『新东方在线托福阅读』为托福考生准备了ETS托福TPO/Official 5 Passage 2阅读练习：Why does the author mention the views of “Patrick Kirch”?真题题目及答案解析，TPO/Official 5 Passage 2阅读原文范文音频翻译

托福TPO/Official 5 Passage 2阅读原文Why does the author mention the views of “Patrick Kirch”?题目答案及解析-新东方托福官方网校手机版

传统意义上被称作大洋洲的广大的太平洋地区，由三个文化意义上的区域构成：美拉尼西亚，密克罗尼西亚和波利尼西亚。

The greater Pacific region, traditionally called Oceania, consists of three cultural areas: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia

位于太平洋西南部的美拉尼西亚包含了新几内亚岛、所罗门、瓦努阿图和新喀里多尼亚的广大岛屿。

Melanesia, in the southwest Pacific, contains the large islands of New Guinea, the Solomons, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia

在美拉尼西亚北部的密克罗尼西亚主要是由分散的小岛屿构成。

Micronesia, the area north of Melanesia, consists primarily of small scattered islands

波利尼西亚是在太平洋地区的中部，处于由夏威夷、复活节群岛和新西兰三大岛屿构成的三角区域中。

Polynesia is the central Pacific area in the great triangle defined by Hawaii, Easter Island, and New Zealand

在欧洲人到来之前，两个面积最大的文化区域的岛屿，也就是波利尼西亚和密克罗尼西亚总共大约包括了70万人口。

Before the arrival of Europeans, the islands in the two largest cultural areas, Polynesia and Micronesia, together contained a population estimated at 700,000.

外来者一和岛民们接触的时候，关于这些太平洋岛屿居住者起源的猜想就开始了。由于缺乏可靠的语言学、考古学和生物学的资料，许多稀奇古怪的且互相驳斥的理论都出现了。

Speculation on the origin of these Pacific islanders began as soon as outsiders encountered them; in the absence of solid linguistic, archaeological, and biological data, many fanciful and mutually exclusive theories were devised

太平洋岛民被推测来自于北美，南美，埃及，以色列，印度和东南亚。

Pacific islanders were variously thought to have come from North America, South America, Egypt, Israel, and India, as well as Southeast Asia

许多古老的理论比较含蓄地对太平洋岛民的航海能力和整体的文化创造力提出了质疑。

Many older theories implicitly deprecated the navigational abilities and overall cultural creativity of the Pacific islanders

举例来说，英国的人类学家艾利特史密斯和佩里猜想只有埃及人才有足够的能力去航海和征服太平洋。

For example, British anthropologists G.Elliot Smith and W.J Perry assumed that only Egyptians would have been skilled enough to navigate and colonize the Pacific

他们推测埃及人甚至是穿越了太平洋去探索新世界（北美和南美）的文明。

They inferred that the Egyptians even crossed the Pacific to found the great civilizations of the New World (North and South America)

1947年，挪威的探险家托尔海尔达尔借助风和水流，从南美靠着一只木筏穿越了太平洋，来证明太平洋岛民是美国本土居民（也被称作印第安人）。

In 1947 Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl drifted on a balsa-log raft westward with the winds and currents across the Pacific from South America to prove his theory that Pacific islanders were Native Americans (also called American Indians)

后来海尔达尔指出太平洋岛民来自于三处的迁移：从北美洲西北部太平洋地区漂流到夏威夷的美国本土居民，漂流到复活节岛的秘鲁居民和美拉尼西亚人。

Later Heyerdahl suggested that the Pacific was peopled by three migrations: by Native Americans from the Pacific Northwest of North America drifting to Hawaii, by Peruvians drifting to Easter Island, and by Melanesians

1969年，他靠着一种埃及风格的芦苇船跨越了大西洋去证明埃及人影响了美洲。

In 1969 he crossed the Atlantic in an Egyptian-style reed boat to prove Egyptian influences in the Americas

和这些理论家提出的相反，大量的来自物理人类学、语言学和考古学的证据表明，太平洋岛民来自于东南亚，这些岛民也足够有能力作为航海者去逆着风和洋流航行。

Contrary to these theorists, the overwhelming evidence of physical anthropology, linguistics, and archaeology shows that the Pacific islanders came from Southeast Asia and were skilled enough as navigators to sail against the prevailing winds and currents.

