练习材料：

L38-1: The first calendar

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.

/ˈfjuʧər/ /hɪˈstɔriənz/ /wɪl/ /bi/ /ɪn/ /ə/ /juˈnik/ /pəˈzɪʃən/ /wɛn/ /ðeɪ/ /kʌm/ /tu/ /ˈrɛkərd/ /ðə/ /ˈhɪstəri/ /ʌv/ /ˈaʊər/ /oʊn/ /taɪmz/. /ðeɪ/ /wɪl/ /ˈhɑrdli/ /noʊ/ /wɪʧ/ /fækts/ /tu/ /səˈlɛkt/ /frʌm/ /ðə/ /greɪt/ /mæs/ /ʌv/ /ˈɛvədəns/ /ðæt/ /ˈstɛdəli/ /əˈkjumjəˌleɪts/. /wʌt/ /ɪz/ /mɔr/, /ðeɪ/ /wɪl/ /nɑt/ /hæv/ /tu/ /rɪˈlaɪ/ /ˈsoʊəli/ /ɑn/ /ðə/ /ˈrɪtən/ /wɜrd/. /fɪlmz/, /ˈvɪdioʊz/, /ˈsiˈdiz/ /ænd/ /ˈsiˈdi/-/rɑmz/ /ɑr/ /ʤʌst/ /sʌm/ /ʌv/ /ðə/ /bɪˈwɪldərɪŋ/ /əˈmaʊnt/ /ʌv/ /ˌɪnfərˈmeɪʃən/ /ðeɪ/ /wɪl/ /hæv/. /ðeɪ/ /wɪl/ /bi/ /ˈeɪbəl/, /æz/ /ɪt/ /wɜr/, /tu/ /si/ /ænd/ /hir/ /ʌs/ /ɪn/ /ˈækʃən/. /bʌt/ /ðə/ /hɪˈstɔriən/ /əˈtɛmptɪŋ/ /tu/ /ˌrikənˈstrʌkt/ /ðə/ /ˈdɪstənt/ /pæst/ /ɪz/ /ˈɔlˌweɪz/ /feɪst/ /wɪð/ /ə/ /ˈdɪfəkəlt/ /tæsk/. /hi/ /hæz/ /tu/ /dɪˈdus/ /wʌt/ /hi/ /kæn/ /frʌm/ /ðə/ /fju/ /ˈskænti/ /kluz/ /əˈveɪləbəl/. /ˈivɪn/ /ˈsimɪŋli/ /ˌɪnsɪgnˈjɪfɪkənt/ /rɪˈmeɪnz/ /kæn/ /ʃɛd/ /ˈɪntrəstɪŋ/ /laɪt/ /ɑn/ /ðə/ /ˈhɪstəri/ /ʌv/ /ˈɜrli/ /mən/.

/ʌp/ /tu/ /naʊ/, /hɪˈstɔriənz/ /hæv/ /əˈsumd/ /ðæt/ /ˈkæləndərz/ /keɪm/ /ˈɪntu/ /ˈbiɪŋ/ /wɪð/ /ði/ /ˈædˌvɛnt/ /ʌv/ /ˈægrɪˌkʌlʧər/, /fɔr/ /ðɛn/ /mən/ /wʌz/ /feɪst/ /wɪð/ /ə/ /riəl/ /nid/ /tu/ /ˌʌndərˈstænd/ /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/ /əˈbaʊt/ /ðə/ /ˈsizənz/. /ˈrisənt/ /ˌsaɪənˈtɪfɪk/ /ˈɛvədəns/ /simz/ /tu/ /ˈɪndəˌkeɪt/ /ðæt/ /ðɪs/ /əˈsʌmpʃən/ /ɪz/ /ɪnkəˈrɛkt/.

任务配置：L0+L4

知识笔记：

calendar /ˈkæləndər/ n.日历

steadily /ˈstɛdəli/ adv.不断地

solely /ˈsoʊəli/ adv.唯一地

accumulate v.积累

the great mass of 庞大的

the amount of 大量的

will not have to 不必要

rely solely on 完全依赖

CD-ROM 只读光盘(Compact Disc Read-only Memory)

bewilder /bɪˈwɪldər/ v.令人眼花缭乱

deduce v.推理

reconstruct v.重现

distant past 遥远的过去

shed light on...使清楚地显出来

scanty adj.不足的

shed v.使流出

up to now 迄今为止

advent /ˈædˌvɛnt/ n.出现

unique /juˈnik/ adj.独具一格的

as it were 可以说

the history of early man 人类早起历史

remain n.遗物

练习感悟：

Never leave the things until tomorrow you can do today.