TPO16 Trade and the Ancient Middle East

TPO 16 Paragraph 1 1. According to paragraph1, why has trade been so important throughout the history of the Middle East ? A. The rare and valuable metals and stones found in Middle Eastern deserts have Always been in high demand in surrounding areas. B. Growing conditions throughout the Middle East are generally poor forcing Middle Eastern people to depend on imported grain. C. Many useful and decorative raw materials cannot be found naturally in the Middle East but are available from neighboring regions. D. Frequent travel due to limited water supplies in the Middle East created many Opportunities for trade with neighboring societies. Paragraph 2 2. The word repudiate in the passage is closest in meaning to A. respect B. reject C. review D. revise 3. According to paragraph 2, how did Middle Eastern shop owners treat their workers? A. Workers were ranked according to their skill level, with the most-experienced Artisans becoming partial owners of the shop B. Shop owners treated different workers differently depending on how much the workers had in common with their masters. C. Workers were bound to their masters by unbreakable contracts that strictly defined the terms of their partnership. D. The shop owner worked alongside the workers and often considered them partners and members of the family. Paragraph 3 4. The author includes the information that“surplus was not a result of domestic craft production but resulted primarily from international trading”in order to A. Support the claim that the mode of production made possible by the craft guilds was very good for trade B. Contrast the economic base of the city government with that of the tribal confederacies C. Provide a reason why the government allowed the guilds to be self-controlled D. Suggest that the government was missing out on a valuable opportunity to tax the guilds 5. According to paragraph 3, all of the following are true of the Middle Eastern craft guilds EXCEPT: A. The guilds were created to support workers and to uphold principles of high-quality craft production B. Each guild was very large and included members from a broad geographic area C. The leaders of the guilds were chosen by popular vote D. All guild members were treated as equals. 6. The word consensus in the passage is closest in meaning to A. Authority B. Responsibility C. Custom D. Agreement Paragraph 4 7. According to paragraph 4, which of the following was NOT necessary for success in the Mercantile economy? A. Good business sense B. Reliable associates C. Family wealth D. Constant effort 8. 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. A. Tribespeople were comfortable forming personal relationships with merchants, Who, like them, were bound by their promises to one another. B. Because trade was not formally regulated, merchants were careful about whom they trusted and often conducted business with people they knew personally. C. While trade among merchants relied somewhat on regulation, among tribes people trade was based on personal relationships and careful character evaluation. D. Because tribespeople were bound only by their promises to one another, personal relationships were formed only after careful weighing of character. 