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TPO-27
Crafts in the Ancient Near East
Some of the earliest human civilizations arose in southern Mesopotamia, in what is
now southern Iraq, in the fourth millennium B.C.E. In the second half of the millennium,
in the south around the city of Uruk, there was an enormous escalation in the area
occupied by permanent settlements. A large part of that increase took place in Uruk itself,
which became a real urban center surrounded by a set of secondary settlements. While
population estimates are notoriously unreliable, scholars assume that Uruk inhabitants
were able to support themselves from the agricultural production of the field surrounding
the city, which could be reached with a daily commute. But Uruk’s dominant size in the
entire region, far surpassing that of other settlements, indicates that it was a regional
center and a true city. Indeed, it was the first city in human history.
The vast majority of its population remained active in agriculture, even those people
living within the city itself. But a small segment of the urban society started to specialize
in nonagricultural tasks as a result of the city’s role as a regional center. Within the
productive sector, there was a growth of a variety of specialist craftspeople. Early in the
Uruk period, the use of undecorated utilitarian pottery was probably the result of
specialized mass production. In an early fourth-millennium level of the Eanna
archaeological site at Uruk, a pottery style appears that is most characteristic of this
process, the so-called beveled-rim bowl. It is a rather shallow bowl that was crudely made
in a mold; hence, in only a limited number of standard sizes. For some unknown reason,
many were discarded, often still intact, and thousands have been found all over the Near
East. The beveled-rim bowl is one of the most telling diagnostic finds for identifying an
Uruk-period site. Of importance is the fact that it was produced rapidly in large amounts,
most likely by specialists in a central location.
A variety of documentation indicates that certain goods, once made by a family
member as one of many duties, were later made by skilled artisans. Certain images depict
groups of people, most likely women, involved in weaving textiles, an activity we know
from later third-millennium texts to have been vital in the economy and to have been
centrally administered. Also, a specialized metal-producing workshop may have been
excavated in a small area at Uruk. It contained a number of channels lined by a sequence
of holes, about 50 centimeters deep, all showing burn marks and filled with ashes. This
has been interpreted as the remains of a workshop where molten metal was scooped up
from the channel and poured into molds in the holes. Some type of mass production by
specialists were involved here.
Objects themselves suggest that they were the work of skilled professionals. In the
late Uruk period(3500-3100 B.C.E.), there first appeared a type of object that remained
characteristic for Mesopotamia throughout its entire history: the cylinder seal. This was a
small cylinder, usually no more than 3 centimeters high and 2 centimeters in diameter, of
shell, bone, faience (a glassy type of stoneware), or various types of stones, on which a
scene was carved into the surface. When rolled over a soft material----primarily the clay
of bullae (round seals), tablets, or clay lumps attached to boxes, jars, or door bolts----the
scene would appear in relief, easily legible. The technological knowledge needed to carved
it was far superior to that for stamp seals, which had happened in the early Neolithic
period (approximately 10,000-5000 B.C.E.). From the first appearance of cylinder seals,
the carved scenes could be highly elaborate and refined, indicating the work of specialist
stone-cutters. Similarly, the late Uruk period shows the first monumental art, relief, and
statuary in the round, made with a degree of mastery that only a professional could have
produced.
Paragraph 1: Some of the earliest human civilizations arose in southern
Mesopotamia, in what is now southern Iraq, in the fourth millennium B.C.E. In the
second half of the millennium, in the south around the city of Uruk, there was an
enormous escalation in the area occupied by permanent settlements. A large part of that
increase took place in Uruk itself, which became a real urban center surrounded by a set
of secondary settlements. While population estimates are notoriously unreliable, scholars
assume that Uruk inhabitants were able to support themselves from the agricultural
production of the field surrounding the city, which could be reached with a daily
commute. But Uruk’s dominant size in the entire region, far surpassing that of other
settlements, indicates that it was a regional center and a true city. Indeed, it was the first
city in human history.
1.which of the sentences below best express the essential information in the
highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important
ways or leave out essential information.
O Although scholars cannot accurately determine the size of the Uruk population,
they know the citizens were not dependent on agriculture.
O scholars do not have enough evidence to determine whether the agriculture
areas just outside of Uruk were large enough to feed the city’s population.
O Because city populations cannot feed themselves, scholars think the surrounding
farms provided food to the people in Uruk.
O Scholars believe that the inhabitants of Uruk were able to support themselves
from product grown in field surrounding the city.
2.The word “surpassing” in the passage is closest in meaning to
O proceeding
O exceeding
O challenging
O outlasting
3.According to paragraph 1, all of the following are true of the ancient settlement at
Uruk EXCEPT:
O
O
O
O
It was a permanent settlement.
It was self-sufficient.
It was one of a group of other larger settlements.
It had easy access to the land where its crops were grown.
Paragraph 2: The vast majority of its population remained active in agriculture, even
those people living within the city itself. But a small segment of the urban society started
to specialize in nonagricultural tasks as a result of the city’s role as a regional center.
Within the productive sector, there was a growth of a variety of specialist craftspeople.
Early in the Uruk period, the use of undecorated utilitarian pottery was probably the
result of specialized mass production. In an early fourth-millennium level of the Eanna
archaeological site at Uruk, a pottery style appears that is most characteristic of this
process, the so-called beveled-rim bowl. It is a rather shallow bowl that was crudely made
in a mold; hence, in only a limited number of standard sizes. For some unknown reason,
many were discarded, often still intact, and thousands have been found all over the Near
East. The beveled-rim bowl is one of the most telling diagnostic finds for identifying an
Uruk-period site. Of importance is the fact that it was produced rapidly in large amounts,
most likely by specialists in a central location.
