常春藤解析英語 32 More Than Just Pretty Pictures 多采多姿的繪本世界

More Than Just Pretty Pictures 多采多姿的繪本世界

by Kevin Lustig

Humans were creating pictures for millennia before they developed words. Paintings found on cave walls and ceilings _(1)_ 40,000 years. Even then, the desire to communicate led people to express _(2)_ in visual forms.

Thousands of years later, during the Middle Ages, pictures were _(3)_ words in illuminated manuscripts. These were books carefully decorated with paintings, calligraphy, and even thin layers of gold and silver. _(4)_ many years to complete, these picture books connected modern times with the ancient by preserving many works of literature from the Roman and Greek worlds.

Now, picture books are _(5)_ and every child has a favorite one. However, the idea of using pictures to make books accessible to children didn't become popular _(6)_ the 20th century. The first popular book to use both pictures and words to tell a story was The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter. _(7)_ in 1902, Peter Rabbit proved that picture books could be a commercial success.

As technology and children's education evolved, so did picture books. Ferdinand, Babar, and Madeline all _(8)_ title characters that made the genre much more popular. By 1938, the American Library Association began to give the Caldecott Medal to the year's best illustrated book. This gave a boost to picture book authors and illustrators and the books have only gotten more popular _(9)_ then.

Dr. Seuss and Walt Disney were _(10)_ these early picture books as they became icons of children's education and entertainment. Children learn to read with them and love doing it. The importance of picture books in history is certain. The only question is, which one is your favorite?

(A) since (B) Requiring (C) featured (D) Published (E) date back

(F) inspired by (G) until (H) combined with (I) themselves (J) commonplace

原來如此

1. Paintings found on cave walls and ceilings date back 40,000 years.

理由:

a. 原句句構(gòu)尚缺動詞，由句首的主詞 Paintings 可知，空格應(yīng)置入復(fù)數(shù)動詞。

b. 選項中符合上述條件的有 (C) featured(以……為特色∕號召)及 (E) date back(回溯至)。由空格后的 40,000 years(四萬年)可知，本空格應(yīng)選 (E) 方符合語意、用法。

c. date back + 一段時間　　追溯至……(一段時間前)

date back to + 時間　　回溯至……(時間點)

例: Those unique paintings date back five hundred years.

(這些獨特的畫作可追溯至五百年前。)

例: My grandmother's antique table dates back to the early 1800s.

(我祖母的古董桌可追溯至十九世紀初。)

2. Even then, the desire to communicate led people to express themselves in visual forms.

理由:

a. 空格前有及物動詞 express(表達)，但其后缺乏受詞，得知此處應(yīng)置入名詞或代名詞。

b. 選項中，(I) themselves(他們自己)為反身代名詞，置入后合乎語意，即表其前的復(fù)數(shù)名詞 people，并形成下列固定用法：

express oneself　　表達(某人)自己的想法、情感等

例: I play the violin so that I can express myself through music.

(我拉小提琴是為了透過音樂來表達自己。)

c. 根據(jù)上述，故選 (I)。

3. ...pictures were combined with words in illuminated manuscripts.

理由:

a. 空格前為 be 動詞 were，其后為名詞 words(文字)，故空格可置入形容詞加以修飾，或置入現(xiàn)在分詞或過去分詞形成進行式或被動式。

b. 選項中為形容詞的有 (J) commonplace(常見的)，置入后形成『圖畫是常見的文字』，語意不通，故不可選。

c. 選項中為分詞的有 (B) Requiring(需要)、(D) Published(被出版)、(F) inspired by (被啟發(fā))與 (H) combined with(與……結(jié)合)。其中 (B)、(D) 為大寫不可選。(F) 及 (H) 雖均符合用法，但僅 (H) 置入后符合語意，表『圖畫與文字結(jié)合』，故為正選。

d. be combined with...　　與……結(jié)合

例: Oxygen is combined with hydrogen to form water.

