If you want to tell the history of the whole world, a history that does not privilege one part of humanity, you cannot do it through texts alone, because only some of the world has ever had texts, while most of the world, for most of the time, has not. Writing is one of humanity’s later achievements, and until fairly recently even many literate (有文字的) societies recorded their concerns not only in writing but in things.
要讲述整个世界的历史，一个不偏袒任何一个人类群体的历史，就不能仅仅依靠文字，因为世界上只有一部分人有文字记载，而大多数人，大部分时间并没有。写作是人类相对较晚的成就之一，直到相当近的时候，甚至很多识字的社会都不只用文字来记录他们的关注。

Ideally a history would bring together texts and objects, and some chapters of this book are able to do just that, but in many cases we simply can’t. The clearest example of this between literate and non-literate history is perhaps the first conflict, at Botany Bay, between Captain Cook’s voyage and the Australian Aboriginals. From the English side, we have scientific reports and the captain’s record of that terrible day. From the Australian side, we have only a wooden shield (盾) dropped by a man in flight after his first experience of gunshot. If we want to reconstruct what was actually going on that day, the shield must be questioned and interpreted as deeply and strictly as the written reports.
理想情况下，一部历史应该结合文字和物品，这本书的一些章节能够做到这一点，但在很多情况下我们做不到。识字和非识字历史之间最明显的例子也许就是第一次冲突，在植物湾，即船长库克的航行和澳大利亚原住民之间。从英国方面，我们有科学报告和船长对那一可怕日子的记录。而从澳大利亚方面，我们只有一个被一个人在第一次遭遇枪声后丢弃的木盾。如果我们要重建那天真实发生的事情，那么必须对这个盾进行深入和严格的质疑和解释，就像对书面报告一样。

In addition to the problem of miscomprehension from both sides, there are victories accidentally or deliberately twisted, especially when only the victors know how to write. Those who are on the losing side often have only their things to tell their stories. The Caribbean Taino, the Australian Aboriginals, the African people of Benin and the Incas, all of whom appear in this book, can speak to us now of their past achievements most powerfully through the objects they made: a history told through things gives them back a voice. When we consider contact (联系) between literate and non-literate societies such as these, all our first-hand accounts are necessarily twisted, only one half of a dialogue.
If we are to find the other half of that conversation, we have to read not just the texts, but the objects.
除了双方的误解问题之外，也有战果被意外或故意扭曲的情况，尤其是只有胜利者会书写的时候。那些处于失败一方的人通常只能通过他们的物品来讲述他们的故事。加勒比泰诺人，澳大利亚原住民，贝宁的非洲人和印加人，他们在这本书中出现，都可以通过他们制造的物品最有力地告诉我们他们过去的成就：通过物品讲述的历史，让他们重新拥有了一种声音。当我们考虑这些识字和非识字社会之间的接触时，所有我们的第一手资料都必然被扭曲，只是对话的一半。如果我们要找到对话的另一半，我们不仅需要阅读文字，还需要解读物品。

12, What is the first paragraph mainly about?
A. How past events should be presented. B. What humanity is concerned about.
C. Whether facts speak louder than words. D. Why written language is reliable.
答案：A

13, What does the author indicate by mentioning Captain Cook in paragraph 2?
A. His report was scientific. B. He represented the local people.
C. He ruled over Botany Bay. D. His record was one-sided.
答案：D

14, What does the underlined word “conversation” in paragraph 3 refer to?
A. Problem. B. History. C. Voice. D. Society.
答案：B

15, Which of the following books is the text most likely selected from?
A. How Maps Tell Stories of the World B. A Short History of Australia
C. A History of the World in 100 Objects D. How Art Works Tell Stories
答案：C