The Evolution of Human Shelter: From Natural Refuges to Permanent Homes

50 阅读3分钟

Man has three basic needs: food, clothing, and shelter. If a man lives in a warm climate, clothing is not absolutely necessary. However, man cannot live without food, and he has little chance of surviving without shelter. Mankind needs shelter to protect them from the weather, wild animals, insects, and enemies.

Long before man learned how to build houses, he looked for natural shelter, as animals do. He found that he could protect himself by climbing up into trees or by crawling into caves. The first shelter of homes actually built by man was very simple. For his building material, he used what he could find easily around him: rocks, tree branches, dried grasses, animal skins.

It was a long time, however, before man began to build permanent shelter because, until man learned to farm, he lived by hunting. He had to move from place to place in search of food. Thus, the first man-made shelters were those that could be easily transported. The first permanent shelters were probably built twenty to forty thousand years ago by fish-eating people who lived in one place as long as the fish supply lasted. Fish eaters could stay in one place for several years. However, once man learned to farm, he could live longer in one place. Thus, he was able to build a permanent home, once again using materials he found at hand.

以下是文章中涉及的专升本英语考点词汇、短语及详细说明,按段落顺序整理:

第一段

  1. basic needs

    • 词性: 名词短语
    • 释义: 基本需求
    • 考点: 主题词,常出现在阅读理解主旨题中,需掌握其与"food, clothing, shelter"的关联。
  2. surviving without shelter

    • 词性: 动名词短语
    • 释义: 没有庇护所的情况下生存
    • 考点: 介词"without"的用法(否定条件),常见于细节理解题。
  3. protect...from

    • 词性: 动词短语
    • 释义: 保护...免受...
    • 考点: 固定搭配(protect A from B),需掌握介词"from"的用法,常见于语法填空或选择题。
  4. wild animals, insects, and enemies

    • 词性: 名词短语
    • 释义: 野生动物、昆虫和敌人
    • 考点: 细节题关键词,需理解上下文逻辑(庇护所的作用)。

第二段

  1. natural shelter

    • 词性: 名词短语
    • 释义: 自然庇护所
    • 考点: 同义词替换(如refuge/haven),可能出现在阅读理解选项中。
  2. climbing up into trees

    • 词性: 动名词短语
    • 释义: 爬上树
    • 考点: 动词短语(climb up),需注意方向介词"up"的用法。
  3. crawling into caves

    • 词性: 动名词短语
    • 释义: 爬进洞穴
    • 考点: 动词短语(crawl into),与"climbing up"形成动作对比。
  4. building material

    • 词性: 名词短语
    • 释义: 建筑材料
    • 考点: 复合名词,需掌握其与后文"rocks, tree branches"的举例关系。
  5. dried grasses, animal skins

    • 词性: 名词短语
    • 释义: 干草、兽皮
    • 考点: 细节题关键词,需理解其作为原始建筑材料的用途。

第三段

  1. permanent shelter

    • 词性: 名词短语
    • 释义: 永久性庇护所
    • 考点: 反义词对比(temporary vs. permanent),常见于推理题。
  2. lived by hunting

    • 词性: 动词短语
    • 释义: 以狩猎为生
    • 考点: 介词"by"表方式(通过...生存),需掌握其语法功能。
  3. in search of food

    • 词性: 介词短语
    • 释义: 为了寻找食物
    • 考点: 固定搭配(in search of),等同于"looking for",常见于完形填空。
  4. easily transported

    • 词性: 副词短语
    • 释义: 易于运输
    • 考点: 副词修饰动词(transported),需理解上下文逻辑(可移动住所)。
  5. fish-eating people

    • 词性: 名词短语
    • 释义: 以捕鱼为生的人
    • 考点: 复合形容词(fish-eating),需掌握其构成规则(-ing作定语)。
  6. lived longer in one place

    • 词性: 动词短语
    • 释义: 在一个地方长期居住
    • 考点: 副词"longer"的比较级用法,需结合农业发展的背景理解。

总结性考点

  • 时间逻辑词: "Long before", "however", "thus"(用于推断段落关系)。
  • 因果关系: "because", "as long as"(需理解农业与定居的关联)。
  • 同义替换: "protect...from"与"shelter"的语义重复(强化主题)。

备考建议: 重点掌握动词短语、介词搭配及复合名词,结合上下文推理词汇含义(如"fish-eating people"通过后文"fish supply"推断)。