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Cradle of the Gods失落的文明∶土耳其神庙之谜
by Marcus Maurice
G?bekli Tepe is now believed to be the world's oldest man-made religious structure.
哥贝克力山丘被认为是目前世界上最早的人造宗教建筑物。
Over 12,000 years ago, the only humans that roamed the Earth were hunters and gatherers. They would spend every waking moment of their lives looking for food and keeping their families safe. To put this in a historical context, it wasn't until people started learning how to farm that they evolved from the Stone Age. By not having to be concerned with hunting and gathering food for each meal, people had time to invent new things and think. It is commonly accepted that the end of the Stone Age was when religion was created.
In 1995, a German professor of archeology named Klaus Schmidt made an astonishing discovery on the top of a hill in southeastern Turkey called G?bekli Tepe. He used ground-penetrating radar to piece together a new way of thinking about cultural evolution. Schmidt believes that coordinated efforts were used to build G?bekli Tepe, which is thought to be a place of worship, and these laid the groundwork for complex societies. His theory simply states that religion helped push evolution forward instead of the other way around. If Schmidt is correct in his thinking, he could change history as we now know it.
This month, National Geographic Channel (NGC) investigates whether Schmidt's theory is correct in Cradle of the Gods. They interview renowned experts about prehistoric people and their settlements and constructions. Dr. Jeff Ross also looks at computer- generated imagery about G?bekli Tepe. Is Schmidt right in thinking the opposite of what most historians have agreed upon for decades? Or is he just another archeologist that has been out in the sun too long? Watch NGC's Cradle of the Gods to find out the answers.
- roam vt. & vi. 漫游
There are problems with beggars roaming the halls of Taipei Main Station.
乞丐游走在台北车站大厅产生了许多问题。 - evolve vi. 进化，演化
evolve from...从……演化而成
Biologists think that birds probably evolved from reptiles.
生物学家认为鸟类可能是从爬虫类进化而来。
＊reptile n. 爬虫类 - be concerned with...
牵涉到…；与……有关；挂念……；关心……
Everyone should be concerned with crime in this part of town.
每个人都该关心镇上该区域的犯罪问题。
Randolph's work is specifically concerned with the effects of pollution on the wildlife in the area.
蓝道夫的工作是专门关注污染对该区野生动物所造成的影响。 - gather vt. 搜集（= collect）
gather information / evidence
搜集资讯 证据
The private detective spent months gathering evidence of Mark's cheating.
该私家侦探花了几个月的时间来搜集马克偷情的证据。 - It is commonly accepted that...
人们普遍认为……
It is commonly accepted that poetry loses a lot in translation.
人们普遍认为诗在经过翻译後会失去许多原有的意境。 - make a/the... discovery有……的发现
The scientist worked very hard to make an important discovery in his field.
该科学家非常努力在他的领域有重要的发现。 - penetrate vt. 穿过，刺入
The bullets penetrated the wall and left a few holes in it.
子弹射穿了墙壁，留下些许弹孔。 - piece together...把……拼凑起来
Francis slowly pieced together what had happened when his memory returned.
在佛兰西斯的记忆恢复时，他慢慢地将所发生的事情一件件拼凑起来。 - coordinate vt. 协调
We need someone to coordinate the campaign.
我们需要有人来协调活动。 - lay the groundwork for...
为……奠定基础
Jason's negotiations laid the groundwork for our deal.
杰森事前的协调为我们的交易奠下良好的基础。 - push sth forward将某事提前
Every effort was made to push the peace treaty forward.
我们尽一切努力将和平条约提前。 - the other way around反过来，相反地
Does art imitate life, or is it the other way around?
是艺术模仿生活，还是生活模仿艺术呢？ - renowned a. 著名的
be renowned for + N/V-ing因（某事）而出名
This seaside village is renowned for its delicious seafood.
该海滨小村子因其美味的海鲜而闻名。 - agree upon/on...在……上达成共识
The couple finally agreed on a date for the wedding.
这对情人最後终於在结婚的日子上达成共识。
It is / was not until...+ that 子句
直到……才……
a. 此句型为 it is / was 引导的强势句构，until 之後可接名词或子句。
b. 由於 not until 引导的子句视为否定副词子句，故置於句首时，其後的主要子句须采倒装句构。
It was not until I asked for the check that I realized I had forgotten my wallet.
直到要付帐时我才发现我忘了带钱包。
Not until Tracy got her driver's license did her parents buy her a car.
直到崔西考上驾照後她爸妈才买了一辆车给她。
astonishing / astonished 之比较
a. astonishing a. 惊人的
We watched the astonishing fireworks display from the roof of our building.
我们在自家大楼的屋顶观赏那场惊人的烟火秀。
b. astonished a. 感到惊讶的
I was astonished at the results.
我对最後的结果感到很惊讶。
- gatherer n. 采集者
- historical a. 历史的
- context n. 背景；环境
- the Stone Age石器时代
- archeology n. 考古学
archeologist n. 考古学家 - evolution n.（生物）进化，演化
- worship n. 祭神；礼拜 & vt. 祭拜
- complex a. 复杂的
- prehistoric a. 史前的
- settlement n. 定居（地）
- construction n. 建造；建筑物
- computer-generated imagery
电脑生成图像（简称∶CGI）
- the opposite of...和……相反
- find out...找出……
失落的文明∶土耳其神庙之谜
哥贝克力山丘被认为是目前世界上最早的人造宗教建筑物。
1 万 2 千多年前，地球上游荡的只有狩猎者和采集野果的人。他们醒著的每一刻都用来找寻食物以及维护其家人的安危。在这样的历史背景下，直到人们学习到如何开始耕种，他们才从石器时代进化至下个阶段。在不用担心为了每一餐而出去狩猎及采集食物之後，人们才有时间发明新事物和思考下一步。而普遍认为当宗教被创立之後，石器时代就结束了。
西元 1995 年，一位名叫克劳斯．舒密特的德国考古学家在土耳其东南方一个山丘顶上有了一项惊人的发现，这座古迹就叫哥贝克力山丘。他使用了透地雷达检测术拼凑出思考文化演进的一种新方法。舒密特相信哥贝克力山丘是由各方携手努力而完成的，该地被认为是一个祭神之地，而这里的建筑为将来复杂的文明奠下了基础。舒密特的理论简单地说明宗教能帮助生物进化，而不是使之停顿。假如舒密特的想法是正确的，他就能够改变我们目前所知的历史。
这个月国家地理频道的《土耳其神庙之谜》节目将会探讨舒密特的理论是否正确。他们将采访对於史前人类及其聚居地和建筑十分了解的知名专家。杰夫．罗斯博士还著眼於哥贝克力山丘的电脑生成图像。舒密特的想法与数十年来大部份历史学家所认同的相左，他是对的吗？亦或是他只是另一位在太阳底下晒太久的考古学家呢？请收看国家地理频道的《土耳其神庙之谜》来找出这些答案吧。
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