爱华网人类社会文明的车轮从未停止它发展的步伐,历史也总是在矛盾与辩证中得以前进。下面是小编带来的关于文明的英语文章阅读，欢迎阅读!
关于文明的英语文章阅读篇一
最初的文明
Evidence suggests that an important stimulus behind the rise of early civilizations was thedevelopment of settled agriculture, which unleashed a series of changes in the organization ofhuman communities that culminated in the rise of large ancient empires.
The exact time and place that crops were first cultivated successfully is uncertain. Manyprehistorians believe that farming may have emerged in dependently in several different areas ofthe world when small communities, driven by increasing population and a decline in availablefood resources, began to plant seeds in the ground in an effort to guarantee their survival.The first farmers, who may have lived as long as 10,000 years ago, undoubtedly used simpletechniques and still relied primarily on other forms of food production, such as hunting,foraging, or pastoralism. The real breakthrough took place when farmers began to cultivatecrops along the floodplains of river systems. The advantage was that crops grown in suchareas were not as dependent on rainfall and therefore produced a more reliable harvest. Anadditional benefit was that the sediment carried by the river waters deposited nutrients inthe soil, thus enabling the farmer to cultivate a single plot of ground for many years withoutmovingto a new location. Thus, the first truly sedentary (that is, nonmigratory) societies wereborn. As time went on, such communities gradually learned how to direct the flow of water toenhance the productive capacity of the land, while the introduction of the iron ploweventually led to the cultivation of heavy soils not previously susceptible to agriculture.
The spread of this river valley agriculture in various parts of Asia and Africa was thedecisive factor in the rise of the first civilizations. The increase in food production in theseregions led to a significant growth in population, while efforts to control the flow of water tomaximize the irrigation of cultivated areas and to protect the local inhabitants from hostileforces outside the community provoked the first steps toward cooperative activities on alarge scale. The need to oversee the entire process brought about the emergence of an elitethat was eventually transformed into a government.
The first clear steps in the rise of the first civilizations took place in the fourth and thirdmillennia B.C. in Mesopotamia, northern Africa, India, and China. How the first governmentstook shape in these areas is not certain, but anthropologists studying the evolution of humancommunities in various parts of the world have discovered that one common stage in theprocess is the emergence of what are called “big men” within a single village or a collection ofvillages. By means of their military prowess, dominant personalities, or political talents, thesepeople gradually emerge as the leaders of that community. In time, the “big men” becomeformal symbols of authority and pass on that authority to others within their own family. Asthe communities continue to grow in size and material wealth, the “big men” assumehereditary status, and their allies and family members are transformed into a hereditarymonarchy.
The appearance of these sedentary societies had a major impact on the socialorganizations, religious beliefs, and way of life of the peoples living within their boundaries. Withthe increase in population and the development of centralized authority came the emergenceof the cities. While some of these urban centers were identified with a particular economicfunction, such as proximity to gold or iron deposits or a strategic location on a major traderoute, others served primarily as administrative centers or the site of temples for the officialcult or other ritual observances. Within these cities, new forms of livelihood appeared to satisfythe growing need for social services and consumer goods. Some people became artisans ormerchants, while others became warriors, scholars, or priests. In some cases, the physicaldivision within the first cities reflected the strict hierarchical character of the society as awhole, with a royal palace surrounded by an imposing wall and separate from the remainderof the urban population. In other instances, such as the Indus River Valley, the cities lacked aroyal precinct and the ostentatious palaces that marked their contemporaries elsewhere.
关于文明的英语文章阅读篇二
中国文化 Chinese Culture
In recent years, there are more and more Confucius Institutes being built all around the world, which shows that our Chinese culture become much more popular than ever. As one of the four ancient civilizations, China has long history and creates many splendid cultures. The ancient culture once had great influence on the world, such as Japan, South Korea and other Asian and European countries.
近年，世界各地建立了越来越多的孔子学院，这表明我们的中国文化比过去更受欢迎了。作为四大文明古国之一，中国有着悠久的历史并且创造了许多辉煌的文化。古代文化曾经对世界产生了巨大影响，比如日本，韩国以及其他欧亚国家。
From the respect of school, Confucianism, Mohism, Taoism, and Legalism are the main schools created in ancient China, and they also have great influence on the Modern China and the world, especially the Confucianism. They deeply root in traditional Chinese culture and people’s daily lives.
就学校方面来看，儒家、墨家、道家以及法家是中国古代开创的主要流派。它们也对现代中国和世界产生了巨大影响，尤其是儒家思想。它们深深的根植于传统的中国文化和人们的日常生活中。
Specially, kung fu, traditional Chinese painting, poem, opera, cooking, clothing, architecture and many other kinds of cultural forms make up the splendid Chinese culture. The kinds listed above are the typical ones which connect to each other at the same time. For example, painting, clothing and architecture has many things in common. And each kind of cultural form contains numerous intentions.
特别地，功夫、传统的中国绘画、诗歌、戏剧、烹饪、服饰、建筑以及很多其他种类的文化形式组成了辉煌的中国文化。以上列举的种类都是典型的，同时也是相互联系的。例如，绘画、服饰和建筑有很多的共同之处。每一种文化形式都包涵了大量的意向。
In short, Chinese culture are the accumulation of Chinese history, which makes Chinese culture colorful and prosperous. If one wants to know or study Chinese culture deeply, he or she must spend much time in it, otherwise he or she can only get the tip of an iceberg.
简而言之，中国文化是中国历史的累积，历史使得中国文化丰富多彩和繁荣。如果一个人想要深入了解或者学习中国文化，他必须花大量的时间在上面，否则只能得到冰山一角。
关于文明的英语文章阅读篇三
It is all very well to blame traffic jams,the cost of petrol and the quick pace of modern life,butmannerson the roads are becoming horrible.Everybody knows that the nicest men becomemonsters behind the wheel.Itis all very well,again,to have a tiger in the tank,but to have one inthe driver's seat is another matter altogether.You might tolerate the odd road-hog(莽撞驾车者)，the rude and inconsiderate driver,but nowadays the well-mannered motorist is theexception to the rule.Perhaps the situation calls for a "Be Kind to OtherDrivers"campaign,otherwise it may get completely out of hand.
Road politeness is not only good manners, but good sense too.It takes the most cool-headedand good-tempered of drivers to resist the temptation to revenge when subjected touncivilized behavior.On the other hand,a little politeness goes a long way towards relieving thetensions of motoring.A friendly nod or a wave of acknowledgement in response to an act ofpoliteness when they see it.
However,misplaced politeness can also be dangerous.Typical examples are the driver whobrakes violently toallow a car to emerge from a side street at some hazard to followingtraffic,when a few seconds later the road would be clear anyway;or the man who waves a childacross a zebra crossing into the path of oncoming vehicles that may be unable to stop intime.The same goes for encouraging old ladies to cross the road wherever and whenever theycare to.It always amazes me that the highways are not covered with the dead bodiesof thesegrannies.
A veteran driver,whose manners are faultless,told me it would help if motorists learnt to filtercorrectlyinto traffic streams one at a time without causing the total blockages that give rise tobad temper.Unfortunately,modern motorists can't even learn to drive,let alone master thesubtler aspects of roadsmanship.Years age the experts warned us that the car-ownershipexplosion would demand a lot more give-and-take from all road users.It is high fime for all ofus to take this message to heart.
