- •Белорусский государственный университет Кафедра английского языка гуманитарных факультетов
- •Абрамчик е.Ф., Поваляева в.Н., Турляй л.П., Козел л.А.
- •History as a Science
- •Preview
- •Text 1. Understanding History
- •Text 2. How do We Know?
- •Text 3. Examining Archaeology
- •Text 4. Museum – Source of Knowledge and Impressions
- •Polydialogue. The University-wide Open Days
- •The usefulness of archives
- •Video. Dartmoor National Park
- •Vocabulary
- •Follow-up
- •Vocabulary
- •Follow-up
- •Vocabulary
- •Before you view
- •Vocabulary
- •Comprehension tasks
- •Follow-up
- •Writing tasks
- •Finally …
- •Unit 2 first steps toward civilization
- •Text 1. The Early Accomplishments of Homo sapiens
- •Text 2. Setting the Stage for Civilization: The Origins of Food Production
- •Text 3. The Gradual Transition From Food Gathering To Food Production
- •Text 4. The Transition to a Sedentary Way of Life
- •Ex. 1. Translate the text into English.
- •Unit III classical civilization. Ancient greek culture
- •Text 1. The ancient Greeks
- •Text 2. The Evolution of Democracy
- •Text 3. Sparta and Athens
- •Text 4. The Age of Pericles
- •The economy of Athens
- •Text 5. Religions and sports festivals
- •Text 6. Greek Drama
- •Text 7. The Spread of Greek Culture
- •The Golden age of Greek Theatre
- •The tragedy form
- •Александрия
- •Unit IV ancient rome and its socio-political development. The roman empire
- •Text 1. The Rise Of The Republic
- •Text 2. Overseas Expansion
- •Text 3. The Fall Of The Roman Republic
- •Text 4. Greece and Rome
- •The Birth of Rome
- •Text 5. The Early Empire
- •Text 6. Social Rank in the Empire
- •Text 7. The Roman Economy
- •Rich and Poor
- •Золотой век
- •Unit V rome and the christians
- •Text 1. The Early Christians
- •Text 2. Rome and the Christians
- •Text 3. The Decline of Rome
- •Text 4. The Fall Of Rome
- •The Causes of the Fall
- •Христианство
- •Unit VI the middle ages
- •Text 1. The Middle Ages. Their Classification and General Characteristics.
- •Text 2. Byzantine and Its Influence on Neighboring Countries
- •In the Field of Learning and Religion
- •Text 3. Medieval Europe
- •Text 4. The Spirit of the Renaissance
- •Features of Renaissance Art
- •Ex. 2. Translate the text into English. Феодальная система в Западной и Центральной Европе
- •Discussion
- •Text 1. Primordial Belarus – From Forest Tribes to the Decline of Polatsk
- •Text 2. The Development and Flourishing of Great Lithuania
- •Text 3. Belarus after Vitaut: its Golden Age and Decline
- •Text 4. Belarus after the Third Division of Rech Paspalitaya
- •Dialogue Travelling Broadens the Mind
- •B. Some old and Rare Books in the Francisk Skaryna Library in London
- •Part III
- •Britain
- •Preview
- •Reading Text 1. Primitive Society on the territory of the British Isles
- •The Earliest Men
- •The Celts
- •The Primitive Communal System
- •Word Check
- •Comprehension
- •Text 2. The British Empire
- •Text 3. Economic and Social Changes
- •In England in the 18th and 19th Centuries
- •Text 4. Modern Britain. Stability and Change.
- •Rich and Poor
- •Unit II american continet:
- •Its first civilizations and colonies.
- •Text 1. From Early People to Colonies.
- •Text 2. Colonization of America. War For Independence
- •Discussion
- •Text 3. Constitution. Bill of Rights.
- •Comprehension
- •Word Check
- •Ex. 2. Discuss which of them one can find in a) democratic society
- •Text 2. The European Union Read the text and say in a few words the main points of the text
- •Text 3. United Nations Read the text and assimilate its information
- •Security Council.
- •Translation
- •Unit II outstanding people
- •Text 1. The “Father of History”
- •Text 2. Alexander the Great and his Influence
- •Text 3. Elizabeth I.
- •Text 4. John Fitzerald Kennedy.
- •Contents
Text 3. The Gradual Transition From Food Gathering To Food Production
Read the text and do the tasks that follow:
Accordingly, paleoanthropologists posit, or hypothesize, that around 9000 B.C.E. excess populations in western Asia started migrating inland to territories where wildlife and plant foods were less plentiful, and where they were forced to return to the nomadic ways of hunter-gatherers. What is certain is that between 9000 and 8000 B.C.E. some humans in Iran had taken the first known step toward food production by domesticating animals – in this case, sheep and goats. This would have been no more than the equivalent of taking out a small insurance policy. People seeking to avoid overreliance on one particular food source, and starvation if that source failed, captured live animals and gradually bred them so that they had meat on the hoof, available whenever the need arose. Owning a few sheep or goats did not inhibit the people who first domesticated them from continuing in their nomadic way of life (it is easier to travel with trained goats than with babies). But it did make them accustomed to the notion of actively manipulating their environments.
Producing plant food came next. After the glaciers had receded, wild wheat and wild barley had begun to grow in scattered hilly parts of inland western Asia. Accustomed to gathering all sorts of seeds, hunter-gatherers between about 9000 and 8000 B.C.E. gladly drew on the wheat and barley because when these plants were ripe, gatherers could reap large amounts of seeds from them within as little as three weeks and than move on to other pursuits. Archeological discoveries reveal that the peoples in question developed flint sickles to accelerate their harvesting, mortars for grinding their harvested grain into flour, and – most significantly for future developments – lined storage pits for preserving their grain or flour. In other worlds, these peoples had not only begun to pay special attention to harvesting wild grain, but they were saving their harvests for use over time. Again, people were manipulating their environments instead of merely adjusting to them.
Vocabulary extension
to posit – to suggest or assume as a fact
nomad – member of a tribe that wanders from place to place looking for pasture for its animal and having no fixed home
starvation – suffering or death caused by lack of food
to inhibit – to prevent smb. from doing smth.
to grind – to crush smth. to very small pieces or to powder
to adjust to – to become or make suited to new conditions
Ex. 1. Find words in the text which mean the following.
abundant, in large quantities or numbers
to look for, try to find or obtain
to appear, originate
used or obtained
to move away
lying far apart, not close together
being used to
ready to be gathered and used for eating
to make smth known
Ex. 2. Answer the questions.
Why were humans forced to return to the nomadic ways of hunter gatherers?
What was the first known step toward food production taken by the humans?
Why does the author call the domestication of animals a type of insurance policy?
What step came next after domesticating animals?
What do archeological discoveries reveal about the people of that time.
Speak on the gradual transition from food gathering to food production.
Use the following clichés:
Paleoanthropologists posit that …
The negative consequences of non-nomadic lifestyle were that …
People gradually …
In other words …