2022-2023年四川省遂寧市大學(xué)英語6級大學(xué)英語六級真題一卷(含答案)學(xué)校:________班級:________姓名:________考號:________

一、2.ReadingComprehension(SkimmingandScanning)(20題)1.

Intuningsystem,theFederalCommunicationsCommissionhaddistributedpartsof______spectrumto12televisionchannelswhichwerebrokenintotwogroupstoavoidinterferencewithexistingservicesatthebeginning.

2.

Accordingtopreparednessexperts,ifacityhasatleast500hospitalbedsforevery100,000residents,itcouldfind______inanemergency.

3.AccordingtoDr.PeterDiot,______couldbepowerfulenoughtopreventHIVtransmission.

4.

Everyyear,adomeownermayspend30%lessinenergyexpenditurethananormalrectilinearhomeone.

A.YB.NC.NG

5.

Asaresult,hisdoublelifeminedhisteachingcareer.

A.YB.NC.NG

6.

______measurestheannualenergyoutputpersquaremeterofareasweptbytheturbinebladesastheyrotate.

7.

Whenenrolledinatechnicalhighschooltoobtainbasicknowledgeofcasting,SoichiroHondafinallygotthediplomaafterattendingtheexaminations.

A.YB.NC.NG

8.

Itisrecommendedthattheexercisershouldpickupanactivityhe/shelikessothathe/shemay______.

9.

Atpresent,thevalueofthedrugstraffickedworldwideamountsto______everyyear.

10.

Whenitcametomoneymatters,onedadhadahabitofputtinghisbraintosleep,theotherhadahabitof______.

11.Large-packagepurchasecanbenefitlow-incomehouseholdsintheory,butitseldomworksinreality.

12.

Sensitiveteethmayindicateaseriousproblemthatmayneedpromptcarebyadentist.

A.YB.NC.NG

13.What'speople'stendencytodofortheirdecisions?

A.Refusingtoadmittheymadewrongdecisions.

B.Tryingtofindreasonstoexplainthedecisions.

C.Changingthedecisionsonsecondthoughts.

D.Seekingothers'advicewhenmakingthedecisions.

14.

Becauselittleresearchhadbeendoneontheexplanationofhappiness,beforegoingintothelab,Lyubomirskyhaddonesome______.

15.

Ifoneattemptstoremembereverythingratherthantorememberselectivelyduringreading,he/shemayhaveacomparativelyslowreadingrate.

A.YB.NC.NG

16.

Retailersandmarketingfirmshavefoundthat______withpeopleinthevirtualworld.

17.Whenusingadrive-upATM,you'dbetterdriveclosetothemachineaswellas______.

18.

Ifyourpotentialclientsarealllocal,youstillmustdevelopandmaintainaWebsite.

A.YB.NC.NG

19.

AccordingtoaFTCreport,U.S.mediacorporationsaremarketingviolententertainmenttochildrenactivelyand______.

20.

Telegraphoperationisalessstressful,lessattention-demandinginformation-technologyjobincomparisonwithcomputeroperation.

A.YB.NC.NG

二、3.ListeningComprehension(20題)21.【B10】

22.SectionC

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhearapassagethreetimes.Whenthepassageisreadforthefirsttime,youshouldlistencarefullyforitsgeneralidea.Whenthepassageisreadforthesecondtime,youarerequiredtofillintheblanksnumberedfrom36to43withtheexactwordsyouhavejustheard.Forblanksnumberedfrom44to46youarerequiredtofillinthemissinginformation.Fortheseblanks,youcaneitherusetheexactwordsyouhavejustheardorwritedownthe

Somestudentsarenotadequatelypreparedforcollege.Shouldweturnthemaway?(36)______them?Ormodifyourproduct?Americansmustbe(37)______oftheirabilityandresponsibilitytocontinuetolearnthroughouttheirworkinglivesand,althoughIhesitatetorepeatapointso(38)______madebyothers,theymustalsobetaughtabodyofbasicskills.Ourindustrydoesournationnoserviceby(39)______unpreparedstudentsorbyturningout(40)______graduates.Thesepeoplemustbetaught.Iftheyarenotyetreadytolearnthelessonswehaveprepared,shouldwenot(41)______andexpandthoselessons?Hereisyetanotherargumentforofferingthenewfirstdegree.Itwouldprovidealegitimateprogramforstudentswhoarenotyetpreparedtogoforthe(42)______degree.

