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2017考研英语阅读理解精读P2—历史学

2017考研英语阅读理解精读P2—历史学
2017考研英语阅读理解精读P2—历史学

2017考研英语阅读理解精读P2—历史

Passage 2

PEOPLE, like most animals, are naturally lazy. So the ascent of mankind is something of a mystery. Humans who make their livings hunting and gathering in the traditional way do not have to put much effort into it. Farmers who rely on rain to water their crops work significantly harder, and lead shorter and unhealthier lives. But the real back-breaking, health-destroying labour is that carried out by farmers who use irrigation. Yet it was the invention of irrigation, at first sight so detrimental to its practitioners, that actually produced a sufficient surplus to feed the priests, politicians, scholars, artists and so on whose activities are collectively thought of as “civilisation”.

In the past 10,000 yeas, the world’s climate has become temporarily colder and drier on several occasions. The first of these, known as the Younger Dryads, after a tundra-loving plant that thriced during it, occurred at the same time as the beginning of agriculture in northern Mesopotamis. It is widely believed that this was nor a coincidence. The drying and cooling of the YOUNGER Dryads adversely affected the food supply of hunter-gatherers. That would have created an incentive for agriculture to spread once some bright spark invented it.

Why farmers then moved on to irrigation is, however, far from clear. But Harvey Weiss, of Yale University, think she knows. Dr. Weiss observes that the development of irrigation coincides with a second cool, dry period, some 8,200 years ago. His analysis of rainfall patterns in the area suggests that rainfall in agriculture’s upper-Mesopotamian heartland would, at this time, have falllen below the level needed to sustain farming reliably. Farmers would thus have been forced out of the area in search of other opportunities.

Once again, an innovative spark was required. But it clearly occurred to some of these displaced farmers that the slow-moving waters of the lower Tigris and Euphrates, near sea level, could be diverted using canals and used to water crops, and the rest, as the clich has it, is history.

So climate change helped to intensify agriculture, and thus start civilization. But an equally intriguing idea is that the spread of agriculture caused climate change. In this case, the presumed criminal is forest clearance. Most of the land cultivated by early farmers in the Middle East would have been forested. When the trees that grew there were cleared, the carbon they contained ended up in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Moreover, one form of farming—the cultivation of rice in waterlongged fields—generates methane, in large quantities. Willianm Ruddiman, of the University of Virginia, explained that, in combination, these two phenomena had warmed the atmosphere prior to the start of the industrial era. As environmentalists are wont to observe, mankind is part of nature. These studies show just how intimate the relationship is.

1. The invention of irrigation is meaningful because it could help to

[A] alleviate farmers’workload

[B] increase agricultural production.

[C] make planting much easier

[D] get rid of human laziness.

2. According to Dr. Weiss, the second cool and dry period eventually

[A] changed the growing season.

[B] spurred the use of canals.

[C] forced the farmers to desert agriculture.

[D] led to declining populations.

3. From the first four paragraphs, we can infer that the dawn of civilization

[A] was accompanied by hardships of human existence.

[B] is a mystery as yet unknown to mankind.

[C] can be attributed to the innovative sparks of ancestors.

[D] was recorded by history books ending at that time.

4. Which of the following tends to warm the climate?

[A] To develop the irrigation system.

[B] To promote organic agriculture.

[C] To revert to hunting and gathering

[D] To turn farmland back into forest.

5. the text is mainly about

[A] the relationship between climate change and civilization.

[B] the history of global climate change.

[C] the interaction between nature and human society.

[D]the impact of the spread of agriculture.

答案与解析

1. B 细节题。本题的问题是“灌溉的发明具有重要意义,因为它可能有助于”。题干中的“the invention of irrigation”出自文章第一段最后一句话中,表明本题与第一段有关。第一段提到,正是乍一看对其实践者如此有害的灌溉发明才真正生产出足够的剩余产品养活了牧师、学者、艺术家等等。这说明,原因是它增加了农业产量。[B]“提高农业产量”与此意符合,为正确答案。[A]“减轻农民的劳动强度”和[C]“使种植容易得多”与该段第五句话的意思相反;[D]“消除人类的懒惰”是针对该段第一句话设置的干扰项,但文中的信息并不能说明灌溉的发明消除了人类的懒惰,他们只是为了生计而勤劳,所以D与文意不符。