(氧跟氫結(jié)合而形成水。)

4. Requiring many years to complete, these picture books connected modern times with...

理由:

a. 空格位于句首，得知應(yīng)置入大寫開頭的選項。

b. 選項中為大寫開頭的有 (B) Requiring(需要) 與 (D) Published(被出版)。由被省略的主詞 These picture books 得知，此處應(yīng)置入 Requiring，表這些繪本『需要』很多年才能完成。本句原為：

These picture books required many years to complete, these picture books connected modern times with...

c. 根據(jù)上述，故選 (B)。

5. Now, picture books are commonplace and every child has a favorite one.

理由:

a. 空格前有 be 動詞 are，得知應(yīng)置入形容詞或名詞作主詞補語。

b. 符合上述條件的僅剩 (J) commonplace(常見的)，置入后亦符合語意，故為正選。

c. commonplace a. 常見的

例: Hardly anyone had a cell phone a few years ago, but now they're commonplace.

(幾年前幾乎沒什么人有手機，但現(xiàn)在人手一機。)

6. ...the idea of using pictures to make books...didn't become popular until the 20th century.

理由:

a. 空格前有否定副詞 not，空格后有表時間的 the 20th century(20 世紀)，得知此處測試下列固定用法：

not...until...　　直到……才……

例: My little brother didn't stop crying until he got to go on the roller coaster ride one more time.

(我小弟直到再次搭上云霄飛車才停止大哭。)

b. 根據(jù)上述，故選 (G)。

7. Published in 1902, Peter Rabbit proved that picture books could be a commercial success.

理由:

a. 空格位于句首，得知應(yīng)置入大寫開頭的選項。

b. 選項中為大寫開頭的僅剩 (D) Published(被出版)，且置入后與 in 1902 形成『于 1902 年出版』，語意通順，故為正選。

8. Ferdinand, Babar, and Madeline all featured title characters that...

理由:

a. 本句尚缺動詞，且其后有名詞 title characters，根據(jù)時態(tài)，應(yīng)置入過去式及物動詞或詞組動詞。

b. 符合上述條件的僅剩 (C) featured，置入后亦符合語意，故為正選。

c. feature vt. 以……為特色∕號召

例: This theater features the latest stereo system.

(這座戲院以最先進的音響系統(tǒng)為號召。)

9. ...the books have only gotten more popular since then.

理由:

a. 本空格在測試 since 的用法：

since 作介詞時，表『自從……』、『自……之后』，之后接明確的時間、名詞、動名詞或時間副詞 then，形成副詞詞組，修飾完成(進行)式的主要子句。

例: Dave almost fell off his scooter last week and he's been afraid to drive since then.

(戴維上星期差點摔車，他從那時起就不敢騎車了。)

b. 本句時態(tài)為現(xiàn)在完成式 have gotten more popular，空格后為時間副詞 then，since 置入后符合語意、用法，故選 (A)。

10. Dr. Seuss and Walt Disney were inspired by these early picture books...

理由:

a. 空格前為 be 動詞 were，其后有名詞 these early picture books(這些早期的繪本)，可知空格應(yīng)置入動詞的現(xiàn)在分詞或過去分詞。

b. 選項中僅剩 (F) 為分詞詞組，置入后亦符合語意，故為正選。

c. be inspired by...　　受到……的啟發(fā)

例: As the president, I am inspired by the great leaders in our country's past.

(身為總統(tǒng)，我深受國家偉大領(lǐng)導(dǎo)先人的啟發(fā)。)

精解字詞詞組

1. communicate vi. 溝通;聯(lián)絡(luò)

communicate with...　　與……溝通∕聯(lián)絡(luò)

例: The astronauts used a special radio to communicate with Earth from their ship.

(航天員利用特別的無線電從宇宙飛船和地球聯(lián)絡(luò)。)

2. be decorated with...　　裝飾著……

例: William's house is decorated with many expensive antiques.

(威廉的家中裝飾著許多昂貴的古董。)

3. connect A with B　　連接 A 與 B

例: Our plan is to connect the hotel with the amusement park by train.

