託福TPO7閱讀真題Part3及參考答案

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       託福TPO7閱讀真題Part3

Agriculture, Iron, and the Bantu Peoples

There is evidence of agriculture in Africa prior to 3000 B.C. It may have developed independently, but many scholars believe that the spread of agriculture and iron throughout Africa linked it to the major centers of the Near East and Mediterranean world. The drying up of what is now the Sahara desert had pushed many peoples to the south into sub-Sahara Africa. These peoples settled at first in scattered hunting-and-gathering bands, although in some places near lakes and rivers, people who fished, with a more secure food supply, lived in larger population concentrations. Agriculture seems to have reached these people from the Near East, since the first domesticated crops were millets and sorghums whose origins are not African but west Asian. Once the idea of planting diffused, Africans began to develop their own crops, such as certain varieties of rice, and they demonstrated a continued receptiveness to new imports. The proposed areas of the domestication of African crops lie in a band that extends from Ethiopia across southern Sudan to West Africa. Subsequently, other crops, such as bananas, were introduced from Southeast Asia.

Livestock also came from outside Africa. Cattle were introduced from Asia, as probably were domestic sheep and goats. Horses were apparently introduced by the Hyksos invaders of Egypt (1780-1560 B.C.) and then spread across the Sudan to West Africa. Rock paintings in the Sahara indicate that horses and chariots were used to traverse the desert and that by 300-200 B.C., there were trade routes across the Sahara. Horses were adopted by peoples of the West African savannah, and later their powerful cavalry forces allowed them to carve out large empires. Finally, the camel was introduced around the first century A.D. This was an important innovation, because the camel's abilities to thrive in harsh desert conditions and to carry large loads cheaply made it an effective and efficient means of transportation. The camel transformed the desert from a barrier into a still difficult, but more accessible, route of trade and communication.

Iron came from West Asia, although its routes of diffusion were somewhat different than those of agriculture. Most of Africa presents a curious case in which societies moved directly from a technology of stone to iron without passing through the intermediate stage of copper or bronze metallurgy, although some early copper-working sites have been found in West Africa. Knowledge of iron making penetrated into the forest and savannahs of West Africa at roughly the same time that iron making was reaching Europe. Evidence of iron making has been found in Nigeria, Ghana, and Mali.

This technological shift cause profound changes in the complexity of African societies. Iron represented power. In West Africa the blacksmith who made tools and weapons had an important place in society, often with special religious powers and functions. Iron hoes, which made the land more productive, and iron weapons, which made the warrior more powerful, had symbolic meaning in a number of West Africa societies. Those who knew the secrets of making iron gained ritual and sometimes political power.

Unlike in the Americas, where metallurgy was a very late and limited development, Africans had iron from a relatively early date, developing ingenious furnaces to produce the high heat needed for production and to control the amount of air that reached the carbon and iron ore necessary for making iron. Much of Africa moved right into the Iron Age, taking the basic technology and adapting it to local conditions and resources.

The diffusion of agriculture and later of iron was accompanied by a great movement of people who may have carried these innovations. These people probably originated in eastern Nigeria. Their migration may have been set in motion by an increase in population caused by a movement of peoples fleeing the desiccation, or drying up, of the Sahara. They spoke a language, proto-Bantu ("Bantu" means "the people"), which is the parent tongue of a language of a large number of Bantu languages still spoken throughout sub-Sahara Africa. Why and how these people spread out into central and southern Africa remains a mystery, but archaeologists believe that their iron weapons allowed them to conquer their hunting-gathering opponents, who still used stone implements. Still, the process is uncertain, and peaceful migration-or simply rapid demographic growth-may have also caused the Bantu explosion.

Paragraph 1: There is evidence of agriculture in Africa prior to 3000 B.C. It may have developed independently, but many scholars believe that the spread of agriculture and iron throughout Africa linked it to the major centers of the Near East and Mediterranean world. The drying up of what is now the Sahara desert had pushed many peoples to the south into sub-Sahara Africa. These peoples settled at first in scattered hunting-and-gathering bands, although in some places near lakes and rivers, people who fished, with a more secure food supply, lived in larger population concentrations. Agriculture seems to have reached these people from the Near East, since the first domesticated crops were millets and sorghums whose origins are not African but west Asian. Once the idea of planting diffused, Africans began to develop their own crops, such as certain varieties of rice, and they demonstrated a continued receptiveness to new imports. The proposed areas of the domestication of African crops lie in a band that extends from Ethiopia across southern Sudan to West Africa. Subsequently, other crops, such as bananas, were introduced from Southeast Asia.

