高级英语视听说教程3-文本-unit1、2、3、4

APPENDIX A: AUDIOSCRIPTS

Unit One

Chapter 1

Anthropology:

The Evolution of Human Endeavor

Anthropology: The Study of Human Beings and Their Creations

oA. Orientation Listening Script

The Greek word for "man" is "anthropos" and the word anthropology has been in the English language for centuries. But just what does the word mean? Literally anthropology means "the study of man." How- ever, as British philosopher Alfred North Whitehead noted, "It is a well- founded historical generalization that the last thing to be discovered in any science is what the science is really about." And as Paul Bohannan, renowned anthropologist, pointed out a number of years ago, "Each science that deals with people has its own definitions of human. An Economist," he explains, "defines a human as a choice-making animal. Philosophers define man as a rationalizing animal. . . ." Anthropology attempts to be all-inclusive-the study of human behavior in all places and throughout time. It specializes in the description of humanistic, sci- entific, biological, historical, psychological, and social views of humans. To paraphrase Barbara Miller's statement in her textbook, Cultural Anthropology, the popular impression of anthropology is basedmainly on movies and television shows that depict anthropologists as adven- turers and heroes. Some do have adventures and discover treasures in Egyptian tombs and elsewhere, but mostly, their work is less glam- orous and involves repetitive and tedious activities. Until around the middle of the nineteenth century, anthropology was a term used for all humanists. My lecture today explains the fields and branches of anthropology. We're going to begin by stating that anthropology is the study of human behavior in all places and at all times.

Western civilization takes credit for the development of anthropol- ogy, which, as a matter of fact, was a relatively late science. Earlier Greek and Roman philosophers were more interested in speculating about the ideal society rather than describing those known to them. After the onset of the Age of Exploration, which included the discovery of the Americas, as well as travel to other distant places, the study of non-Western people began in earnest. In modern day, anthro- pology is a recognized social science with two broad fields and several branches or subfields.

The two broad fields are physical anthropology and cultural anthropology. Let me give you a brief description of each. Physical anthropology is concerned with the development of man as a mammal. Related subjects are anatomy, biology, and paleontology. Physical an- thropologists study the evolution of the human species. One way they