胡敏读故事记托福词汇140：从黑暗的年代中解放出来 Liberated from ages of darkness
What do we really know about our ancestors who lived in limestone caves at Zhoukoudian? Not a great deal, really, except that the modern day inhabitants of northern China would probably be able to trace their lineage right back to those cave dwellers. Their life span was short, compared to ours, and theirs were by no means lives of liberty, in any sense of the word.Not yet literate, they were unable to read or write, though some of the drawings they left behind on their cave walls were quite magnificent. Their lives were harsh, sleeping on beds made from leaves, not linen, risking life and limb even when simply foraging for food. They were able to draw their liquid refreshment from streams that were still limpid, taking care, though, not to linger, lest they were mauled by a dreadfull saber tooth tiger or some other ferocious beast.
对于那些在周口店石灰石洞里的祖先，我们了解多少呢?除了知道中国北部现在的居民可能拥有那些岩洞居民的血统之处，我们知道的的确不多。他们的寿命和现代人相比要短很多，而且他们的生活从任何意义上都不能被称作是自由的。没有受过教育，他们不能读书或者写字，尽管他们在洞穴的墙壁上留下了一些非常精致的画。他们的生活很艰苦，睡在树叶(而不是亚麻)做的床上，甚至为了寻找食物还要冒着失去生命或四肢折断的危险。他们从清澈的小溪中汲取液体养料，同时要非常地小心，下能逗留太久，以免被可怕的利齿考虑或者是别的猛兽所伤害。
Humankind has long since been liberated and, quite literally, lifted from our ancestors’ day of darkness. One of the most important inventions in the whole of history must be the light bulb. With people being able to sit up at night in splendid brightness, average levels of literacy have increased by leaps and bounds, while literary endeavour has flourished.Likewise, modern men’s linguistic prowess has improved no end, not least through being able to sit up at all hours of the day and night, having liberal discussions on subjects ranging from linguistics to animal liberation.
人类在很早以前就解放了，从字面上讲就是升高而从祖先们生活的黑暗日子中超脱出来。历史上最重大的发明之一要算灯光了。当人们可以整晚享受美妙的光亮时，人们一般的读写能力有了普遍而飞速的提高，从事写作的劲头也空前地高涨。同样地，现代人的语言才能无限度地提高了，主要表现在整天整夜自由地高谈阔论，话题从语言学到动物学的自由等等，可谓无话不谈。
Words
liberal adj. (思想)开放的，坚持(主张)变革的，自由主义的
liberate vt. 释放，使自由，解放
liberty n. 自由
life span 寿命
lift v. 举起，升高
light bulb 灯泡
likewise adv. 同样地，也
limb n. 肢，翼
limestone n. 石灰石
limpid adj. 清澈的
lineage n. 血统，世系
linen n. 亚麻布，亚麻制品
linger vi. 逗留，徘徊
linguistic adj. 语言上的，语言学上的
linguistics n. 语言学
liquid n. 液体，流体
literally adv. 照字面意义地,逐字地
literacy n. 有读写能力，识字
literary adj. 文学(上)的，从事写作的
literate adj. 精通文学的，受过教育的
