TF阅读真题第950篇Gordon Childe and the Neolithic Revolution

题目：

Gordon Childe and the Neolithic Revolution

 

V. Gordon Childe (1892-1957) was one of the most influential archaeologists of the twentieth century, perhaps best known for his excavation of the prehistoric Skara Brae site in Scotland but also famed for his attempts to place archaeological discoveries within a broader theory of European and world prehistory. In his 1936 book Man Makes Himself, he laid out the evidence for what he regarded as the two most significant revolutions in human prehistory: the invention of farming, which he termed the Neolithic Revolution(from the Neolithic period, starting around 8000 B.c., in which it took place); and the invention of cities and states, the Urban Revolution.

The first component of his argument was that the Neolithic Revolution must have happened where the wild ancestors of modern domesticated plants and animals were to be found. He knew that wild forms of wheat and barley were to be found from the eastern Mediterranean eastwards to at least Persia, and though he acknowledged that distributions would probably have been altered by climatic change, he concluded that present distributions were probably a reasonable general indicator of past distributions. Significantly, wild goats and sheep of various species ranged over the same area. The expectation therefore had to be that the first farming would have started in the Near East (southwestern Asia and northeastern Africa).

Secondly, he argued, the fact that the Urban Revolution took place in the same region also made it inherently likely that farming began first here. The two most ancient civilizations of the world were the Sumerian in Mesopotamia on the alluvial plains of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Iraq, which developed from 3500 B.c., and the Egyptian of the Nile valley, known to have developed from about 3000 B.c. Both civilizations were founded on agricultural systems based on the cultivation of wheat and barley and the tending of animals, especially the herding of sheep and goats. The cultivation systems of both civilizations depended on irrigation, using the natural flooding cycles of the Nile, Tigris, and Euphrates rivers that together made up what was termed the Fertile Crescent. Presumably, therefore, the beginnings of farming were also to be sought in the Fertile Crescent, before the development of ancient civilizations.

The third and critical plank in the argument concerned the likely effect of changes in climate at the end of the Pleistocene era(about 9000 B.c.). The melting of the European ice sheets, he suggested, must have had a dramatic effect on global weather systems in the Fertile Crescent, shifting rain-bearing depressions northwards and so bringing severe dry weather to the area. Even a small reduction in rainfall would have been serious in a part of the world that was always relatively dry. The extensive grasslands of Pleistocene times in the Fertile Crescent region would gradually have developed into a landscape of sandy deserts and isolated oases. As the landscape dried out, both animals and people would have had to congregate in oases around the diminishing number of springs and streams. Each would have had to become accustomed to the other’s proximity. As hunters in the region were by now also cultivators, the circumstances were in place for people to realize the benefits of protecting and managing animals instead of just hunting them.

By learning how to cultivate plants and herd animals, and then by combining the two to create systems of mixed farming, people were able to live in settled villages and multiply rapidly. They invented new crafts such as making pottery and textiles, and traded with each other. The nature of Neolithic agriculture favored movement, and the combination of semi-nomadic farming and rising populations, Childe believed, took the Neolithic Revolution from Southwest Asia as a movement of people(Neolithic farmers) westwards right across Europe to the Atlantic and Baltic, south from the Nile into Africa, and eastwards eventually to India. He was careful to emphasize that the eventual change from hunting to farming was probably the climax of a long process, but he argued that, in the scale of the economic, social, and demographic change it represented, it surely remained a true revolution, the first in human history and the most profound in its consequences as the platform on which urbanism was created.

 

 

 

 

 

1

V. Gordon Childe (1892-1957) was one of the most influential archaeologists of the twentieth century, perhaps best known for his excavation of the prehistoric Skara Brae site in Scotland but also famed for his attempts to place archaeological discoveries within a broader theory of European and world prehistory. In his 1936 book Man Makes Himself, he laid out the evidence for what he regarded as the two most significant revolutions in human prehistory: the invention of farming, which he termed the Neolithic Revolution(from the Neolithic period, starting around 8000 B.c., in which it took place); and the invention of cities and states, the Urban Revolution.

Paragraph 1 indicates that V. Gordon Childe discussed which of the following in his 1936 book?

Inference Questions推理题

AChilde’s archaeological discoveries at the Skara Brae site

BRevolutions in human history that happened before the Neolithic period

CThe need to place archaeological discoveries within a broader theory of European and world prehistory

DThe invention of farming and the invention of cities and states

2

The first component of his argument was that the Neolithic Revolution must have happened where the wild ancestors of modern domesticated plants and animals were to be found. He knew that wild forms of wheat and barley were to be found from the eastern Mediterranean eastwards to at least Persia, and though he acknowledged that distributions would probably have been altered by climatic change, he concluded that present distributions were probably a reasonable general indicator of past distributions. Significantly, wild goats and sheep of various species ranged over the same area. The expectation therefore had to be that the first farming would have started in the Near East (southwestern Asia and northeastern Africa).

