- 注释版
- 纯净版
导读
有没有想过凡尔赛宫为啥有那么一大片草坪？悉尼大学为啥觉得自己拥有草坪就比新南威尔士大学高一大截？剑桥大学国王学院的草坪为啥不能随便进去？如果想知道，就跟大乐乐一起来看看草坪简史吧。
在石器时代，狩猎采集者并不会在洞穴入口种草。而如果参观雅典卫城、罗马卡托皮林神殿山、耶路撒冷犹太圣殿或北京紫禁城，也都没有一片绿油油的草地欢迎访客。这种在私人住宅和公共建筑前设置一片草坪的想法，诞生于中世纪晚期英法两国贵族的城堡。到了现代早期，这个习惯已经根深蒂固，成了贵族的标志。
想要有一片漂亮的草坪，除了要有地，还得付出许多心力，特别是以前可没有自动洒水装置和割草机。而到头来，草坪并不会产生任何价值，甚至不能放牛羊进去吃草，否则就可能被啃秃踩坏。贫穷的农民负担不起，绝不可能把宝贵的土地或时间浪费在草坪上。于是，城堡入口处那片完美的草地，就成了无人能造假的身份象征，威风地向经过的人宣告：“本人财粮满仓，威权显赫，领土农奴无数，区区绿地岂在话下。”草坪越广阔、修整越完美，就代表这个家族越强盛。如果你拜访一位公爵，却看到草坪维护“不佳，就知道他有麻烦了。
于是，草坪在人们心中成了政治权力、社会地位和经济实力的象征。这也就难怪到了19世纪，新兴中产阶级对草坪也是热烈欢迎。一开始，只有银行家、律师和企业家能够负担得起在自己的私人住所布置这样的奢侈品。等到工业革命使中产阶级扩大，并发明了割草机、自动洒水装置，数百万家庭忽然也负担得起，能够在自家门口种上一片草坪。于是在美国市郊，平整漂亮的草坪也从富人阶级的奢侈品转为中产阶级的必需品。
了解了草坪的简短历史，如果现在要设计梦想中的房子，你可能就会再想想究竟要不要有草坪。当然，你还是可以想要有片草坪。然而，你也可以选择甩掉这些欧洲公爵、大资本家甚至辛普森一家给你造成的文化负担，换成日式的枯山水，甚至是自己来点儿全新创造。这正是研究历史最好的理由：不是为了预测未来，而是要将自己从过去中释放出来，想象是否有另一种命运。当然，我们仍不免受到过去的影响，所以永远不可能得到完全的自由；然而，部分自由总比全无自由要好得多。
大乐乐的一张图学完一本原版书系列课程之《未来简史》明天就要开始上课了，想知道更多关于人类历史的秘密，窥探更多未来的浮光掠影，欢迎来找大乐乐哦。
第一步：解决高频单词
sample ['sæmpl]
vt. 取样；抽样检查；尝试 / n. 样品；样本；例子 / adj. 作为例子的；试样的，样品的
liberate ['lɪbəreɪt]
vt.解放；释放
avoid [ə'vɒɪd]
vt.避免；避开
cultivate ['kʌltɪveɪt]
vt. 培养；陶冶
nurture ['nɜːtʃə]
vt. 养育；鼓励；培植
shape [ʃeɪp]
vt. 影响；塑造
extravaganza [ɪk,strævə'gænzə]
n. 狂言；华丽演出；豪华衣饰
luxury ['lʌkʃ(ə)rɪ]
luxury n. 奢侈；奢华
necessity [nɪ'sesɪtɪ]
n. 必需品；必要性
mogul ['məuɡəl]
n. 有权势的人；显要人物
alternative [ɔːl'tɜːnətɪv]
adj. 另一个；供选择的
第二步：精读重点段落
（Tips: 双击文中单词可以查释义并加入你的生词本哦）
第四段：
Stone Age hunter-gatherers did not cultivate grass at the entrance to their caves. No green meadow welcomed the visitors to the Athenian Acropolis, the Roman Capitol, the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem or the Forbidden City in Beijing. The idea of nurturing a lawn at the entrance to private residences and public buildings was born in the castles of French and English aristocrats in the late Middle Ages. In the early modern age this habit struck deep roots, and became the trademark of nobility.