4. The word “intact” in the passage is closest in meaning to
O unsold
O unused
O undamaged
O unpainted
5. According to paragraph 2, which of the following best describes the beveled-rim
bowls from the Eanna Archaeological site at Uruk.
O They were discarded because they became unpopular.
O They varied greatly in shape and decoration.
O They were each individually styled.
O They were made in only a few sizes.
6.Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 2 about craft production in
the Uruk period?
O Specialists in nonagricultural tasks obtained a higher status than those engaged
in agricultural production.
O People not needed for framing could perform other more specialized activities.
O Ancient crafts were beginning to be produced for both utilitarian and decorative
purposes.
O Pottery making was the only known during the fourth millennium.
Paragraph 3: A variety of documentation indicates that certain goods, once made by
a family member as one of many duties, were later made by skilled artisans. Certain
images depict groups of people, most likely women, involved in weaving textiles, an
activity we know from later third-millennium texts to have been vital in the economy and
to have been centrally administered. Also, a specialized metal-producing workshop may
have been excavated in a small area at Uruk. It contained a number of channels lined by a
sequence of holes, about 50 centimeters deep, all showing burn marks and filled with
ashes. This has been interpreted as the remains of a workshop where molten metal was
scooped up from the channel and poured into molds in the holes. Some type of mass
production by specialists were involved here.
7.According to paragraph 3, which of the following is true of textile production after
the fourth millennium?
O It had an important commercial value.
O It existed but was not well organized.
O It is not documented in the archaeological record.
O It was carried on by individuals in their own homes.
8. The word “interpreted” in the passage is closest in meaning to
O documented
O debated
O displayed
O understood
9. What is the purpose of paragraph 3?
O To contrast the productivity of crafts workers in the third and fourth millennia
O To provide additional evidence of mass production by crafts workers
O To suggest that an early form of urban settlement may have exist before Uruk
O To contrast the development of weaving and pottery in Uruk
Paragraph 4: Objects themselves suggest that they were the work of skilled
professionals. In the late Uruk period(3500-3100 B.C.E.), there first appeared a type of
object that remained characteristic for Mesopotamia throughout its entire history: the
cylinder seal. ■This was a small cylinder, usually no more than 3 centimeters high and 2
centimeters in diameter, of shell, bone, faience (a glassy type of stoneware), or various
types of stones, on which a scene was carved into the surface. ■When rolled over a soft
material----primarily the clay of bullae (round seals), tablets, or clay lumps attached to
boxes, jars, or door bolts----the scene would appear in relief, easily legible. ■The
technological knowledge needed to carved it was far superior to that for stamp seals,
which had happened in the early Neolithic period (approximately 10,000-5000 B.C.E.).
■From the first appearance of cylinder seals, the carved scenes could be highly elaborate
and refined, indicating the work of specialist stone-cutters. Similarly, the late Uruk
period shows the first monumental art, relief, and statuary in the round, made with a
degree of mastery that only a professional could have produced.
10. The word “legible” in the passage is closest in meaning to
O printable
O
O
O
enjoyable
recognizable
available
11. Paragraph 4 suggests which of the following about the significances of
Mesopotamian cylinder seals?
O They were designed more for home than for legal use.
O They demonstrate that their creators were professionals.
O They were the first example of seals made from materials other than stone.
O They were the first example of carved seals.
12. According to paragraph 4, one of the artistic achievements of the late Uruk
culture was
O Its sophisticated sculpture and relief carving
O Its architecturally complex monuments
O Its invention of stamp seals carved from stone
O Its use of highly refined glassy stoneware
13.Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence could be
added to the passage.
When viewed on the curved surface of the cylinder, the image looked distorted, but
the carved image served only as a mold.
Where would the sentence best fit?
14 Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided
below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the
most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary
because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the
passage. This question is worth 2 points.
Uruk, located in ancient Mesopotamia, flourished in the fourth millennium B.C.E.
and was the first city in human history.
O A variety of evidence indicates that Uruk, while it supported itself primarily by
agriculture, also had specialized craft workers.
O The monumental sculptures of Uruk were made by the specialist stone cutters
who also produced small-scale relief scenes on shell, bone and faience.
O The large number, standardized sizes, and simple molded construction of a type
of pottery produced in Uruk demonstrate specialized, centrally organized mass
production.
O Cylinder seals from the late Uruk period are far superior to the stamp earlier
Neolithic period.
O Archaeological evidence from across the Near East indicates that Uruk was a
center for the production and export of highly decorated pottery made by craft specialists
in private homes.
O The carved designs on cylinder seals produced in Uruk are of such technical and
artistic excellence that they could only have been produced by professional artisans.