The word “component” in the passage is closest in meaning to

 

Vocabulary Questions词汇题

 

Apart

Bversion

Cconclusion

Dclaim

3

The first component of his argument was that the Neolithic Revolution must have happened where the wild ancestors of modern domesticated plants and animals were to be found. He knew that wild forms of wheat and barley were to be found from the eastern Mediterranean eastwards to at least Persia, and though he acknowledged that distributions would probably have been altered by climatic change, he concluded that present distributions were probably a reasonable general indicator of past distributions. Significantly, wild goats and sheep of various species ranged over the same area. The expectation therefore had to be that the first farming would have started in the Near East (southwestern Asia and northeastern Africa).

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.

 

Rhetorical Purpose Questions修辞目的题

 

AHe knew that the kinds of wild wheat and barley found in the eastern Mediterranean and Persia today are probably different from the types present in ancient times, but he concluded that their differences were not very significant.

BClimate change likely altered the distribution of wild forms of wheat and barley, probably by pushing their range from the eastern Mediterranean eastward to at least Persia.

CHe knew that wild wheat and barley are present today in the Mediterranean and areas east of there, and he realized that the distribution of these plants had probably been altered from ancient times because of climate change

DWild wheat and barley are now found from the eastern Mediterranean eastward to at least Persia, and he decided that the distributions of these plants probably were basically similar

4

The first component of his argument was that the Neolithic Revolution must have happened where the wild ancestors of modern domesticated plants and animals were to be found. He knew that wild forms of wheat and barley were to be found from the eastern Mediterranean eastwards to at least Persia, and though he acknowledged that distributions would probably have been altered by climatic change, he concluded that present distributions were probably a reasonable general indicator of past distributions. Significantly, wild goats and sheep of various species ranged over the same area. The expectation therefore had to be that the first farming would have started in the Near East (southwestern Asia and northeastern Africa).

Why does the author mention that “wild goats and sheep of various species ranged over the same area” where wild wheat and barley could be found?

 

Rhetorical Purpose Questions修辞目的题

 

ATo help explain why Childe believed that the Neolithic Revolution must have started in the Near East

BTo explain why Childe became convinced that a revolution in how humans lived occurred in the Neolithic period

CTo show that, in Childe’s view, the domestication of plants would have been impossible without the domestication of animals

DTo identify the finding that led Childe to become interested in the distributions of wild wheat and barley in the Near East

5

Secondly, he argued, the fact that the Urban Revolution took place in the same region also made it inherently likely that farming began first here. The two most ancient civilizations of the world were the Sumerian in Mesopotamia on the alluvial plains of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Iraq, which developed from 3500 B.c., and the Egyptian of the Nile valley, known to have developed from about 3000 B.c. Both civilizations were founded on agricultural systems based on the cultivation of wheat and barley and the tending of animals, especially the herding of sheep and goats. The cultivation systems of both civilizations depended on irrigation, using the natural flooding cycles of the Nile, Tigris, and Euphrates rivers that together made up what was termed the Fertile Crescent. Presumably, therefore, the beginnings of farming were also to be sought in the Fertile Crescent, before the development of ancient civilizations.

According to paragraph 3, Childe believed that all of the following were true of the ancient Sumerian and Egyptian civilizations EXCEPT:

 

Negative Factual Information Questions否定事实信息题

 

AThey were the two earliest civilizations to develop

BThey used the natural flooding of nearby rivers for irrigation.

CThey relied on the cultivation of wheat and barley and the herding of goats and sheep.

DThey were responsible for introducing, farming in the Fertile Crescent.

6

The third and critical plank in the argument concerned the likely effect of changes in climate at the end of the Pleistocene era(about 9000 B.c.). The melting of the European ice sheets, he suggested, must have had a dramatic effect on global weather systems in the Fertile Crescent, shifting rain-bearing depressions northwards and so bringing severe dry weather to the area. Even a small reduction in rainfall would have been serious in a part of the world that was always relatively dry. The extensive grasslands of Pleistocene times in the Fertile Crescent region would gradually have developed into a landscape of sandy deserts and isolated oases. As the landscape dried out, both animals and people would have had to congregate in oases around the diminishing number of springs and streams. Each would have had to become accustomed to the other’s proximity. As hunters in the region were by now also cultivators, the circumstances were in place for people to realize the benefits of protecting and managing animals instead of just hunting them.

According to paragraph 4, which of the following happened in the Near Fast at the end of the Pleistocene era?

