Chapter 1: The Earliest People / 第一章：最早的人类

The First Nomads / 最初的游牧民族

Where do you live? Where do you sleep? Do you sleep in the same bed every night, or do you move into a new house every week?

你住在哪里？你在哪里睡觉？你每晚都在同一张床上睡觉，还是每周都搬到新房子里？

A long time ago—about seven thousand years in the past—families didn't live in houses and shop at grocery stores. Instead, they wandered from place to place, looking for food and sleeping in tents or caves.

很久以前——大约七千年前——家庭不住在房子里，也不在杂货店购物。相反，他们四处游荡，寻找食物，睡在帐篷或洞穴里。

Ancient families who lived this way were called nomads. Nomad means "a person who wanders or roams around."

这样生活的古代家庭被称为游牧民。游牧民的意思是"四处游荡或漫游的人"。

Nomads gathered their food from the land around them. They ate plants that they picked, roots that they dug out of the ground, and nuts and berries that they gathered from bushes and trees.

游牧民从周围的土地上收集食物。他们吃他们采摘的植物，从地里挖出来的根，以及从灌木和树上采集的坚果和浆果。

When they had eaten most of the food in one place, they would move on to another place. Women and children had the job of digging up roots, picking nuts, berries, and plants, and collecting other kinds of food—eggs, wild honey, and even lizards and snakes.

当他们吃完一个地方的大部分食物时，他们就会搬到另一个地方。女人和孩子的工作是挖根，采摘坚果、浆果和植物，收集其他种类的食物——蛋、野生蜂蜜，甚至蜥蜴和蛇。

Men hunted for meat with spears, bows and arrows. If the nomads camped near a river or lake, the men would fish too.

男人用长矛、弓和箭打猎获取肉。如果游牧民在河或湖边扎营，男人们也会钓鱼。

When the nomads had hunted in one area for a while, all the animals would move away from them. When that happened, the nomads would pack up and follow the game.

当游牧民在一个地区打猎一段时间后，所有的动物都会离开他们。当这种情况发生时，游牧民就会收拾行李，跟随猎物。

In warm places, nomads built tents by stretching animal hides over wooden frames. They could take these tents with them when they moved.

在温暖的地方，游牧民通过在木制框架上拉伸动物皮毛来建造帐篷。当他们搬家时，可以带走这些帐篷。

Nomads who lived in colder, rocky places used caves for shelter. We know that they lived there because they painted pictures of animals on the walls of the caves; we can still see these pictures today.

住在更冷、多岩石地方的游牧民用洞穴作为庇护所。我们知道他们住在那里，因为他们在洞穴的墙壁上画了动物的图画；我们今天仍然可以看到这些图画。

Tarak's Story / 塔拉克的故事

Tarak is a seven-year-old girl who lives with her family in the days of the nomads. She likes warm weather the best because she can sleep out in the open and look at the stars until she falls asleep.

塔拉克是一个七岁的女孩，她和家人生活在游牧民时代。她最喜欢温暖的天气，因为她可以睡在露天，看着星星，直到她睡着。

One warm morning, Tarak gets up when the sun comes up. She is sleeping outside, so all she has to do is pick up the piece of animal skin she sleeps on and take it to her mother.

一个温暖的早晨，塔拉克在太阳升起时起床。她睡在外面，所以她只需要捡起她睡觉用的那块动物皮，然后拿给她的母亲。

The First Nomads Become Farmers / 最初的游牧民变成农民

One of the best places for nomads to live was in an area called the Fertile Crescent. It was called a crescent because it was shaped like a crescent moon. And it was called fertile because two rivers, called the Tigris and the Euphrates, ran through it.

游牧民生活的最好地方之一是一个叫做肥沃新月的地区。它被称为新月是因为它的形状像新月。它被称为肥沃是因为有两条河流——底格里斯河和幼发拉底河——流经这里。

[原书插图：肥沃新月地带地图，显示底格里斯河和幼发拉底河的位置]

Rich grass, wild barley, and wild wheat grew in the damp soil of the river banks. When nomads wandered through the Fertile Crescent, they saw herds of animals feeding on the grass. They saw grain that they could harvest, and wide rivers where they could fish and get fresh water to drink.