- hunter-gatherer n. 采集狩猎的人
- cultivate vt. 培养；陶冶
- meadow n. 草坪；草地
- nurture vt. 养育；鼓励；培植
- aristocrat n.贵族
- trademark n. 商标
- nobility n.贵族；高贵
第五段：
Well-kept lawns demanded land and a lot of work, particularly in the days before lawnmowers and automatic water sprinklers. In exchange, they produce nothing of value. You can’t even graze animals on them, because they would eat and trample the grass. Poor peasants could not afford wasting precious land or time on lawns. The neat turf at the entrance to chateaux was accordingly a status symbol nobody could fake. It boldly proclaimed to every passerby: ‘I am so rich and powerful, and I have so many acres and serfs, that I can afford this green extravaganza.’ The bigger and neater the lawn, the more powerful the dynasty. If you came to visit a duke and saw that his lawn was in bad shape, you knew he was in trouble.
- lawnmower n.割草机
- water sprinkler 洒水器
- trample vt. 践踏；蹂躏
- peasant n. 农民
- turf n. 草皮；泥浆
- chateaux n. 城堡
- proclaim vt. 宣告；公布
- acre n. 土地；英亩
- serf n. 农奴；奴隶
- extravaganza n. 狂言；华丽演出；豪华衣饰
- dynasty n. 王朝
- duke n. 公爵
第六段：
Humans thereby came to identify lawns with political power, social status and economic wealth. No wonder that in the nineteenth century the rising bourgeoisie enthusiastically adopted the lawn. At first only bankers, lawyers and industrialists could afford such luxuries at their private residences. Yet when the Industrial Revolution broadened the middle class and gave rise to the lawnmower and then the automatic sprinkler, millions of families could suddenly afford a home turf. In American suburbia a spick-and-span lawn switched from being a rich person’s luxury into a middle-class necessity.
- bourgeoisie n. 资产阶级；中产阶级
- adopt vt. 采纳；采用
- luxury n. 奢侈；奢华
- private residence 私宅；私产
- suburbia n. 郊区；郊区居民
- spick-and-span adj. 极干净的；崭新的
- necessity n. 必需品；必要性
第七段：
Having read this short history of the lawn, when you now come to plan your dream house you might think twice about having a lawn in the front yard. You are of course still free to do it. But you are also free to shake off the cultural cargo bequeathed to you by European dukes, capitalist moguls and the Simpsons – and imagine for yourself a Japanese rock garden, or some altogether new creation. This is the best reason to learn history: not in order to predict the future, but to free yourself of the past and imagine alternative destinies. Of course this is not total freedom – we cannot avoid being shaped by the past. But some freedom is better than none.
- shake off 摆脱；抖落
- bequeath vt. 遗赠；把…传下去
- mogul n. 有权势的人；显要人物
- free sb of sth 使某人摆脱某事
- alternative adj. 另一个；供选择的
第三步：攻克必学语法
现在分词的用法辨析
Science is not just about predicting the future, though. Scholars in all fields often seek to broaden our horizons, thereby opening before us new and unknown futures.
科学并不只是预测未来。各个领域的学者经常希望拓展人类的视野，因此展现在我们眼前的是各种全新而未知的未来。
现在分词是个戏精，是负责给主语加戏的。所以现在分词和主句的逻辑主语是一码事儿。
比如上面这句，主句是Scholars in all fields often seek to broaden our horizons，主语是scholars，所以现在分词opening before us new and unknown futures的主语也是scholars。
切记切记。
下面来分析一下这个句子吧：
By observing the accidental chain of events that led us here, we realise how our very thoughts and dreams took shape – and we can begin to think and dream differently.