Asourindustrygrowsinresponsibility,(43)______,andproductivity,shouldwenotchangeourproductionschedule?(44)____________,yetwearenolongeranationoffarmers;wenolongerhaveanyreasontoendtheacademicyearinMayorJune.(45)____________,thenwearegoingtohavetooperatesixdaysaweek,yearround.Weshouldgotofull-timeoperation(46)____________.Formanyuniversitieswhereteachinggoesonfivedaysaweekforthirtyweeks,capacityisconstrainedbythephysicalplant.

23.(21)

A.Helikeskidsandhasworkedinachildren'scamp.

B.Heislazyandimmaturebutgoodinacrisis.

C.Hequarrelswitheveryoneheworkswith.

D.Heisimmatureandlovesplayingtricksonpeople.

24.(22)

A.Becauseeveryspeciesbecomesextinct.

B.Becausehumansbeingsarepowerfulenoughtokillotherspecies.

C.Becauseofover-population.

D.Becausehumanbeingisstillayoungspeciesthoughitisexptoitingtheenvironment.

25.(15)

A.50minutes.B.30minutes.C.25minutes.D.15minutes.

26.(35)

A.Collegeenrollmentincreasesitscoverage.

B.Topuniversitiesbecomeincreasinglycompetitive.

C.Universitiesbecomeselectiveinstudentadmission.

D.Collegesinvestlessinacademyandinfrastructure.

27.聽力原文：WeknowthenthatintheUS,it'sthejobofCongresstoproposenewlaws,whichwecallbills,andperhapstomodifythesebillsandthenwriteonthem.ButevenifthebillispassedinCongress,itstilldoesn'tbecomealawuntilthePresidenthasachancetoreviewit,too.Andifit'snottothePresident'sliking,thebillcanbevetoedorkilledineitheroftwoways.Oneisbyavetomessage.ThePresidenthastendaystovetothebillbyreturningittoCongress,alongwiththemessageexplainingwhyit'sbeingrejected.ThiskeepsthebillfrombecomingalawunlessoverwhelmingmajoritiesofbothHousesofCongressvotetoover-rightthePresident'sveto.Sometimestheydothat.Often,lawmakerssimplyrevisethevetoedbillandpassitagain.Thistime,intheform.thePresidentislesslikelytoobjectto,andlesslikelytowanttoveto.TheotherwaythePresidentcankillabillisbypocketveto.Here'swhathappens.IfthePresidentdoesn'tsignthebillwithintendays,andCongressadjournsduringthattime,thenthebillwillnotbecomelaw.NoticethatitisonlyattheendofanentiresessionofCongressthatthepocketvetocanbeused,notjustwheneverCongresstakesashorterbreak,say,forasummervacation.Afterapocketveto,thatparticularbillisdead.IfalawmakerinCongresswantstopushthematterintheirnextsession,they'llhavetostartalloverwithabrandnewversionofthebill.

(33)

A.HowthePresidentproposesnewlaws.

B.HowabillispassedbylawmakersinCongress.

C.HowthePresidentcanrejectaproposedlaw.

D.HowlawmakerscanforcethePresidenttosignabill.

28.

【B11】

29.(18)

A.Shecancomebackforregistrationaweeklater.

B.Shecancomebacktoseeifthereisachanceafterthefirstweek.

C.Shehastowaitanothertimeforregistration.

D.Sheshouldgiveuptheclass.

30.(24)

A.Sheisworriedherhusbandwillspendtoomuchtimeawayfromhome.

B.Sheisgladtohaveastartplayerashusband.

C.Sheisafraidherhusbandwillbecomeafitnessfreak.

D.Sheisconcernedaboutherhusband'shealth.

31.聽力原文：W：It'sSara'sbirthdaytoday．We'replanningonhavingdinneraround6:30andthenseeingamovieat7:30．Andwe'rethrowingherasmallbirthdaypartyafterthemovie．Comeandjoinus.

