Chapter 11: Ancient Africa / 第十一章：古代非洲

Ancient Peoples of West Africa / 西非古代民族

When you first started to learn about ancient times, you read about the nomads who settled in the Fertile Crescent, between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers.

当你第一次开始学习古代历史时，你读到了定居在底格里斯河和幼发拉底河之间的肥沃月弯的游牧民族。

If you were to put your finger on a map right between those two rivers and then move your finger right, you would cross over the land of the Sumerians and of the Babylonians and the Assyrians.

如果你把手指放在地图上这两条河流之间，然后向右移动手指，你就会穿越苏美尔人、巴比伦人和亚述人的土地。

You would cross the top part of India, where Mohenjo-Daro used to be. If you kept on going right, you would end up in China, where Chin and his family grew their crops beside the Yellow River.

你会穿过印度的北部，那里曾经是摩亨佐-达罗古城。如果你继续向右，你会到达中国，在那里秦和他的家庭在黄河边种植他们的庄稼。

If you put your finger on the Fertile Crescent and then moved it left, you would come to Egypt and the Nile River, where the pharaohs lived.

如果你把手指放在肥沃月弯然后向左移动，你会来到埃及和尼罗河，那里是法老居住的地方。

We know a great deal about the history of Egypt, because the Egyptians left thousands and thousands of artifacts (treasures and everyday objects) behind them.

我们对埃及的历史了解很多，因为埃及人留下了成千上万的文物（宝藏和日常用品）。

Archaeologists dug up the artifacts and used them to learn more about ancient Egypt. And the Egyptians also left us writing on stone tablets.

考古学家挖掘出这些文物，并用它们来了解更多关于古代埃及的信息。埃及人还在石板上给我们留下了文字。

But if you keep moving your finger on down the Nile River, you will see that Egypt is only one small part of a whole huge continent (a large piece of land with many countries on it). This continent is called Africa.

但是如果你继续沿着尼罗河向下移动手指，你会看到埃及只是一个巨大大陆的一小部分。这个大陆叫做非洲。

[原书插图：非洲地图，显示撒哈拉沙漠、尼罗河、地中海等地理特征]

The people of Africa did not leave written records or thousands of artifacts behind them. So we don't know as much about ancient Africa as we do about ancient Egypt.

非洲的人们没有留下文字记录或成千上万的文物。所以我们对古代非洲的了解不如对古代埃及的了解那么多。

But we do know that people have lived in Africa from the very earliest times.

但我们确实知道，从最早的时代开始，人们就已经生活在非洲了。

If you were to move your finger left from the Nile River, you would come to a huge, sandy desert—the Sahara Desert.

如果你把手指从尼罗河向左移动，你会来到一个巨大的沙质沙漠——撒哈拉沙漠。

Today, the Sahara Desert is as hot and dry as an oven. The ground is cracked and parched.

今天，撒哈拉沙漠像烤炉一样炎热干燥。地面开裂且干裂。

Sand drifts over the iron-hard ground and piles up in huge drifts called dunes. The only water lies in oases—little patches of land where water collects and a few scrubby palm trees can grow.

沙子在铁一般坚硬的地面上飘移，堆积成巨大的被称为沙丘的沙堆。唯一的水存在于绿洲中——那些水汇集的小片土地，几棵矮小的棕榈树可以在那里生长。

Tiny villages sometimes settle in these oases. The people raise desert animals that don't need much water—sheep, camels, and goats.

小村庄有时会在这些绿洲中定居。人们饲养不需要太多水的沙漠动物——羊、骆驼和山羊。

They eat the dates that grow on the palm trees. Sometimes, one tree is owned by several families who share it!

他们吃长在棕榈树上的椰枣。有时，一棵树由几个家庭拥有，他们共同分享它！

Life in the Sahara Desert is difficult and dangerous. But long ago, this part of Africa wasn't a desert. It was a green, fertile place full of water and trees.

在撒哈拉沙漠的生活是困难和危险的。但是很久以前，非洲的这部分并不是沙漠。它是一个绿色、肥沃的地方，充满了水和树木。

Rivers and streams used to run where rocky, dried valleys now lie. Grassy meadows once grew where shifting sands now blow.

