Reading
Carved stone balls are a curious type of artifact found at a number of locations in Scotland.They date from the late Neolithic period,around 4,000 years ago.They are round in shape;they were carved from several types of stone;most are about 70 mm in diameter;and many are ornamented to some degree.Archaeologists do not agree about their purpose and meaning,but there are several theories.
One theory is that the carved stone balls were weapons used in hunting or fighting.Some of the stone balls have been found with holes in them,and many have grooves on the surface.It is possible that a cord was strung through the holes or laid in the grooves around the ball.Holding the stone balls at the end of the cord would have allowed a person to swing it around or throw it.
A second theory is that the carved stone balls were used as part of a primitive system of weights and measures.The fact that they are so nearly uniform in size–at 70 mm in diameter–suggests that the balls were interchangeable and represented some standard unit of measure.They could have been used as standard weights to measure quantities of grain or other food,or anything that needed to be measured by weight on a balance or scale for the purpose of trade.
A third theory is that the carved stone balls served a social purpose as opposed to a practical or utilitarian one.This view is supported by the fact that many stone balls have elaborate designs.The elaborate carving suggests that the stones may have marked the important social status of their owners.
Listening:
Now listen to part of a lecture on the topic you just read about.
(Female professor)
None of the three theories presented in the reading passage are very convincing.
First,the stone balls as hunting weapons,common Neolithic weapons such as arrowheads and hand axes generally show signs of wear,so we should expect that if the stone balls had been used as weapons for hunting of fighting,they,too,would show signs of that use.Many of the stone balls would be cracked or have pieces broken off.However,the surfaces of the balls are generally well preserved,showing little or no wear or damage.
Second,the carved stone balls maybe remarkably uniform in size,but their masses vary too considerably to have been used as uniform weights.This is because the stone balls were made with different types of stone including sandstone,green stone and quartzite.Each type of stone has a different density.Some types of stone are heavier than others just as a handful of feathers weight less than a handful of rocks.Two balls of the same size are different weights depending on the type of stone they are made of.Therefore,the balls could not have been used as a primitive weighing system.
Third,it’s unlikely that the main purpose of the balls was as some kind of social marker.A couple of facts are inconsistent with this theory.For one thing,while some of the balls are carved with intricate patterns,many others have markings that are extremely simple,too simple to make the balls look like status symbols.
Furthermore,we know that in Neolithic Britain,when someone died,particularly a high‐ranking person,they were usually buried with their possessions.However,none of the carved stone balls have been actually found in tombs or graves.That makes it unlikely that the balls were personal possessions that marked a person’s status within the community.
Summarize the points made in the lecture,being sure to explain how they challenged the specific theories presented in the reading passage.
Reading Passage
1.There are several theories about the purpose and meaning of carved stone balls.
2.First,the carved stone balls were weapons used in hunting or fighting.
3.Second,they were used as part of a primitive system of weights and measures.
4.Third,they served a social purpose as opposed to a practical or utilitarian one.
Lecture
1.None of the theories presented in the reading passage are very convincing.
2.The surfaces of the balls are very well preserved,showing no sign of wear or damage.However,common Neolithic weapons generally show signs of wear.
3.The balls may be uniform in size,but considerably different in weight.So they cannot be used to weigh things.
4.Many carving are too simple to make them look like status symbols.Also,none of the stones were found in graves,where people with high social status kept their personal possessions.
二、范文逐段賞析
Paragraph 1
The author in the reading passage explores three major functions of the carved stone balls.However,in the lecture,the professor respectively contradicts all his assertions by using three specific points as supports.
此段功能
首段概括了閱讀文本中的基本內(nèi)容，同時(shí)提出了演講者對(duì)此的反對(duì)意見(jiàn)，言簡(jiǎn)意賅，為下文論述做好鋪墊。
此段結(jié)構(gòu)
此段為并列結(jié)構(gòu)，分別陳述了文章和演講中的兩方不同觀點(diǎn)。
Paragraph 2
First,even though the reading passage suggests that the stone balls were weapons because of the holes and grooves on their surface,the professor argues that the stone balls did not show signs of use,which means they are neither cracked nor broken and thus could not have been used as weapons.
此段功能
指出文章個(gè)觀點(diǎn)，即因?yàn)檫@些石球表面分布有孔和槽，所以是武器。而演講中駁斥到這些石球并沒(méi)有破損所以說(shuō)明它并沒(méi)有被當(dāng)做武器使用過(guò)。
此段結(jié)構(gòu)
此段并列結(jié)構(gòu)，指出文章個(gè)觀點(diǎn)，并提出了演講者的反駁意見(jiàn)。
Paragraph 3
Second,despite the statement in the reading passage that the stone balls were used as primitive weighing system due to their uniform size,the professor contends that their masses vary too considerably from each other because different stones are made of different products even if the sizes are the same.Therefore,the balls could not function as weighing system.
此段功能
指出文章第二個(gè)觀點(diǎn)，即這些石球大小統(tǒng)一，是原始的稱(chēng)量體系。而演講中駁斥到這些石球雖然大小統(tǒng)一但是材質(zhì)不一，所以重量相差很大，無(wú)法作為稱(chēng)量體系。
此段結(jié)構(gòu)
此段并列結(jié)構(gòu)，指出文章第二個(gè)觀點(diǎn)，并提出了演講者的反駁意見(jiàn)。
Paragraph 4
Third,the author asserts that the stone balls served a social purpose owing to their elaborate designs while the professor proves that this claim is indefensible by pointing out that the balls were carved with not only intricate patterns,but also simple ones,besides,none of the balls were found in the ancient tombs or graves.Consequently,it is impossible that the balls were social markers.
此段功能
指出文章中的第三個(gè)觀點(diǎn)，即石球因?yàn)榈窨叹?xì)，有一定的社會(huì)寓意。而在演講中，演講者駁斥道，這些石球上面有些雕刻精細(xì)但也有一些雕刻簡(jiǎn)單，并且這些石球并沒(méi)有在古墓之類(lèi)的地方發(fā)現(xiàn)，以此來(lái)證明石球不具有社會(huì)象征寓意。
此段結(jié)構(gòu)
此段并列結(jié)構(gòu)，指出文章第三個(gè)觀點(diǎn)，并提出了演講者的反駁意見(jiàn)。
1、邏輯結(jié)構(gòu)
全文采用典型的總分結(jié)構(gòu)，在首段指出文章與演講觀點(diǎn)相悖，接下來(lái)分三個(gè)方面闡述了演講中的證據(jù)以此來(lái)說(shuō)明文章的觀點(diǎn)不成立。
2、語(yǔ)言表達(dá)
文中這個(gè)長(zhǎng)句值得注意。
Second,despite the statement in the reading passage that the stone balls were used as primitive weighing system due to their uniform size,the professor contends that their masses vary too considerably from each other because different stones are made of different products even if the sizes are the same.
全文由despite串聯(lián)起來(lái)兩個(gè)表示對(duì)比的句子，在前半部分，statement是先行詞，然后that引導(dǎo)的同位語(yǔ)從句對(duì)先行詞進(jìn)行解釋?zhuān)虚g還穿插有due to“由于”這個(gè)詞組，在后半部分也穿插了that引導(dǎo)的賓語(yǔ)從句，從句中又套著because引導(dǎo)的原因狀語(yǔ)從句等，需要層層分析。
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