M：Sure．Bestfriendsalwayssticktogether．

Q：Whatcanwelearnaccordingtotheconversation?

(19)

A.It'stheman'sbirthdaytoday.

B.Theywillhavedinneraround6.

C.Theywillgotomoviesafterdinner.

D.Theywillhaveapartyfortheman.

32.SectionC

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhearapassagethreetimes.Whenthepassageisreadforthefirsttime,youshouldlistencarefullyforitsgeneralidea.Whenthepassageisreadforthesecondtime,youarerequiredtofillintheblanksnumberedfrom36to43withtheexactwordsyouhavejustheard.Forblanksnumberedfrom44to46youarerequiredtofillinthemissinginformation.Fortheseblanks,youcaneitherusetheexactwordsyouhavejustheardorwritedownthe

Bookshaven'tchangedmuchsinceJohannGuttenburginventedtheprintingpressinthefifteenthcentury.Themethodsforproducingbooksare,ofcourse,farmoresophisticated,butintheend,abookremainsasequential,static【B1】______.Thistypeoforganizationismade-to-orderfornovels,inwhichastoryisreadfrompageonetotheend.Theprintedpage,however,hasits【B2】______forjustaboutanybookordocumentthatcontainsanindex,includingallvarietiesofreferencebooks,encyclopedias,"howto"books,【B3】______,andtextbooks.

Overthenextfewyears,theprintedpagesofcollegetextbookswillbegintheir【B4】______toatechnology-basedpresentation.Nobodyknowsforsurewhatthetextbookofthefuturewilllooklike.Most【B5】______andpublishersagree,however,thatchangeisjustoverthe【B6】______.Perhapsitistimeto【B7】______onwhatthattechnologywilllooklikeandwhatitwillbringtotheclassroom—orpossiblythehome,theoffice,thestudentunion,thecar…

Theinteractivebook,ori-bookwilloffermany【B8】______overtraditionalbooks.Staticfigureswillcomealivewithanimation.Motionvideowillbeavailabletodemonstrate,elaborate,orclarify.【B9】______.Thei-bookwillhelpreadersidentifyandovercomegapsinunderstanding.Readerswillbeabletoclickonortouch"activewords"todisplayrelatedmaterial.WhenlinkedtotheInternet,【B10】______.Marginnotescanbewrittenorspoken.【B11】______.

【B1】

33.(25)

A.Eachtenantisgivenaparkingspace.

B.It'sdifficulttofindaparkingplace.

C.Thetenanthastopaytopark.

D.Thetenantcanuseanyspaceintheparkingarea.

34.(36)

A.Shakespearewasnotinterestedinmakingaprofit.

B.Shakespearecouldgetone-tenthoftheprofitsoftheGlobeTheater.

C.Shakespeare,likehisfellowwriters,hadnobusinesssense.

D.Shakespeare'sfellowwriterssharedthesameprofitsashedid.

35.

【B3】

36.(34)

A.Caraccidentsaremainlycausedbysomedriverswhodrivesocarelesslythattheyviolatethetrafficregulations.

B.Caraccidentsaremainlycausedbyordinarydriverswhentheyarecarelessorabsentmindedforamoment.

C.Insurancecompaniessupportthosewhodrivecarelessly.

D.Anaccidentissomethingwecannotpredicttoavoid.

37.(41)

38.聽力原文：Astronomershavespenthundredsofyearssearchingforsignsoflifeonotherplanets,usingtelescopes.WhentheysawthegeographyofMars,theythoughttheycouldseecanalsandthatthismightbeevidenceofintelligentlifeontheplanet.Morerecently,however,spacecrafthavebeensenttoanalyzethesoilforsignsoflife.Theresultswerenegativeandastronomersarenowconvincedthatnolifeexistsonthesurfaceofanyotherplanetinoursolarsystem.Tosendaspacecraftfarbeyondoursolarsystemisnotrealisticbecauseofthehugedistancesinvolved.

