常春藤解析英语【32】More Than Just Pretty Pictures绘本（在线收听）

More Than Just Pretty Pictures 多采多姿的绘本世界

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

原来如此

1. Paintings found on cave walls and ceilings date back 40,000 years.
理由:
a. 原句句构尚缺动词，由句首的主词 Paintings 可知，空格应置入复数动词。
b. 选项中符合上述条件的有 (C) featured（以……为特色∕号召）及 (E) date back（回溯至）。由空格后的 40,000 years（四万年）可知，本空格应选 (E) 方符合语意、用法。
c. date back + 一段时间　　追溯至……（一段时间前）
date back to + 时间　　回溯至……（时间点）
例: Those unique paintings date back five hundred years.
（这些独特的画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纪初。）

2. Even then, the desire to communicate led people to express themselves in visual forms.
理由:
a. 空格前有及物动词 express（表达），但其后缺乏受词，得知此处应置入名词或代名词。
b. 选项中，(I) themselves（他们自己）为反身代名词，置入后合乎语意，即表其前的复数名词 people，并形成下列固定用法：
express oneself　　表达（某人）自己的想法、情感等
例: I play the violin so that I can express myself through music.
（我拉小提琴是为了透过音乐来表达自己。）
c. 根据上述，故选 (I)。

3. ...pictures were combined with words in illuminated manuscripts.
理由:
a. 空格前为 be 动词 were，其后为名词 words（文字），故空格可置入形容词加以修饰，或置入现在分词或过去分词形成进行式或被动式。
b. 选项中为形容词的有 (J) commonplace（常见的），置入后形成『图画是常见的文字』，语意不通，故不可选。
c. 选项中为分词的有 (B) Requiring（需要）、(D) Published（被出版）、(F) inspired by （被启发）与 (H) combined with（与……结合）。其中 (B)、(D) 为大写不可选。(F) 及 (H) 虽均符合用法，但仅 (H) 置入后符合语意，表『图画与文字结合』，故为正选。
d. be combined with...　　与……结合
例: Oxygen is combined with hydrogen to form water.
（氧跟氢结合而形成水。）

4. Requiring many years to complete, these picture books connected modern times with...
理由:
a. 空格位于句首，得知应置入大写开头的选项。
b. 选项中为大写开头的有 (B) Requiring（需要） 与 (D) Published（被出版）。由被省略的主词 These picture books 得知，此处应置入 Requiring，表这些绘本『需要』很多年才能完成。本句原为：
These picture books required many years to complete, these picture books connected modern times with...
c. 根据上述，故选 (B)。

5. Now, picture books are commonplace and every child has a favorite one.
理由:
a. 空格前有 be 动词 are，得知应置入形容词或名词作主词补语。
b. 符合上述条件的仅剩 (J) commonplace（常见的），置入后亦符合语意，故为正选。
c. commonplace a. 常见的
例: Hardly anyone had a cell phone a few years ago, but now they're commonplace.
（几年前几乎没什么人有手机，但现在人手一机。）

6. ...the idea of using pictures to make books...didn't become popular until the 20th century.
理由:
a. 空格前有否定副词 not，空格后有表时间的 the 20th century（20 世纪），得知此处测试下列固定用法：
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飞车才停止大哭。）
b. 根据上述，故选 (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，得知应置入大写开头的选项。
b. 选项中为大写开头的仅剩 (D) Published（被出版），且置入后与 in 1902 形成『于 1902 年出版』，语意通顺，故为正选。

8. Ferdinand, Babar, and Madeline all featured title characters that...
理由:
a. 本句尚缺动词，且其后有名词 title characters，根据时态，应置入过去式及物动词或词组动词。
b. 符合上述条件的仅剩 (C) featured，置入后亦符合语意，故为正选。
c. feature vt. 以……为特色∕号召
例: This theater features the latest stereo system.
（这座戏院以最先进的音响系统为号召。）

9. ...the books have only gotten more popular since then.
理由:
a. 本空格在测试 since 的用法：
since 作介词时，表『自从……』、『自……之后』，之后接明确的时间、名词、动名词或时间副词 then，形成副词词组，修饰完成（进行）式的主要子句。
例: Dave almost fell off his scooter last week and he's been afraid to drive since then.
（戴维上星期差点摔车，他从那时起就不敢骑车了。）
b. 本句时态为现在完成式 have gotten more popular，空格后为时间副词 then，since 置入后符合语意、用法，故选 (A)。

