Commentaries and notes:

1. ... how much of what we customarily think of as culture today (1) has appeared (2) in the very recent past – 1 – подлежащее, выраженное придаточным предложением; 2 – сказуемое; (см. Part II “A Grammar Workbook” стр. 271) in the very recent past – в самом недалеком прошлом.

2. lifetimes – periods of life; 62 – year lifetimes = periods of life 62 years long each.

3. ... of the total timeit has taken for human culture to reach its present level of development (1) – 1 – придаточное определительное предложение, в котором употреблен инфинитивный оборот, вводимый предлогом for (for-phrase) (см. Part II “A Grammar Workbook” стр. 175 – 176).

4. ... only recently has culture begun to change rapidly – инверсия, вызванная вынесением наречия “only” в начало предложения, вспомогательный глагол сказуемого “has” стоит перед подлежащим “culture”, за которым идет смысловая часть сказуемого “begun”.

5. almond-shaped rocks – камни миндалевидной формы.

6. to fashion tools = to form tools.

7. Neanderthal [niǽndəta:l]

8. With both stones and bones as materials and with some knowledge of how to affix handles, the rate of invention of new tools began to speed up. – зд. “with” имеет значение “при наличии”.

9. A very simple process from the modern perspective (1), these developments took about 400,000 years. – 1 – является приложением к “these developments”, подразумевается being a very simple process.

10. major advances = sufficient progress.

11. according to an observable exponential principle – согласно соблюдаемому принципу экспоненты.

12. the warning has taken on new urgency – это предупреждение вновь приобрело настоятельный характер.

Exercises:

1. Find Russian equivalents for:

rudimentary; to affix handles; to fashion superior tools; eventually; to occure through the process of invention; an observable exponential principle; to come into use; currently; to originate; to make them more efficient to use; to be arbitrary; for purposes of convenience; we customarily think; over time; to appreciate the lenght of the period by modern standards; in such a fashion as to produce smth.; one dramatic way of representing the growth of culture; to take on new urgency; major advances; it is to be found; to select arbitrary starting date.

2. Find English equivalents for:

ускорять; расширять культурную базу; быть доступным; в самом недалеком прошлом; предсказать; со временем; внутри данного общества; печатное слово; непрофессионалы; предупреждение; придавать более широкое значение термину; извне данной культуры; жизненный цикл; они вошли в употребление; чрезвычайно медленно/быстро; безошибочно; для удобства; по современным стандартам; в конце концов; мы привыкли считать; произвольно; первый и последний.

3. Answer the questions on the text:

1. Can we unmistakably establish how old culture is and how much of culture as we see it today has appered in the very recent past?

2. In what way can we represent the growth of culture over time?

3. What does the term “lifetime” mean? And in which lifetime has Alvin Toffler placed man?

4. How many lifetimes did man spend in caves?

5. What has existed for the last 70 lifetimes? What about the printed word?

6. How can one explain the fact that the growth of culture was exceedingly slow in the beginning and has begun to change rapidly only recently?

7. What do layman refer to when they use the term “invention” and what do sociologists mean by this term?

8. What does the number of new possible combinations of cultural elements depend upon?

9. What did man learn to do gradually and slowly with almond-shaped rocks during the period of 400 000 years?

10. When did major advances become possible?

11. According to what principle did culture begin to grow when the potential number of the combinations of existing cultural elements multiplied, i.e. when the cultural base was enlarged?

12. What have writers been predicting for a long time now?