参考答案
1.○4
2.○2
3.○3
4.○3
5.○4
6.○2
7.○1
8.○4
9.○2
10.○3
11.○2
12.○1
13.○2
14. A variety of evidence indicates…
Archaeological evidence from across…
The carved designs on cylinder…
参考译文：古代近东的工匠
一些最早的人类文明是在公元前四千年前的南美索不达米亚出现的，现在这片区域处于
南伊拉克。在后五百年，在乌鲁克城南方附近，被永久居留民占用的地域在大幅度增长。大
部分的增长都发生在乌鲁克城内，使其成为了一个真正的中心诚区，并被一些后续的定居点
环绕着。虽然人口估计数通常是不可靠的，但学者们认为乌鲁克居民可以通过日常与周围地
区的通勤，得到周围地区产的农业产品以自给自足。但乌鲁克在整个地区最大，远远超过了
其它居民点，这说明它是这个地区的中心，是一个真正的城市。事实上，它是人类历史上的
第一个城市。
绝大部分人依然从事农业活动，甚至包括城市居民。但由于该城市是区域的中心，其中
的一小部分人开始全心从事非农业工作。生产方面，专业工匠的多样性有了增长。在乌鲁克
时期早期，对未装饰的实用陶器的使用可能就是专业化大量生产的结果。在乌鲁克的发现的
四千年前早期的Eanna考古遗址中，有一种陶器刻画了这种专业化生产过程的特征，即所谓
的斜面边碗。这种碗相当的浅，是利用模具简单制作的；因此，只有有限的几种大小。由于
一些未知原因，很多被丢弃的碗还是完整的保存下来了，而在近东的各地有上千件出土。这
种碗是最好的判断乌鲁克时期遗址的发现之一。最重要的是这种碗被大量快速生产，最可能
由中心位置的专业工匠制作。
多种文件记录说明，曾经作为义务被家庭制作的商品，在后来由熟练技工制作。一些图
画描述了成群的人们，大部分是女人，正在编制纺织品。这种活动，从其后三千年前出土的
文献可知，是当时经济的重要部分，并且已被中央管理。并且一个专门从事金属制造的工厂
可能也已经小区域的在乌鲁克地区开挖。它包括了一定数量隧道连接着一系列约50厘米深
的洞，它们都有燃烧的痕迹，也盛满了灰烬。这被认定是工厂的遗址，在这里融化的金属从
隧道中聚集，然后倒入洞里的模具中。这里包括一些由专业人士进行的大量生产活动。
产品的本身就说明了它们是由专业技工制作的。在乌鲁克时期末期首次出现了一种在其
整个历史中象征美索不达米亚的物品：圆柱章。它是一个小的圆柱体，一般不高于3厘米，
直径2厘米，材料为贝壳，骨头，陶器或是各种石头，在其表面刻着一个场景。当它滚过柔
软的材料的时候---主要是被连接在箱子，罐子或是门栓上的粘土圆章，纪念碑，泥土块--- 这
个场景就会清晰简单的出现在上面了。相对于新石器时期（大约是公元前10000-5000年前）
的封章，这种雕刻技术依然是很先进的。从圆柱章的出现开始，被雕刻的图像就非常精致精
美，这表现了石头切割者的专业技术。同样的，在乌鲁克时期晚期出现了第一个大师级别制
作的永存的艺术和雕刻，这是只有非常专业的人才能做出的。
The Formation of Volcanic Islands
Earth’s surface is not made up of a single sheet of rock that forms a crust but rather a
number of “tectonic plates” that fit closely, like the pieces of a giant jigsaw puzzle. Some
plates carry islands or continents others form the seafloor. All are slowly moving because
the plates float on a denser semi-liquid mantle, the layer between the crust and Earth’s
core. The plates have edges that are spreading ridges (where two plates are moving apart
and new seafloor is being created), subduction zones (where two plates collide and one
plunges beneath the other), or transform faults (where two plates neither converge nor
diverge but merely move past one another). It is at the boundaries between plates that
most of Earth’s volcanism and earthquake activity occur.
Generally speaking, the interiors of plates are geologically uneventful. However,
there are exceptions. A glance at a map of the Pacific Ocean reveals that there are many
islands far out at sea that are actually volcanoes----many no longer active, some
overgrown with coral----that originated from activity at points in the interior of the
Pacific Plate that forms the Pacific seafloor.
How can volcanic activity occur so far from a plate boundary? The Hawaiian Islands
provide a very instructive answer. Like many other island groups, they form a chain. The
Hawaiian Islands Chain extends northwest from the island of Hawaii. In the 1840s
American geologist James Daly observed that the different Hawaii islands seem to share a
similar geologic evolution but are progressively more eroded, and therefore probable
older, toward the northwest. Then in 1963, in the early days of the development of the
theory of plate tectonics. Canadian geophysicist Tuzo Wilson realized that this age
progression could result if the islands were formed on a surface plate moving over a fixed
volcanic source in the interior. Wilson suggested that the long chain of volcanoes
stretching northwest from Hawaii is simply the surface expression of a long-lived volcanic
source located beneath the tectonic plate in the mantle. Today’s most northwest island
would have been the first to form. They as the plate moved slowly northwest, new
volcanic islands would have forms as the plate moved over the volcanic source. The most
recent island, Hawaii, would be at the end of the chain and is now over the volcanic
source.
Although this idea was not immediately accepted, the dating of lavas in the Hawaii
(and other) chains showed that their ages increase away from the presently active volcano,
just as Daly had suggested. Wilson’s analysis of these data is now a central part of plate
tectonics. Most volcanoes that occur in the interiors of plates are believed to be produced
by mantle plumes, columns of molten rock that rise from deep within the mantle. A
volcano remains an active “hot spot” as long as it is over the plume. The plumes
apparently originate at great depths, perhaps as deep as the boundary between the core
and the mantle, and many have been active for a very long time. The oldest volcanoes in
the Hawaii hot-spot trail have ages close to 80 million years. Other islands, including
Tahiti and Easter Islands in the pacific, Reunion and Mauritius in the India Ocean, and
indeed most of the large islands in the world’s oceans, owe their existence to mantle
plumes.
