2023-2024学年高中英语社团第十讲四大发明 讲义（含答案）

英语社团第十讲--中国古代四大发明（The Four Great Inventions） What are The Four Great Inventions The Four Great Inventions are: The Compass，Gun powder，Papermaking，Printing Techniques. 中国古代四项伟大的发明是指南针、火药、造纸术、印刷术。 The Four Great Inventions of ancient China are celebrated in Chinese culture for their historic significance and as signs of ancient China’s advanced science and technology. These four inventions greatly promoted the development of China’s economy, politics, and culture. 中国古代的四大发明因其历史意义和作为中国古代先进科学技术的标志而在中国文化中受到赞扬。这四大发明大大促进了中国经济、政治和文化的发展。 The Compass The history of the compass can be dated back to the Warring States Period (476–221 BC), when Chinese people used a device called si nan to point the direction. 指南针的历史可以追溯到战国时期（公元前476-221年），当时中国人使用一种叫做司南的装置来指明方向。 After constant improvement, a round compass with a tiny needle made of magnetized steel were invented during the early Song Dynasty. One end of the tiny needle points to the south and the other points to the north. The compass was then introduced to the Arab world and Europe during the Northern Song era (960–1127). 经过不断的改进，在宋朝初期发明了一种带有磁化钢制成的小针的圆形罗盘。小针的一端指向南方，另一端指向北方。在北宋时代（960-1127年），罗盘被介绍到阿拉伯世界和欧洲。 Before the invention of the compass, people depended on reading the positions of the sun, moon, and pole stars to tell directions on open water or unfamiliar territory. Travelling was difficult in cloudy or bad weather. 在指南针发明之前，人们依靠太阳、月亮和北极星的位置来判断开阔水域或陌生地区的方向。因此，在阴天或恶劣的天气下，旅行是很困难的。 After the invention of the round compass, people could easily find a direction when sailing on the vast oceans and traversing new territory, which led to the discovery of the New World as well as the development of sailing ships. 罗盘发明后，人们在广阔的海洋上航行和穿越新的领土时可以很容易地找到方向，这导致了新大陆的发现以及帆船的发展。 Gun powder Gunpowder was invented by Chinese alchemists during the Tang Dynasty. In medieval China, alchemists were people who tried to make an elixir of immortality as their supreme goal. They inadvertently found that a mixture of sulphur, saltpeter, and charcoal could induce an explosion. 火药是由中国的炼金术士在唐代发明的。在中世纪的中国，炼金术士是试图制造长生不老药的人，这是他们的最高目标。他们无意中发现，硫磺、硝石和木炭的混合物可以诱发爆炸。 Gunpowder was originally used for making fireworks to celebrate festivals and important events. Later, it was used as an explosive material for cannons, fire-arrows, and other weapons in military use. Gunpower was in great need as there were frequent wars during the Song and Yuan dynasties (960–1368) and mass production was developed. 火药最初是用于制造烟花，以庆祝节日和重要事件。后来，它被用作大炮、火箭和其他军事用途武器的爆炸材料。由于宋朝和元朝（960-1368 ... ...