2. B 细节题。本题的问题是“根据韦斯博士的观点,第二个寒冷、干燥的时期最终”。题干中的“Dr.Weiss”和“the second cool and dry period”出自文章第三段第二、三句话中,表明本题与第三段有关。第三段介绍了韦斯博士的观点——灌溉的发展时期与大约8,200年前的第二个寒冷、干燥时期时间吻合,接着提到了他的分析,指出,当时美索不达米亚北部农业中心地带的降雨可能减少,低于维持农业稳步发展的水平,第四段接着提到农民想到利用运河灌溉农作物的问题。这说明,韦斯博士认为,第二个寒冷、干燥的时期可能促进了运河的发展。[B]“促进了运河的利用”与此意符合,为正确答案。[A] “改变了生长季节”和[D]“导致人口减少”属于无中生有;[C]“迫使农民放弃农业”是针对第三段最后一句话设置的干扰项,文中说的是被迫离开降雨减少的地区,不是放弃农业,所以C与文意不符。

3. A 推论题。本题的问题是“根据前面四段,我们可以推知,文明的起源”。文章第一段首先提到了灌溉的发明的意义,随后三段介绍了气候的变化导致农民生活艰难,也促进

了灌溉的发展,最后一段指出,气候变化有助于强化农业的发展,进而开创文明。由此可知。文明的起源伴随的是人类生存的艰难。[A]“伴随着人类生存的艰难困苦”与此意符合,为正确答案。[B]“是人类还不知道的一个秘密”是针对第一段第二句话和第三段第一句话设置的干扰项,与文意不符;文中的信息表明,是气候的变化导致了人们生存困难,从而激发了创造灵感,说明气候的变化是关键,所以[C]“可能归因于祖先的创造灵感”与文意不符;[D]“根据历史书记载于那个时候结束”是针对第四段最后一句话设置的干扰项,明显与文意不符。

4. B 细节题。本题的问题是“下面哪项往往导致气候变暖?”最后一段解释了大气升温的原因——早期的农民砍伐树木可能导致树木所含的碳转化成二氧化碳进入大气,在水田里种植水稻产生了大量的甲烷,这两种现象共同导致了工业时代之前的大气升温。这说明,发展农业可能导致气候变暖。[B]“发展有机农业”与此意符合,为正确答案。文中的信息并没有表明灌溉与气候变暖有关系,所以[A]“发展灌溉系统”不对;[C]“回归狩猎和采摘生活”和[D]“退耕还林”是在保护树木,不会导致气候变暖,所以不对。

5. A 主旨题。本题的问题是“本文主要是关于”。文章第一段提到,灌溉的发明促进了文明的发展,随后的段落分析指出,灌溉的发明是气候变化的结果,最后一段总结到,气候变化有助于强化农业的发展,进而开创文明。这说明,本文主要讲的是气候变化与文明的发展之间的关系。[A]“气候变化与文明之间的关系”是对本文内容的恰当概括,可以表达本文的主题,为正确答案。本文只是在第二、三段提到了全球气候发生的变化,而这是为了说明气候变化导致灌溉的发展所举的例子,不是本文讨论的重点,所以[B]“全球气候变化的历史”不能表达本文的主题;[C]“自然界和人类社会的交互作用”范围太广,不能表达本文的主题;[D]“农业发展产生的影响”只是最后一段的内容,不能表达本文的主题。

全文译文

就像大多数动物一样,人类天生就懒惰。因此,人类的进步就有其神秘性。那些以传统方式狩猎、采摘为生的人们不必为此付出太多努力。那些依赖雨水浇灌农作物的农民则辛苦得多,并且过着更有害于健康的生活。但是,那些利用灌溉的农民过的才是真正艰苦的生活。

1)不过,正是乍一看对其实践者如此有害的灌溉发明才真正生产出足够的剩余产品养活了牧师、学者、艺术家等等。这些人的活动统统被认为是“文明”。

在过去的一万年里,全球的气候曾经好几次暂时变得更寒冷、更干燥。第一次气候变化与美索不达米亚北部的农业开始同时出现,就是所知的“新森林女神”,是苔原植物的繁盛时期之后。人认为,这不是巧合。“新森林女神”气候干燥、寒冷的特点对狩猎和采摘者的食物供应产生影响。这可能就成为当某些智慧灵感发明农业后农业得以发展的动因。过,关于农民当时为什么利用灌溉这一点,我们还远没有弄清楚。但是,耶鲁大学的哈维为他知道个中原因。韦斯博士指出,灌溉的发展时期与大约8200年前的第二个寒冷、干燥间吻合。