Theonlywaywearelikelytoknowofitsexistenceisfromradiomessagesunlesslifecomesandvisitsus.Listeningforintelligentlifeisnotanewidea,butthetechniquesnowbeingusedtooffermuchbetterchanceofsuccessthanbefore.Lookingforevidenceoflifeinothersolarsystemsnowmeansusingspecialradioreceiverscalledradiotelescopestolistenoutformessages.Theassumptionisthatintelligentformsoflifewouldhavediscoveredradiowavesandwould,likeus,beusingthemtocommunicate.

Throughitsresearchwork,astronomershavedevelopedtwomeansofsystematicallysearchingforintelligentlife.Thefirstmethodistoselectthecloset800starslikeoursunandtodirectaradiotelescopetoscaneachoneofthemforelectromagneticwaves.Thesecondwayistosurveytheentiresky,listeningforcontinuoussignals.Allthis,aswellasthechanceofdiscoveringthatmaybewearenotaloneintheuniverse!

(29)

A.Intelligentlife.

B.Canalsofsomekind.

C.Signsoflife.

D.Naturalresources.

39.

【B9】

40.(28)

A.BecausehewasfamousforhisviewtokeeptheUnionbyforce.

B.Becausehewasfamousforhisanti-slaveryviews.

C.Becausebewasfamousforhisdemocraticviews.

D.Becausehewasfamousforhisviewtodevelopeconomy.

三、4.ReadingComprehension(ReadinginDepth)(20題)41.Whatdoestheauthormeanby"itissomewhatlikeanotherBigBrother"(Line6,Para.1)?

A.Googlecontrolsallinformationcompletely.

B.Googlefailstokeepitspromiseofofferingfreeaccess.

C.Googleisviolatingpeople'sprivacy.

D.Googleimprovespeople'slivesgreatly.

42.Wecanbeginourdiscussionof"populationasglobalissue"withwhatmostpersonsmeanwhentheydiscuss"thepopulationproblem":toomanypeopleonearthandatoorapidincreaseinthenumberaddedeachyear.Thefactsarenotindispute;itwasquiterighttoemploytheanalogythatlikeneddemographicgrowthto"along,thinpowderfusethatbumssteadilyandhaltinglyuntilitfinallyreachesthechargeandexplodes".

Tounderstandthecurrentsituation,whichischaracterizedbyrapidincreasesinpopulation,itisnecessarytounderstandthehistoryofpopulationtrends.Rapidgrowthisacomparativelyrecentphenomenon.Lookingbackatthe8,000yearsofdemographichistory,wefindthatpopulationshavebeenvirtuallystableorgrowingveryslightlyformostofhumanhistory.Formostofourancestors,lifewashard,oftennasty,andveryshort.Therewashighfertilityinmostplaces,butthiswasusuallybalancedbyhighmortality.Formostofhumanhistory,itwasseldomthecasethatoneintenpersonswouldlivepastforty,whileinfancyandchildhoodwereespeciallyriskyperiods.Often,societieswereincleardangerofextinctionbecausedeathratescouldexceedtheirbirthrates.Thus,thepopulationproblemthroughoutmostofhistorywashowtopreventextinctionofthehumanrace.

Thispatternisimportanttonotice.Notonlydoesitputthecurrentproblemsofdemographicgrowthintoahistoricalperspective,butitsuggeststhatthecauseofrapidincreaseinpopulationinrecentyearsisnotasuddenenthusiasmformorechildren,butanimprovementintheconditionsthattraditionallyhavecausedhighmortality.

Demographichistorycanbedividedintotwomajorperiods:atimeoflong,slowgrowthwhichextendedfromabout8000B.C.tillapproximately1650A.D.Inthefirstperiodofsome9,600years,thepopulationincreasedfromsome8millionto500millionin1650.Between1650and1975,thepopulationhasincreasedfrom500milliontomorethan4billion.Andthepopulationreached6.2billionthroughouttheworldbytheyear2000.Onewaytoappreciatethisdramaticdifferenceinsuchabstractnumbersistoreducethetimeframe.tosomethingthatismoremanageable.Between8000B.C.and1650,anaverageofonly50,000personswasbeingaddedannuallytotheworld'spopulation.Atpresent,thisnumberisaddedeverysixhours.Theincreaseisabout80,000,000personsannually.