The oceanic volcanic islands and their hot-spot trails are thus especially useful for
geologist because they record the past locations of the plate over a fixed source. They
therefore permit the reconstruction of the process of seafloor spreading, and
consequently of the geography of continents and of ocean basins in the past. For example,
given the current position of the Pacific Plate, Hawaii is above the Pacific Ocean hot spot.
So the position of The Pacific Plate 50 million years ago can be determined by moving it
such that a 50-million-year-oil volcano in the hot-spot trail sits at the location of Hawaii
today. However because the ocean basins really are short-lived features on geologic times
scale, reconstruction the world’s geography by backtracking along the hot-spot trail
works only for the last 5 percent or so of geologic time.
Paragraph 1: Earth’s surface is not made up of a single sheet of rock that forms a
crust but rather a number of “tectonic plates” that fit closely, like the pieces of a gain
jigsaw puzzle. Some plates carry islands or continents, others form the seafloor. All are
slowly moving because the plates float on a denser sem-iliquid mantle, the layer between
the crust and Earth’s core. The plates have edges that are spreading ridges (where two
plates are moving apart and new seafloor is being created), subduction zones (where two
plates collide and one plunges beneath the other), or transform faults (where two plates
neither converge nor diverge but merely move past one another). It is at the boundaries
between plates that most of Earth’s volcanism and earthquake activity occur.
1.The author mentions “spreading ridges”, “subduction zones”, and “transform
faults” in order to
O illustrate that the boundaries of tectonic plates are neat, thin lines
O explain why some tectonic plates carry islands or continents while others form
the seafloor
O explain the complex nature of the edges of tectonic plates
O provide examples of areas of tectonic plates where little geologic action occurs
2. The word “converge” in the passage is closest in meaning to
O expand
O form
O rise
O move closer
Paragraph 2: Generally speaking, the interiors of plates are geologically uneventful.
However, there are exceptions. A glance at a ma of the Pacific Ocean reveals that there
are many islands far out at sea that are actually volcanoes----many no longer active, some
overgrown with coral----that originated from activity at points in the interior of the
Pacific Plate that forms the Pacific seafloor.
3.which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the
highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important
ways or leave out essential information
O Volcanic activity is responsible for the formation of the Pacific seafloor in the
interior of the Pacific Plate.
O Many volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean are no longer active and have become
islands that support coral.
O There are many islands in the Pacific Ocean that originated as volcanoes in the
interior of the Pacific Plate.
O The map of the Pacific Ocean reveals fewer volcanic islands than there truly are
because many are no longer active and some are completely overgrown with coral.
Paragraph 3: How can volcanic activity occur so far from a plate boundary? The
Hawaiian islands provide a very instructive answer. Like many other island groups, they
form a chain. The Hawaiian Islands Chain extends northwest from the island of Hawaii.
In the 1840s American geologist James Daly observed that the different Hawaii islands
seem to share a similar geologic evolution but are progressively more eroded, and
therefore probable older, toward the northwest. Then in 1963, in the early days of the
development of the theory of plate tectonics. Canadian geophysicist Tuzo Wilson realized
that this age progression could result if the islands were formed on a surface plate moving
over a fixed volcanic source in the interior. Wilson suggested that the long chain of
volcanoes stretching northwest from Hawaii is simply the surface expression of a
long-lived volcanic source located beneath the tectonic plate in the mantle. Today’s most
northwest island would have been the first to form. They as the plate moved slowly
northwest, new volcanic islands would have forms as the plate moved over the volcanic
source. The most recent island, Hawaii, would be at the end of the chain and is now over
the volcanic source.
4. The word “instructive” in the passage is closest in meaning to
O clear
O detailed
O informative
O familiar
5. The word “eroded” in the passage is closest in meaning to
O worm down
O scattered
O developed
O deserted
6.In paragraph 3, what is the relationship between the scientific contribution of
James Daly and Tuzo Wilson?
O Wilson provided an explanation for the observations made by Daly.
O
O
O
Daly.
Wilson challenged the theory proposed by Daly.
Wilson found numerous examples of island chains that supported Daly’s theory.
Wilson popularized the explanation of volcanic island formation formulated by
Paragraph 4: Although this idea was not immediately accepted, the dating of lavas in
the Hawaii (and other) chains showed that their ages increase away from the presently
active volcano, just as Daly had suggested. Wilson’s analysis of these data is now a central
part of plate tectonics. Most volcanoes that occur in the interiors of plates are believed to
be produced by mantle plumes, columns of molten rock that rise from deep within the
mantle. A volcano remains an active “hot spot” as long as it is over the plume. The plumes
apparently originate at great depths, perhaps as deep as the boundary between the core
and the mantle, and many have been active for a very long time. The oldest volcanoes in
the Hawaii hot-spot trail have ages close to 80 million years. Other islands, including
Tahiti and Easter Islands in the pacific, Reunion and Mauritius in the India Ocean, and
indeed most of the large islands in the world’s oceans, owe their existence to mantle
plumes.
7.Why does the author provide the information that “the dating of lavas in the
Hawaii (and other) chains showed that their ages increase away from the presently active
volcano”?
O To point out differences between the Hawaii island chain and other volcanic
island chains
O To question the idea that all the islands in an island chain have been formed by
volcanic activity
O To explain why Wilson hypothesis was initially difficult to accept
O To provide evidence in support of Daly’s and Wilson’s ideas about how the
Hawaii islands were formed
8.According to paragraph 4, which of the following is true of mantle plumes
O They exist close to the surface of tectonic plates.
O They cause most of the volcanic activity that occurs in the interiors of plates.
O They are rarely active for long period of time.
O They get increasingly older away from the present hot spots.
