The first calender

原文

Future historians will be in a unique position when they come to record the history of our own times. They will hardly know which facts to select from the great mass of evidence that steadily accumulates. What is more, they will not have to rely solely on the written word. Films, videos, CDs and CD-ROMS are just some of the bewildering amount of information they will have. They will be able, as it were, to see and hear us in action. But the historian attempting to reconstruct the distant past is always faced with a difficult task. He has to deduce what he can from the few scanty clues available. Even seemingly insignificant remains can shed interesting light on the history of early man.

Up to now, historians have assumed that calendars came into being with the advent of agriculture, for then man was faced with a real need to understand something about the seasons. Recent scientific evidence seems to indicate that this assumption is incorrect.

Historians have long been puzzled by dots, lines and symbols which have been engraved on walls, bones, and the ivory tusks of mammoths. The nomads who made these markings lived by hunting and fishing during the last Ice Age which began about 35,000 B.C. and ended about 10,000 B.C. By correlating markings made in various parts of the world, historians have been able to read this difficult code. They have found that it is connected with the passage of days and the phases of the moon. It is, in fact, a primitive type of calendar. It has long been known that the hunting scenes depicted on walls were not simply a form of artistic expression. They had a definite meaning, for they were as near as early man could get to writing. It is possible that there is a definite relation between these paintings and the markings that sometimes accompany them. It seems that man was making a real effort to understand the seasons 20,000 years earlier than has been supposed.

译文

未来的历史学家在记录我们这个时代的历史时，将处于一个独特的地位。他们将很难从不断积累的大量证据中选择哪些事实。更重要的是，他们不必仅仅依赖于文字记录。电影、录像带、光盘和光盘-ROM只是他们将拥有的令人眼花缭乱的大量信息中的一部分。他们将能够，仿佛亲眼所见、亲耳所闻我们的行动。但是，试图重建遥远过去的史学家总是面临着艰巨的任务。他不得不从少数零星的线索中推断出他所能推断的一切。即使是表面上微不足道的遗迹，也能为早期人类的历史提供有趣的启示。

直到现在，历史学家们一直认为日历是随着农业的兴起而产生的，因为那时人类面临着真正需要了解季节的必要。最近的科学证据似乎表明这一假设是错误的。

历史学家们长期以来一直对刻在墙壁、骨头和猛犸象牙上的点、线和符号感到困惑。这些标记是由游牧民族制作的，他们在最后一次冰河时代（始于约35,000 B.C.，终于约10,000 B.C.）期间以狩猎和捕鱼为生。通过将世界各地制作的标记相互对照，历史学家们已经能够解读这个难解的密码。他们发现，它与日子的逝去和月亮的盈亏有关。事实上，它是一种原始的日历。众所周知，墙上的狩猎场景并非仅仅是艺术表现形式。它们有明确的意义，因为那是最早的人类接近写作的方式。有可能这些绘画与有时伴随它们的标记之间有确定的关系。似乎人类在比原先设想的早20,000年就做出了真正努力来理解季节。

词汇表

unique

形容词

英:/juːˈniːk/

美:/juːˈniːk/

定义

1. 独特的 - Being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else.

例子: This painting is unique because it was created by a famous artist.

例子: Her unique perspective on history makes her books fascinating.

2. 特别的 - Particularly remarkable or unusual.

例子: The scientist's unique method led to a breakthrough.

例子: This unique position allows historians to access rare materials.

近义词

distinctive: 强调独特的特征，常用于描述有显著差异的事物，而 'unique' 更强调独一无二。

singular: 更正式，暗示罕见或异常，而 'unique' 可能更中性。

rare: 侧重于稀有性，不一定独一无二，与 'unique' 不同在于 'rare' 可以有多个类似事物。

反义词:

common, ordinary, typical

用法

常用于描述事物或情况的独特性，常搭配在正式语境中，如历史或科学讨论中；文化背景中，强调个体差异。

形式:

副词: uniquely, 名词: uniqueness

关键句型 "will be able to + verb"

定义

此句型用于表达未来的能力或可能性，结构为：will be able to + verb（动词原形）。根据《剑桥英语语法》教材，这是一种表示“能够做某事”的未来表达方式，常用于描述将来的技能、机会或条件。举例来说，在文章中，“They will be able, as it were, to see and hear us in action.” 展示了这种结构，强调未来历史学家将拥有这种能力。

