托福阅读TPO33原文 答案解析 译文
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托福阅读TPO33原文+答案解析+译文
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阅读TPO33原文+答案解析+译文：TPO33-1-1 The First
Civilizations
Evidence suggests
that an important stimulus behind the rise of
early civilizations was the development of settled
agriculture, which unleashed a series of
changes in the organization of human communities
that culminated in the rise
of large ancient
empires.
The exact time and place
that crops were first cultivated successfully is
uncertain. Many prehistorians believe that
farming may have emerged in dependently in
several different areas of the world when small
communities, driven by
increasing population
and a decline in available food resources, began
to plant seeds in the ground in an effort to
guarantee their survival. The first farmers,
who may have lived as long as 10,000 years ago,
undoubtedly used simple
techniques and still
relied primarily on other forms of food
production, such as hunting, foraging, or
pastoralism. The
real breakthrough took place
when farmers began to cultivate crops along the
floodplains of river systems. The
advantage
was that crops grown in such areas were not as
dependent on rainfall and therefore produced a
more
reliable harvest. An additional benefit
was that the sediment carried by the river waters
deposited nutrients in the soil,
thus enabling
the farmer to cultivate a single plot of ground
for many years without moving to a new location.
Thus, the
first truly sedentary (that is,
nonmigratory) societies were born. As time went
on, such communities gradually learned
how to
direct the flow of water to enhance the productive
capacity of the land, while the introduction of
the iron plow
eventually led to the
cultivation of heavy soils not previously
susceptible to agriculture.
The
spread of this river valley agriculture in various
parts of Asia and Africa was the decisive factor
in the rise of the
first civilizations. The
increase in food production in these regions led
to a significant growth in population, while
efforts
to control the flow of water to
maximize the irrigation of cultivated areas and to
protect the local inhabitants from
hostile
forces outside the community provoked the first
steps toward cooperative activities on a large
scale. The need
to oversee the entire process
brought about the emergence of an elite that was
eventually transformed into a
government.
The first clear steps in the rise of the
first civilizations took place in the fourth and
third millennia B.C. in
Mesopotamia, northern
Africa, India, and China. How the first
governments took shape in these areas is not
certain, but
anthropologists studying the
evolution of human communities in various parts of
the world have
discovered that
one common stage in the process is the emergence
of what are called “big men” within a single
village or a collection of villages. By means
of their military prowess, dominant personalities,
or political talents, these
people gradually
emerge as the leaders of that community. In time,
the “big men” become formal symbols of authority
and pass on that authority to others within
their own family. As the communities continue to
grow in size and material
wealth, the “big
men” assume hereditary status, and their allies
and family members are transformed into a
hereditary
monarchy.
The
appearance of these sedentary societies had a
major impact on the social organizations,
religious beliefs, and
way of life of the
peoples living within their boundaries. ¢ With the
increase in population and the development of
centralized authority came the
emergence of the cities. ¢ While some of these
urban centers were identified with a
particular economic function, such as
proximity to gold or iron deposits or a strategic
location on a major trade route,
others served
primarily as administrative centers or the site of
temples for the official cult or other ritual
observances. ¢
Within these cities, new forms
of livelihood appeared to satisfy the growing need
for social services and consumer
goods. ¢ Some
people became artisans or merchants, while others
became warriors, scholars, or priests. In some
cases,
the physical division within the first
cities reflected the strict hierarchical character
of the society as a whole, with a
royal palace
surrounded by an imposing wall and separate from
the remainder of the urban population. In other
instances, such as the Indus River Valley, the
cities lacked a royal precinct and the
ostentatious palaces that marked
their
contemporaries elsewhere.
1. The
phrase “culminated in” in the passage is closest
in meaning to
A) reached a high
point with
B) logically followed
from
C) partly contributed to
D) marked
2.
According to paragraph 2, which of the following
statements is true of early farmers?
A) They used farming to supplement other food
sources.
B) They were driven out
of small communities.
C) They
were victims of flooding.
D) They
farmed several plots of land at once.
3. The word “undoubtedly” in the passage
is closest in meaning to
A)
increasingly
B) certainly
C) in general
D)
apparently
4. According to
paragraph 2, what are TWO reasons why farmers
chose river valleys for cultivation? To receive
credit
you must select TWO answer choices.
A) The soils in river valleys
were rich in nutrients.
B) The
crops grown in river valleys were not completely
dependent on rainwater.