Lesson 01 Finding Fossil Man
Why are legends handed down by storytellers useful?
We can read of things that happened 5,000 years ago in the Near East, where people first learned to write. But there are some parts of the world where even now people cannot write. The only way that they can preserve their history is to recount it as sagas - legends handed down from one generation of storyteller to another. 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. Anthropologists wondered where the remote ancestors of the Polynesian peoples now living in the Pacific Islands came from. The sagas of these people explain that some of them came from Indonesia about 2,000 years ago.
But the first people who were like ourselves lived so long ago that even their sagas, if they had any, are forgotten. So archaeologists have neither history nor legends to help them find out where the first “modern men” came from.
Fortunately, however, ancient men made tools of stone, especially flint, because this is easier to shape than other kinds. They may also have used wood and skins, but these have rotted away. Stone 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.
📝 文章大意
我们能读到 5000 年前近东地区的文字记载，但世界上有些地方至今仍没有文字，那里的人只能靠代代相传的传说来保存历史。这些传说能告诉我们古代人类迁徙的情况，例如波利尼西亚人的传说说明，他们的一部分祖先大约 2000 年前来自印度尼西亚。然而最早的”现代人”生活的年代太久远，即使有过传说也早已失传，考古学家既没有历史记载也没有传说可以依靠。幸运的是，古人用石头（特别是燧石）制作工具，木头和兽皮早已腐烂，石头却不会腐烂，所以即使制造者的骨头都已消失，石器依然保存了下来。
标题问题的答案：传说能告诉我们很久以前人类迁徙的情况，而那些人自己并没有留下文字记载。
📚 核心单词
| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 含义 | 文中用法 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| fossil | /ˈfɒsl/ | n. | 化石 | Fossil Man（化石人，标题） |
| recount | /rɪˈkaʊnt/ | v. | 详细讲述 | recount it as sagas |
| saga | /ˈsɑːɡə/ | n. | 传说，英雄故事 | legends handed down … |
| legend | /ˈledʒənd/ | n. | 传说 | handed down from one generation to another |
| migration | /maɪˈɡreɪʃn/ | n. | 迁徙，移居 | migrations of people |
| anthropologist | /ˌænθrəˈpɒlədʒɪst/ | n. | 人类学家 | anthropo-（人）+ -logist（学者） |
| ancestor | /ˈænsestə(r)/ | n. | 祖先 | the remote ancestors |
| Polynesian | /ˌpɒlɪˈniːʒn/ | adj. | 波利尼西亚的 | the Polynesian peoples |
| archaeologist | /ˌɑːkiˈɒlədʒɪst/ | n. | 考古学家 | archaeo-（古）+ -logist |
| flint | /flɪnt/ | n. | 燧石 | tools of stone, especially flint |
| rot | /rɒt/ | v. | 腐烂 | rot away（烂光） |
| decay | /dɪˈkeɪ/ | v. | 腐烂，衰败 | Stone does not decay. |
| trace | /treɪs/ | n. | 痕迹 | disappear without trace（无影无踪） |
📖 难句解析
1. We can read of things that happened 5,000 years ago in the Near East, where people first learned to write.
read of= 读到（关于……的记载），比 read about 更书面that happened ...是限制性定语从句，修饰 thingswhere引导非限制性定语从句，修饰 the Near East- 译: 我们可以读到 5000 年前在近东发生的事情，那里的人最早学会了书写。
2. The only way that they can preserve their history is to recount it as sagas - legends handed down from one generation of storyteller to another.
- 主干：
The only way ... is to do（唯一的办法是……），表语用不定式 that they can preserve their history是定语从句修饰 way，that 可省略recount it as sagas= 把它作为传说讲述出来；recount = 详细叙述- 破折号后的
legends ...是 sagas 的同位语，解释什么是 saga handed down是过去分词作后置定语，表被动（= that are handed down）from one generation of storyteller to another= 从一代讲述者传给下一代- 译: 他们保存历史的唯一方法是把历史当作传说讲述出来——这些传说由讲述者一代一代地传下去。
3. 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.
because引导原因状语从句，内部又套who lived long ago修饰 peoplebut none could write down ...的 none 指”那些人中没有一个”，补充说明为什么要靠传说what they did是宾语从句，作 write down 的宾语- 译: 这些传说之所以有用，是因为它们能告诉我们很久以前人类迁徙的情况，而那些人谁也不会把自己的经历写下来。
4. But the first people who were like ourselves lived so long ago that even their sagas, if they had any, are forgotten.
- 主干：
the first people ... lived so long ago that ...，so ... that= 如此……以至于 who were like ourselves修饰 people，”像我们这样的人”即现代人if they had any是插入语，表示怀疑：就算他们有过传说- 译: 但是最早的和我们相似的人生活的年代太久远了，即使他们有过传说，也早已被遗忘了。
5. So archaeologists have neither history nor legends to help them find out where the first “modern men” came from.
neither A nor B= 既没有 A 也没有 Bto help them find out ...是不定式作后置定语，修饰 history 和 legends；help sb do省略 towhere ... came from是宾语从句，用陈述语序- 译: 因此，考古学家既没有历史记载也没有传说来帮助他们弄清最早的”现代人”是从哪里来的。
6. Fortunately, however, ancient men made tools of stone, especially flint, because this is easier to shape than other kinds.
Fortunately, however连用：however 表示与上段转折，fortunately 表达作者态度this is easier to shape：主语 this（燧石）是 shape 的逻辑宾语，easy to do结构里不定式用主动表被动other kinds= other kinds of stone- 译: 然而幸运的是，古人用石头，特别是燧石制作工具，因为燧石比其他石头容易成形。
7. They may also have used wood and skins, but these have rotted away.
may have done= 可能已经做过，是对过去的推测rot away= 烂掉，away 强调”完全消失”- 译: 他们也可能使用过木头和兽皮，但这些东西早已腐烂殆尽。
8. Stone 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.
the tools of long ago= 很久以前的工具，long ago在这里当名词用，作 of 的宾语when不是”当……时”，而是”然而、尽管”，表对比（= even though）even强调连骨头都没留下，衬托石器保存之久who made them修饰 the men，them 指 toolswithout trace= 无影无踪- 译: 石头不会腐烂，因此即使制造这些工具的人的骨头都已消失得无影无踪，远古时代的石器却保存了下来。