求助：an oasis of civilization in the European sense of the term何意？

gubinlaile

The　New　World　to　which　Columbus　came　at　the　end　of　the　fifteenth　century　was　not,　as　we　are　tempted　to　believe,　a　wholly　savage　and　untamed　place.　The　people　lacked　some　of　the　basis　of　European　civilization,　it　is　true,　for　instance,　horses　were　unknown　to　them,　and　they　had　never　discovered　the　use　of　wheel.　But　there　were　many　accomplishments　to　offset　such　handicaps.　In　the　political　domain　these　original　American,　as　early　as　the　tenth　century,　were　building　mighty　empires;　and　in　realm　of　intellectual　achievements,　they　developed　a　cosmographic　(宇宙学的)　science　dealing　with　the　constitution　of　the　whole　order　of　nature　that　was　fat　superior　to　that　of　Europe.　It　would　be　a　mistake,　however,　to　believe　that　the　New　World,　as　a　whole,　was　an　oasis　of　civilization　in　the　European　sense　of　the　term.　America　had　many　faces,　and　to　its　conquerors　it　offered　a　variety　of　as　pats.　Christopher　Columbus,　when　be　went　ashore　on　the　island　of　San　Salvador　---　one　of　the　Bahamas　---　was　greeted　by　the　lucayas,　an　agricultural　and　artistic　people　who　typified　the　noble　savage　of　popular　legend.　The　Spaniards,　on　the　other　hand,　were　shortly　to　meet　a　completely　different　sort　of　native,　the　human-eating　Caribbean.　Such　diversity　is　reflected　in　the　history　of　the　pre-Columbian　New　World,　a　history　so　complex　that　it　had　taken　historians　almost　five　centuries　of　study　in　order　to　find　out　its　main　lines.
问题：这个短语何意？an　oasis　of　civilization　in　the　European　sense　of　the　term

[ 本帖最后由 gubinlaile 于 2007-7-20 15:08 编辑 ]

perfectsb122

把New World认为是当时欧洲文化的绿洲是错误的！