Paragraph 5: The oceanic volcanic islands and their hot-spot trails are thus especially
useful for geologist because they record the past locations of the plate over a fixed source.
They therefore permit the reconstruction of the process of seafloor spreading, and
consequently of the geography of continents and of ocean basins in the past. For example,
given the current position of the Pacific Plate, Hawaii is above the Pacific Ocean hot spot.
So the position of The Pacific Plate 50 million years ago can be determined by moving it
such that a 50-million-year-oil volcano in the hot-spot trail sits at the location of Hawaii
today. However because the ocean basins really are short-lived features on geologic times
scale, reconstruction the world’s geography by backtracking along the hot-spot trail
works only for the last 5 percent or so of geologic time.
9.According to paragraph 5, volcanic islands help geologists to
O reconstruct past geography
O detect changes in mantle plumes
O measure the rigidity of tectonic plates
O explain why the seafloor spreads
10.What can be inferred about the Pacific Plate from paragraph 5?
O The hot spots on the Pacific Plate are much older than the ones located on the
other tectonic plates.
O Most of the volcanic sources beneath the Pacific Plate have become extinct.
O The Pacific Plate has moved a distance equal to the length of the Hawaiian
Island chain in the past 80 million years.
O The Pacific Plate is located above fewer mantle plumes than other plates are.
11. The word “current” in the passage is closest in meaning to
O original
O ideal
O relative
O present
12.According to paragraph 5, why are geologists unable to trace back the entire
geologic of continents from hot-spot trails?
O Hot spots have existed for only about 5 percent of geologic time.
O Hawaii did not exist 50 millions years ago.
O Oceanic basins that contained old hot-spot trails disappeared a long time ago.
O Hot-spot trails can be reconstructed only for island chains.
Paragraph 3: How can volcanic activity occur so far from a plate boundary? The
Hawaiian islands provide a very instructive answer. ■Like many other island groups,
they form a chain. ■The Hawaiian Islands Chain extends northwest from the island of
Hawaii. ■In the 1840s American geologist James Daly observed that the different
Hawaii islands seem to share a similar geologic evolution but are progressively more
eroded, and therefore probable older, toward the northwest. ■Then in 1963, in the early
days of the development of the theory of plate tectonics. Canadian geophysicist Tuzo
Wilson realized that this age progression could result if the islands were formed on a
surface plate moving over a fixed volcanic source in the interior. Wilson suggested that
the long chain of volcanoes stretching northwest from Hawaii is simply the surface
expression of a long-lived volcanic source located beneath the tectonic plate in the mantle.
Today’s most northwest island would have been the first to form. They as the plate moved
slowly northwest, new volcanic islands would have forms as the plate moved over the
volcanic source. The most recent island, Hawaii, would be at the end of the chain and is
now over the volcanic source.
13.Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence could be
added to the passage.
This pattern remained unexplained for a long time.
Where would the sentence best fit?
14 Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is
provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that
express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the
summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor
ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.
Although volcanic activity is concentrated on the edge of tectonic plates, such activity
can occur in the interiors of plates as well.
O Our understanding of islands comes from Daly’s and Wilson’s observations of
the Hawaiian Islands, which was later confirmed by plate-tectonic theory.
O The hot-spot trails formed by volcanic island chains indicate the positions of
tectonic plates as for back as the present ocean basins have existed.
O Whereas volcanic islands formed by mantle plumes are typically small, most of
the world’s largest islands are formed at the edges of tectonic plates.
O It has only recently been discovered that tectonic plates are closely fitting rather
than loosely constructed, as geologist previously believed.
O Volcanic island chains such as the Hawaiian Islands form in the interior of a
tectonic plate as the plate moves over a fixed volcanic source in the mantle.
O The Pacific Plate has existed for as long as the Hawaiian Islands have existed,
namely for more than 80 million years.
参考答案
1.○3
2.○4
3.○3
4.○3
5.○1
6.○1
7.○4
8.○2
9.○1
10.○3
11.○4
12.○3
13.○4
14. Our understanding of islands comes…
Whereas volcanic islands…
It has only recently been…
参考译文：火山岛的形成
地球的外壳并不是由单块岩石形成的，而是许多的“构造板块”严密的组合在一起的，
就像是一个巨大的拼图。一些板块承载着岛屿或是大陆，其它的则形成海底。所有板块都在
缓慢移动，因为它们都漂浮在密度更大的半液态的介于地壳和地核之间的地幔上。板块的边
缘是扩张脊（两个板块分离，新的海底形成的地方）
，俯冲带（两板块碰撞，一个倾入到另
一个下面）
，或者是形成断层（两板块既不聚集也不分散，但只是互相错位）。板块边界是地
球上的火山和地震的高发地。
一般地，板块内部在地质上是平静的，但也有例外。扫一眼太平洋的地图就知道那里有