2)他对该地区降雨模式的分析表明,当时,美索不达米亚北部农业中心地带的降减少。低于维持农业稳步发展的水平。因此,农民可能被迫离开该地区,去寻找其他生机。次需要创新的灵感。3)但是。很显然,一些迁移的农民想到,通过运河。可以引底格里斯河拉底河下游缓缓流动的、接近海平面的水,用来灌溉农作物,其余的成为历史,正如老生常谈此,气候变化有助于强化农业的发展,进而开创文明。但是,一个同样有趣的观点是,农业的致了气候的变化。既然这样,那么假设的罪魁祸首就是毁林开荒。中东地区的早期农民耕部分土地可能原本就被森林覆盖着。如果生长在那里的树木被砍伐,那么它们所含的碳会二氧化碳进入大气。此外,一种耕作方式——在水田里种植水稻——产生了大量的甲烷。亚大学的威廉·鲁迪曼解释说,这两种现象共同导致了工业时代之前的大气升温。正如环论者通常所说的那样,人是自然界的一部分。这些研究正好表明了这种关联有多么密切。

凯程教育:

凯程考研成立于2005年,国内首家全日制集训机构考研,一直从事高端全日制辅导,由李海洋教授、张鑫教授、卢营教授、王洋教授、杨武金教授、张释然教授、索玉柱教授、方浩教授等一批高级考研教研队伍组成,为学员全程高质量授课、答疑、测试、督导、报考指导、方法指导、联系导师、复试等全方位的考研服务。

凯程考研的宗旨:让学习成为一种习惯;

凯程考研的价值观口号:凯旋归来,前程万里;

信念:让每个学员都有好最好的归宿;

使命:完善全新的教育模式,做中国最专业的考研辅导机构;

激情:永不言弃,乐观向上;

敬业:以专业的态度做非凡的事业;

服务:以学员的前途为已任,为学员提供高效、专业的服务,团队合作,为学员服务,为学员引路。

如何选择考研辅导班:

在考研准备的过程中,会遇到不少困难,尤其对于跨专业考生的专业课来说,通过报辅导班来弥补自己复习的不足,可以大大提高复习效率,节省复习时间,大家可以通过以下几个方面来考察辅导班,或许能帮你找到适合你的辅导班。

师资力量:师资力量是考察辅导班的首要因素,考生可以针对辅导名师的辅导年限、辅导经验、历年辅导效果、学员评价等因素进行综合评价,询问往届学长然后选择。判断师资力量关键在于综合实力,因为任何一门课程,都不是由一、两个教师包到底的,是一批教师配合的结果。还要深入了解教师的学术背景、资料著述成就、辅导成就等。凯程考研名师云集,李海洋、张鑫教授、方浩教授、卢营教授、孙浩教授等一大批名师在凯程授课。而有的机构只是很普通的老师授课,对知识点把握和命题方向,欠缺火候。

对该专业有辅导历史:必须对该专业深刻理解,才能深入辅导学员考取该校。在考研辅导班中,从来见过如此辉煌的成绩:凯程教育拿下2017五道口金融学院状元,考取五道口15人,清华经管金融硕士10人,人大金融硕士15个,中财和贸大金融硕士合计20人,北师大教育学7人,会计硕士保录班考取30人,翻译硕士接近20人,中传状元王园璐、郑家威都是来自凯程,法学方面,凯程在人大、北大、贸大、政法、武汉大学、公安大学等院校斩获多个法学和法硕状元,更多专业成绩请查看凯程网站。在凯程官方网站的光荣榜,成功学员经验谈视频特别多,都是凯程战绩的最好证明。对于如此高的成绩,凯程集训营班主任邢老师说,凯程如此优异的成绩,是与我们凯程严格的管理,全方位的辅导是分不开的,很多学生本科都不是名校,某些学生来自二本三本甚至不知名的院校,还有很多是工作了多年才回来考的,大多数是跨专业考研,他们的难度大,竞争激烈,没有严格的训练和同学们的刻苦学习,是很难达到优异的成绩。最好的办法是直接和凯程老师详细沟通一下就清楚了。

建校历史:机构成立的历史也是一个参考因素,历史越久,积累的人脉资源更多。例如,凯

程教育已经成立10年(2005年),一直以来专注于考研,成功率一直遥遥领先,同学们有兴趣可以联系一下他们在线老师或者电话。

有没有实体学校校区:有些机构比较小,就是一个在写字楼里上课,自习,这种环境是不太好的,一个优秀的机构必须是在教学环境,大学校园这样环境。凯程有自己的学习校区,有吃住学一体化教学环境,独立卫浴、空调、暖气齐全,这也是一个考研机构实力的体现。此外,最好还要看一下他们的营业执照。

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