In the West, before mass communication and literacy, the most powerful mass medium was the church, which reminded worshippers that their souls were in danger and that they would someday be meat for worms.

　　①People in earlier eras were surrounded by reminders of misery.

　　②They worked until exhausted, lived with few protections and died young.

　　③In the West, before mass communication and literacy, the most powerful mass medium was the church, which reminded worshippers that their souls were in danger and that they would someday be meat for worms.

　　④Given all this, they did not exactly need their art to be a bummer too.

　　参考译文

　　①(论点：总1) 早些时代的人们处于令人处处想到悲苦的境地。

　　②(具体：分1) 他们工作到筋疲力尽，生活几乎没有保障，最后英年早逝。

　　③(并列：分2) 在西方，在大众传播和教育普及之前，最 强大的大众传媒是教堂，教堂提醒信徒，他们的灵魂处于危险之中，他们有一天会成为蛆虫的食物。

　　(论点：总2) 有了这一切，他们无需艺术再来表现这种失落感。