(我們的計劃是用火車連結(jié)飯店與游樂園。)

4. preserve vt. 保護，保存(強調(diào)東西保持原樣)

conserve vt. 節(jié)約使用(能源等)

reserve vt. 預(yù)定

例: The body of the hunter was preserved for thousands of years by ice and snow.

(獵人的尸體在冰雪覆蓋下保存了數(shù)千年。)

例: To conserve electricity, always turn off the lights when you leave the room.

(為了節(jié)約用電，離開房間時一定要關(guān)燈。)

例: I would like to reserve a table for two at your restaurant this evening.

(我想預(yù)約你們餐廳今天晚上兩個人的位子。)

5. accessible a. 易得到∕接近的(其后常與介詞 to 并用)

例: New ramps should make this building accessible to people in wheelchairs.

(新蓋的斜坡應(yīng)該能讓乘坐輪椅者容易進入大樓。)

6. As S + V, so + 倒裝句　　隨著……，……也……

例: As the minimum wage has gone up in Taiwan, so has the cost of living.

(隨著臺灣的基本工資上升，民生消費也跟著提高。)

7. evolve vi. 演化

例: Life on Earth is evolving all the time.

(地球上的生命不斷地演化。)

8. give a boost to sb/give sb a boost

大大激勵∕鼓舞某人

boost n. 激勵，鼓舞

例: My father's presence at my first baseball game gave me a boost.

(父親在我第一場棒球比賽中出現(xiàn)，大大鼓舞了我。)

單字小鋪

1. millennia n. 數(shù)千年(millennium 的復(fù)數(shù))

millennium n. 一千年

2. ceiling n. 天花板

3. visual a. 視覺的

4. illuminated a.(書籍等)用鮮明色彩裝飾的

5. manuscript n. 手稿

6. calligraphy n. 書法;筆跡

7. layer n. 層

8. literature n. 文學(xué);文學(xué)作品

9. commercial a. 商業(yè)的

10. title character = title role　　與小說、戲劇等同名的人物∕角色

11. genre n. 文藝作品的類型

12. illustrated a. 有插圖的

13. illustrator n. 插畫家

14. icon n. 代表人物

中文翻譯&標準答案

人類發(fā)展文字之前，便一直在創(chuàng)作圖畫達數(shù)千年之久。在洞穴墻壁及屋頂上發(fā)現(xiàn)的繪畫可追溯至四萬年前。甚至在那個時候，溝通的欲望就促使人們以視覺的形式表達自己的想法。

幾千年后的中古世紀，在綴有亮麗色彩的手稿里可見圖畫與文字的結(jié)合。這些書籍仔細裝飾著繪畫、手寫文字甚至是金箔或銀箔。這些繪本需耗時多年才能完成，由于保存了許多希臘羅馬時期的文學(xué)作品，使現(xiàn)代和古代得以銜接。

如今繪本隨處可見，每個小孩都有自己最愛的一本。然而，利用圖畫使孩子更親近書本的想法直到 20 世紀才開始普及。第一本利用圖畫和文字來說故事而受到歡迎的作品是畢翠絲?波特的《彼得兔的故事》?！侗说猛谩芬粫?1902 年出版，證明了繪本也能是成功的商品。

隨著科技與兒童教育的演變，繪本也同樣有所發(fā)展?！稅刍ǖ呐！?、《大象家族》與《瑪?shù)铝铡范家酝宋餅橹鹘?，并讓繪本文類更廣受歡迎。到了 1938 年，美國圖書館學(xué)會決定頒發(fā)凱迪克獎給年度最佳繪本。此舉大大鼓舞了繪本作者與插畫家，從此繪本也越來越受歡迎。

蘇斯博士與華特?迪斯尼都受到這些早期繪本的啟發(fā)，成為兒童教育與娛樂的指標。孩子們跟著繪本學(xué)習(xí)也熱愛繪本。繪本在歷史上的重要性無庸置疑。問題只是：你最喜歡的繪本是哪一本?

標準答案:　1. (E)　2. (I)　3. (H)　4. (B)　5. (J)

6. (G)　7. (D)　8. (C)　9. (A)　10. (F)