在现在是岩石和干涸山谷的地方，过去有河流和小溪流淌。在现在风沙飞扬的地方，过去曾长着青草覆盖的草地。

Herds of gazelles and antelopes roamed through the green plains. Fish, crocodiles, and hippopotami swam in the rivers.

成群的瞪羚和羚羊在绿色的平原上漫游。鱼类、鳄鱼和河马在河流中游泳。

Wild cows and sheep lived in the forests. The people of the Sahara were farmers, just like those who lived in the Fertile Crescent.

野生的牛和羊生活在森林里。撒哈拉的人们是农民，就像那些生活在肥沃月弯的人一样。

They hunted wild animals and raised their own plants and animals for food.

他们狩猎野生动物，并饲养自己的植物和动物作为食物。

How do we know this? Archaeologists who dug down through the hard dirt of the Sahara Desert found ancient pollen from trees and seeds from grasses and flowers.

我们怎么知道这些？考古学家挖掘撒哈拉沙漠的坚硬土壤时，发现了来自树木的古代花粉和来自草类和花朵的种子。

None of these trees or flowers grow in the Sahara today—they left their seeds long, long ago. The archaeologists also found bones of animals that used to live in the Sahara, back when there was enough water for them.

这些树木或花朵现在都不在撒哈拉生长——它们很久很久以前就留下了种子。考古学家还发现了曾经生活在撒哈拉的动物的骨头，那时有足够的水供它们生存。

In one place, the people who lived in a Saharan village had eaten a feast of turtle. There were hundreds of shells that had been cracked open for their meat.

在一个地方，生活在撒哈拉村庄的人们曾经享用了一场乌龟盛宴。有数百个为了取肉而敲开的龟壳。

In another place, the villagers had eaten an entire giraffe—except for its head.

在另一个地方，村民们吃掉了整只长颈鹿——除了它的头。

The ancient people of Africa also left paintings behind them. They drew pictures of their way of life on the stone walls of caves.

非洲的古代人们还留下了绘画。他们在洞穴的石壁上画下了他们生活方式的图片。

In these paintings, we see men growing crops and taking care of herds of animals. We see women in beautiful clothes, riding tame cows.

在这些绘画中，我们看到男人种植庄稼和照料成群的动物。我们看到穿着美丽衣服的女人，骑着驯服的牛。

These pictures tell us about the way the Sahara used to be. But then something happened in the Sahara. The rains got scarcer and scarcer.

这些图片告诉我们撒哈拉过去的样子。但后来撒哈拉发生了变化。雨水变得越来越稀少。

Trees began to wither and die. The grass died too, and the ground dried up until it was nothing more than dust and sand.

树木开始枯萎和死亡。草也死了，地面变得干燥，直到只剩下尘土和沙子。

The rivers stopped flowing and the streams disappeared. The animals went further and further south, down to the parts of Africa where there was still water and food.

河流停止流淌，小溪消失了。动物们越走越远，向南走到非洲仍有水和食物的地区。

And the people of the Sahara went south too. They traveled for weeks and weeks. They settled around the lakes and rivers in central Africa and began a new life.

撒哈拉的人们也向南迁移。他们旅行了几个星期。他们在中非的湖泊和河流周围定居，开始了新的生活。

And above them, the Sahara turned into desert. From now on, Africa would be divided by the huge dangerous desert.

在他们上方，撒哈拉变成了沙漠。从此以后，非洲被这片巨大而危险的沙漠分开了。

Up along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, people from Mesopotamia and Egypt would settle down and live in the northern part of Africa.

沿着地中海海岸，来自美索不达米亚和埃及的人们会定居并生活在非洲北部。

And down below the Sahara Desert, the people of Africa would live for centuries in peace, cut off from the rest of the ancient world by the massive sands between them.

在撒哈拉沙漠以南，非洲人民将和平地生活几个世纪，被它们之间巨大的沙漠与古代世界的其他地区隔开。

Anansi and Turtle / 阿南西和乌龟

The ancient people of Africa didn't leave mummies or clay tablets behind them. But they did leave stories, passed down from person to person.

古代非洲人没有留下木乃伊或泥板。但他们确实留下了故事，一代一代地传下来。

Anansi the Spider is a favorite character of African storytellers. Anansi is a tricky spider who often gets his way.

