『新东方在线托福阅读』为托福考生准备了ETS托福TPO/Official 70 Passage1阅读练习：Why does the author mention “Duke Huan” and “the first emperor of the Qin dynasty" in the passage？真题题目及答案解析，TPO/Official 70 Passage1阅读原文范文音频翻译

托福TPO/Official 70 Passage1阅读原文Why does the author mention “Duke Huan” and “the first emperor of the Qin dynasty" in the passage？题目答案及解析-新东方托福官方网校手机版

统治古代中国的中央集权王朝是亚洲大陆地形和气候的产物。

The centralized dynasties that ruled ancient China were a product of the terrain and climate of the Asian continent.

中国与东半球的其他国家隔绝开来，是因为西部和西南部的山脉和北部的戈壁沙漠构成了巨大的自然屏障。

China is isolated from the rest of the Eastern hemisphere by formidable natural barriers of mountains on the west and southwest as well as the Gobi Desert on the north.

虽然中国的分离并不彻底——货物、人员和思想在中国、印度和中亚之间来回流动——但在许多方面，中国的发展是独特的。

Although China's separation was not total—trade goods, people, and ideas moved back and forth between China, India, and Central Asia—in many respects its development was distinctive.

中华文明在其形成的岁月里，一直受到黄河地区这片黄土之地的影响。

ln its formative years, Chinese civilization had been influenced by the contributing factors of the Yellow River region, the land of the loess.

人们普遍认为，河流流经广阔的地区，这些地区细而多孔的土壤是河流中含有大量淤泥的原因，因此河流经常会堵塞自己的河道，导致堤防决堤，发生巨大的洪水泛滥。

It is generally understood that the river, running through a vast area where the fine and porous soil accounts for the large silt content in its current, has a constant tendency to clog its own course and cause dikes to break and enormous inundations to occur.

在这些地区，这个问题无法解决。

The problem cannot be dealt with locally.

这种困境的历史根源至少可以追溯到春秋时期（公元前722-481年），当时齐桓公在公元前652年召集了他的国家联盟。

This predicament has a historical origin that can be traced at least to the Spring and Autumn period (722-481B.C.), when in 652 B.C. Duke Huan of Qi convened his league of states.

在各种资料中，所有参与者的共同承诺被记录为“不修建不当的堤坝”和“不阻碍水流”。

A mutual pledge by all participants is recorded in various sources as “not to execute improper dikes” and “not to hinder the water flow.”

秦始皇（公元前221-207年）为他立下的碑文被《史记》转载。

The stone inscriptions of his own achievements erected by the first emperor of the Qin dynasty (221-207 B.C.) are reproduced in The Records of History.

他认为自己的功绩之一是“消除了阻碍水流的障碍”。

One of the meritorious deeds that he credited to himself was the “neutralization of the barriers that obstructed water flows.”

这些和其他参考文献都证明，中国在公元前时代实现的政治统一是在协调应对洪水问题的迫切要求下实现的，在过去的2000年里，除了技术上的考虑，这一问题一直存在。

These and other references are evidence that China's political unification, achieved in the B.C. era, had come under the pressing demand for a coordinated effort in dealing with the flood problem, which, over and above technical considerations, has remained in force for the past 2,000 years.

促使中国早期实现国家统一并随后实行政治集权的第二个因素是季风降雨对农业的影响。

A second factor compelling China to proceed to an early national unification and to follow it with political centralization was the effect of monsoon rain on agriculture.

中国的夏季风来自菲律宾海方向。

The summer monsoon in China comes from the direction of the Philippine Sea.

气流中的水分依靠从西向东和东北方向的风，将其提升到一个高度然后冷却；只有这样，才会凝结成雨水降落。

The moisture in the air current depends upon winds blowing from west to east and northeast, lifting it to an altitude to be cooled; only then does rain come down from condensation.

这种气候模式使这个国家的农作物受到两种季风的同步影响。

This climatic arrangement subjects agricultural crops of the nation to the synchronization of two sets of variables.

当两种气流没有交汇，干旱就开始了。

When the two kinds of currents miss each other, drought sets in.

当它们在特定区域反复汇聚时，洪水和淹没是不可避免的结果。

When they repeatedly converge over a specific area, flood and inundation are the inevitable result.

在中国的两个或多个地区同时出现雨量不足和雨量过多的情况并不罕见。

It is not uncommon for lack of rain and too much rain simultaneously to victimize two or more parts of China.

只有一个控制着大量资源的庞大帝国才能应对这种局面。

Only an enormous empire in control of vast resources can deal with the situation.

在公元前时代，人们也感受到了自然力量所施加的要求。

The requirement imposed by the power of nature was felt, too, during the B.C. era.

在一个古老的记录中，我们读到许多关于自然灾害时期公国之间战争的故事。

In one ancient text we read many stories about wars between the principalities during times of natural disaster.

学者Yao Shanyu根据古代文献记载指出，在所研究的2117年间，1621次洪水和1392次干旱造成的损失严重到需要向朝廷上报。

The scholar Yao Shanyu, working from ancient summaries, calls attention to the fact that in the 2,117 years under study, 1,621 floods and 1,392 droughts caused damage serious enough to be reported by the imperial courts.

