【正文】 stroyed by spiders in Britain in one year would be greater than the total weight of all the human beings in the country.【譯文】據估計，在英國一年里被蜘蛛消滅的昆蟲的總重量超過該國人口的總重量?！局v解】it是形式主語，真正的主語是to make more than the wildest guess at how many they kill。census：統(tǒng)計數(shù)量（a process of counting something）。 that is something like 6,000,000 spiders of different kinds on a football pitch.【譯文】某蜘蛛權威對英國南部某塊草坪上的蜘蛛數(shù)目統(tǒng)計了一次。例如：Don’t be uneasy on my behalf. 不要為我擔心。27. One can tell the difference almost at a glance, for a spider always has eight legs and insect never more than six.【譯文】人們幾乎一眼就能看出二者的差異，因為蜘蛛總是8條腿，而昆蟲至多有6條腿。原句是說“許多人認為蜘蛛是昆蟲，而其實不是，他們的看法有誤”，而前兩種譯文的意思則變?yōu)椤霸S多人的看法是正確的，他們認為蜘蛛不是昆蟲”。26. Spiders are not insects, as many people think, nor even nearly related to them.【譯文】蜘蛛不像許多人認為的那樣屬于昆蟲，它們甚至與昆蟲毫無關系?！締卧~和短語】owe:應感激（to know that someone’s help has been important to you in achieving something），例如：We owe our parents a lot. 我們得大大感激我們的父母。24. 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.【譯文】我們受惠于食蟲的飛禽鳥獸，但把它們都算在一起，也只是捕殺了蜘蛛消滅的昆蟲數(shù)的一個零頭。insects would和they would中的would均表示與事實不符的虛擬結構。23. Insects would make it impossible for us to live in the world?！局v解】when even the bones … trace相當于讓步從句，when意即“雖然，盡管”，又如：We sometimes expect gratitude when we are not entitled to it.有時雖然我們不值得感激，我們卻期望別人感激。these指wood and skins?！局v解】other kinds后面省略了of stones。 came from.【譯文】于是，考古學家既無歷史記載，亦無口頭傳說來幫助他們弄清首批“現(xiàn)代人”來自何方?！締卧~和短語】saga:傳說（a long story about events that happen over many year）。people：people作“一國人民，民族”（the people who belong to a particular country，race，or area）解時為可數(shù)名詞單數(shù)，復數(shù)為peoples或people。anthropology意為“人類學”（the scientific study of people，their societies ，cultures，etc.）。指前者時動詞用單數(shù)或復數(shù)，指后者時動詞用單數(shù)。The gold watch has been handed down in his family. 那塊金表是他家祖?zhèn)鞯??！締卧~和短語】preserve：保存，保留（to make sth. continue without changing）。【講解】to recount it as…another是動詞不定式短語，作表語，說明主語way的內容，it指history?！締卧~和短語】even now：此處意為“甚至到現(xiàn)在”，例如：Even now he won’t believe me. 他甚至到現(xiàn)在還不相信我。另學習millennium，意為“一千年”，復數(shù)為millennia。Lesson 1 Finding fossil man第一課發(fā)現(xiàn)化石人by ROBIN PLACEfrom Finding fossil man 11. We can read of things that happened 5,000 years ago in the Near East, where people first learned to write.【譯文】我們能讀到五千年前近東發(fā)生之事，那里的人最先學會了書寫。5,000 years即為5 millennia。even now另有兩解，一為“就在此刻”，例如：Perhaps even now the time has 。句中破折號引出同位語。例如：preserve an old house as a museum 保存一幢老房子用作陳列館preserve sb.’s right to do sth. 保留某人對某事物的權利Few of his early poems are preserved. 他早期的詩沒有幾首留存下來。14. 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.【譯文】這些傳說有用，因為它們能告訴我們一些人遷徙之事。【單詞和短語】migration：遷徙，移居（when large numbers of people go to live in another area or country，especially in order to find work），動詞形式為migrate，例如：migrate to another country 移居他國15. Anthropologists wondered where the remote ancestors of the Polynesian peoples now living in the Pacific Islands came from.