Theword"demographic"(Line4,Para.1)means______.

A.statisticsofhuman

B.surroundingsstudy

C.accumulationofhuman

D.developmentofhuman

43.

Whatdoestheauthorwanttotellinthelastparagraph?

A.TheworkingexperiencefromNewZealandtoSwitzerlandisdifferentfromthatinCanada.

B.Earningone'slivingandgainingworkingexperiencewillmakeone'sgapyearmoremeaningful.

C.Thehighcostforagapyearisworthwhile.

D.ItisapositivewaytohaveagapyearBeforeapplyingforauniversity.

44.

JerryMandersuggeststhatlongperiodsofexposuretoartificiallight______.

A.maycausebraindamage

B.couldleadtodeath

C.couldendangerpeople'shealth

D.wouldalterthebraincells

45.

Whatdophilosophersoflanguagetendtobelieveaccordingtothepassage?

46.

Theauthormentionsthatpeoplewholiveiiisuburbanhouses______.

A.donothaveaccesstoeasyfacilitiesbecausetheyliveawayfromthecity

B.havetopayalotofmoneytoemploypeopletodoservicework

C.takelongertimetoknoweachotherbecausetheyareascatteredcommunity

D.havetospendmoremoneyandtimetravelingtoworkeveryday

47.SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,thereisashortpassagewith5questionsorincompletestatements.Readthepassagecarefully.Thenanswerthequestionsorcompletethestatementsinthefewestpossiblewords.

Eveninthiselectronicera.papercontinuestoplayacompleteroleinourdailylives.Americansdependonabout85milliontonsofpaperandpaperboardayeartohelpusclean,organize,advertise,educateandmuchmore,accordingtotheEnvironmentalProtectionAgency.

Unfortunately,thissoftproductcomeswithenvironmentaldisadvantages.Theseincludethelossofbiologicalvarietyassociatedwithpermanentforest,anenergyandwaterintensiveproductionprocessthatgeneratesgreenhousegasesandotherdangerousproducts,andalifecyclethatendsinalandfill(垃圾掩埋法)orincinerator(焚燒爐)nearlyhalfthetime.

Ofcourse,wehavechoices.Wecanlessenpaper'senvironmentalblowfirstandforemostbyreducingourdependence(usingclothtowelsinthekitchen,printingonbothsidesofthesheetattheoffice,etc.).And,whenwereallyneedtousepaper,wecanmakebetter-educatedbuyingdecisions.

Hereareafewtipsforpurchasingeco-friendlypaper:

Buyrecycled,Doingsosaveslandfillspace,supportsgreenjobsand"reducesthetotalamountofresourcesyou'reusing,"saysSusanKinsella,executivedirectorofConservatree,anorganizationthatadvocatesusingmorepaperwhichcanbeusedagain.

Studylabelingcarefully.Lookforproductsthatcontainpost-consumerwaste(ormaterialthathamcompletedafulllifecycle);thehigherthepercentage,thebetter.Achasing-arrowssymbolmaysimplymeanapaperproductcanberecycled,whiletheword"recycled"mayrefertoonlyasmallpercentageofrecoveredfibers.

Demandcertificate.Anumberoforganizationscertifythattheoriginalfiberusedinagivenpapercomesfromresponsiblymanagedforests.KinsellasaystheoneenvironmentaliststrustmostistheForestStewardshipCouncil.CheckwithyourprinterorpapersuppliertoseewhetheritcarriesFSC-certifiedlines.

Considertree-freeoptions.Somepaperisnowmadefromagriculturalcrops,severalofwhichhaveahigheryieldperacrethansometypesoftreesusedinpapermakingandmayhaveotherbenefits.Tree-freematerialisavailableforpersonaluse(thinkcardsandinvites),butbeforebuying,investigateitsoriginsandthefarmingpracticesused.Foralistofsuppliers,checkouthttp://www.//treefree.html.

Checkcolor.PaperwhichismadewhiterwithouttheuseofCl2(氯)orotherchemicalsislesspolluting.UsingpaperwithoutCl2isanotherstepup.Andwhenusingaprofessionalprinter,askforvegetable-basedinks.