对于太平洋岛民的成功殖民来讲，基本的文化要求包括恰当的造船技术、航行能力和首先到达这些岛屿的航海技术；适应贫瘠条件的种植植物的能力和园艺技术；各种捕鱼工具和技术。

The basic cultural requirements for the successful colonization of the Pacific islands include the appropriate boat-building, sailing, and navigation skills to get to the islands in the first place; domesticated plants and gardening skills suited to often marginal conditions; and a varied inventory of fishing implements and techniques

现在普遍认为这些先决条件是起源于那些说南岛语的人（南岛语是一种有着几百种亲属语种的语系），它们在公元前5000年前就出现在东南亚了。

It is now generally believed that these prerequisites originated with peoples speaking Austronesian languages (a group of several hundred related languages) and began to emerge in Southeast Asia by about 5000 B.C.E

基于考古学和语言学的再现，那个时代的文明被认为是有广泛的植物储存，包括芋头、纱、香蕉、甘蔗、面包果、椰子、西米和稻米。

The culture of that time, based on archaeology and linguistic reconstruction, is assumed to have had a broad inventory of cultivated plants including taro, yams, banana, sugarcane, breadfruit, coconut, sago, and rice

同等重要的是，那个时代的文化也为海运奠定了基础，包括桅杆船和各种各样适合于越海航行的捕鱼技术。

Just as important, the culture also possessed the basic foundation for an effective maritime adaptation, including outrigger canoes and a variety of fishing techniques that could be effective for overseas voyaging.

和“波利尼西亚人碰巧因为到处漂流而迷路所以才定居在太平洋大部分地区”这种说法相反，更加合理的说法是这次是一次精心策划的殖民，他们出发的时候就装满了食物和培育好的植物，驯化的动物。

Contrary to the arguments of some that much of the Pacific was settled by Polynesians accidentally marooned after being lost and adrift, it seems reasonable that this feat was accomplished by deliberate colonization expeditions that set out fully stocked with food and domesticated plants and animals.

使用电脑模拟的更详细的关于风和洋流的研究表明，船只漂流是最不可能的殖民太平洋的方式。

Detailed studies of the winds and currents using computer simulations suggest that drifting canoes would have been a most unlikely means of colonizing the Pacific

这些远征有可能是由人口增长、家乡岛屿的政治动荡以及探索未知水域的挑战和兴奋所驱动。

These expeditions were likely driven by population growth and political dynamics on the home islands, as well as the challenge and excitement of exploring unknown waters

由于所有的波利尼西亚人、密克罗尼西亚人和很多美拉尼西亚人说南岛语，而且他们种植起源于东南亚的庄稼，所以所有的这些人最有可能来自那个地方，而不是新世界或者其他地方。

Because all Polynesians, Micronesians, and many Melanesians speak Austronesian languages and grow crops derived from Southeast Asia, all these peoples most certainly derived from that region and not the New World or elsewhere

毋庸置疑的大洋洲甘薯（一种新世界的品种）的出现早于哥伦比亚发现的新大陆这一事实，有时候会被拿来证明海尔达尔的“太平洋岛民是美国印第安人”这一理论。

The undisputed pre-Columbian presence in Oceania of the sweet potato, which is a New World domesticate, has sometimes been used to support Heyerdahl’s “American Indians in the Pacific” theories

但是甘薯仅仅是东南亚人种植的诸多植物中的一种。

However, this is one plant out of a long list of Southeast Asian domesticates

正如美国人类学家帕特里克基奇指出，甘薯可能仅仅是被返程的波利尼西亚航海者带回来的，这些人本来是能够到达南美的西海岸的，而不是被漂流的南美人带过来的。

As Patrick Kirch, an American anthropologist, points out, rather than being brought by rafting South Americans, sweet potatoes might just have easily been brought back by returning Polynesian navigators who could have reached the west coast of South America.

According to paragraph 1, all of the following are true statements about Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia EXCEPT:

By stating that the theories are “mutually exclusive” the author means that

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

According to paragraph 2, which of the following led some early researchers to believe that the Pacific islanders originally came from Egypt?

Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 2 about early theories of where the first inhabitants of the Pacific islands came from?