託福TPO7閱讀題目Part3

1. The word "diffused" in the passage is closest in meaning to

2. According to paragraph 1, why do researchers doubt that agriculture developed independently in Africa?

3. In paragraph 1, what does the author imply about changes in the African environment during this time period?

Paragraph 2: Livestock also came from outside Africa. Cattle were introduced from Asia, as probably were domestic sheep and goats. Horses were apparently introduced by the Hyksos invaders of Egypt (1780-1560 B.C.) and then spread across the Sudan to West Africa. Rock paintings in the Sahara indicate that horses and chariots were used to traverse the desert and that by 300-200 B.C., there were trade routes across the Sahara. Horses were adopted by peoples of the West African savannah, and later their powerful cavalry forces allowed them to carve out large empires. Finally, the camel was introduced around the first century A.D. This was an important innovation, because the camel's abilities to thrive in harsh desert conditions and to carry large loads cheaply made it an effective and efficient means of transportation. The camel transformed the desert from a barrier into a still difficult, but more accessible, route of trade and communication.

4. According to paragraph 2, camels were important because they

5. According to paragraph 2, which of the following were subjects of rock paintings in the Sahara?

Paragraph 3: Iron came from West Asia, although its routes of diffusion were somewhat different than those of agriculture. Most of Africa presents a curious case in which societies moved directly from a technology of stone to iron without passing through the intermediate stage of copper or bronze metallurgy, although some early copper-working sites have been found in West Africa. Knowledge of iron making penetrated into the forest and savannahs of West Africa at roughly the same time that iron making was reaching Europe. Evidence of iron making has been found in Nigeria, Ghana, and Mali.

6. What function does paragraph 3 serve in the organization of the passage as a whole?

Paragraph 4: This technological shift cause profound changes in the complexity of African societies. Iron represented power. In West Africa the blacksmith who made tools and weapons had an important place in society, often with special religious powers and functions. Iron hoes, which made the land more productive, and iron weapons, which made the warrior more powerful, had symbolic meaning in a number of West Africa societies. Those who knew the secrets of making iron gained ritual and sometimes political power.

7. The word "profound" in the passage is closest in meaning to

8. The word "ritual" in the passage is closest in meaning to

9. According to paragraph 4, all of the following were social effects of the new metal technology in Africa EXCEPT:

Paragraph 5: Unlike in the Americas, where metallurgy was a very late and limited development, Africans had iron from a relatively early date, developing ingenious furnaces to produce the high heat needed for production and to control the amount of air that reached the carbon and iron ore necessary for making iron. Much of Africa moved right into the Iron Age, taking the basic technology and adapting it to local conditions and resources.

10. 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.

Paragraph 6: The diffusion of agriculture and later of iron was accompanied by a great movement of people who may have carried these innovations. These people probably originated in eastern Nigeria. Their migration may have been set in motion by an increase in population caused by a movement of peoples fleeing the desiccation, or drying up, of the Sahara. They spoke a language, proto-Bantu ("Bantu" means "the people"), which is the parent tongue of a language of a large number of Bantu languages still spoken throughout sub-Sahara Africa. Why and how these people spread out into central and southern Africa remains a mystery, but archaeologists believe that their iron weapons allowed them to conquer their hunting-gathering opponents, who still used stone implements. Still, the process is uncertain, and peaceful migration-or simply rapid demographic growth-may have also caused the Bantu explosion.

11. The word "fleeing" in the passage is closest in meaning to

12. Paragraph 6 mentions all of the following as possible causes of the "Bantu explosion" EXCEPT

Paragraph 6: The diffusion of agriculture and later of iron was accompanied by a great movement of people who may have carried these innovations. These people probably originated in eastern Nigeria. ■Their migration may have been set in motion by an increase in population caused by a movement of peoples fleeing the desiccation, or drying up, of the Sahara. ■They spoke a language, proto-Bantu ("Bantu" means "the people"), which is the parent tongue of a language of a large number of Bantu languages still spoken throughout sub-Sahara Africa. Why and how these people spread out into central and southern Africa remains a mystery, but archaeologists believe that their iron weapons allowed them to conquer their hunting-gathering opponents, who still used stone implements. ■Still, the process is uncertain, and peaceful migration-or simply rapid demographic growth-may have also caused the Bantu explosion. ■

13. Look at the four squares ■ that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.

These people had a significant linguistic impact on the continent as well.