9. The word ethic in the passage is closest in meaning to A. set of moral principles B. division of labors C. economic system D. test of character 10. According to paragraph 4,what choice did Middle Eastern merchants and artisans have that many other people have not had? A. If they were unhappy in the mercantile environment , they could draw on personal connections to find a different kind of work. B. They were allowed to assert their opinions without having to listen to aristocratic professions of moral superiority. C. Following the example of the pastoralists ,they could demand, and receive, better working conditions D. If they didn’t like environment, they could move somewhere else. Paragraph 5 11. The word intrinsically in the passage is closest in meaning to A. fundamentally B. Surprisingly C. Consequently D. Particularly 12. In paragraph 5, why does the author mention the new trade route opened up by Vasco da Gama’s fifteenth-century voyage around Africa? A. To provide evidence that European seafarers took every opportunity to bypass Middle Eastern merchants B. To present an instance in which Middle Eastern states lost money and power because of their reliance on long-distance trade C. To argue this new route became necessary when European seafarers wanted to avoid Middle Eastern states whose central power had begun to erode D. To explain how da Gama helped European traders avoid the dangerous predators prowling the areas surrounding Middle Eastern cities 13. Look at the four squares █ that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. For one thing, it created a demand for finished goods to be sold both locally and abroad. Where would the sentence best fit? 14. Since ancient times, reliance on trade has shaped the culture and organizational structure of Middle Eastern societies Answer Choices · Persian and Arabian merchants traveled great distances to sell their finished goods at the marketaplaces of ancient Sumeria. · Revenue from trade was merchants traveled great distances to sell their finished goods at the marketplaces of ancient Sumeria. · Revenue from trade was unevenlly distrbuted,causing Middle Eastern societies to be characterized by growing distinctions in wealth and power. · Qualities that were valued in the mercantile economy included individualism, hard work, loyalty, and the willingness to take risks. · As production increased, centralized control over production also increased, leading in turn to more-centralized control over fellowship and worship. · Crafts were produced by skilled artisans working in close, egalitarian relationships with their masters and other fellow guild members. · The stability of Middle Eastern governments was threatened by their lack of control over international trade patterns and over their own peripheral territories. Trade and the Ancient Middle East Trade was the mainstay of the urban economy in the Middle East, as caravans negotiated the surrounding desert, restricted only by access to water and by mountain ranges. This has been so since ancient times, partly due to the geology of the area, which is mostly limestone and sandstone, with few deposits of metallic ore and other useful materials. Ancient demands for obsidian (a black volcanic rock useful for making mirrors and tools) led to trade with Armenia to the north, while jade for cutting tools was brought from Turkistan, and the precious stone lapis lazuli was imported from Afghanistan. One can trace such expeditions back to ancient Sumeria, the earliest known Middle Eastern civilization. Records show merchant caravans and trading posts set up by the Sumerians in the surrounding mountains and deserts of Persia and Arabia, where they traded grain for raw materials, such as timber and stones, as well as for metals and gems. Reliance on trade had several important consequences. Production was generally in the hands of skilled individual artisans doing piecework under the tutelage of a master who was also the