If we were asked exactly what we were doing a year ago, we should probably have
to say that
we could not remember. But if we had kept a book and had written in it what we did each day, we
should be able to give an answer to the question.
It is the same in history. Many things have been forgotten because we do not have any written account of them. Sometimes men did keep a record of the most important happenings in their country, but often it was destroyed by fire or in a war. Sometimes there was never any written record at all because the people of that time and place did not know how to write. For example, we know a good deal about the people who lived in china 4,000 years ago, because they could write and leave written records for those who lived after them. But we know almost nothing about the people who lived even 200 years ago in central Africa, because they had not learned to write.
Sometimes, of course, even if the people, and often songs and dances and stories have been made about the most important happenings, and these have been sung and acted and told for many generations, for most people are proud to tell what their fathers did in the past. This we may call 'remembered history'. Some of it had now been written down. It is not m exact or so valuable to us as written history is, because words are much more easily changed when used again and again in speech than when copied in writing. But where there are no written records, such spoken stories are often very helpful.
1. Which of the following is not mentioned in the passage?
A. "Remembered history", compared with written history, is less reliable(可靠的).
B. Written records of the past plays a most important role in our learning of the human history.
C. A written account of our daily activities helps us to remember the events that happened in the past.
D. Where there are no written records of the past, there is no history.
2. Why do we know little about what happened in Central Africa 200 years ago?
A. There was nothing worth being written down at that time.
B. People there had not known how to write in those days.
C. The written records were perhaps destroyed in a fire.
D. People there ignored the importance of keeping a record.
3. According to the author, which of the following is not 'remembered history'?
A. History based on a person's imagination.
B. Stories of important happenings passed down from mouth to mouth.
C. Songs and dances about important events in the past.
D. Spoken stories about the past.
4. 'Remembered history' is regarded as valuable only when__________.
A. it is written down B. it proves to be true
C. no written account is available D. people are interested in it
5. It can be inferred from the passage that we could have learned much more about our pastthan we do now if our ancestors had___________.
A. kept a written record of every past event
B. not burnt their written records in wars
C. told exact stories of the most important happenings
D. made more songs and dances