许多在大海深处的岛屿，它们其实都是火山，其中有许多已经不活动了，一些长满了珊瑚。
这些火山都起源于当时太平洋板块内部一些部位在形成太平洋海底时的地质活动。
为什么火山活动发生在离板块边缘这么远的地方呢？夏威夷群岛提供了一个非常有启
发性的答案。就像其它的群岛一样，它们形成了一个岛链。夏威夷群岛链从夏威夷岛向西北
扩张。在十八世纪40年代，地质学家James Daly观察到不同的夏威夷岛屿看起来经历了相
似的演变过程，但它们所受腐蚀一个比一个严重，所以越往西北方向的岛屿形成时间可能越
早。1963年，在大陆板块理论的早期，加拿大的地质学家Tuzo Wilson意识到岛屿年龄的增
加可能是因为这些岛屿是板块表面从一个板块内部的固定火山源上方移动的结果。Wilson
解释说，夏威夷向西北延伸的火山长链只是一个长期存于板块下、地幔中的火山源在板块表
面的表现。现今最靠西北的岛屿可能是最先形成的。它们随着板块向西北移动。新的火山会
随着板块的移动在火山源处形成。最年轻的岛屿，夏威夷岛，应该是在岛链的末端，现在应
该在火山源上。
虽然这个理论并没有被很快接受，夏威夷和其它群岛岩浆的年龄测试表明了它们的年龄
都从活跃的火山开始依次增加，正如Daly所说。Wilson对数据的分析已经成为了板块构造
论的核心部分。大多的发生在板块内部的火山爆发都是由地幔柱造成的；地幔柱是从地幔深
处涌出的熔岩柱体。只要火山在一个地幔柱上面，它就是一个活动的“热点”
。地幔柱很显
然是起源于很深的地方，很可能位于地核和地幔的交界处，并且已经活跃了很久。由夏威夷
热点形成的最老的火山已经有近8千万年的时间了。其它的岛屿，包括太平洋的塔希提岛和
东部群岛，印度洋留尼汪岛和毛里求斯群岛，实际上，多数世界上大洋中大岛都是由地幔柱
的扩展形成的。
海洋火山岛和它们的热点轨迹对于地质学家尤其有用，因为它们记录了过去的板块在固
定火山源上方的位置。他们因此可以重现海底扩张的过程，以及大陆和大洋盆地过去的地理
位置发展过程。比如，根据太平洋板块现在的位置，夏威夷岛在太平洋热点上面。所以太平
洋板块5千万年前的位置可以通过移动太平洋板块使得一座有5五千万年历史的岛屿位于夏
威夷岛现在所在的热点上以获得。但是，由于海洋盆地在地质年代上是相对短命的，用热点
追踪的方法重建世界的地形只适用于最近的百分之五左右的地质时间。
Predator-Prey Cycles
How do predators affect populations of the prey animals? The answer is not as
simple as might be thought. Moose reached Isle Royale in Lake Superior by crossing over
winter ice and multiplied freely there in isolation without predators. When wolves later
reached the island, naturalists widely assumed that the wolves would play a key role in
controlling the moose population. Careful studies have demonstrated, however, that this
is not the case. The wolves eat mostly old or diseased animals that would not survive long
anyway. In general, the moose population is controlled by food availability, disease and
other factors rather than by wolves.
When experimental populations are set up under simple laboratory conditions, the
predator often exterminates its pre and then becomes extinct itself, having nothing left to
eat. However, if safe areas like those prey animals have in the wild are provided, the prey
population drops to low level but not extinction. Low prey population levels then provide
inadequate food for the predators, causing the predator population to decrease. When
this occurs, the prey population can rebound. In this situation the predator and prey
population may continue in this cyclical pattern for some time.
Population cycles are characteristic of small mammals, and they sometimes appear
to be brought about by predators. Ecologists studying hare populations have found that
the North American snow shoe hare follows a roughly ten-year cycle. Its numbers fall
tenfold to thirty in a typical cycle, and a hundredfold change can occur. Two factors
appear to be generating the cycle: food plants and predators.
The preferred foods of snowshoe hares are willow and birch twigs. As hare density
increases, the quantity of these twigs decreases, forcing the hares to feed on low-quality
high-fiber food. Lower birth rates, low juvenile survivorship, and low growth rates follow,
so there is a corresponding decline in hare abundance. Once the hare population has
declined, it takes two to three year for the quantity of twigs to recover.
A key predator of the snowshoe hare is the Canada lynx. The Canada lynx shows a
ten-year cycle of abundance that parallels the abundance cycle of hares. As hare numbers
fall, so do lynx numbers, as their food supply depleted.
What causes the predator-prey oscillations? Do increasing number of hares lead to
overharvesting of plants, which in turn results in reduced hare populations, or do
increasing numbers of lynx lead to overharvesting hares? Field experiments carried out
by Charles Krebs and coworkers in 1992 provide an answer. Krebs investigated
experimental plots in Canada’s Yukon territory that contained hare populations. When
food was added to those plots (no food effect) and predators were excluded (no predator
effect) from an experimental area, hare numbers increased tenfold and stayed there—the
cycle was lost. However, the cycle was retained if either of the factors was allowed to
operate alone: if predators were excluded but food was not added (food effect alone), or if
food was added in the presence of predators (predator effect alone). Thus both factors can
affect the cycle, which, in practice, seems to be generated by conjunction of the two
factors.
Predators are an essential factor in maintaining communities that are rich and
diverse in species. Without predators, the species that is the best competitor for food,
shelter, nesting sites, and other environmental resources tends to dominate and exclude
the species with which it competes. This phenomenon is known as “competitor exclusion”.
However, if the community contains a predator of the strongest competitor species, then
the population of that competitor is controlled. Thus even the less competitive species are
able to survive. For example, sea stars prey on a variety of bivalve mollusks and prevent
these bivalves from monopolizing habitats on the sea floor. This opens up space for many
other organisms. When sea stars are removed, species diversity falls sharply. Therefore,
from the stand point of diversity, it is usually a mistake to eliminate a major predator
from a community.