观察让我们走到现在的一连串意外事件，就能了解人类的每个念头和梦想是如何变成现实的，然后我们就能开始以不同的方式思考并编织出不同的梦想。
这里的observing就是现在分词，主语是we，谁在观察，我们在观察。
更多例句：
We take this reality for granted, thinking it is natural, inevitable and immutable.
我们都会觉得自己所处的现实是理所当然的，认为这一切纯属自然、不可避免、无法改变。
Having read this short history of the lawn, when you now come to plan your dream house you might think twice about having a lawn in the front yard.
了解了草坪的简短历史，如果现在要设计梦想中的房子，你可能就会再想想究竟要不要有草坪。
加分任务：精读全文
在之前的三步后，你已经完全具备了精读全文的能力。再多花半个小时，让你的学习效果达到120%！
下载音频
（Tips: 双击文中单词可以查释义并加入你的生词本哦）
A Brief History of Lawns
第一段：
If history doesn’t follow any stable rules, and if we cannot predict its future course, why study it? It often seems that the chief aim of science is to predict the future. Historians are asked to examine the actions of our ancestors so that we can repeat their wise decisions and avoid their mistakes. But it almost never works like that because the present is just too different from the past. It is a waste of time to study Hannibal’s tactics in the Second Punic War so as to copy them in the Third World War. What worked well in cavalry battles will not necessarily be of much benefit in cyber warfare.
- ancestor n. 祖先；始祖
- repeat vt. 重复；复制
- wise decision 明智决定
- avoid vt. 避免;避开
- present n. 现在
- a waste of time 浪费时间
- tactics n. 策略；战术
- cyber adj. 网络的；计算机的
- warfare n. 战争；冲突
第二段：
Science is not just about predicting the future, though. Scholars in all fields often seek to broaden our horizons, thereby opening before us new and unknown futures. This is especially true of history. Though historians occasionally try their hand at prophecy, the study of history aims above all to make us aware of possibilities we don’t normally consider. Historians study the past not in order to repeat it, but in order to be liberated from it. Each and every one of us has been born into a given historical reality, ruled by particular norms and values, and managed by a unique economic and political system. We take this reality for granted, thinking it is natural, inevitable and immutable. We forget that our world was created by an accidental chain of events, and that history shaped not only our technology, politics and society, but also our thoughts, fears and dreams. The cold hand of the past emerges from the grave of our ancestors, grips us by the neck and directs our gaze towards a single future. We have felt that grip from the moment we were born, so we assume that it is a natural and inescapable part of who we are. Therefore， we seldom try to shake ourselves free, and envision alternative futures.
- broaden one’s horizons 开拓眼界
- occasionally adv.偶然地；偶尔地
- prophecy n. 预言；预言（能力）
- aim to do sth 旨在做某事
- liberate vt. 解放；释放
- norms n. 标准；规范
- values n. 价值观念；价值标准
- shape vt. 影响；塑造
- grip vt.握紧；夹紧
- gaze n.凝视；注释
- assume vt. 假定；设想
- inescapable adj. 不可逃避的；逃脱不了的
- envision vt. 想象；预想
第三段：
Studying history aims to loosen the grip of the past. It enables us to turn our head this way and that, and begin to notice possibilities that our ancestors could not imagine, or didn’t want us to imagine. By observing the accidental chain of events that led us here, we realise how our very thoughts and dreams took shape – and we can begin to think and dream differently. Studying history will not tell us what to choose, but at least it gives us more options.
- loosen vt. 放松；松开
- take shape 形成；成形
- option n. 选择
第四段：
Stone Age hunter-gatherers did not cultivate grass at the entrance to their caves. No green meadow welcomed the visitors to the Athenian Acropolis, the Roman Capitol, the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem or the Forbidden City in Beijing. The idea of nurturing a lawn at the entrance to private residences and public buildings was born in the castles of French and English aristocrats in the late Middle Ages. In the early modern age this habit struck deep roots, and became the trademark of nobility.