 

Factual Information Questions事实信息题

 

AFlooding caused by the melting of the European ice sheets

BThe migration of animals and people from parts of the Fertile Crescent to more northern regions

CThe transformation of much of the Near East into a sandy desert

DAn intensification of the hunting of animals

7

The third and critical plank in the argument concerned the likely effect of changes in climate at the end of the Pleistocene era(about 9000 B.c.). The melting of the European ice sheets, he suggested, must have had a dramatic effect on global weather systems in the Fertile Crescent, shifting rain-bearing depressions northwards and so bringing severe dry weather to the area. Even a small reduction in rainfall would have been serious in a part of the world that was always relatively dry. The extensive grasslands of Pleistocene times in the Fertile Crescent region would gradually have developed into a landscape of sandy deserts and isolated oases. As the landscape dried out, both animals and people would have had to congregate in oases around the diminishing number of springs and streams. Each would have had to become accustomed to the other’s proximity. As hunters in the region were by now also cultivators, the circumstances were in place for people to realize the benefits of protecting and managing animals instead of just hunting them.

Paragraph 4 suggests that which of the following helped people in the Fertile Crescent realize that there were benefits to protecting and managing animals?

 

Inference Questions推理题

 

AThe need for humans and animals to live closer together

BThe increased difficulty of hunting animals

CThe increased difficulty of collecting enough of the wild plants that humans relied on for food

DThe creation of new grasslands that could be used as pastures

8

By learning how to cultivate plants and herd animals, and then by combining the two to create systems of mixed farming, people were able to live in settled villages and multiply rapidly. They invented new crafts such as making pottery and textiles, and traded with each other. The nature of Neolithic agriculture favored movement, and the combination of semi-nomadic farming and rising populations, Childe believed, took the Neolithic Revolution from Southwest Asia as a movement of people(Neolithic farmers) westwards right across Europe to the Atlantic and Baltic, south from the Nile into Africa, and eastwards eventually to India. He was careful to emphasize that the eventual change from hunting to farming was probably the climax of a long process, but he argued that, in the scale of the economic, social, and demographic change it represented, it surely remained a true revolution, the first in human history and the most profound in its consequences as the platform on which urbanism was created.

According to paragraph 5, how did population increases and the fact that “Neolithic agriculture favored movement” shape the Neolithic Revolution?

 

Rhetorical Purpose Questions修辞目的题

 

Ait forced the people who experienced the revolution to stop living in settled villages.

Bit encouraged the revolution to spread to regions outside the Fertile Crescent.

CIt helped ensure that the change from farming to hunting took a long time.

DIt led to improvements in the production of traditional trade goods such as pottery and textiles.

9

The third and critical plank in the argument concerned the likely effect of changes in climate at the end of the Pleistocene era(about 9000 B.c.). The melting of the European ice sheets, he suggested, must have had a dramatic effect on global weather systems in the Fertile Crescent, shifting rain-bearing depressions northwards and so bringing severe dry weather to the area. Even a small reduction in rainfall would have been serious in a part of the world that was always relatively dry. The extensive grasslands of Pleistocene times in the Fertile Crescent region would gradually have developed into a landscape of sandy deserts and isolated oases. [■]As the landscape dried out, both animals and people would have had to congregate in oases around the diminishing number of springs and streams. [■]Each would have had to become accustomed to the other’s proximity. [■]As hunters in the region were by now also cultivators, the circumstances were in place for people to realize the benefits of protecting and managing animals instead of just hunting them.[■]

By learning how to cultivate plants and herd animals, and then by combining the two to create systems of mixed farming, people were able to live in settled villages and multiply rapidly. They invented new crafts such as making pottery and textiles, and traded with each other. The nature of Neolithic agriculture favored movement, and the combination of semi-nomadic farming and rising populations, Childe believed, took the Neolithic Revolution from Southwest Asia as a movement of people(Neolithic farmers) westwards right across Europe to the Atlantic and Baltic, south from the Nile into Africa, and eastwards eventually to India. He was careful to emphasize that the eventual change from hunting to farming was probably the climax of a long process, but he argued that, in the scale of the economic, social, and demographic change it represented, it surely remained a true revolution, the first in human history and the most profound in its consequences as the platform on which urbanism was created.

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

This change in how people treated animals may have begun, Childe argues, with humans allowing hungry animals to graze on crops left in the fields after harvesting.Insert Text Questions句子插入题

Where would the sentence best fit？Click on a square  sentence to the passage.

10

According to Gordon Childe, plant cultivation and animal domestication began around 8000 B.C.E

 

Prose Summary Questions概要小结题

 

Select 3 answers

AChilde based his ideas about the Neolithic Revolution on the findings of his excavations of Neolithic sites found between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

BAccording to childe, the fact that the two most ancient civilizations, the Sumerian and the Egyptian civilizations, arose in (the Fertile Crescent supported the idea that agriculture arose in the Near East.

CAs the region dried out around 9000 B.C.E, animals and people would have been forced to live around oases, leading to the practice of herding animals instead of just hunting them.

DHe argued that farming must have started in the Near East where the wild ancestors of the earliest domesticated plants and animals were probably found.

EClimate change at the end of the Pleistocene may have delayed the development of farming, or it may have pushed it farther.north than it would otherwise have been.

FChilde stressed that the change from hunting to farming probably was ‌a gradual process that began in the Near East‌, but happened independently in Europe, ‌as it did in the Near East‌.