蜘蛛阿南西是非洲说书人最喜爱的角色。阿南西是一只狡猾的蜘蛛，经常能达到自己的目的。

But sometimes he is outwitted. Here is a story about Anansi and his friend Turtle. It comes from the Yoruba people of Nigeria, a West African country that is just south of the Sahara Desert.

但有时他也会被智胜。这里有一个关于阿南西和他朋友乌龟的故事。这个故事来自尼日利亚的约鲁巴人，尼日利亚是位于撒哈拉沙漠南部的西非国家。

In this story, Anansi is hungry, and he's looking forward to eating a good supper of yams!

在这个故事中，阿南西饥饿了，他期待着吃一顿美味的山药晚餐！

Yams are a little bit like potatoes, only rough on the outside like a coconut. The people of Africa have grown them in the ground for thousands of years.

山药有点像土豆，只是外面粗糙，像椰子一样。非洲人民在地里种植山药已有数千年了。

Anansi the Spider was hungry! He had dug some of the fattest yams ever out of his garden, and had baked them carefully in his clay oven.

蜘蛛阿南西饿了！他从自己的花园里挖出了有史以来最肥美的山药，并在他的泥烤炉里小心地烤制了它们。

Now they were ready to come out. The yams smelled wonderful, and he couldn't wait to dig in.

现在它们准备出炉了。山药闻起来美妙极了，他迫不及待地想要大快朵颐。

But just as he was sitting down to his meal, along wandered Turtle. Now, Anansi and Turtle were friends. But when Anansi looked at his yams and then looked at Turtle, he thought, "There are just enough yams for me! If Turtle eats half them, I'll still be hungry!"

但就在他坐下吃饭的时候，乌龟漫步而来。阿南西和乌龟是朋友。但当阿南西看着他的山药，然后看着乌龟时，他想："山药正好够我吃！如果乌龟吃掉一半，我还会饿的！"

"Oh, Anansi!" Turtle said. "How wonderful those yams smell! It has taken me all day to crawl over to your house for a visit, and I haven't eaten my lunch or my supper. Please, share your yams with me."

"哦，阿南西！"乌龟说。"那些山药闻起来多么美妙！我花了一整天的时间爬到你家来拜访，我还没有吃午饭或晚饭呢。请和我分享你的山药吧。"

[原书插图：阿南西蜘蛛和乌龟的故事场景]

Now, in Africa it is the custom to share your meal with any visitor who asks. So Anansi couldn't say no. He said grumpily, "I would be happy to share my yams with you, Turtle. Have a seat. Help yourself."

在非洲，与任何请求的访客分享食物是一种习俗。所以阿南西不能拒绝。他闷闷不乐地说："我很乐意和你分享我的山药，乌龟。请坐。请自便。"

Turtle sat down and reached for the fattest yam. But just as he was about to touch it, Anansi shouted, "Stop! Are you going to eat with those filthy flippers? Really, Turtle, don't you think you should wash off first?"

乌龟坐下来伸手去拿最肥的山药。但就在他要碰到它的时候，阿南西喊道："停！你要用那些肮脏的鳍状肢吃饭吗？真的，乌龟，你不觉得应该先洗洗吗？"

Now, Turtle had been crawling all day. He was dirty and sandy and hadn't come across any water. But he looked at his flippers. They certainly were dirty.

乌龟已经爬行了一整天。他又脏又满身沙子，也没有遇到任何水。但他看了看自己的鳍状肢。它们确实很脏。

"Where should I wash?" he said. "Go wash in the river," Anansi said. "It's only half a mile away."

"我应该在哪里洗呢？"他说。"去河里洗，"阿南西说。"只有半英里远。"

Poor Turtle! He got up and crawled off to the river to wash his flippers. By the time he came back, the yams were half gone. Anansi said with his mouth full, "Sorry, Turtle, you were so long that I had to start eating. But go ahead and have some yams."

可怜的乌龟！他起身爬到河边去洗鳍状肢。等他回来的时候，山药已经吃了一半。阿南西满嘴食物地说："对不起，乌龟，你去了太久，我不得不开始吃了。但请继续吃一些山药吧。"

Turtle reached for the yams. But his flippers had gotten dirty again from his journey back up from the river. "Turtle!" Anansi yelled. "Didn't I say that you should wash yourself off? Don't come to the table dirty!"