shop owner. In these shops differences of rank were blurred as artisans and masters labored side by side in the same modest establishment, were usually members of the same guild and religious sect, lived in the same neighborhoods, and often had assumed (or real) kinship relationships. The worker was bound to the master by a mutual contract that either one could repudiate, and the relationship was conceptualized as one of partnership. This mode of craft production favored the growth of self-governing and ideologically egalitarian craft guilds everywhere in the Middle Eastern city. These were essentially professional associations that provided for the mutual aid and protection of their members, and allowed for the maintenance of professional standards. The growth of independent guilds was furthered by the fact that surplus was not a result of domestic craft production but resulted primarily from international trading; the government left working people to govern themselves, much as shepherds of tribal confederacies were left alone by their leaders. In the multiplicity of small-scale local egalitarian or quasi-egalitarian organizations for fellowship, worship, and production that flourished in this laissez-faire environment, individuals could interact with one another within a community of harmony and ideological equality, following their own popularly elected leaders and governing themselves by shared consensus while minimizing distinctions of wealth and power. The mercantile economy was also characterized by a peculiar moral stance that is typical of people who live by trade—an attitude that is individualistic, calculating, risk taking, and adaptive to circumstances. As among tribespeople, personal relationships and a careful weighing of character have always been crucial in a mercantile economy with little regulation, where one's word is one's bond and where informal ties of trust cement together an international trade network. Nor have merchants and artisans ever had much tolerance for aristocratic professions of moral superiority, favoring instead an egalitarian ethic of the open market, where steady hard work, the loyalty of one's fellows, and entrepreneurial skill make all the difference. And, like the pastoralists, Middle Eastern merchants and artisans unhappy with their environment could simply pack up and leave for greener pastures—an act of self-assertion wholly impossible in most other civilizations throughout history. Dependence on long-distance trade also meant that the great empires of the Middle East were built both literally and figuratively on shifting sand. The central state, though often very rich and very populous, was intrinsically fragile, since the development of new international trade routes could undermine the monetary base and erode state power, as occurred when European seafarers circumvented Middle Eastern merchants after Vasco da Gama's voyage around Africa in the late fifteenth-century opened up a southern route. The ecology of the region also permitted armed predators to prowl the surrounding barrens, which were almost impossible for a state to control. Peripheral peoples therefore had a great advantage in their dealings with the center, making government authority insecure and anxious. Reliance on trade had several important consequences. █Production was generally in the hands of skilled individual artisans doing piecework under the tutelage of a master who was also the shop owner. █In these shops differences of rank were blurred as artisans and masters labored side by side in the same modest establishment, were usually members of the same guild and religious sect, lived in the same neighborhoods, and often had assumed (or real) kinship relationships. █The worker was bound to the master by a mutual contract that either one could repudiate, and the relationship was conceptualized as one of partnership. █ 一想到新托福，就想到咱老无。 