『新东方在线托福阅读』为托福考生准备了ETS托福TPO/Official 29 Passage 1阅读练习：The word “humble” in the passage is closest in meaning to真题题目及答案解析，TPO/Official 29 Passage 1阅读原文范文音频翻译

托福TPO/Official 29 Passage 1阅读原文The word “humble” in the passage is closest in meaning to题目答案及解析-新东方托福官方网校手机版

古罗马人的陶器在几个方面都很了不起。

The pottery of ancient Romans is remarkable in several ways.

当手持餐具或厨房用具及油罐（在整个地中海地区用于运输和储存液体，如酒和油的大罐子）的实物时，人们很容易感受到罗马陶器的高质量。

The high quality of Roman pottery is very easy to appreciate when handling actual pieces of tableware or indeed kitchenware and amphorae (the large jars used throughout the Mediterranean for the transport and storage of liquids, such as wine and oil).

然而，即使这些高度评价可以通过照片和图画来支持，但也不可能对罗马器皿做出公正的评价。

However, it is impossible to do justice to Roman wares on the page, even when words can be backed up by photographs and drawings.

大多数的罗马陶器都很轻，摸起来很光滑，而且非常坚硬，尽管像所有的陶器一样，如果掉在坚硬的表面上，它就会碎掉。

Most Roman pottery is light and smooth to the touch and very tough, although, like all pottery, it shatters if dropped on a hard surface.

它通常是由精心挑选和提纯的粘土制成，在快速的轮子上加工成薄壁和标准化的形状，并在窑（陶瓷炉）中烧制，能够确保一致的抛光（效果）。

It is generally made with carefully selected and purified clay, worked to thin-walled and standardized shapes on a fast wheel and fired in a kiln (pottery oven) capable of ensuring a consistent finish.

对于手工制作的陶器，相同设计的单个器皿之间不可避免地会有细微的差异，偶尔也会有一些小瑕疵（裂痕）。

With handmade pottery, inevitably there are slight differences between individual vessels of the same design and occasional minor blemishes (flaws).

但是，罗马陶器最引人注目，最直接，和最有力的特征是它始终如一的高质量。

But what strikes the eye and the touch most immediately and most powerfully with Roman pottery is its consistent high quality.

这不仅是美学上的考虑，也是实践上的考虑。

This is not just an aesthetic consideration but also a practical one.

这些容器是坚固的（易碎，但不脆弱），它们令人愉快，易于操作（轻而光滑），它们的表面坚硬，有时还有光泽（光滑和锃亮的），它们能很好地容纳液体，很容易清洗。

These vessels are solid (brittle, but not fragile), they are pleasant and easy to handle (being light and smooth), and, with their hard and sometimes glossy (smooth and shiny) surfaces, they hold liquids well and are easy to wash.

此外，它们规则和标准化的形状将使它们易于堆放和储存。

Furthermore, their regular and standardized shapes would have made them simple to stack and store.

当今天的人们看到一个非常普通的罗马壶，特别是被允许拿着它时，他们经常评论它看起来和摸起来有多现代，他们需要被说服才会相信它的真实年代。

When people today are shown a very ordinary Roman pot and, in particular, are allowed to handle it, they often comment on how modern it looks and feels, and they need to be convinced of its true age.

与罗马陶器的质量一样令人印象深刻的是它的巨大数量。

As impressive as the quality of Roman pottery is its sheer massive quantity.

在考虑数量时，理想情况下，我们希望对特定陶器制造地点的整体产量和特定定居住点的总消费量有一些估计。

When considering quantities, we would ideally like to have some estimates for overall production from particular sites of pottery manufacture and for overall consumption at specific settlements.

不幸的是，从考古证据的性质来看，它几乎只是曾经存在的东西的样本，这样的数字总是难以捉摸的。

Unfortunately, it is in the nature of the archaeological evidence, which is almost invariably only a sample of what once existed, that such figures will always be elusive.

然而，任何在这一领域工作过的人都不会质疑罗马陶器的丰富程度，特别是在地中海地区。

However, no one who has ever worked in the field would question the abundance of Roman pottery, particularly in the Mediterranean region.

这种丰富性在罗马殖民地（尤其是城市遗址）中尤为显著，在最初的挖掘阶段，考古学家必须投入大量的劳动来清洗和分类陶器碎片（陶器碎片），这在全部工作中占了很高的比例。

This abundance is notable in Roman settlements (especially urban sites) where the labor that archaeologists have to put into the washing and sorting of potsherds (fragments of pottery) constitutes a high proportion of the total work during the initial phases of excavation.

只有极少的情况下，我们才能从破碎的罐子沉积物中获得 “真实”的数量。

Only rarely can we derive any “real” quantities from deposits of broken pots.

然而，有一个特殊的垃圾场，它确实占到了该地点总消费历史的很大一部分，并对其数量进行了估计。

However, there is one exceptional dump, which does represent a very large part of the site’s total history of consumption and for which an estimate of quantity has been produced.

在罗马台伯河左岸，在这座古城的一个河港旁边，有一座大约50米高的大山，名叫蒙特泰斯塔西奥。

On the left bank of the Tiber River in Rome, by one of the river ports of the ancient city, is a substantial hill some 50 meters high called Monte Testaccio.

它主要是由公元2至3世纪的破碎油罐组成的。

It is made up entirely of broken oil amphorae, mainly of the second and third centuries A.D.

据估计，蒙特泰斯塔西奥保存着约5300万个油罐的遗骸，其中约60亿升石油是从海外进口到该市的。

It has been estimated that Monte Testaccio contains the remains of some 53 million amphorae, in which around 6,000 million liters of oil were imported into the city from overseas.