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

All of the following are mentioned in paragraph 3 as required for successful colonization of the Pacific islands EXCEPT

In paragraph 3, why does the author provide information about the types of crops grown and boats used in Southeast Asia during the period around 5000 B.C.E.?

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 “undisputed” in the passage is closest in meaning to

According to paragraph 4, which of the following is NOT an explanation for why a group of people might have wanted to colonize the Pacific islands?

Why does the author mention the views of “Patrick Kirch”?

Look at the four squares  that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. Later theories concentrated on journeys in the other direction.  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 Origin of the Pacific Island People The greater Pacific region, traditionally called Oceania, consists of three cultural areas: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Melanesia, in the southwest Pacific, contains the large islands of New Guinea, the Solomons, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia. Micronesia, the area north of Melanesia, consists primarily of small scattered islands. Polynesia is the central Pacific area in the great triangle defined by Hawaii, Easter Island, and New Zealand. Before the arrival of Europeans, the islands in the two largest cultural areas, Polynesia and Micronesia, together contained a population estimated at 700,000. Speculation on the origin of these Pacific islanders began as soon as outsiders encountered them; in the absence of solid linguistic, archaeological, and biological data, many fanciful and mutually exclusive theories were devised. Pacific islanders were variously thought to have come from North America, South America, Egypt, Israel, and India, as well as Southeast Asia.  Many older theories implicitly deprecated the navigational abilities and overall cultural creativity of the Pacific islanders.  For example, British anthropologists G. Elliot Smith and W. J. Perry assumed that only Egyptians would have been skilled enough to navigate and colonize the Pacific.  They inferred that the Egyptians even crossed the Pacific to found the great civilizations of the New World (North and South America).  In 1947 Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl drifted on a balsa-log raft westward with the winds and currents across the Pacific from South America to prove his theory that Pacific islanders were Native Americans (also called American Indians). Later Heyerdahl suggested that the Pacific was peopled by three migrations: by Native Americans from the Pacific Northwest of North America drifting to Hawaii, by Peruvians drifting to Easter Island, and by Melanesians. In 1969 he crossed the Atlantic in an Egyptian-style reed boat to prove Egyptian influences in the Americas. Contrary to these theorists, the overwhelming evidence of physical anthropology, linguistics, and archaeology shows that the Pacific islanders came from Southeast Asia and were skilled enough as navigators to sail against the prevailing winds and currents. The basic cultural requirements for the successful colonization of the Pacific islands include the appropriate boat-building, sailing, and navigation skills to get to the islands in the first place; domesticated plants and gardening skills suited to often marginal conditions; and a varied inventory of fishing implements and techniques. It is now generally believed that these prerequisites originated with peoples speaking Austronesian languages (a group of several hundred related languages) and began to emerge in Southeast Asia by about 5000 B.C.E. The culture of that time, based on archaeology and linguistic reconstruction, is assumed to have had a broad inventory of cultivated plants including taro, yams, banana, sugarcane, breadfruit, coconut, sago, and rice. Just as important, the culture also possessed the basic foundation for an effective maritime adaptation, including outrigger canoes and a variety of fishing techniques that could be effective for overseas voyaging. Contrary to the arguments of some that much of the Pacific was settled by Polynesians accidentally marooned after being lost and adrift, it seems reasonable that this feat was accomplished by deliberate colonization expeditions that set out fully stocked with food and domesticated plants and animals. Detailed studies of the winds and currents using computer simulations suggest that drifting canoes would have been a most unlikely means of colonizing the Pacific. These expeditions were likely driven by population growth and political dynamics on the home islands, as well as the challenge and excitement of exploring unknown waters. Because all Polynesians, Micronesians, and many Melanesians speak Austronesian languages and grow crops derived from Southeast Asia, all these peoples most certainly derived from that region and not the New World or elsewhere. The undisputed pre-Columbian presence in Oceania of the sweet potato, which is a New World domesticate, has sometimes been used to support Heyerdahl’s “American Indians in the Pacific” theories. However, this is one plant out of a long list of Southeast Asian domesticates. As Patrick Kirch, an American anthropologist, points out, rather than being brought by rafting South Americans, sweet potatoes might just have easily been brought back by returning Polynesian navigators who could have reached the west coast of South America.