Passage Four
Who is Gavin Menzies?
该题问的是Gavin Menzies是谁?相关的录音内容说,在其畅销书《1421: 中国发现美洲之年》中, Gavin Menzies用惊人的观念改变了欧洲人发现了美洲的 历史,他指出中国海员比哥伦布早70年到了美洲。这本书引起了学术圈的震动,人 类学家、考古学家、历史学家和语言学家都反驳了 Gavin Menzies在书中用来支持 自己观点的证据。选项A 说他是研究早期美洲(美国)人的英国人类学家,这在录 音内容中没有对应。B 说他是研究早期美国历史的美国历史学家,这搞错了他作为英国人的身份。正确选项是C,他是这本与美洲历史有关的书的作者。选项D 同样 弄错了 Gavin Menzies的国籍。
[重点难点]
抓住人物身份关键词及具体相应事件。
[录音原文]
Passage Four
In his bestselling book, 1421: The Year China Discovered America, British amateur historian Gavin Menzies turns the story of the Europeans' discovery of America on its ear with a startling idea: Chinese sailors beat Christopher Columbus to the Americas by more than 70 years. The book has caused a stir within the halls of scholarship. Anthropologists, archaeologists, historians and linguists alike have debunked much of the evidence that Menzies used to support his notion.
But where did Menzies come up with the idea? It's been long held by scholars that it was people from Asia who first set foot in North America, but not in the way that Menzies describes. Sometime 10,000 years or more ago, people of Asian origin are believed to have crossed over the Bering land bridge from Siberia to what is now Alaska. From there, they are believed to have spread out over the course of millennia, diverging genetically and populating North and South America.
But Menzies' theory supposes a much more direct influence from China. Rather than civilization evolving separately in the Americas and Asia, under the 1421 theory, China was directly involved in governance and trade with the peoples of the Americas with whom they shared their ancestry. So what evidence does he have to support this notion?
It's Menzie's belief that one merely has to refer to certain maps to see the light. A full 30 years before Menzies published his book, Baptist missionary Dr. Hendon M . Hanis made an amazing discovery in a shop in Taiwan: a map that looked to be ancient, written in classical Chinese and depicting what appeared to be North America. It was a map of Fu Sang, the legendary land of Chinese fable.
Fu Sang is to the Chinese what Atlantis is to the West 一 a mythical land that most don't believe existed, but for which enough tantalizing evidence exists to maintain the idea's popularity. On the map, Fu Sang was posited to be where North America is. Even more amazingly, some of the features shown on the map of Fu Sang look a lot like geographical anomalies unique to North America, such as the Grand Canyon.
What is generally believed to be the origin of the people in America?
该题所问是一般人们认为美洲人原本来自何处。录音相关内容的意思是 “Menzies怎么会有这样的想法?学术界人士长期以来都认为最初踏上北美洲大陆 的是亚洲人,但并不是Menzies所描述的那样到了美洲大陆。在大约一万年前或更 早的时间,来自亚洲的人被认为从西伯利亚通过白令海峡陆桥到了现在的阿拉斯加。在大约一千年的过程中他们从这里开始散居各地,人种基因逐渐分化并遍布北美洲 和南美洲” 。选项A 为正确答案,即最早到美洲的是通过陆桥到达的亚洲人。
[重点难点]
理解the origin of the people in America并据此排除哥伦布所代表的欧洲人发现美洲大陆的常识干扰,同时理解Siberia只是亚洲人达到美洲的经由地。
What does Menzies believe?
该题问Menzies是什么观点。录音内容意思是Menzies的理论比一般结论(亚 洲人最早从西伯利亚穿过白令海峡抵达阿拉斯加)更直接地提出了中国的影响。他 不是说亚洲与美洲的文明各自发展演化,而是在其1421理论 ( 1421 theory) 中提出 中国直接涉及美洲的治理及与美洲人进行贸易,因为他们有共同的祖先。问题选项 A 说的是他正好不以为然的观点(前面有Rather than...), 所以不正确。选项B 说 他的观点是中国人与美洲人来自共同的祖先,这是正确选项。选项C 说中国人长期 参与了美洲的治理,这很有迷惑性,因为这在录音中有相似的对应内容。但是录音 内容是 China was directly involved in governance …,而选项给的是 have long been involved in the governance...,用 long—词加深了程度,两者意思并不等同,所以C 也是错误选项。选项D 使用strong—词,也加深了程度,同样不正确。
[重点难点]
理清事件主体与事件关系,注意形容词或副词的使用。
What did the Baptist Missionary Dr. Harris find in Taiwan?
该题问的是基督教传教士 Dr. Harris在台湾发现了什么。正确答案为B。相 关录音的意思是“在 Menzies出版他的书整整30 年前,这位传教士在台湾有一个 惊人发现,他看到有一幅看上去很古老的地图,这幅地图用文言描述,上面描绘了 看起来像是北美洲的地方。这幅地图就是扶桑图,而扶桑是中国寓言传说中的地方” 。选项A 把传教士在Menzies出版其书30年前在台湾发现这幅地图错误地说 成了发现了30 年前再版的地图。选项C 把看上去像北美洲的扶桑地图说成了北美地图。选项D 把这幅看上去很古老的扶桑图说成了一幅古代中国帝国地图。
[重点难点]
理清事件时间关系,把握非肯定性话语及肯定性话语用词差异。
Which of the following can prove Fu Sang?
该题所问中使用的prove意思实际上要说的支持关于扶桑的传说的观点。录音内容说, “扶桑对中国人来说就像Atlantis对西方人那样,是个神话中的地方, 大多数人都认为其实际上不存在,不过还是有不少挑逗人好奇心的证据使关于这个 地方的传说很流行。在那幅地图上,扶桑置于北美所处的方位,而且更令人惊奇的 是,地图上所显示的一些特征看上去与北美的地理特征大有相似之处,比如大峡谷就是一例。” 选项 B 为正确答案,即具有诱惑性的关于北美洲的证据。选项 A 把北美特征错误地说成了传说中的Atlantis的特征,选项C 把它说成了美洲的地理特 征而非北美洲,而 D 则把它说成了与古代中国的地理相似性,更不着边际。另外, 原录音说的所谓evidence前用tantalizing来修饰,表示有诱惑性(所以不可靠)。 这在选项中只有正确答案B 使用了同义词alluring,也是解题的重要因素。
[重点难点]
把握tantalizing与 alluring的语义关联,区分地名。