帝国罗马的进口得到了国家的全力支持，因此相当特殊——但蒙特泰斯塔西奥的业务规模，以及背后的生产力和复杂性，却不能不给人留下深刻的印象。

Imports into imperial Rome were supported by the full might of the state and were therefore quite exceptional—but the size of the operations at Monte Testaccio, and the productivity and complexity that lay behind them, nonetheless cannot fail to impress.

这是一个与现代社会相似的社会——大规模运输货物，制造高质量的集装箱来做到这一点，偶尔，就像这里一样，甚至在交货时丢弃它们。

This was a society with similarities to modern ones—moving goods on a gigantic scale, manufacturing high-quality containers to do so, and occasionally, as here, even discarding them on delivery.

罗马的陶器不仅运输数量大，而且运输的距离也很长。

Roman pottery was transported not only in large quantities but also over substantial distances.

许多罗马的罐子，特别是油罐和专为餐桌设计的精美器皿，可以运输数百英里——遍布地中海，甚至更远。

Many Roman pots, in particular amphorae and the fine wares designed for use at tables, could travel hundreds of miles—all over the Mediterranean and also further afield.

但显示了罗马特定类型的陶器被发现的不同地点的地图只讲述了故事的一部分。

But maps that show the various spots where Roman pottery of a particular type has been found tell only part of the story.

比任何地理分布更重要的是不同社会阶层获得高质量产品的机会。

What is more significant than any geographical spread is the access that different levels of society had to good-quality products.

除了帝国最偏远的地区外，高质量的罗马陶器在简陋的村庄和与世隔绝的农庄都很常见。

In all but the remotest regions of the empire, Roman pottery of a high standard is common at the sites of humble villages and isolated farmsteads.

Paragraph 1 indicates which of the following about Roman pottery?

All of the following are mentioned in paragraph 1 as characteristics of Roman pottery EXCEPT:

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

According to paragraph 2, which of the following is NOT true of Roman vessels?

The author mentions the work of archaeologists in paragraph 3 in order to

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

According to paragraph 4, Monte Testaccio is particularly important for archaeologists because archaeologists were able to

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

Paragraph 4 indicates which of the following about the port on the Tiber River near Monte Testaccio?

The statement in paragraph 4 that amphorae delivered to the port near Monte Testaccio were occasionally discarded supports which of the following?

The statement that maps “show the various spots where Roman pottery of a particular type has been found tell only part of the story” makes the point that

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

Look at the four squares  that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. That is because residents of a city did not usually discard used pottery at the same site over a long period of time.  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.

Characteristics of Roman Pottery The pottery of ancient Romans is remarkable in several ways. The high quality of Roman pottery is very easy to appreciate when handling actual pieces of tableware or indeed kitchenware and amphorae (the large jars used throughout the Mediterranean for the transport and storage of liquids, such as wine and oil). However, it is impossible to do justice to Roman wares on the page, even when words can be backed up by photographs and drawings. Most Roman pottery is light and smooth to the touch and very tough, although, like all pottery, it shatters if dropped on a hard surface. It is generally made with carefully selected and purified clay, worked to thin-walled and standardized shapes on a fast wheel and fired in a kiln (pottery oven) capable of ensuring a consistent finish. With handmade pottery, inevitably there are slight differences between individual vessels of the same design and occasional minor blemishes (flaws). But what strikes the eye and the touch most immediately and most powerfully with Roman pottery is its consistent high quality. This is not just an aesthetic consideration but also a practical one. These vessels are solid (brittle, but not fragile), they are pleasant and easy to handle (being light and smooth), and, with their hard and sometimes glossy (smooth and shiny) surfaces, they hold liquids well and are easy to wash. Furthermore, their regular and standardized shapes would have made them simple to stack and store. When people today are shown a very ordinary Roman pot and, in particular, are allowed to handle it, they often comment on how modern it looks and feels, and they need to be convinced of its true age. As impressive as the quality of Roman pottery is its sheer massive quantity. When considering quantities, we would ideally like to have some estimates for overall production from particular sites of pottery manufacture and for overall consumption at specific settlements. Unfortunately, it is in the nature of the archaeological evidence, which is almost invariably only a sample of what once existed, that such figures will always be elusive. However, no one who has ever worked in the field would question the abundance of Roman pottery, particularly in the Mediterranean region. This abundance is notable in Roman settlements (especially urban sites) where the labor that archaeologists have to put into the washing and sorting of potsherds (fragments of pottery) constitutes a high proportion of the total work during the initial phases of excavation. Only rarely can we derive any “real” quantities from deposits of broken pots.  However, there is one exceptional dump, which does represent a very large part of the site’s total history of consumption and for which an estimate of quantity has been produced.  On the left bank of the Tiber River in Rome, by one of the river ports of the ancient city, is a substantial hill some 50 meters high called Monte Testaccio.  It is made up entirely of broken oil amphorae, mainly of the second and third centuries A.D. It has been estimated that Monte Testaccio contains the remains of some 53 million amphorae, in which around 6,000 million liters of oil were imported into the city from overseas. Imports into imperial Rome were supported by the full might of the state and were therefore quite exceptional—but the size of the operations at Monte Testaccio, and the productivity and complexity that lay behind them, nonetheless cannot fail to impress. This was a society with similarities to modern ones—moving goods on a gigantic scale, manufacturing high-quality containers to do so, and occasionally, as here, even discarding them on delivery. Roman pottery was transported not only in large quantities but also over substantial distances. Many Roman pots, in particular amphorae and the fine wares designed for use at tables, could travel hundreds of miles—all over the Mediterranean and also further afield. But maps that show the various spots where Roman pottery of a particular type has been found tell only part of the story. What is more significant than any geographical spread is the access that different levels of society had to good-quality products. In all but the remotest regions of the empire, Roman pottery of a high standard is common at the sites of humble villages and isolated farmsteads.