乌龟伸手去拿山药。但他的鳍状肢在从河边回来的路上又变脏了。"乌龟！"阿南西叫道。"我不是说你应该洗干净吗？不要脏着身子来餐桌！"

Turtle crawled wearily off to wash himself again. When he climbed slowly back up from the river, he was very careful to stay on the grass. But when he got to the table and reached out his clean flipper for a yam, the last crumbs were gone.

乌龟疲惫地爬去再次洗身子。当他慢慢地从河边爬回来时，他非常小心地走在草地上。但当他来到餐桌前，伸出干净的鳍状肢去拿山药时，最后的碎屑也没有了。

Turtle looked sadly at the empty platter. "Well," he said, after a little while, "thank you for inviting me to supper, Anansi. The next time you come by my house, be sure to share my dinner with me."

乌龟悲伤地看着空盘子。"好吧，"过了一会儿他说，"谢谢你邀请我吃晚饭，阿南西。下次你路过我家时，一定要和我分享我的晚餐。"

And he got down and crawled away, still hungry.

然后他下来爬走了，仍然很饿。

A few days later, Anansi was going by Turtle's house on the riverbank. "Turtle told me that he would share his food with me," he thought. "I'll stop and eat with him." So he bounced up and knocked on Turtle's door.

几天后，阿南西路过乌龟在河岸边的房子。"乌龟告诉我他会和我分享食物，"他想。"我要停下来和他一起吃饭。"于是他跳起来敲乌龟的门。

"Turtle, Turtle!" he cried. "I'm ready for supper!" Turtle opened the door and blinked at Anansi. "Supper is all ready," he said. "Come along with me. It's right down here."

"乌龟，乌龟！"他叫道。"我准备吃晚饭了！"乌龟开门眨眨眼看着阿南西。"晚饭都准备好了，"他说。"跟我来吧。就在下面这里。"

And with that he led Anansi to the river's edge. "I've set the table right down there at the bottom of the water," he said. "Dive on down and eat." And with that he slipped into the water, swam down to the river's bottom, and started to eat.

说着，他带着阿南西来到河边。"我在水底下摆好了餐桌，"他说。"潜下去吃吧。"说着他滑进水中，游到河底，开始吃饭。

Anansi ran back and forth on the bank. First he tried jumping into the water. But he was so light that he floated on the top. He tried to swim down. He tried to make himself sink. But nothing worked.

阿南西在岸边来回跑。首先他试着跳进水里。但他太轻了，在水面上漂浮。他试着游下去。他试着让自己下沉。但什么都不管用。

Down below, he could see Turtle polishing off all the food. Finally Anansi stuffed the pockets of his tiny jacket full of pebbles and jumped back into the water.

在下面，他能看到乌龟把所有食物都吃光了。最后阿南西把小夹克的口袋塞满了小石子，跳回水中。

He sank like a stone right down to the bottom, where Turtle was eating his way through a whole platter full of delicious food. Turtle pushed the platter over. "Here," he said. "Have some. But first, Anansi, take off your jacket. It's so rude to wear a coat at the table."

他像石头一样沉到底部，乌龟正在那里享用满满一盘美味的食物。乌龟把盘子推过来。"来，"他说。"吃一些吧。但首先，阿南西，脱掉你的夹克。在餐桌上穿外套太无礼了。"

Anansi took off his jacket. And as soon as it was off his shoulders, he popped right back up to the surface of the water. When he stuck his head underwater, he could just see Turtle finishing off the very last morsel of food.

阿南西脱掉了夹克。夹克一离开他的肩膀，他就立刻弹回到水面上。当他把头伸到水下时，他正好看到乌龟吃完了最后一小口食物。

"Thank you for supper, Turtle," he said gloomily. And he swam back to the river bank, wet and hungry.

"谢谢你的晚餐，乌龟，"他沮丧地说。然后他游回河岸，又湿又饿。

Moral: If you try to be too smart, you might find that someone else outsmarts you instead.

寓意：如果你试图过于聪明，你可能会发现别人反而比你更聪明。

Anansi and the Make-Believe Food / 阿南西和假想的食物

Another story about Anansi tells us about a time when food was very scarce and the rivers and streams were drying up. It may even come from the days when the people of Africa were leaving the Sahara for greener places.