- hunter-gatherer n. 采集狩猎的人
- cultivate vt. 培养；陶冶
- meadow n. 草坪；草地
- nurture vt. 养育；鼓励；培植
- aristocrat n.贵族
- trademark n. 商标
- nobility n.贵族；高贵
第五段：
Well-kept lawns demanded land and a lot of work, particularly in the days before lawnmowers and automatic water sprinklers. In exchange, they produce nothing of value. You can’t even graze animals on them, because they would eat and trample the grass. Poor peasants could not afford wasting precious land or time on lawns. The neat turf at the entrance to chateaux was accordingly a status symbol nobody could fake. It boldly proclaimed to every passerby: ‘I am so rich and powerful, and I have so many acres and serfs, that I can afford this green extravaganza.’ The bigger and neater the lawn, the more powerful the dynasty. If you came to visit a duke and saw that his lawn was in bad shape, you knew he was in trouble.
- lawnmower n.割草机
- water sprinkler 洒水器
- trample vt. 践踏；蹂躏
- peasant n. 农民
- turf n. 草皮；泥浆
- chateaux n. 城堡
- proclaim vt. 宣告；公布
- acre n. 土地；英亩
- serf n.农奴；奴隶
- extravaganza n. 狂言；华丽演出；豪华衣饰
- dynasty n. 王朝
- duke n. 公爵
第六段：
Humans thereby came to identify lawns with political power, social status and economic wealth. No wonder that in the nineteenth century the rising bourgeoisie enthusiastically adopted the lawn. At first only bankers, lawyers and industrialists could afford such luxuries at their private residences. Yet when the Industrial Revolution broadened the middle class and gave rise to the lawnmower and then the automatic sprinkler, millions of families could suddenly afford a home turf. In American suburbia a spick-and-span lawn switched from being a rich person’s luxury into a middle-class necessity.
- bourgeoisie n. 资产阶级；中产阶级
- adopt vt. 采纳；采用
- luxury n. 奢侈；奢华
- private residence 私宅；私产
- suburbia n. 郊区；郊区居民
- spick-and-span adj. 极干净的；崭新的
- necessity n. 必需品；必要性
第七段：
Having read this short history of the lawn, when you now come to plan your dream house you might think twice about having a lawn in the front yard. You are of course still free to do it. But you are also free to shake off the cultural cargo bequeathed to you by European dukes, capitalist moguls and the Simpsons – and imagine for yourself a Japanese rock garden, or some altogether new creation. This is the best reason to learn history: not in order to predict the future, but to free yourself of the past and imagine alternative destinies. Of course this is not total freedom – we cannot avoid being shaped by the past. But some freedom is better than none.
- shake off 摆脱；抖落
- bequeath vt. 遗赠；把…传下去
- mogul n. 有权势的人；显要人物
- free sb of sth 使某人摆脱某事
- alternative adj. 另一个；供选择的
sample ['sæmpl]
vt. 取样；抽样检查；尝试 / n. 样品；样本；例子 / adj. 作为例子的；试样的，样品的
liberate ['lɪbəreɪt]
vt.解放；释放
avoid [ə'vɒɪd]
vt.避免；避开
cultivate ['kʌltɪveɪt]
vt. 培养；陶冶
nurture ['nɜːtʃə]
vt. 养育；鼓励；培植
shape [ʃeɪp]
vt. 影响；塑造
extravaganza [ɪk,strævə'gænzə]
n. 狂言；华丽演出；豪华衣饰
luxury ['lʌkʃ(ə)rɪ]
luxury n. 奢侈；奢华
necessity [nɪ'sesɪtɪ]
n. 必需品；必要性
mogul ['məuɡəl]
n. 有权势的人；显要人物
alternative [ɔːl'tɜːnətɪv]
adj. 另一个；供选择的
不要一时兴起，就要天天在一起
明天见！
下载音频
A Brief History of Lawns
第一段：
If history doesn’t follow any stable rules, and if we cannot predict its future course, why study it? It often seems that the chief aim of science is to predict the future Historians are asked to examine the actions of our ancestors so that we can repeat their wise decisions and avoid their mistakes. But it almost never works like that because the present is just too different from the past. It is a waste of time to study Hannibal’s tactics in the Second Punic War so as to copy them in the Third World War. What worked well in cavalry battles will not necessarily be of much benefit in cyber warfare.