http://www.ibtsat.com TPO16 Trade and the Ancient Middle East 1. 根据第一段，为什么贸易在整个中东历史上如此重要？ （Factual Information Question） a) 中东沙漠中的稀有价值金属在周边地区的需求很高。 b) 中东地区的种植环境总体较差，中东人不得不依靠进口谷物。 c) 很多有用且装饰性原材料无法在中东找到但是在周围地区有很多。 d) 因为中东水源限制，频繁旅行为周边社会创造了很多贸易机会。 解析：段落第二句“This has been so since ancient times, partly due to the geology of the area, which is mostly limestone and sandstone, with few deposits of metallic ore and other useful materials.”意思是：从古代开始就是这样的了，部分是因为地质原因（大部分都是石灰石和沙石，没有金属矿沉淀和其他有用的材料）。第三句又说“……jade for cutting tools was brought from Turkistan, and precious stone lapis lazuli was imported from Afghanistan.”意思是：从土耳其斯坦进口的玉用来做切削工具，从阿富汗宝石青金石。所以，可以得出中东缺乏有用的原材料，所以只能从周边地区进口了。那么只能选第三个选项。 2. 与单词repudiate在文中意思最接近的是 （Vocabulary Question） a) Respect （尊敬） b) Reject （拒绝） c) Review （复习） d) Revise （修订） 解析：repudiate v.否认，拒绝； 3. 根据第二段，中东的店主如何对待工人？ （Factual Information Question） a) 工人根据技艺熟练程度分级，资历最老的工人可以部分拥有商店。 b) 店主依照工人与师傅之间有多少相似区别对待不同的工人。 c) 工人与师傅之间有一个无法打破的，里面严格规定了他们的伙伴关系。 d) 店主与工人一起工作，通常把工人当做合作伙伴和家庭成员。 解析：段落第三句话“In these shops differences of rank were blurred as artisans and masters labored side by side in the same modest establishment, were usually members of the same guild and religious sect, lived in the same neighborhoods, and often had assumed(or real) kinship relationships.”意思是：在这些商店里面，等级的不同因为技工和师傅在同样一般的地方肩并肩工作而变得模糊，他们可能是同一个协会或者宗派的成员，住在同一个地方，常常还有亲戚关系。根据这句话的意思，只能选第四个选项了。blur v.使……模糊；modest a. 适度，谦逊的； guild n.协会； sect n.宗系； kinship n.亲戚关系； 4. 作者提到盈余不是来自国内手工生产而主要是因为国际贸易为了 （Rhetorical Purpose Question） a) 支持一个声明：手工协会的生产模式对贸易非常有利。 b) 对比城市政府和部落联盟的经济基础。 c) 给出一个原因，为什么政府允许协会自治。 d) 暗示政府要错过一个向协会征收税款的有利机会。 解析：回到原文看到分号后面的句子“……；the government left working people to govern themselves, much as shepherds of tribal confederacies were left alone by their leaders.”意思是：政府让这些工人自我管理，就像部落联盟中的领导人让牧羊人独立一样。根据这句话，只能选第三个选项；选项一错，手工协会的生产模式与贸易没有直接关系，段落第一句话只是说这种生产模式青睐自我管理和平等思想的增长。选项二错，无此对比；选项四错，无中生有。 5. 根据第三段，以下关于中东手工协会都是正确的，除了 （Negative Factual Information Question） a) 协会建立的目的是支持工人并扶持高质量生产。 b) 每个协会都很大，里面的成员来自于广阔的地理区域。 c) 协会的领导都是被大众选出来的。 d) 平等对待所有协会成员。 解析：段落最后一句话“In the multiplicity of small-scale local egalitarian or quasi-egalitarian organizations for fellowship, worship, and production that flourished in this laissez-faire environment, individuals could interact with one another within a community of harmony and ideological equality, following their own popularly elected leaders and governing themselves by shared consensus while minimizing distinctions of wealth and power”意思是：在当地小规模的平等或准平等的伙伴、宗教和生产组织的繁荣中，个体可以在一个和谐平等思想的社区内交互，跟随他们自己选举出的领袖，通过共识来掌控自己，同时缩小财富和权利的差异。所以选项二明显是错误的。选项三和四明显是对的；段落第二句话“These were essentially professional associations that provided for the mutual aid and protection of their members, and allowed for the maintenance of professional standards.”意思是：这些本质上是职业协会，为成员提供互助和保护，并考虑职业的维护。为成员提供帮助就是支持工人，考虑职业标准的维护当然就是提高生产质量，所以选项一正确。 6. 与单词consensus在文中意思最接近的是 （Vocabulary Question） a) Authority （官方） b) Responsibility （责任） c) Custom （习俗） d) Agreement （同意） 解析：consensus n.共识，一致同意； 7. 根据第四段，以下哪项对于商业经济的成功是不必要的？ （Negative Factual Information Question） a) 良好的商业感 b) 可靠的合作伙伴 c) 家庭财富 d) 坚持努力 解析：段落第三句话“Nor have merchants and artisans ever had much tolerance for aristocratic professions of moral superiority, favoring instead an egalitarian ethic of the open market, where steady hard work, the loyalty of one’s fellows and entrepreneurial skill make all the difference.”