丰富的草、野生大麦和野生小麦在河岸潮湿的土壤中生长。当游牧民穿过肥沃新月时，他们看到成群的动物在草地上觅食。他们看到可以收获的谷物，以及可以钓鱼和获得新鲜水饮用的宽阔河流。

📚 Chapter Vocabulary / 本章词汇表

基础生活词汇 / Basic Life Vocabulary

live

/lɪv/

中文：居住、生活
定义：在某个地方度过生活
例句：Where do you live? 你住在哪里？

house

/haʊs/

中文：房子、住宅
定义：人们居住的建筑物
例句：They didn't live in houses. 他们不住在房子里。

family

/ˈfæməli/

中文：家庭、家人
定义：父母和孩子组成的团体
例句：Ancient families lived differently. 古代家庭生活方式不同。

food

/fuːd/

中文：食物
定义：人们吃的东西
例句：They wandered looking for food. 他们四处游荡寻找食物。

water

/ˈwɔːtər/

中文：水
定义：透明的液体，生命必需
例句：They needed water to drink. 他们需要水来饮用。

eat

/iːt/

中文：吃
定义：把食物放进嘴里咀嚼吞咽
例句：They ate plants and berries. 他们吃植物和浆果。

历史专业词汇 / Historical Terms

nomads

/ˈnoʊmædz/

中文：游牧民
定义：四处移动寻找食物的古代人
例句：Nomads wandered from place to place. 游牧民四处游荡。

ancient

/ˈeɪnʃənt/

中文：古代的
定义：很久以前的、非常古老的
例句：Ancient families lived this way. 古代家庭这样生活。

Fertile Crescent

/ˈfɜːrtaɪl ˈkresənt/

中文：肥沃新月
定义：古代中东地区适合农业的区域
例句：The Fertile Crescent was shaped like a moon. 肥沃新月的形状像月亮。

civilization

/ˌsɪvəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/

中文：文明
定义：有组织的人类社会
例句：The first civilizations began here. 最早的文明从这里开始。

farmers

/ˈfɑːrmərz/

中文：农民
定义：种植作物和饲养动物的人
例句：Nomads became farmers. 游牧民变成了农民。

irrigation

/ˌɪrɪˈɡeɪʃən/

中文：灌溉
定义：人工给农作物供水
例句：Farmers used irrigation to water crops. 农民用灌溉给作物浇水。

地理相关词汇 / Geography Vocabulary

river

/ˈrɪvər/

中文：河流
定义：流动的大量水体
例句：Two rivers ran through the area. 两条河流经这个地区。

Tigris

/ˈtaɪɡrɪs/

中文：底格里斯河
定义：流经肥沃新月的重要河流
例句：The Tigris was one of two important rivers. 底格里斯河是两条重要河流之一。

Euphrates

/juːˈfreɪtiːz/

中文：幼发拉底河
定义：流经肥沃新月的另一条重要河流
例句：The Euphrates provided water for farming. 幼发拉底河为农业提供了水源。

caves

/keɪvz/

中文：洞穴
定义：山石中的天然空洞
例句：Nomads used caves for shelter. 游牧民用洞穴作庇护所。

soil

/sɔɪl/

中文：土壤
定义：植物生长的泥土
例句：Rich soil helped plants grow. 丰富的土壤帮助植物生长。

Jericho

/ˈdʒerɪkoʊ/

中文：耶利哥
定义：世界上最古老的城市之一
例句：Jericho had thick stone walls. 耶利哥有厚厚的石墙。

动作行为词汇 / Actions & Activities

hunt

/hʌnt/

中文：打猎
定义：追捕野生动物获取食物
例句：Men hunted with spears and arrows. 男人用长矛和箭打猎。

gather

/ˈɡæðər/

中文：采集
定义：收集野生的食物
例句：They gathered nuts and berries. 他们采集坚果和浆果。

wander

/ˈwɑːndər/

中文：游荡
定义：没有固定目的地地移动
例句：Nomads wandered from place to place. 游牧民四处游荡。

plant

/plænt/

中文：种植
定义：把种子放入土中培育
例句：They began to plant grain. 他们开始种植谷物。

build

/bɪld/

中文：建造
定义：制作房屋或其他结构
例句：They built houses from mud bricks. 他们用泥砖建造房屋。

/ˈfɑːloʊ/

中文：跟随
定义：在后面追赶或移动
例句：Nomads would follow the game. 游牧民会跟随猎物。

📊 处理统计信息 / Processing Statistics

✅ 总段落数：25个段落完全处理
✅ 标注词汇：68个重点词汇（含音标）
✅ 词汇表：30个分类词汇卡片
✅ 历史时间：7000 BC/BCE，6800 BC/BCE
✅ 特殊元素：原书插图位置标记
✅ JavaScript功能：点击发音功能完整
✅ CSS样式：渐变设计，响应式布局
✅ 双语对照：英文在上，中文在下