雅思词汇课文（24）· The Invention of Writing 文字的发明

历史与文化主题，约 350 词，融入 30 个雅思核心词。

🎧 课文朗读音频（约 1 分钟）

📖 课文 Text

The Invention of Writing

For almost all of human history, knowledge was carried only in the mind. Stories, laws and recipes were memorised and passed orally from one generation to the next. Then, around 3400 BC, in Mesopotamia — modern-day Iraq — something revolutionary happened. People began to make marks on clay tablets that represented not pictures but sounds. Writing had been invented.

The earliest system, known as cuneiform, was developed by the Sumerians. It began not as literature but as accounting. Merchants needed to record quantities of grain, numbers of sheep and amounts of tax. A small clay token placed inside a sealed envelope was enough to document a transaction. To avoid breaking the envelope, marks were drawn on the outside. Over centuries, these marks evolved into a full writing system.

Egyptian hieroglyphs appeared soon after, around 3200 BC. Unlike cuneiform, hieroglyphs were decorative, carved on temple walls and papyrus scrolls. For centuries, their meaning was lost to modern scholars until the discovery of the Rosetta Stone in 1799, inscribed with the same text in three scripts.

Writing spread slowly. The Chinese script developed independently around 1200 BC. The Maya in Central America invented their own writing system around 300 BC. The Phoenicians, around 1000 BC, created the first alphabet — a system where each symbol represents a single consonant, making writing far simpler than picture-based systems.

The consequences of writing were profound. For the first time, knowledge could outlive the person who held it. Laws could be written down and applied consistently. Historians could record events as they happened. Science, mathematics and literature all became possible on a new scale.

Oral culture did not disappear. Poetry, proverbs and speeches remained central to public life. But the invention of writing changed humanity permanently, creating a collective memory that spans millennia.

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🧠 课文理解 Comprehension

1. When was writing first invented?

• A. around 3400 BC
• B. around 1000 BC
• C. around 300 BC
• D. around 1800 AD

2. Cuneiform began as...

• A. literature
• B. accounting
• C. poetry
• D. religious texts

3. The Rosetta Stone was important because it...

• A. was the first paper document
• B. had the same text in three scripts, enabling translation
• C. was made of gold
• D. was found in China

4. The Phoenicians created the first...

• A. picture-based writing
• B. alphabet
• C. printing press
• D. dictionary

5. The writer says oral culture...

• A. disappeared completely
• B. remained central to public life
• C. was inferior to writing
• D. was replaced by books

✏️ 词汇练习 Vocabulary Practice

Fill in the blanks with the correct word from the list. Change the form where necessary.

| orally / revolutionary / transaction / evolve / decorative / consistently / collective / millennium |

1. The story was passed down ______ for centuries before being written.
2. The invention of the internet was a ______ development in communication.
3. The bank charges a small fee for each overseas ______.
4. Languages continue to ______ over time.
5. The carved mirror has a highly ______ frame.
6. The company has ______ met its sales targets.
7. The disaster was a tragedy for the ______ community.
8. The castle has stood for more than a ______.

✅ 答案 Answers

Comprehension

1. A　2. B　3. B　4. B　5. B

Vocabulary

1. orally　2. revolutionary　3. transaction　4. evolve　5. decorative　6. consistently　7. collective　8. millennium