另一个关于阿南西的故事告诉我们，有一段时间食物非常稀少，河流和小溪都在干涸。这甚至可能来自非洲人民离开撒哈拉前往更绿色地方的时代。

There had been no rain for many, many days. The crops had all withered away. The animals were starving. Anansi and his whole village were hungry too. And day after day, the sun shone down and the blue sky stayed empty of clouds.

很多很多天都没有下雨。庄稼都枯萎了。动物们在挨饿。阿南西和他整个村庄的人也都饿了。日复一日，太阳照射下来，蓝天中没有云彩。

Finally, Anansi said, "If someone doesn't go find some food, we will all die of hunger! I am going to walk until I find a village where there is food, and bring some back for all of us."

最后，阿南西说："如果没有人去找食物，我们都会饿死！我要一直走，直到找到有食物的村庄，然后为我们所有人带一些回来。"

So Anansi started out. He walked and he walked and he walked until the sun went down. He walked all night. When the sky began to get light the next morning, he saw smoke from the chimneys of a village, far in the distance.

于是阿南西出发了。他走啊走啊走，直到太阳下山。他整夜都在走。当第二天早上天空开始变亮时，他看到远处村庄烟囱冒出的烟。

He walked until he reached the village. And then he stood with his mouth open. The village was full of—cassava! Cassava are vegetable roots that look like large potatoes.

他走到村庄。然后他张着嘴站在那里。村庄里到处都是——木薯！木薯是看起来像大土豆的蔬菜根。

Anansi loved roasted cassava almost as much as he loved yams. And in this village, there were no people, just cassava—walking around in the streets, sweeping the steps of their huts, and sitting under the palm trees, talking to each other.

阿南西喜欢烤木薯，几乎和他喜欢山药一样。在这个村庄里，没有人，只有木薯——在街上走来走去，打扫小屋的台阶，坐在棕榈树下互相交谈。

When the cassava saw him, they all jumped up. "A visitor! A visitor!" they said. "Would you like to eat us roasted, boiled, or fried?" "I—I don't care," Anansi stammered.

当木薯看到他时，它们都跳了起来。"客人！客人！"它们说。"你想要吃我们烤的、煮的，还是炸的？""我——我不在乎，"阿南西结结巴巴地说。

"Roasted!" all the cassava cried. They jumped into the fire one by one until they were nicely roasted, and then lined up for Anansi to eat them. He was just getting ready to take a bite out of the first one when he saw another spire of smoke, far away.

"烤的！"所有木薯叫道。它们一个接一个跳进火里，直到烤得很好，然后排队让阿南西吃它们。他正准备咬第一个时，看到远处另一缕烟。

"What is that?" he asked. "Oh, that's just the plantain village," the cassava said. "Aren't you going to eat us?"

"那是什么？"他问。"哦，那只是大蕉村，"木薯说。"你不打算吃我们吗？"

Now, a plantain is like a banana. And Anansi liked fried plantain even more than he liked roasted cassava. So even though the cassava begged him to stay and eat them, Anansi jumped up and ran towards the plantain village.

大蕉就像香蕉。阿南西喜欢炸大蕉甚至超过了他喜欢烤木薯。所以尽管木薯们恳求他留下来吃它们，阿南西还是跳起来跑向大蕉村。

It took him hours to get there, and by the time he arrived he was hot and thirsty and even hungrier. But all the plantains ran out to meet him. The little baby plantains danced around his feet, and the big plantains jumped up and down for joy.

花了几个小时才到那里，到达时他又热又渴又更饿了。但所有的大蕉都跑出来迎接他。小小的大蕉在他脚边跳舞，大大蕉高兴地上下跳跃。

"How would you like to eat us?" they asked. "Roasted, boiled, or fried?" "Any way you want!" Anansi cried. "Fried!" the plantains shouted.

"你想怎么吃我们？"它们问。"烤的、煮的，还是炸的？""随你们便！"阿南西叫道。"炸的！"大蕉们喊道。

So they jumped into a big pot of oil, one by one, and lined up to be eaten. But just as Anansi was getting ready to sink his teeth into the first one, he saw another spire of smoke, far off in the distance.

