Word Study                                         

1. millennium: 

n. a period of 1,000 years一千年，千年期

e.g.

All the people were watching the simultaneous broadcast of the celebration of the new millennium on TV and radio.
所有的人都在观看和收听电视与广播同时转播的迎接新世纪的庆典。

 

2. characterize:

v. (formal) [often passive] to give sth its typical or most noticeable qualities or features 使…具有特点（或最引人注目的特征）

e.g.

The city is characterized by tall modern buildings in steel and glass.

这座城市的特点是钢铁和玻璃建造的现代化高楼大厦林立。

 

3. seek:

v. (sought, sought) (formal) to try to do sth 试图；设法

e.g.

They quickly sought to distance themselves from the protesters.

他们迅速设法远离抗议者。

 

4. attribute: 

v. ~ sth to sth to say or believe that sth is the result of a particular thing 把…归因于；认为…是；由于；

e.g.

She attributes her success to hard work and a little luck.

她认为她的成功来自勤劳和一点点运气。

Sentence Analysis                                    

1. It was believed that the cracks that resulted from burning ox bones or tortoise shells represented messages sent from the gods about a variety of matters such as illness, weather or hunting.

 该句子中有两个that, 但其作用是完全不同的。第一个that引导的是主语从句，是真正的主语, it只是形式主语。第二个that引导的是定语从句，指代先行词the cracks在从句中做主语。

 sent from the gods about a variety of matters such as illness, weather or hunting是过去分词短语，做定语，修饰messages。其作用相当于一个定语从句，即which were sent from the gods about a variety of matters such as illness, weather or hunting.

 

2. This text has had many interpreters whose works have developed in various sects, some of which have been very influential.

 some of which have been very influential是非限定性定语从句。在非限定性定语从句中which和whom常可和of或其他介词连用，例如：

The buses, most of which were already full, were surrounded by an angry

crowd.

公共汽车大部分都已满载，周围是一大群愤怒的人。