10. Dr. Seuss and Walt Disney were inspired by these early picture books...
理由:
a. 空格前为 be 动词 were，其后有名词 these early picture books（这些早期的绘本），可知空格应置入动词的现在分词或过去分词。
b. 选项中仅剩 (F) 为分词词组，置入后亦符合语意，故为正选。
c. be inspired by...　　受到……的启发
例: As the president, I am inspired by the great leaders in our country's past.
（身为总统，我深受国家伟大领导先人的启发。）

精解字词词组

1. communicate vi. 沟通；联络
communicate with...　　与……沟通∕联络
例: The astronauts used a special radio to communicate with Earth from their ship.
（航天员利用特别的无线电从宇宙飞船和地球联络。）

2. be decorated with...　　装饰着……
例: William's house is decorated with many expensive antiques.
（威廉的家中装饰着许多昂贵的古董。）

3. connect A with B　　连接 A 与 B
例: Our plan is to connect the hotel with the amusement park by train.
（我们的计划是用火车连结饭店与游乐园。）

4. preserve vt. 保护，保存（强调东西保持原样）
conserve vt. 节约使用（能源等）
reserve vt. 预定
例: The body of the hunter was preserved for thousands of years by ice and snow.
（猎人的尸体在冰雪覆盖下保存了数千年。）
例: To conserve electricity, always turn off the lights when you leave the room.
（为了节约用电，离开房间时一定要关灯。）
例: I would like to reserve a table for two at your restaurant this evening.
（我想预约你们餐厅今天晚上两个人的位子。）

5. accessible a. 易得到∕接近的（其后常与介词 to 并用）
例: New ramps should make this building accessible to people in wheelchairs.
（新盖的斜坡应该能让乘坐轮椅者容易进入大楼。）

6. As S + V, so + 倒装句　　随着……，……也……
例: As the minimum wage has gone up in Taiwan, so has the cost of living.
（随着台湾的基本工资上升，民生消费也跟着提高。）

7. evolve vi. 演化
例: Life on Earth is evolving all the time.
（地球上的生命不断地演化。）

8. give a boost to sb/give sb a boost　　
大大激励∕鼓舞某人

boost n. 激励，鼓舞
例: My father's presence at my first baseball game gave me a boost.
（父亲在我第一场棒球比赛中出现，大大鼓舞了我。）

单字小铺

1. millennia n. 数千年（millennium 的复数）
millennium n. 一千年

2. ceiling n. 天花板

3. visual a. 视觉的

4. illuminated a.（书籍等）用鲜明色彩装饰的

5. manuscript n. 手稿

6. calligraphy n. 书法；笔迹

7. layer n. 层

8. literature n. 文学；文学作品

9. commercial a. 商业的

10. title character = title role　　与小说、戏剧等同名的人物∕角色

11. genre n. 文艺作品的类型

12. illustrated a. 有插图的

13. illustrator n. 插画家

14. icon n. 代表人物

中文翻译＆标准答案

人类发展文字之前，便一直在创作图画达数千年之久。在洞穴墙壁及屋顶上发现的绘画可追溯至四万年前。甚至在那个时候，沟通的欲望就促使人们以视觉的形式表达自己的想法。

几千年后的中古世纪，在缀有亮丽色彩的手稿里可见图画与文字的结合。这些书籍仔细装饰着绘画、手写文字甚至是金箔或银箔。这些绘本需耗时多年才能完成，由于保存了许多希腊罗马时期的文学作品，使现代和古代得以衔接。

如今绘本随处可见，每个小孩都有自己最爱的一本。然而，利用图画使孩子更亲近书本的想法直到 20 世纪才开始普及。第一本利用图画和文字来说故事而受到欢迎的作品是毕翠丝‧波特的《彼得兔的故事》。《彼得兔》一书于 1902 年出版，证明了绘本也能是成功的商品。

随着科技与儿童教育的演变，绘本也同样有所发展。《爱花的牛》、《大象家族》与《玛德琳》都以同名人物为主角，并让绘本文类更广受欢迎。到了 1938 年，美国图书馆学会决定颁发凯迪克奖给年度最佳绘本。此举大大鼓舞了绘本作者与插画家，从此绘本也越来越受欢迎。

苏斯博士与华特‧迪斯尼都受到这些早期绘本的启发，成为儿童教育与娱乐的指标。孩子们跟着绘本学习也热爱绘本。绘本在历史上的重要性无庸置疑。问题只是：你最喜欢的绘本是哪一本？

标准答案:　1. (E)　2. (I)　3. (H)　4. (B)　5. (J)
6. (G)　7. (D)　8. (C)　9. (A)　10. (F)