于是它们一个接一个跳进一大锅油里，排队等着被吃。但就在阿南西准备咬第一个时，他看到远处又有一缕烟。

"What's that?" he asked. "Oh, that's just the rice village," the plantains said. "Aren't you going to eat us?"

"那是什么？"他问。"哦，那只是大米村，"大蕉说。"你不打算吃我们吗？"

Now, if there was one thing that Anansi liked even more than a roasted plantain, it was a big bowl of boiled rice. So even though the plantains begged him to stay and eat them, Anansi got up and began to walk towards the rice village.

如果有一样东西阿南西比烤大蕉更喜欢的话，那就是一大碗煮大米。所以尽管大蕉们恳求他留下来吃它们，阿南西还是起身开始走向大米村。

By the time he reached it, the sun was setting. He was so hungry that he grabbed the first little pieces of rice who ran out to meet him and started to eat them raw.

到达那里时，太阳正在落山。他太饿了，抓住第一批跑出来迎接他的小米粒，开始生吃它们。

But the other rice grains squeaked, "No, no! We will cook ourselves! How would you like to eat us—roasted, boiled, or fried?" "Any way you like!" Anansi moaned. "Just feed me!"

但其他米粒尖叫道："不，不！我们会自己煮熟！你想怎么吃我们——烤的、煮的，还是炸的？""随你们便！"阿南西呻吟道。"快喂我！"

"Boiled!" the rice shouted. So the rice grains threw themselves into a big pot of boiling water and climbed out into a big bowl. Just as Anansi was getting ready to plunge his hand into the bowl, he saw one more spire of smoke.

"煮的！"大米喊道。于是米粒们跳进一大锅开水里，爬出来装进一个大碗里。就在阿南西准备把手伸进碗里时，他看到了另一缕烟。

"What's that?" he asked. "We don't know!" the rice grains shrilled at him. "Just eat us!" But Anansi thought, "Each village has been better than the one before! If I can get to that village, I'll get to eat something even better than rice!"

"那是什么？"他问。"我们不知道！"米粒们尖声对他说。"快吃我们！"但阿南西想："每个村庄都比前一个更好！如果我能到达那个村庄，我就能吃到比大米更好的东西！"

So he left the bowl of rice and ran towards the strange village. It was night-time when he got there. He ran eagerly into the center of the town—and stopped. It was his own village, and there was no food anywhere to be seen.

于是他离开了那碗大米，跑向那个奇怪的村庄。到达那里时已经是夜晚了。他急切地跑到镇中心——然后停下了。这是他自己的村庄，到处都看不到食物。

Anansi fainted. When he woke up, the people of his village were all gathered around him. "Here," they said. "We boiled a fish bone and made you some fish-bone-and-water soup. It's all we have. Where have you been?"

阿南西晕倒了。当他醒来时，村里的人都围在他身边。"来，"他们说。"我们煮了一根鱼骨，给你做了一些鱼骨汤。这是我们仅有的。你去哪里了？"

Anansi told them all about the cassava village, the plantain village, and the rice village. But no one could ever find those villages again.

阿南西告诉了他们关于木薯村、大蕉村和大米村的一切。但再也没有人能找到那些村庄了。

What do you think the moral of this story is? Maybe it is "Don't be greedy—eat whatever you're given."

你认为这个故事的寓意是什么？也许是"不要贪心——吃给你的任何东西。"

Note to Parent: The climate changed in the Sahara around 3500 BC/BCE. We know little about the cultures that flourished in southern Africa before medieval times; the second volume of The Story of the World deals much more extensively with African history.

家长须知：撒哈拉的气候在公元前3500年左右发生了变化。我们对中世纪之前在南部非洲繁荣的文化了解很少；《世界的故事》第二卷更广泛地讨论了非洲历史。

📚 Chapter Vocabulary / 本章词汇表

基础生活词汇 / Basic Life Vocabulary

water

/ˈwɔːtər/

中文：水
定义：生命必需的无色液体
例句：The only water lies in oases in the desert.

food

/fuːd/

中文：食物
定义：人和动物吃的营养物质
例句：They hunted wild animals for food.

family

/ˈfæməli/

中文：家庭
定义：父母和孩子组成的群体
例句：Chin and his family grew crops beside the Yellow River.

animals

/ˈænɪməlz/

中文：动物
定义：活着的生物，不是植物
例句：They raise desert animals that don't need much water.

tree

/triː/

中文：树
定义：大型木本植物
例句：Sometimes one tree is owned by several families.

house

/haʊs/

中文：房子
定义：人们居住的建筑物
例句：The next time you come by my house, share my dinner.