【譯文】人類學家過去不清楚如今生活在太平洋諸島的波利尼西亞各民族的遠祖來自何方。相關詞匯有sociology（社會學）和ethnology（人種學，民族學）。參照上下文，文中people譯為“民族”。17. But the first people who were like ourselves lived so long ago that even their sagas, if they had any, are forgotten.【譯文】但是，和我們相似的原始人生活的年代太久遠了，因此有關他們的傳說，即使存在，如今也失傳了?！締卧~和短語】legend:傳說（an old，wellknown story，often about brave people, adventures, or magical events）?！締卧~和短語】flint：燧石（a type of smooth hard stone that makes a small flame when you hit it with steel）?！締卧~和短語】rot: 腐敗，腐爛（to decay by a gradual natural process, or to make something to do this）。While he has a house of his own, his brother lives in a flat.盡管他有自己的房子，他弟弟卻住在公寓里。 they would devour all our crops and kill our flocks and herds, if it were not for the protection we get from insecteating animals.【譯文】昆蟲可以使我們無法在地球上生存。if it were not for the protection…作前面兩個分句的非真實條件狀語從句，意即“要不是我們從食蟲那里得到保護的話……”?！局v解】all of them指birds and beasts，put together kill相當于…them who are put together kill。25. Moreover, unlike some of the other insect eaters, spiders never do the least harm to us or our belongings.【譯文】此外，不同于其他一些食蟲動物，蜘蛛對人類及其財物絲毫無損。【講解】as many people think是插入語，意即“蜘蛛不是像許多人認為的那樣是昆蟲”。正確的譯法應將as many people think置于not（不像）之后、are（屬于）之前，譯為“蜘蛛不像許多人認為的那樣屬于昆蟲”?！締卧~和短語】at a glance：28. How many spiders are engaged in this work on our behalf?【譯文】有多少蜘蛛正在為我們做這項工作呢？【單詞和短語】engaged:忙的；從事……的（busy）；例如：Engaged in conversation，they did not see me.他們談得正來勁，沒看見我。該詞組的另一含義是“代表某人（instead of someone，or as their representative）”。他估計每英畝草坪里有超過225萬只蜘蛛，即相當于一個足球場上約有6百萬只種類各異的蜘蛛。210. Spiders are busy for at least half the year in killing insects.【譯文】蜘蛛至少有半年在忙于吃蟲。It is impossible to…是重點句型，需熟練掌握。【講解】it是形式主語，真正的主語是the weight of all the insects destroyed…in the country。【講解】try后接動詞不定式，作make an attempt解，譯為“力圖”。32. In the pioneering days, however, this was not the case at all.【譯文】然而在登山運動初創(chuàng)期全然并非如此?！局v解】to the top是介詞短語，作way的定語，指“到達頂峰的路”。summit另一常見含義為峰會（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.兩位總統(tǒng)同意在四月舉行峰會。at the thought后省略了of the manner。35. They had a single aim, a solitary goal—the top!【譯文】他們只有一個目的，唯一的目標——頂峰！【講解】從語法角度分析，a solitary goal和the top均是a single aim的同位語?！締卧~和短語】solitary：獨一無二的（used to emphasize that there is only one of something），例如：a solitary exception 唯一的例外36. It is hard for us to realize nowadays how difficult it was for the pioneers.【譯文】如今我們很難理解登山先驅者昔日是多么艱苦。 【講解】such as可以分開，如such places as…，這時as作關系代詞，as引出的從句是省略句?！締卧~和短語】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，對他的其他情況一無所知。單調的食物是當?shù)厝槔遗湟猿３Ｒ逊帕艘荒曛玫拿姘?，人們就著劣酒吞下這種食物。acpanied by bread often twelve months old是過去分詞短語，作cheese的定語。could后省略了find shelter。310. Invariably the background was the same: dirt and poverty, and very unfortable.【譯文】這些山村的基調總是一樣的：骯且窮，極不舒適。invariably是invariable的副