How Women Changed History
维维安·吉儿 / Vivienne Gill
Ace in the Hole
Listen to the following article twice， and then fill in the
blanks with appropriate words.
1. They invented agriculture. Before the _____________________
men were hunters. They went out every day.
2. Archeologists think that women kept the first _____________：
dogs， cows， sheep and goats.
Men sometimes say， “We are better and cleverer than women. Women never invent things. We do.” It is true that men have invented a lot of useful things： the alphabet， machines， rockets， and guns， too. But scientists and archeologists now agree that women invented one very important thing. It has changed history. They invented agriculture. Before the invention of agriculture men were hunters. They went out every day. Sometimes they killed animals—sometimes animals killed them. Life was difficult and dangerous. Women had to go out every day， too. They collected roots， fruit and grasses. Then， one day， more than 10，000 years ago， a woman dropped some grass seeds. She dropped them near her home in the Middle East. They grew—and the first wheat was born. The idea grew， too. Women planted roots and fruit trees. Then they could stay at home and look after the children— and the animals. Women like baby animals. Archeologists think that women kept the first domestic animals： dogs， cows， sheep and goats. That idea grew， too. Then their husbands did not have to go hunting for meat. They stayed at home. They built villages and cities. Civilization began. Men began civilization — after women invented agriculture.
参考译文
有时男人们会说：“男人比女人能干，比女人聪明。女人没有发明任何东西，男人却发明了。”不错，男人是发明了很多有用的东西，如字母表，机器，火箭，也有枪炮。但是，科学家和考古学家们现在一致认为，女人曾发明了一项十分重要的东西，它使历史发生了改变。这项发明就是农业。农业被发明之前，男人们都是猎人。他们每天都要外出狩猎。有时他们将猎物捕杀，有时猎物将他们杀死，生活是艰难而充满危险的。女人们也要每天外出，她们收集植物的根茎、果实和杂草。后来，一万多年以前的某一天，一个女人在她家附近的地方撒下一些草籽。她的家就在中东。种子生长出来，并结出了第一株小麦。随着小麦的成长，人们的思想也在成长。女人们也将根茎和果树种下，于是，她们能够留在家里照看孩子和家畜了。女人们喜欢小动物，考古学家认为，女人饲养了第一批家畜：狗、牛、绵羊和山羊。圈养家畜的想法也成熟起来。于是，丈夫们无需再去出门觅食。他们留在家里，建成了村落和城市。从此开始了人类文明。男人们创造了文明——在女人发明了农业之后。