Where would the sentence best fit?

14. Direction: 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.

Agriculture and iron working probably spread to Africa from neighboring regions.

Answer choices

　託福TPO7閱讀答案Part3

參考答案：

1. ○3

2. ○2

3. ○4

4. ○4

5. ○1

6. ○2

7. ○2

8.○3

9. ○1

10. ○2

11. ○3

12. ○2

13. ○2

14. The use of livestock improved…

The spread of iron working…

Today's Bantu-speaking peoples…

託福TPO7閱讀翻譯Part3

參考翻譯：農業、鐵器和班圖人

在非洲，早在公元前3 000年以前就有了農業的跡象。它可能是獨立發展的，但很多學者認爲農業和鐵器在非洲的傳播將非洲與近東的中心和地中海世界聯繫了起來。就是現在的撒哈拉沙漠地區的不斷變得乾旱使得很多人向南遷徙到撒哈拉沙漠以南的非洲地區。這些部落起初分散地定居，並仍靠打獵和採集維生，儘管是在靠近湖泊和河流的地區人們以捕魚爲業，有較穩定的食物供給，聚集了較多的人口。農業技術可能來自於近東最終爲非洲人所知，因爲最初馴化的農作物是起源於西亞而不是非洲的小米和高粱。一旦種植的思想傳播開來，非洲人就開始培育他們自己的農作物，比如某些水稻，並且他們一直願意接受新的外來作物。人們認爲馴化非洲作物的地區從埃塞俄比亞一直延伸到蘇丹的南部，再到西非。接下來，其他的作物，比如香蕉，就從東南亞傳入到非洲了。

家禽也來自於非洲以外的地區。牛是從亞洲引入的，家養綿羊和山羊也可能是這樣的。馬匹顯然是由埃及的Hyksos入侵者(1780-1560B.C.)引入的，之後就從蘇丹傳到西非。撒哈拉石畫表明馬匹和馬車曾被用於穿越沙漠，並且，在公元前300到200年間，有商隊橫穿沙哈拉沙漠的路線。西非大草原上的人們使用馬匹，後來他們強大的騎兵力量使他們締造了龐大的帝國。最後，駱駝大約在公元1世紀被引入到非洲。這是一次重要革新，因爲駱駝有能力生存在惡劣的沙漠環境，另外，駱駝可以便宜地運輸大量的載荷，這使得它們成爲了一種方便高效的運輸方式。駱駝使得沙漠從障礙轉換爲一條雖依然艱難但已經更加容易接近的商路和交流通道。

鐵器來自於西亞，雖然它傳播的路徑跟農業技術的不同。大部分非洲表現出一種奇怪的現象，那就是他們社會直接從石器時代進步到鐵器時代，而沒有經過中間過渡的銅器或青銅器冶金術，儘管在西亞發現了一些早期使用銅器的地區。冶鐵技術在差不多到達歐洲的同時，就穿過了森林和大草原到達非洲。在尼日尼亞，加納和馬裏發現了製作鐵器的證據。

科技的革新對非洲社會的複雜性產生了深刻的改變。鐵器代表着力量。在西非的很多社會裏，生產工具的鐵匠、使土地更多產的鐵鋤、使戰士更強大的鐵製武器都有着象徵意義。這些對西非社會有着標誌性的意義。那些掌握了制鐵技術的人們常可獲得宗教權力，有時候獲得政治權力。

美洲的冶鐵技術發展得非常晚，並且有限，而非洲則完全不同，他們的冶鐵技術從相對較早的時期就開始發展;他們製造了精巧的高爐以產生冶鐵所需要的高溫，並能控制與碳和鐵礦石接觸的空氣用量以滿足冶鐵的需要。大部分非洲人直接進入了鐵器時代，他們吸取了冶鐵的基本技術並使之與當地的條件和資源相適應。