Whatdoestheprocessofpaper-makingproduce?

48.

Itcanbeconcludedfromthepassagethat______.

A.StandardEnglishistaughtinschoolandcolleges

B.theyoungpeoplearedefiantbecausetheyrefusetospeakstandardEnglish

C.EnglishlanguageisinfluencedbyAmericanEnglishinthelast25years

D.therehasbeenagreatchangeintheEnglishlanguageinthiscentury

49.

What'stheauthor'sadvicetowomenwhoareabsorbedintheideaofthinness?

A.Theyshouldbemoreconcernedwiththeiroveralllifestyle.

B.Theyshouldbemorewatchfulforfataldiseases.

C.Theyshouldgainweighttolookhealthy.

D.Theyshouldridthemselvesoffantasiesaboutdesignerclothes.

50.

WhoplayprofessionalfootballintheUnitedStates?

A.Native-bornAmericancitizens.

B.Europeans.

C.SouthAmericans.

D.BothBandC.

51.

ThedevelopmentofoceanicwaterpowerisimportanttoAmericabecause______.

A.thereisasevereshortageofcoalandpetroleum

B.itisthecheapestmethodofproducingenergy

C.petroleumsuppliesarebeingsteadilydrained

D.obtainingenergyfromoceanwateraresimpler

52.Onethingthetourbooksdon'ttellyouaboutLondonisthat2,000ofitsresidentsarefoxes.Asnativeastheroyalfamily,theyfledthecityaboutcenturiesagoafterdevelopersandpollutionmovedin.Butnowthattheenvironmentiscleaner,thefoxeshavecomehome,oneofthemanywildanimalsthathavemovedintourbanareasaroundtheworld.

"Thenumberandvarietyofwildanimalsinurbanareasisincreasing,"saysGomerJones,presidentoftheNationalInstituteforUrbanWildlife,inColumbia,Maryland.AsurveyofthewildlifeinNewYork'sCentralParklastyeartalliedthespeciesofmammals,includingmuskrats,shrewsandflyingsquirrels.Asimilarsurveyconductedinthe1890scountedonlyfivespecies.Oneofthecountry'slargestpopulationsofraccoons(浣熊)nowlivesinWashingtonD.C.,andmoose(駝鹿)areregularlyseenwanderingintoMainetowns.Peregrinefalcons(游隼)divefromthewindowledgesofbuildingsinthelargestU.S.citiestopreyonpigeons.

Severalchangeshavebroughtwildanimalstothecities.Foremostisthatairandwaterqualityinmanycitieshasimprovedasaresultofthe1970s'pollution-controlefforts.Meanwhile,ruralareashavebeenbuiltup,leavingmanyanimalsontheedgesofsuburbia.Inaddition,conservationistshavecreatedurbanwildliferefuges.

TheGreaterLondonCouncillastyearspent$750,000tobuylandandbuild10permanentwildliferefugesinthecity.Over1,000volunteershavedonatedmoneyandclearedrubblefromderelictlots.Asaresult,pheasantsnowstrutintheEastEndandbadgersscuttleacrosslawnsnearthecenteroftown.AcolonyofrarehousemartinsnestsonawindowledgebesideHarrods,andoneeveninglastyearafoxwasseenonWestminsterBridgelookingupatBigBen.

Forperegrinefalcons,citiesareactuallysaferthanruralcliffdwellings.By1970thebirdswereextincteastoftheMississippibecausetheDDThadmadetheireggstoothinmsupportlife.Thatyear,ornithologistTomCadeofCornellUniversitybeganrisingthebirdsforreleaseincities,forcitiesaffordedabundantfoodandcontainednoneoftheperegrine'snaturalpredators.

"Beforetheywereexterminated,somemigratedtocitiesontheirownbecausetheyhadrunoutofcliffspace,"Cadesays."Toperegrines,buildingsarejustlikecliffs."Hehasreleasedabout30birdssince1975inNewYork,Baltimore,PhiladelphiaandNorfolk,andofthe20pairsnowlivingintheEast,halfareurbanites."Afewoftheyoungoneshavegottenintotroublebyfallingdownchimneysandcrashingintowindow-glass,butoveralltheiradjustmenthasbeensuccessful."

