TPO33-1 The First Civilizations題目解析（1）

Paragraph 1

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.

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

答案 A
　　解析 詞匯題：culminate，達到頂點/高潮，對應 A 選項：達到高點。

Paragraph 2

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.

2. In 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.

答案 A
　　解析 細節(jié)題：定位句 Many prehistorians believe that farming may haveemerged independently 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. 意思是當食物來源短缺的時候來時種植糧食來維持生計，對應 A選項：他們用農(nóng)業(yè)來補充其他食物來源。

3. The word “undoubtedly” in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. increasingly　　　B. certainly
　　C. in general　　　　D. apparently

答案 B
　　解析 詞匯題：undoubtedly 毫無疑問地，對應 B 選項： 理所應當?shù)亍?/span>

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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.
　　C. Farming techniques could not be easily applied to soils far from rivers.
　　D. The heavier weight of river soil resulted in more reliable harvests.

答案 AB

解析 細節(jié)題: 定位句 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. 里面提到了 not as dependent on rainfall, 不太依賴于降雨，對應 B 選項：不完全依賴降水。同時也提到了 deposited nutrients in the soil，在土壤中沉淀營養(yǎng)，對應 A 選項：土壤營養(yǎng)豐富。

5. The word “enhance” in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. serve　B. improve　C. control　D. protect

答案 B
　　解析 詞匯題：enhance，提高，增強，對應 B 選項，提高，改善。

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