How Women Changed History
維維安·吉兒 / 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.
參考譯文
有時男人們會說：“男人比女人能幹，比女人聰明。女人沒有發明任何東西，男人卻發明了。”不錯，男人是發明了很多有用的東西，如字母表，機器，火箭，也有槍炮。但是，科學家和考古學家們現在一致認為，女人曾發明了一項十分重要的東西，它使曆史發生了改變。這項發明就是農業。農業被發明之前，男人們都是獵人。他們每天都要外出狩獵。有時他們將獵物捕殺，有時獵物將他們殺死，生活是艱難而充滿危險的。女人們也要每天外出，她們收集植物的根莖、果實和雜草。後來，一萬多年以前的某一天，一個女人在她家附近的地方撒下一些草籽。她的家就在中東。種子生長出來，並結出了第一株小麥。隨著小麥的成長，人們的思想也在成長。女人們也將根莖和果樹種下，於是，她們能夠留在家裏照看孩子和家畜了。女人們喜歡小動物，考古學家認為，女人飼養了第一批家畜：狗、牛、綿羊和山羊。圈養家畜的想法也成熟起來。於是，丈夫們無需再去出門覓食。他們留在家裏，建成了村落和城市。從此開始了人類文明。男人們創造了文明——在女人發明了農業之後。