如:fever accompanied with delirium伴有昏迷的发烧3-9. Often a valley boasted no inn at all, and climbers found shelter wherever they couldsometimes with the local priest (who was usually as poor as his parishioners), sometimes with shepherds or cheese-makers.【译文
46、】山谷里常没有小旅馆，登山者只好随遇而安或与当地牧师（他们通常和其教区居民一样穷）住在一起，或与牧羊人或制乳酪者住在一起。【讲解】wherever they could作地点状语，修饰found。could后省略了find shelter。sometimes with两词之间省略了they found shelter。found shelter with与住在一起，这里的破折号引出被强调的部分。【单词和短语】boast：以拥有而自豪（if a place, object, or organization boasts something, it has something that is ve
47、ry good），例如：A fishing village 30 years ago, it now boasts 150 major hotels.那地方30年前还是个渔村，现已为拥有150家大宾馆而自豪。3-10. Invariably the background was the same: dirt and poverty, and very uncomfortable.【译文】这些山村的基调总是一样的：肮且穷，极不舒适。【讲解】same后的冒号引出同位语。dirt and poverty, and very uncomfortable作the same的同位语。【单词和短语】inva
48、riable: 始终如一的，恒定不变的（always happening in the same way, at the same time etc.），例如：Its my invariable habit to take a nap.睡午觉是我的老习惯。invariably是invariable的副词形式。3-11. For men accustomed to eating seven-course dinners and sleeping between fine linen sheets at home, the change to the Alps must have very hard indeed.【译文】对过惯了在家里一餐吃七道菜、睡亚麻细布床单的的人来说，到阿尔卑斯山所带来的变化想来一定太
