『新东方在线托福阅读』为托福考生准备了ETS托福TPO/Official 7 Passage 3阅读练习：The word “ritual” in the passage is closest in meaning to真题题目及答案解析，TPO/Official 7 Passage 3阅读原文范文音频翻译

托福TPO/Official 7 Passage 3阅读原文The word “ritual” 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

早在公元3000年以前就有证据表明农业已经在非洲发展起来。

There is evidence of agriculture in Africa prior to 3000 B.C.

它也许是独立发展起来的，然而很多学者却认为农业和铁在整个非洲的扩散将它与近东和地中海的主要中心联系起来。

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.

现在撒哈拉沙漠的干涸使得很多人不得不离开它，去到撒哈拉以南的非洲。

The drying up of what is now the Sahara desert had pushed many peoples to the south into sub-Saharan Africa.

这些人最初在分散的狩猎和采集带定居，但在湖泊和河流附近的一些地方，人们以捕鱼为生，有更安全的食物供应，在这里生活的人口更多。

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.

农业似乎是从近东来的，因为最早的家养作物是谷子和高粱，它们的起源不是非洲而是西亚。

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.

一旦种植的想法传播开来，非洲人就开始发展自己的作物，例如某些品种的水稻，另外，他们还持续不断地引进新的品种。

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.

从埃塞俄比亚到苏丹南部再到西非地带，都是非洲作物驯化区。

The proposed areas of the domestication of African crops lie in a band that extends from Ethiopia across southern Sudan to West Africa.

随后，香蕉等其他作物也从东南亚引进。

Subsequently, other crops, such as bananas, were introduced from Southeast Asia.

牛是从亚洲引进的，山羊和绵羊很可能也是。

Cattle were introduced from Asia, as probably were domestic sheep and goats.

很明显，埃及希克索斯的入侵者（公元前1780-1560年）带来了马匹，之后传到了苏丹以及西非。

Horses were apparently introduced by the Hyksos invaders of Egypt (1780–1560 B.C.) and then spread across the Sudan to West Africa.

撒哈拉的岩石壁画表明，人们使用马匹和战车穿越沙漠，到公元前300-200年，撒哈拉有了贸易路线。

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.

西非草原上的人们使用马匹, 后来他们强大的骑兵部队帮助他们开拓了庞大的帝国。

Horses were adopted by peoples of the West African savannah, and later their powerful cavalry forces allowed them to carve out large empires.

最终，大约在公元一世纪，骆驼被引进。

Finally, the camel was introduced around the first century A.D.

这是一项重要的创新，因为骆驼能够在恶劣的沙漠里繁衍生息，并能以低廉的价格运送大量货物，使其成为一种实用和高效的运输工具。

This was an important innovation, because the camel’s ability to thrive in harsh desert conditions and to carry large loads cheaply made it an effective and efficient means of transportation.

骆驼改变了沙漠，把它从一个障碍变成了一条仍然困难但更容易到达的贸易和通讯路线。

The camel transformed the desert from a barrier into a still difficult, but more accessible, route of trade and communication.

铁来自西亚，尽管其扩散途径与农业有所不同。

Iron came from West Asia, although its routes of diffusion were somewhat different than those of agriculture.

在非洲大部分地区，有一种奇怪的现象，尽管在西非发现了一些早期的铜加工点，但社会从石器时代直接进入到铁器时代，没有经过铜或青铜冶炼的中间阶段。

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.

钢铁制造的知识渗透到西非的森林和大草原，几乎与钢铁制造到达欧洲的时间相同。

Knowledge of iron making penetrated into the forests and savannahs of West Africa at roughly the same time that iron making was reaching Europe.

在尼日利亚、加纳和马里发现了炼铁的证据。

Evidence of iron making has been found in Nigeria, Ghana, and Mali.

这一技术变革使非洲社会的复杂性发生了深刻变化。

This technological shift caused profound changes in the complexity of African societies.

在西非，制造工具和武器的铁匠在社会上占有重要地位，通常具有特殊的宗教权力和职能。

In West Africa the blacksmith who made tools and weapons had an important place in society, often with special religious powers and functions.

铁锄头使土地更富有生产力，铁武器使战士更强大，在一些西非社会具有象征意义。

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 African societies.

那些知道炼铁秘诀的人获得了宗教甚至政治权力。

Those who knew the secrets of making iron gained ritual and sometimes political power.

在美洲冶金学发展得很晚很有限，而非洲与美洲不同，非洲人很早就有了铁，他们开发了巧妙的炉子来产生生产所需的高热量，能控制到达碳和铁矿石所需的空气量。

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.

非洲的大部分地区直接进入了铁器时代，采用了基本技术并使之适应当地条件和资源。

Much of Africa moved right into the Iron Age, taking the basic technology and adapting it to local conditions and resources.

农业、铁的传播与掌握技术新人类的伟大迁徙同时发生。

The diffusion of agriculture and later of iron was accompanied by a great movement of people who may have carried these innovations.

这些人可能原居于尼日利亚东部。

These people probably originated in eastern Nigeria.

他们的迁徙可能是由于逃难人口的增加，那些人由于干旱的撒哈拉沙漠逐渐干涸而逃出来。

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.

他们说一种叫proto班图的语言（“班图”的意思是“人民”），这是班图语的母语，在撒哈拉以南非洲仍大量使用班图语。

They spoke a language, proto-Bantu (“bantu” means “the people”), which is the parent tongue of a large number of Bantu languages still spoken throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

这些人为什么以及如何扩散到非洲中部和南部仍然是个谜，但是考古学家相信他们的铁武器能让他们征服仍然使用石器的狩猎采集对手。

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.

尽管如此，这一进程仍不确定，和平移民或仅仅是人口快速增长也可能导致班图人口爆炸。

Still, the process is uncertain, and peaceful migration—or simply rapid demographic growth—may have also caused the Bantu explosion.

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

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

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

According to paragraph 2, camels were important because they

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

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

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

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

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

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 “fleeing” in the passage is closest in meaning to

Paragraph 6 mentions all of the following as possible causes of the “Bantu explosion” EXCEPT

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? 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.

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-Saharan 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 ability 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 forests 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 caused 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 African 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 large number of Bantu languages still spoken throughout sub-Saharan 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.