地理相关词汇 / Geography Vocabulary

desert

/ˈdezərt/

中文：沙漠
定义：非常干燥少雨的地区
例句：The Sahara Desert is hot and dry as an oven.

continent

/ˈkɑːntɪnənt/

中文：大陆
定义：很大的陆地，上面有很多国家
例句：This continent is called Africa.

rivers

/ˈrɪvərz/

中文：河流
定义：流向大海的水道
例句：Rivers and streams used to run in the Sahara.

oases

/oʊˈeɪsiːz/

中文：绿洲
定义：沙漠中有水的地方
例句：The only water lies in oases.

villages

/ˈvɪlɪdʒɪz/

中文：村庄
定义：小的居住区
例句：Tiny villages sometimes settle in these oases.

dunes

/duːnz/

中文：沙丘
定义：风吹沙子形成的小山
例句：Sand piles up in huge drifts called dunes.

历史专业词汇 / Historical Terms

ancient

/ˈeɪnʃənt/

中文：古代的
定义：很久很久以前的
例句：We learn about ancient times and civilizations.

nomads

/ˈnoʊmædz/

中文：游牧民族
定义：没有固定居所的民族
例句：Nomads settled in the Fertile Crescent.

artifacts

/ˈɑːrtɪfækts/

中文：文物
定义：古代人制作的物品
例句：Egyptians left thousands of artifacts behind.

archaeologists

/ˌɑːrkiˈɑːlədʒɪsts/

中文：考古学家
定义：研究古代文物的科学家
例句：Archaeologists dug up ancient artifacts.

pharaohs

/ˈfɛroʊz/

中文：法老
定义：古埃及的国王
例句：The pharaohs lived along the Nile River.

centuries

/ˈsentʃəriz/

中文：世纪
定义：一百年为一个世纪
例句：People would live for centuries in peace.

文化社会词汇 / Culture & Society

stories

/ˈstɔːriz/

中文：故事
定义：讲述事情的叙述
例句：They left stories passed down from person to person.

custom

/ˈkʌstəm/

中文：习俗
定义：传统的做法
例句：In Africa it is the custom to share your meal.

character

/ˈkærəktər/

中文：角色
定义：故事中的人物
例句：Anansi is a favorite character of storytellers.

paintings

/ˈpeɪntɪŋz/

中文：绘画
定义：用颜料画的艺术作品
例句：Ancient people left paintings on cave walls.

visit

/ˈvɪzɪt/

中文：拜访
定义：去看望某人
例句：Turtle came for a visit to Anansi's house.

/ʃɛr/

中文：分享
定义：一起使用或享用某样东西
例句：Please share your yams with me.

动作行为词汇 / Actions & Activities

hunted

/ˈhʌntɪd/

中文：狩猎
定义：捕获野生动物
例句：They hunted wild animals for food.

traveled

/ˈtrævəld/

中文：旅行
定义：从一个地方去另一个地方
例句：They traveled for weeks and weeks.

disappeared

/ˌdɪsəˈpɪrd/

中文：消失
定义：不再能够看见
例句：The streams disappeared when it stopped raining.

wither

/ˈwɪðər/

中文：枯萎
定义：因缺水而死亡
例句：Trees began to wither and die.

started

/ˈstɑːrtɪd/

中文：开始
定义：着手进行某事
例句：When you first started to learn about ancient times.

cross

/krɔːs/

中文：穿越
定义：从一边到另一边
例句：You would cross over the land of ancient peoples.

📊 Chapter Processing Statistics / 章节处理统计

总段落数 / Total Paragraphs: 48
标注词汇数 / Annotated Vocabulary: 67个关键词
词汇表单词 / Vocabulary Cards: 30个
故事数量 / Number of Stories: 2个阿南西故事
处理时间 / Processing Time: 完整章节双语对照
文化内容 / Cultural Content: 西非民间故事与历史背景
历史时期 / Historical Period: 公元前3500年撒哈拉气候变化
地理覆盖 / Geographic Coverage: 古代非洲、撒哈拉沙漠