初中英语晨读晚诵 每天15分钟速学阅读3

Day 01 Early People and Civilizations Visual Preview What are some of the prehistoric ages in human history? During the Stone Age, humans were hunter-gatherers who made simple tools from stone. During the Bronze Age, humans learned to make tools from bronze. During the Iron Age, humans learned to make tools from iron and began to develop real civilizations. Vocabulary Preview | Write the correct word next to its meaning. Ice Age Bronze Age Stone Age Iron Age hunter-gatherer 1. ____: the period when much of the Earth was cold and covered with glaciers 2. ____: the period when humans only used simple tools 3. ____: the period when humans learned to work with copper and tin 4.____ : the period when humans learned to work with iron 5. ____: a person who hunts animals and gathers wild plants for food Early People A couple of million years ago, primitive humans were nothing like the modern humans of today. They were simplistic creatures that shared characteristics with both humans and apes. For much of this time, the Earth was extremely cold. It endured a very long Ice Age. During the Ice Age, much of the Earth's surface was covered by huge sheets of ice called glaciers. However, around 12,500 years ago, the Ice Age ended. The ice and glaciers receded. And humans began to evolve, to spread out, and to become more civilized. Archaeologists have created a three-age system to describe prehistoric cultures. They are the Stone Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. The Stone Age is often divided into the Old Stone Age and the New Stone Age. The Old Stone Age was the first part of the Stone Age and began around 2,000,000 B.C. The New Stone Age was the last part of the Stone Age and began around 10,000 B.C. During the Old Stone Age, humans lived as hunter-gatherers. They hunted animals and gathered wild plants for food. People could only make simple tools out of stone. Yet people learned how to make fire during this age. Having fire changed humans' lives a lot. Fire provided light and helped people stay warm. Most of all, people could cook their food. In the New Stone Age, there began to be some more improvements. People learned to farm the land. People also learned to domesticate wild animals such as dogs, sheep and goats. Some people began to settle in villages where there was fertile soil for farming. Since they could grow their own crops and raise their own animals, they no longer had to live as nomads. However, they still used stone tools, so this time is called the New Stone Age. Around 3000 B.C., the Bronze Age began in some parts of the world. During it, humans started working with soft metals such as copper and tin. They learned how to create tools and weapons out of bronze. And pottery became more common during this time. Around 1500 B.C., the Iron Age began in Europe. Of course, it started earlier in some places and later in other places. During the Iron Age, humans began working with iron. Also, the first real cities began to appear, and trade between cities became more commonplace. It was during this age that human civilization started to develop much more quickly than ever before.