第二段：
Science is not just about predicting the future, though. Scholars in all fields often seek to broaden our horizons, thereby opening before us new and unknown futures. This is especially true of history. Though historians occasionally try their hand at prophecy, the study of history aims above all to make us aware of possibilities we don’t normally consider. Historians study the past not in order to repeat it, but in order to be liberated from it. Each and every one of us has been born into a given historical reality, ruled by particular norms and values, and managed by a unique economic and political system. We take this reality for granted, thinking it is natural, inevitable and immutable. We forget that our world was created by an accidental chain of events, and that history shaped not only our technology, politics and society, but also our thoughts, fears and dreams. The cold hand of the past emerges from the grave of our ancestors, grips us by the neck and directs our gaze towards a single future. We have felt that grip from the moment we were born, so we assume that it is a natural and inescapable part of who we are. Therefore we seldom try to shake ourselves free, and envision alternative futures.
第三段：
Studying history aims to loosen the grip of the past. It enables us to turn our head this way and that, and begin to notice possibilities that our ancestors could not imagine, or didn’t want us to imagine. By observing the accidental chain of events that led us here, we realise how our very thoughts and dreams took shape – and we can begin to think and dream differently. Studying history will not tell us what to choose, but at least it gives us more options.
第四段：
Stone Age hunter-gatherers did not cultivate grass at the entrance to their caves. No green meadow welcomed the visitors to the Athenian Acropolis, the Roman Capitol, the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem or the Forbidden City in Beijing. The idea of nurturing a lawn at the entrance to private residences and public buildings was born in the castles of French and English aristocrats in the late Middle Ages. In the early modern age this habit struck deep roots, and became the trademark of nobility.
第五段：
Well-kept lawns demanded land and a lot of work, particularly in the days before lawnmowers and automatic water sprinklers. In exchange, they produce nothing of value. You can’t even graze animals on them, because they would eat and trample the grass. Poor peasants could not afford wasting precious land or time on lawns. The neat turf at the entrance to chateaux was accordingly a status symbol nobody could fake. It boldly proclaimed to every passerby: ‘I am so rich and powerful, and I have so many acres and serfs, that I can afford this green extravaganza.’ The bigger and neater the lawn, the more powerful the dynasty. If you came to visit a duke and saw that his lawn was in bad shape, you knew he was in trouble.
第六段：
Humans thereby came to identify lawns with political power, social status and economic wealth. No wonder that in the nineteenth century the rising bourgeoisie enthusiastically adopted the lawn. At first only bankers, lawyers and industrialists could afford such luxuries at their private residences. Yet when the Industrial Revolution broadened the middle class and gave rise to the lawnmower and then the automatic sprinkler, millions of families could suddenly afford a home turf. In American suburbia a spick-and-span lawn switched from being a rich person’s luxury into a middle-class necessity.
第七段：
Having read this short history of the lawn, when you now come to plan your dream house you might think twice about having a lawn in the front yard. You are of course still free to do it. But you are also free to shake off the cultural cargo bequeathed to you by European dukes, capitalist moguls and the Simpsons – and imagine for yourself a Japanese rock garden, or some altogether new creation. This is the best reason to learn history: not in order to predict the future, but to free yourself of the past and imagine alternative destinies. Of course this is not total freedom – we cannot avoid being shaped by the past. But some freedom is better than none.