它区别于简单未来时，帮助学习者清晰地表达“能力”的概念，而非单纯的预测。

用法

此句型主要用于描述未来场景中可能实现的能力，如技术进步或个人发展。规则：主语 + will be able to + 动词原形，常与时间状语（如 tomorrow、in the future）结合。在语法体系中，它属于情态表达，与 can（表示现在或一般能力）相关，但 will be able to 专注于未来。

横向比较：与 will + verb（简单未来时）相比，will be able to 更强调“能力”的获得，例如 "I will go"（我将去） vs. "I will be able to go"（我将能够去，暗示可能的障碍）。与 could（过去或礼貌能力）相比，它指向未来，更适合预测性语境。另外，它可与条件句联系，如 "If I study hard, I will be able to pass the exam."

在文章中，它连接了历史与未来，展示了语言如何构建假设情景。

注意事项

学生常犯的错误包括：将 will be able to 误用为 can be able to（后者不正确，因为 can 已表示能力）；或遗漏 to，说成 "will be able do something"，这会使句子不完整。纠正建议：记住 be able to 后必须跟动词原形，并练习在上下文中使用。

另一个常见偏误是混淆与 will can（不标准），应避免。提供例句：

错误示例：They will able to see us.  // 缺少 "be"
正确示例：They will be able to see us in action.

练习

原创例子：假设你在讨论未来科技，可以说：“In the future, people will be able to travel to Mars easily.” 学生可以替换动词，如用 "fly" 代替 "travel"，或改变语境，例如：“With more practice, you will be able to speak English fluently.” 这能帮助学生应用句型到个人目标中，增强实际感。

通过替换关键词，学生能探索不同场景，如教育或职业规划。

额外内容

背景知识：这个句型源于英语中对“能力”的表达，历史可追溯到古英语时期，常在科学和历史语境中使用，如文章所述的未来历史记录。对比分析：与汉语的“将来能够……”类似，但英语通过 will be able to 更精确地标示时间轴。与法语的 "pourrai"（将能够）相比，英语版本更直观，无需动词变位，适合初学者。学习此句型能拓宽学生对未来表达的理解，连接到更广泛的语法，如虚拟语气。

关键句型 "It seems that + clause"

定义

此句型用于表达推测或意见，结构为：It seems that + clause（从句）。根据《牛津现代英语语法》，它是一种形式主语结构，其中 It 为虚主语，seems that 引导后续从句，表示“似乎”或“看起来”。在文章中，如 "It seems that man was making a real effort..."，用于表示历史学家的推断。

这个句型帮助学习者礼貌地表达不确定性，而非直接断言。

用法

此句型常用于正式或学术语境，表示基于证据的猜测或观点。规则：It seems that 后跟一个完整的从句，通常用陈述语气。在语法体系中，它属于主语从句的一部分，与 It appears that 或 It looks like 相关，强调主观判断。

横向比较：与 I think that（更个人化）相比，It seems that 更客观和正式；与 Perhaps + clause 相比，它提供更结构化的表达。跨语法点联系：它可与过去时或现在时结合，如文章中的过去事件，还能扩展到条件句，例如 "It seems that if we continue, we will succeed."

在历史文章中，它用于构建假设，增强叙述的深度。

注意事项

学生易犯错误包括：省略 that，直接说 "It seems man was..."，导致句子不完整；或误用时态，如用未来时在从句中，而忽略语境。纠正建议：始终包含 that，并根据上下文选择正确时态。提供具体例句：

错误示例：It seems man is early.  // 缺少 "that" 和完整从句
正确示例：It seems that man was making an effort to understand.

另一个问题是过度使用，导致表达重复；建议结合其他句型以多样化。

练习

原创例子：在讨论历史时可以说：“It seems that ancient people were more innovative than we thought.” 学生可以替换从句内容，如 “It seems that technology will change our lives.” 或调整到现代语境：“It seems that the weather will improve tomorrow.” 这鼓励学生在日常对话或写作中应用句型。

替换练习能帮助加深对不确定性表达的掌握。

额外内容

背景知识：这个句型反映了英语中对礼貌和间接性的偏好，起源于17世纪的正式写作，常在科学或历史文本中使用。对比分析：与西班牙语的 "Parece que..." 相似，但英语更依赖结构而非词汇。了解此句型能帮助学生在学术英语中自信表达，连接到更高级的表达如 It is likely that，丰富语言工具箱。