Plants and Mankind

　　Botany, the study of plants, occupies a peculiar position in the history of human knowledge. We don't know what our Stone Age1 ancestors knew about plants, but from what we can observe of preindustrial societies that still exist, a detailed learning of plants and their properties must be extremely ancient2. This is logical. Plants are the basis of the food pyramid for all living things, even for other plants. They have always been enormously important to the welfare of people, not only for food, but also for clothing, weapons, tools, dyes3, medicines, shelter, and many other purposes. Tribes living today in the jungle of the Amazon4 recognize hundreds of plants and know many properties of each. To them botany has no name and is probably not even recognized as a special branch of "knowledge" at all.

　　Unfortunately, the more industrialized we become the farther away we move from direct contact with plants, and the less distinct our knowledge of botany grows. Yet everyone comes unconsciously on an amazing amount of botanical knowledge5, and few people will fail to recognize a rose, an apple, or an orchid6. When our Neolithic7 ancestors, living in the Middle East about 10,000 years ago, discovered that certain grasses could be harvested and their seeds planted for richer yields the next season, the first great step in a new association of plants and humans was taken. Grains were discovered and from them flowed the marvel of agriculture: cultivated crops. From then on, humans would increasingly take their living from the controlled production of a few plants, rather than getting a little here and a little there from many varieties that grew wild and the accumulated knowledge of tens of thousands of years of experience and intimacy with plants in the wild would begin to fade away8 .

　　词汇:

　　botany ['bɔtəni] n.植物学

　　yield [ji:ld] n. 产量，收益

　　detailed ['di:teild] adj.详细的，详尽的

　　marvel ['mɑ:vəl] n. 令人惊奇的事(人)，奇迹

　　property ['prɔpəti] n. (1)特征(2)财产，资产

　　logical ['lɔdӡikəl] adj. 逻辑的，合乎逻辑的

　　variety [və'raiəti] n.(1)品种，变种 (2)变化，多样化

　　pyramid ['pirəmid] n.金字塔 职称英语考试

　　welfare ['welfεə] n. 福利，幸福，康乐

　　accumulate [ə'kju:mjuleit] vt.积累，积聚

　　intimacy ['intiməsi] n. 亲近，亲密

　　注释：

　　1. Stone Age: 石器时代

　　2. …a detailed learning of plants and their properties must be extremely ancient:…… 对植物及其特点的详细了解一定非常久远。

　　3. dye : 染料

　　4. the Amazon :亚马孙河

　　5. Yet everyone comes unconsciously on an amazing amount of botanical knowledge … 而每个人都会在无意识中获得大量的植物知识，……come on : (偶然)遇见;(偶然)发现。又如：I came on this idea by pure chance. 我有这个想法纯偶然。

　　6. orchid: 兰花

　　7. Neolithic: 新石器时代

　　8. From then on, humans would increasingly take their living from the controlled production of a few plants, rather than getting a little here and a little there from many varieties that grew wild and the accumulated knowledge of tens of thousands of years of experience and intimacy with plants in the wild would begin to fade away:从那时起，人类就越来越多地从可控制的几种植物的种植中获取生计，而不是从野生的众多种类中东采一点，西摘一点。在数万年的经验中积累起来的知识以及与大自然中各种植物的紧密联系也就开始消失。 take their living from…:靠……过活。

　　1. It is logical that a detailed learning of plants and their properties must be extremely ancient.(一段)

　　A. Right

　　B. Wrong

　　C. Not mentioned

　　2. People can not survive without plants. (一段)

　　A. Right

　　B. Wrong

　　C. Not mentioned

　　3. Tribes living today in the jungle of the Amazon teach botany to their children at school. (一段)

　　A. Right

　　B. Wrong

　　C. Not mentioned

　　4. Our direct contact with plants grows with the process of industrialization. (二段)

　　A. Right

　　B. Wrong

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（实习编辑：高奕飞）