资源描述：
《新概念英语4课文(打印背诵版).doc》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在教育资源-天天文库。
1、Lesson1FindingfossilmanWecanreadofthingsthathappened5,000yearsagointheNearEast,wherepeoplefirstlearnedtowrite.Buttherearesomepartsoftheworldwhereevennowpeoplecannotwrite.Theonlywaythattheycanpreservetheirhistoryistorecountitassagas--legendshandeddownfromone
2、generationtoanother.Theselegendsareusefulbecausetheycantellussomethingaboutmigrationsofpeoplewholivedlongago,butnonecouldwritedownwhattheydid.AnthropologistswonderedwheretheremoteancestorsofthePolynesianpeoplesnowlivinginthePacificIslandscamefrom.Thesagasof
3、thesepeopleexplainthatsomeofthemcamefromIndonesiaabout2,000yearsago.Butthefirstpeoplewhowerelikeourselveslivedsolongagothateventheirsagas,iftheyhadany,areforgotten.Soarchaeologistshaveneitherhistorynorlegendstohelpthemtofindoutwherethefirst'modernmen'camefr
4、om.Fortunately,however,ancientmenmadetoolsofstone,especiallyflint,becausethisiseasiertoshapethanotherkinds.Theymayalsohaveusedwoodandskins,butthesehaverottedaway.Stonedoesnotdecay,andsothetoolsoflongagohaveremainedwheneventhebonesofthemenwhomadethemhavedisa
5、ppearedwithouttrace.Lesson2SparethatspiderWhy,youmaywonder,shouldspidersbeourfriends?Becausetheydestroysomanyinsects,andinsectsincludesomeofthegreatestenemiesofthehumanrace.Insectswouldmakeitimpossibleforustoliveintheworld;theywoulddevourallourcropsandkillo
6、urflocksandherds,ifitwerenotfortheprotectionwegetfrominsect-eatinganimals.Weowealottothebirdsandbeastswhoeatinsectsbutallofthemputtogetherkillonlyafractionofthenumberdestroyedbyspiders.Moreover,unlikesomeoftheotherinsecteaters,spidersneverdotheleastharmtous
7、orourbelongings.Spidersarenotinsects,asmanypeoplethink,norevennearlyrelatedtothem.Onecantellthedifferencealmostataglance,foraspideralwayshaseightlegsandinsectnevermorethansix.Howmanyspidersareengagedinthisworkonourbehalf?Oneauthorityonspidersmadeacensusofth
8、espidersingrassfieldinthesouthofEngland,andheestimatedthatthereweremorethan2,250,000inoneacre;thatissomethinglike6,000,000spidersofdifferentkindsonafootballpitch.Spidersarebusyforatleasthalftheyearinki