进一步排除中国分散集权可能性的是游牧民族的潜在威胁。

Further ruling out the possibility of a decentralized China was the potential threat of nomads.

中国在北方沿着草原（一大片被草覆盖的平原）修建的传统防线，通常被称为长城，绝非固定不变。

The traditional line of defense that China erected in the north along the steppe—a vast grass-covered plain—customarily referred to as the Great Wall, was by no means fixed.

长城以北和以西的地区，因为年降雨量不足15英寸而不适合耕种，这些地区仍然是游牧民族的牧场。

The territories north and west of the Great Wall, having an annual rainfall of less than fifteen inches and therefore inadequate for cultivation, remained a grazing ground for the nomads.

在天气恶劣和中国分裂的时期，这些游牧民族有进行大规模侵略的倾向。

In times of bad weather and in periods of China's disunity, these nomads had a tendency to execute large-scale invasions.

这个问题的原因深深植根于中国的地理环境，中国人无法仅仅通过军事进攻来解决它。

This was a problem whose cause was so deeply rooted in geography that the Chinese were not able to solve it merely through military offensives.

长期的经验告诉他们，要把地区和地方政府置于一个强大的中心之下，让国防决定一定程度的同质性和统一性，以便生存。

Long-term experience taught them to put the regional and local government under a strong center, allowing national defense to dictate a degree of homogeneity and uniformity in order to survive.

According to paragraph 2, how does silt affect the Yellow River?

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

Why does the author mention “Duke Huan” and “the first emperor of the Qin dynasty" in the passage？

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.

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

Paragraph 3 supports which of the following statements about the 2,117 years studied by Yao Shanyu?

According to paragraph 4, what was one drawback of China's traditional line of defense?

According to paragraph 4, nomadic invasions of China occurred during periods of bad weather and

Look at the four squares  that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. Nevertheless, records indicate that this agreement did not provide a final solution to the problem.  Where would the sentence best fit? Click on a square  to add the sentence to the passage.

Directions: 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

The Development of Chinese Dynasties The centralized dynasties that ruled ancient China were a product of the terrain and climate of the Asian continent. China is isolated from the rest of the Eastern hemisphere by formidable natural barriers of mountains on the west and southwest as well as the Gobi Desert on the north. To the east lies the Pacific Ocean. Although China's separation was not total—trade goods, people, and ideas moved back and forth between China, India, and Central Asia—in many respects its development was distinctive. ln its formative years, Chinese civilization had been influenced by the contributing factors of the Yellow River region, the land of the loess. It is generally understood that the river, running through a vast area where the fine and porous soil accounts for the large silt content in its current, has a constant tendency to clog its own course and cause dikes to break and enormous inundations to occur. The problem cannot be dealt with locally. This predicament has a historical origin that can be traced at least to the Spring and Autumn period (722-481B.C.), when in 652 B.C. Duke Huan of Qi convened his league of states. A mutual pledge by all participants is recorded in various sources as “not to execute improper dikes” and “not to hinder the water flow.” The stone inscriptions of his own achievements erected by the first emperor of the Qin dynasty (221-207 B.C.) are reproduced in The Records of History. One of the meritorious deeds that he credited to himself was the “neutralization of the barriers that obstructed water flows.” These and other references are evidence that China's political unification, achieved in the B.C. era, had come under the pressing demand for a coordinated effort in dealing with the flood problem, which, over and above technical considerations, has remained in force for the past 2,000 years. A second factor compelling China to proceed to an early national unification and to follow it with political centralization was the effect of monsoon rain on agriculture. The summer monsoon in China comes from the direction of the Philippine Sea. It by itself does not give rain. The moisture in the air current depends upon winds blowing from west to east and northeast, lifting it to an altitude to be cooled; only then does rain come down from condensation. This climatic arrangement subjects agricultural crops of the nation to the synchronization of two sets of variables. When the two kinds of currents miss each other, drought sets in. When they repeatedly converge over a specific area, flood and inundation are the inevitable result. It is not uncommon for lack of rain and too much rain simultaneously to victimize two or more parts of China. Only an enormous empire in control of vast resources can deal with the situation. The requirement imposed by the power of nature was felt, too, during the B.C. era. ln one ancient text we read many stories about wars between the principalities during times of natural disaster. The scholar Yao Shanyu, working from ancient summaries, calls attention to the fact that in the 2,117 years under study, 1,621 floods and 1,392 droughts caused damage serious enough to be reported by the imperial courts. Further ruling out the possibility of a decentralized China was the potential threat of nomads. The traditional line of defense that China erected in the north along the steppe—a vast grass-covered plain—customarily referred to as the Great Wall, was by no means fixed. The territories north and west of the Great Wall, having an annual rainfall of less than fifteen inches and therefore inadequate for cultivation, remained a grazing ground for the nomads. In times of bad weather and in periods of China's disunity, these nomads had a tendency to execute large-scale invasions. This was a problem whose cause was so deeply rooted in geography that the Chinese were not able to solve it merely through military offensives. Long-term experience taught them to put the regional and local government under a strong center, allowing national defense to dictate a degree of homogeneity and uniformity in order to survive.