Thefirstparagraphsuggeststhat______.

A.environmentiscrucialforwildlife

B.tourbooksarenotalwaysareliablesourceofinformation

C.Londonisacityoffox

D.foxesarehighlyadaptabletoenvironment

53.

WhichofthefollowingisTRUEaccordingtothepassage?

A.Modernscholarstendtodenytheinfluenceofcultureonsocialdevelopment.

B.Onlyafterthe1950sdidscholarsrealizethegreatimpactofculture.

C.Positivismbelievesinthetruththatculturehasalottodowitheconomicdevelopment.

D.Laymenwouldbesurprisedtoseethattheagricultureissoinfluentialonsociety.

54.SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,thereisashortpassagewith5questionsorincompletestatements.Readthepassagecarefully.Thenanswerthequestionsorcompletethestatementsinthefewestpossiblewords.

Thefirsttwostagesinthedevelopmentofcivilizedmanwereprobablytheinventionofprimitiveweaponsandthediscoveryoffire,althoughnobodyknowsexactlywhenheacquiredtheuseofthelatter.

Theoriginoflanguageisalsoobscure.Nodoubtitbeganverygradually.Animalshaveafewcriesthatserveassignals,buteventhehighestapeshavenotbeenfoundabletopronouncewords,evenwiththemostintensiveprofessionalinstruction.Thesuperiorbrainofmanisapparentlyanecessityforthemasteringofspeech.Whenmanbecamesufficientlyintelligent,wemustsupposethathegraduallyincreasedthenumberofcriesfordifferentpurposes.Itwasagreatdaywhenhediscoveredthatspeechcouldbeusedfornarrative.Therearethosewhothinkinthisrespectpicturelanguageprecededorallanguage.Amancoulddrawapictureonthewallofhiscavetosh6winwhichdirectionhehadgone,orwhatpreyhehopedtocatch.Probablypicturelanguageandorallanguagedevelopedsidebyside.Iaminclinedtothinkthatlanguagehasbeenthemostimportantsinglefactorinthedevelopmentofman.

Twoimportantstagescamenotsolongbeforethedawnofwrittenhistory.Thefirstwasthedomesticationofanimals;thesecondwasagriculture.Agriculturewasastepinhumanprogresstowhichsubsequentlytherewasnothingcomparableuntilourownmachineage.Agriculturemadepossibleanimmenseincreaseinthenumberofthehumanspeciesintheregionswhereitcouldbesuccessfullypracticed.Thesewere,atfirst,onlythoseinwhichnaturefertilizedthesoilaftereachharvest.Agriculturemetwithviolentresistancefromthepastoralnomads(游牧民族),buttheagriculturalwayoflifeprevailedintheendbecauseofthephysicalcomfortsitprovided.

Anotherfundamentaltechnicaladvancewaswriting,which,likespokenlanguage,developedoutofpictures,butassoonasithadreachedacertainstage,itwaspossibletokeeprecordsandtransmitinformationtopeoplewhowerenotpresentwhentheinformationwasgiven.

Theseinventionsanddiscoveries—fire,speech,weapons,domesticanimals,agriculture,andwriting—madetheexistenceofcivilizedcommunitiespossible.Fromabout3000B.C.untilthebeginningoftheIndustrialRevolutionlessthantwohundredyearsagotherewasnotechnicaladvancecomparabletothese.Duringthislongperiodmanhadtimetobecomeaccustomedtohistechnique,andtodevelopthebeliefsandpoliticalorganizationsappropriatetoit.Therewas,ofcourse,animmenseextensionintheareaofcivilizedlife.AtfirstithadbeenconfinedtotheNile,theEuphrates,theTigrisandtheIndus,butattheendoftheperiodinquestionitcoveredmuchthegreaterpartoftheinhabitableglobe.Idonotmeantosuggestthattherewasnotechnicalprogressduringthislongtime;therewasprogresstherewereeventwoinventionsofverygreatimportance,namelygunpowderandthemariner'scompassbutneitherofthesecanbecomparedintheirpowertosuchthingsasspeechandwritingandagriculture.

Animals,eventhehighestapes