Paragraph 1: How do predators affect populations of the prey animals? The answer
is not as simple as might be thought. Moose reached Isle Royale in Lake Superior by
crossing over winter ice and multiplied freely there in isolation without predators. When
wolves later reached the island, naturalists widely assumed that the wolves would play a
key role in controlling the moose population. Careful studies have demonstrated,
however, that this is not the case. The wolves eat mostly old or diseased animals that
would not survive long anyway. In general, the moose population is controlled by food
availability, disease and other factors rather than by wolves.
1.In paragraph 1, why does the author discuss the moose and wolves on Isle Royale?
O To provide an example of predators moving to new habitats by following
migrating prey
O To show that the interactions between predator populations and prey
populations are not always might be expected
O To suggest that prey populations are more influenced by predation than food
availability and disease
O To argue that studies of geographically isolated populations tend not to be useful
to naturalists
Paragraph 2: When experimental populations are set up under simple laboratory
conditions, the predator often exterminates its pre and then becomes extinct itself,
having nothing left to eat. However, if safe areas like those prey animals have in the wild
are provided, the prey population drops to low level but not extinction. Low prey
population levels then provide inadequate food for the predators, causing the predator
population to decrease. When this occurs, the prey population can rebound. In this
situation the predator and prey population may continue in this cyclical pattern for some
time.
Paragraph 3: Population cycles are characteristic of small mammals, and they
sometimes appear to be brought about by predators. Ecologists studying hare populations
have found that the North American snow shoe hare follows a roughly ten-year cycle. Its
numbers fall tenfold to thirty in a typical cycle, and a hundredfold change can occur. Two
factors appear to be generating the cycle: food plants and predators.
2. The word “rebound” in the passage is closest in meaning to
O escape
O recover
O survive
O resist
3.Paragraph 2 implies which of the following about experimental environments in
which predators become extinct?
O They may yield results that do not accurate predict changes of populations in the
wild.
O In these environments, the prey species is better adapted than the predator
species.
O These environments are appropriate only for studying small populations of
predators and prey.
O They are unrealistic because some predators are also the prey of other predators.
4.Which of the following can be inferred from paragraphs 2 and 3 about the small
mammals that experience population cycles?
O Their population cycles are not affected by predators.
O Their predators’ populations periodically disappear.
O They typically undergo ten-year cycles.
O They have access to places safe from predators.
5. The word “roughly” in the passage is closest in meaning to
O usually
O repeating
O approximately
O observable
6. The word “generating” in the passage is closest in meaning to
O producing
O changing
O speeding up
O smoothing out
Paragraph 4: The preferred foods of snowshoe hares are willow and birch twigs. As
hare density increases, the quantity of these twigs decreases, forcing the hares to feed on
low-quality high-fiber food. Lower birth rates, low juvenile survivorship, and low growth
rates follow, so there is a corresponding decline in hare abundance. Once the hare
population has declined, it takes two to three year for the quantity of twigs to recover.
7.According to paragraph 4, all of the following are true of the food of snowshoe
hares EXCEPT
O The preferred food fore hares consists of willow and birch twigs.
O High fiber food is the most nutritious for hares.
O Depletion of the supply of willow and birch twigs cause low birth and growth
rates.
O The food supply takes two or three years to recover after a peak in hare
population density.
8. The word “conjunction” in the passage is closest in meaning to
O determination
O combination
O alternation
O transformation
Paragraph 5: A key predator of the snowshoe hare is the Canada lynx. The Canada
lynx shows a ten-year cycle of abundance that parallels the abundance cycle of hares. As
hare numbers fall, so do lynx numbers, as their food supply depleted.
9.According to paragraph 5, which of the following statements best characterizes the
abundance cycle of the Canada lynx?
O It closely follows the cycle the snowshoe hare.
O When the numbers of lynx fall, the numbers of snowshoe hares soon decrease.
O When hare numbers decrease, lynx numbers increase.
O It is not clearly related to the availability of lynx food.
Paragraph 6: What causes the predator-prey oscillations? Do increasing number of
hares lead to overharvesting of plants, which in turn results in reduced hare populations,
or do increasing numbers of lynx lead to overharvesting hares? Field experiments carried
out by Charles Krebs and coworkers in 1992 provide an answer. Krebs investigated
experimental plots in Canada’s Yukon territory that contained hare populations. When
food was added to those plots (no food effect) and predators were excluded (no predator
effect) from an experimental area, hare numbers increased tenfold and stayed there—the
cycle was lost. However, the cycle was retained if either of the factors was allowed to
operate alone: if predators were excluded but food was not added (food effect alone), or if
food was added in the presence of predators (predator effect alone). Thus both factors can
affect the cycle, which, in practice, seems to be generated by conjunction of the two
factors.
10.According to paragraph 6, which of the following was true of the hare population
cycle in Krebs’s experiment?
O The effects of providing food while at the same time introducing predators
cancelled each other, so there was no cycle.
O The cycle existed when either the food supply was limited or there were
predators.
O There was a cycle when there were no predators and food was supplied.
O If the hares had places to hide from the lynx, the hare population increased
tenfold and then remained at that level.
Paragraph 7: Predators are an essential factor in maintaining communities that are
rich and diverse in species. Without predators, the species that is the best competitor for
food, shelter, nesting sites, and other environmental resources tends to dominate and
exclude the species with which it competes. ■ This phenomenon is known as
“competitor exclusion”. ■However, if the community contains a predator of the
strongest competitor species, then the population of that competitor is controlled. ■
Thus even the less competitive species are able to survive. ■For example, sea stars prey
on a variety of bivalve mollusks and prevent these bivalves from monopolizing habitats
on the sea floor. This opens up space for many other organisms. When sea stars are
removed, species diversity falls sharply. Therefore, from the stand point of diversity, it is
usually a mistake to eliminate a major predator from a community.
