2014年12月英语六级听力小故事（3）史前岩洞艺术

At some point in remote prehistory, roughly 12,000 years ago, a group of men and women – no more than half a dozen, scientists believe – crawled into the labyrinth of Rouffignac cavern in the Dordogne's Vézère valley. Once in its deepest recess, they lay on their backs and, in flickering candlelight, started painting on the rock ceiling 3ft above them. More than 60 images of mammoths, horses and ibex were outlined, each animal depicted in simple, confident lines that reveal startling artistic talent.

在久远的史前时期，大约是一万两千年前，一群男男女女（科学家们相信，不超过六个）缓缓爬进错综复杂的鲁菲尼亚克岩洞，这个岩洞位于位于多尔多涅省的韦泽尔河谷。进到岩洞深处，他们躺下，在跳动的烛火下，开始在3英尺高的岩石天顶上作画。有超过60幅的图画，用简单而自信的线条勾勒出了猛犸象、马匹和北山羊，无不展现了惊人的艺术天赋。

This is the Great Ceiling of Rouffignac, one of the world's oldest and most beautiful art galleries. We have few clues as to who created it, though it was probably the work of the Cro-Magnons, the first members of Homo sapiens to settle in Europe 45,000 years ago and survivors of the Ice Age that later gripped the continent. Nor do we know why these artists picked such an inaccessible spot to display their genius – though fortunately it can be reached easily today. A tiny electric train runs from Rouffignac's entrance to the Great Ceiling, the floor of which has been lowered to allow visitors to gaze up at its wonders.

鲁夫尼亚克的这个大天顶是世界上最老、最美丽的艺术馆之一。我们基本上不知道是谁创造了这些壁画，不过很有可能是克罗马尼翁人的杰作，他们是早期智人中在欧洲定居的第一批，那是在四万五千年前，他们后来在肆虐了整个大陆的冰河时期中生存了下来。我们也不知道为什么这些艺术家选择了这样一个难以到达的地方来施展他们的天赋，不过好在我们现在能够很容易地抵达这个地方。一列小巧的电动火车从鲁夫尼亚克的入口直通大天顶，那里的地面被削低了，以方便游客仰起头注视这一奇迹。

It is a stunning experience, one of many to be found in this remarkable locale. In the 25km of the Vézère valley between Montignac and Les Eyzies there are 15 caves – including Rouffignac, Lascaux and others – which have been rated Unesco World Heritage sites because of their prehistoric art.

这是个绝赞的体验，在这个绝妙的地方你还能发现更多。在位于蒙蒂尼亚克和莱塞济之间的韦泽尔河谷，25公里长的地带有15个岩洞，包括鲁夫尼亚克岩洞和拉斯科岩洞等，并且因为史前艺术而荣列联合国教科文组织世界文化遗产名录。

2014年12月英语四级答案汇总

大学英语四级考试