大众英语80篇背诵阅读带翻译(六)
"11 Archaeology
Archaeology is a source of history, not just a humble auxiliary discipline. Archaeological data are historical documents in their own right, not mere illustrations to written texts. Just as much as any other historian, an archaeologist studies and tries to reconstitute the process that has created the human world in which we live -- and us ourselves in so far as we are each creatures of our age and social environment. Archaeological data are all changes in the material world resulting from human action or, more succinctly, the fossilized results of human behavior. The sum total of these constitutes what may be called the archaeological record. This record exhibits certain peculiarities and deficiencies the consequences of which produce a rather superficial contrast between archaeological history and the more familiar kind based upon written records.Not all human behavior fossilizes. The words I utter and you hear as vibrations in the air are certainly human changes in the material world and may be of great historical significance. Yet they leave no sort of trace in the archaeological records unless they are captured by a dictaphone or written down by a clerk. The movement of troops on the battlefield may "change the course of history," but this is equally ephemeral from the archaeologist's standpoint. What is perhaps worse, most organic materials are perishable. Everything made of wood, hide, wool, linen, grass, hair, and similar materials will decay and vanish in dust in a few years or centuries, save under very exceptional conditions. In a relatively brief period the archaeological record is reduced to mere scraps of stone, bone, glass, metal, and earthenware. Still modern archaeology, by applying appropriate techniques and comparative methods, aided by a few lucky finds from peat-bogs, deserts, and frozen soils, is able to fill up a good deal of the gap.考古学考古学是历史学的一个来源，而不是地位低微的帮手学科。考古学材料自己也是一种历史文献，而不但仅是笔墨材料的例证。正象任何一位历史学家那样，考古学家钻研盘问拜访并勉力往重构一个历程。这个历程发明了我们糊口的人类世界，也发明了我们本身，因为我们都是我们所处的期间和社会情况的产物。考古学的材料便是人类活动所形成的物质转变。更简练地说，是石化了的人类活动。这些转变的总和组成了我们所说的考古学记实。这些记实自有其奇特和缺乏之处，因此招致人们对考古历史和更认识的笔墨记实历史举行相称浅薄的对比。并不是全部的人类活动都留下化石。我说的话，你经由历程空气振动闻声，这固然是人类形成的物质转变，也年夜概有重年夜的历史意义，但这些话在考古学中未留下涓滴陈迹，除非有人用灌音机录上去或文书把这些话写了上去。疆场上部队的办法年夜概"窜改历史的历程"，但从考古学的不雅观点来看，这异样是难以捕获的；年夜概更糟的是，年夜都无机物质会腐烂。任何由木头、生皮、绒线、亚麻、草、毛发以及类似物质做成的东西除非在一些极度特另外前提下，几年或几个世纪今后，会在灰尘中腐烂并流失。在短期间内，能留下考古记实的东西也都会退步为石头、骨头、玻璃、金属和陶器的碎片。但是，现代考古学经由历程运用得当的技能和比较的体例，在从泥炭、戈壁和冻土中所获得的一些幸运发明的帮部下，可以添补这个空白的很年夜部分。

关键字：新东方背诵80篇 新东方背诵文选80篇 高一英语晨读80篇 阅读80篇 美文诵读80篇