11.According to paragraph 7, which of the following statements correctly
characterizes the effect of sea stars on the ecosystem in which they are predators of
bivalves?
O Bivalve population are kept low, allowing species that compete with bivalves to
survive.
O The numbers of most species of bivalves are greatly reduced, leaving the bivalve
species that is the strongest competitor to dominate among the survivors.
O Biological diversity begins to decrease because many bivalve species disappear.
O Sea stars dominate at first but then die off because of the depleted food supply.
12.According to paragraph 7, which of the following is true of the phenomenon of
competitor exclusion?
O It results in more diverse communities.
O It requires the presence of predators.
O It affects all competitions equally.
O It happens only when there is a dominant competitor.
13. Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence could be
added to the passage.
As a result, there are not enough of the strong competitions to monopolize the
environment’s resources.
Where would the sentence best fit?
14 Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is
provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that
express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the
summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor
ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.
The relationships between predators and prey are complex.
Answer Choices
O Studies of the interactions between wolves and moose on Isle Royale in Lake
Superior reveal that wolf predation is not the primary factor controlling the moose
population.
O Predators help maintain biological diversity by limiting populations of a
dominant competitor species, thereby preventing that species from excluding others.
O A species’ population tends to rise and falls in a cycle pattern if the food supply
for the population is limited, or if the population has a major predator.
O Ecologists are interested in studying predator-prey population cycles because
understanding how predators and prey interact will allow better wildlife management
programs.
O In predator-prey population cycles, predator populations increase or decrease
following similar population changes in the species they prey on.
O The removal of sea stars reduces the diversity of the community in which they
are predators, and is therefore a bad idea.
参考答案
1.○2
2.○2
3.○1
4.○4
5.○3
6.○1
7.○2
8.○1
9.○2
10.○2
11.○1
12.○4
13.○3
14. A species’ population tends…
Ecologists are interested in…
In predator-prey population cycles…
参考译文：捕食者-被捕食者循环
捕食者是怎样影响被捕食者的数量呢？答案并不是想象中那么简单。麋鹿通过穿越冬天
的冰层到达了在苏必略湖的罗亚尔岛，并由于没有捕食者而自由繁殖。当狼在晚一点的时候
到达那座岛时，自然学家都认为，狼对控制麋鹿的数量将起到关键作用。但是，严密的研究
说明并不是这样。狼吃掉的大部分是年老的，或生病的动物，他们本身就不会存活很久。一
般地，麋鹿的数量是由食物、疾病、和其它的一些条件，而不是狼控制的。
在简单的实验条件下，捕食者经常吃掉了所有的实验设定的被捕食者，然后因为食物缺
乏而自己灭绝了。但是，如果能给被捕食动物提供如同在野外的安全的区域，被捕食动物的
数量会降低到很低的数值，但不会灭绝。被捕食者的数量的降低造成了捕食者的食物不足，
使捕食者的数量下降。此时，被捕食者的数量又会反弹。这样，一定时间内捕食者和被捕食
者的数量会持续地循环。
这种数量的循环是小型哺乳动物的特性，有时候这种循环是由捕食者带来的。生态学家
对野兔数量的研究发现，北美白靴兔一直遵守着大约以十年为周期的循环。在一个典型的循
环中，其数量会以十倍到三十倍的减少，甚至会出现一百倍的改变。有两种因素会导致这种
循环：食物和捕食者。
白靴兔比较喜欢的食物是柳木和桦树树枝。野兔的密度增加时，这些树枝的数量就减少，
迫使野兔去吃一些低质量的，高纤维食物。随之而来的是低生育率，低成活率，低生长率，
所以野兔数量随之减少。一旦野兔数量减少，树枝的数量需要两到三年恢复。
白靴兔的主要捕食者是加拿大山猫。加拿大山猫的数量呈现了平行于野兔的十年为周期
的循环。野兔数量下降时，山猫的食物供给减少，数量也随之减少。
什么造成了捕食者和被捕食者的周期振动呢？是野兔数量的增长使得植物被过度采食，
随之导致了野兔的减少还是山猫的增加导致了野兔被过度捕食？在1992年，Charles Krebs
和其合作者的野外试验提供了答案。Krebs研究了在加拿大Yuhon地区有野兔种群的试验田。
当食物被加到这片试验田（没有食品因素影响）并且将捕食者移去（也没有捕食者因素影响）。
野兔的数量增加了十倍并且保持稳定----不再循环。但是，在任意一个因素单独存在时，循
环都会出现：不管是捕食者被移除，食物不添加（也就是只有食物影响）；还是食物在捕食
者存在的情况下被添加（也就是只有捕食者影响）。因此，两个因素都可以影响这个循环，
即在现实中，循环是两个因素同时作用的结果。
捕食者是保持群体多样性和数量的必要条件。没有捕食者时，那种在对食物、庇护所、
筑巢点和其它环境资源的争夺中胜出的竞争者，趋向于统治，并且灭绝与其竞争的其它物种。
这种现象被称作“驱逐竞争者”
。但是，如果种群中的具有最强竞争力的物种存在天敌，那
这一物种数量就被控制。因此，竞争力比较弱的物种都会得以生存。比如，海星捕食各种双
壳的软体动物，防止这些双壳动物垄断海底。这使得其它的很多生物有了生存空间。海星被
移除后，物种多样性大幅度降低。因此，从多样性的角度说，从一个种群中消除一个主要捕
食者通常是错误的决定。