意思是：商人和技工从来不容忍贵族职业的道德优越感，而是喜欢开放市场的平等关系，在其中踏实努力工作，对伙伴忠诚以及企业家的能力才能起到作用。所以选项三事不对的，家庭财富并不是成功必要的。Entrepreneurial skill（企业家能力）就是良好的商业感，loyalty of one’s fellows （对伙伴的忠诚）就是可靠的合作伙伴，steady hard work（踏实努力工作）就是坚持努力，所以其他项都是成功所必备的。 8. 以下哪一项能表达出高亮句子的精华核心含义？错误选项改变重要含义或者遗漏精华信息。 As among tribes people, personal relationships and a careful weighing of character have always been crucial in a mercantile economy with little regulation, where one’s word is one’s bond and where informal ties of trust cement together an international trade network. 在部落人中，个人关系和对性格的仔细衡量评估在一个几乎没有规定的商业经济下起到至关重要的作用。在这样的一个经济中，一个人的话就是一个人的约定，非正式的信任约束将国际贸易网络粘合到一起。 a) 部落人很适应和商人结下私人关系，这些商人和他们一样都是通过承诺互相联系在一起的。 b) 因为贸易不是正式规定的，商人对他们信任的人非常仔细小心而且常常与他们有私交的人做生意。 c) 商人之间的贸易大多依靠规定，而部落人依靠的是私人关系和对性格的自习评估。 d) 因为部落人使通过他们的承诺联系到一起的，私人关系只有在对性格的自习衡量评估后在会形成。 解析：这道题严格上来说没有正确答案。选项一明显错了，原句没有说过部落人很适应和商人结下私人关系；选项三错，原句没有说过商人之间贸易依靠规定，而是说这个贸易经济中规定很少；选项四错，原句也没有说过四人关系是如何形成的。那么只能说选项二是为一个看似正确但还是不怎么令人满意的答案，个人认为merchants were careful about whom they trusted的意思是商人对与他们信任的人很小心，原句没有这么说过，顶多把它理解成商人在选择信任的人时非常小心，但原句并没有说过，只能通过“对人格的自习衡量评估”来得出这样的推论。所以，只能说选项二是四个选项中最合适的，但其实严格上也不对。（注意：类似这种题目其实在阅读会有很多，我觉得只要自己弄懂了是怎么一回事儿就好了，不要因为找到一个错题就大骂ETS，这样没有意义，可能ETS就觉得自己没错呢，那也没有。没有哪个考试是完全科学而且还人性化的。） 9. 与单词ethic在文中的意思最接近的是 （Vocabulary Question） a) Set of moral principles （一套道德标准） b) Division of labor （劳动分工） c) Economic system （经济系统） d) Test of character （性格测试） 解析：Ethicsare moral beliefs and rules about right and wrong. 释义来自柯林斯高级学习词典。 10. 根据第四段，中东的商人和技工拥有什么其他地方的人没有的选择？ （Factual Information Question） a) 如果他们对商业环境不满意了，可以利用人际关系找到另一份工作。 b) 他们能够在不考虑贵族职业的道德优越感的情况下发表自己的见解。 c) 像游牧主义者一样，他们可以要求，获得并提高自己的工作条件。 d) 如果他们不喜欢所处的环境，可以选择离开去别的地方。 解析：段落最后一句“And, like the pastoralists, Middle Eastern merchants and artisans unhappy with their environment could simply pack up and leave for greener pastures – an act of self-assertion wholly impossible in most other civilizations throughout history.”意思是：就像游牧主义者，中东的商人和技工若是对自己的环境感到不高兴，可以打包走人到更好的地方去——这种子我决定在历史上任何一个文明中都是不可能的。只有选项四是正确的。选项一，利用人际关系不对；选项二，没有讲到贵族；选项三，没有说过可以提要求。 11. 与单词intrinsically在文中意思最接近的是 （Vocabulary Question） a) Fundamentally （基本上） b) Surprisingly （令人惊讶的是） c) Consequently （结果是） d) Particularly （尤其是） 解析：intrinsic a.本质的；我们知道本质的往往就是基础的，所以intrinsic, essential, fundamental, basic, 都是近义词。 12. 第五段中，为什么作者要提到达伽马在十五世纪航行绕过非洲打开了一条新的航线？ （Rhetorical Purpose Question） a) 提供证据表明欧洲航海者利用任何可以绕过中东商人的路线。 b) 举个例子表明中东政府失去钱和权，因为它们依赖长距离贸易。 c) 提议当欧洲航海者想要避开那些中央权力开始腐蚀的中东政权时，新的路线很有必要。 d) 解释达伽马是如何帮助欧洲贸易者避免危险强盗在中东城市周边行窃的。 解析：段落第二句话“The central state,…… was intrinsically fragile……since the development of new international trade routes could undermine the monetary base and erode state power.”意思是：中央政府的基础是非常脆弱的，因为新的国际贸易路线的发展会损害货币基础并侵蚀政府权力。达伽马只是举了一个例子来证明，新的航路对政府权利的寝室和货币的损害。 13. Look at the four squares ■that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. For one thing, it created a demand for finished goods to be sold both locally and abroad. 其一，它创造了国内外对制成品的需求。 解析：解题的关键在与找到it代表什么。第二段从第二句话开始就在讲技工与师傅之间的关系，而开头第一句话说的是有several important consequences。所以it应该指的是Reliance on trade，所以依赖贸易的一个结果就是造成了国内外对制成品的的需求，所以就应该插入第一个插入口； 14. Since ancient times, reliance on trade has shaped the culture and organizational structure of Middle Eastern societies. 自从古代，对贸易的依赖就塑造了中东社会的文化和组织结构。 a) 波斯和阿拉伯商人长途跋涉到古苏美尔市场上出售他们的制成品。 b) 贸易利润分布不平均，导致中东社会被描述为一个财富和权利差异增大的地方。 c) 商业经济中看中的特质包括个人主义、工作努力、忠诚和冒险净胜。 d) 随着生产增加，对生产的集中化管理也增加，反过来导致了对伙伴关系和崇拜更加集中的控制。 e) 手工制品由熟练的技工生产，他们与师傅和其他协会成员有种亲密平等的关系。 f) 中东政府的稳定性被他们对国际贸易以及他们自身边缘领土的失控威胁。 解析：选项一错，文章的主题不是波斯人，阿拉伯人和苏美尔市场； 选项二错，中东的平等文化使得财富和权利的差异缩小了，这在第三段的最后一句提到了； 选项三对，文章第四段的主要内容； 选项四错，文中没有谈到过生产的集中化管理问题； 选项五对，文章第二段主要内容； 选项六对，文章最后一段主要内容； 因此，答案是：3,5,6；