『新东方在线托福听力』为托福考生准备了ETS托福TPO/Official 28 Passage 2阅读练习，TPO/Official 28 Passage 2原文答案解析，TPO/Official 28 Passage 2阅读原文练习音频翻译。

托福TPO/Official 28 Passage 2阅读原文题目答案及解析-新东方托福官方网校手机版

撒哈拉沙漠虽然干燥，却是一个高度多样化的地区，自公元前1万年以来经历了重大的气候变化。

The Sahara is a highly diverse, albeit dry, region that has undergone major climatic changes since 10,000 B.C.

就在公元前6千年，沙漠的南部边界远远比现在的位置要靠北，而半干旱的草原和浅淡水湖覆盖了现在干旱平原的大部分。

As recently as 6000 B.C., the southern frontier of the desert was far to the north of where it is now, while semiarid grassland and shallow freshwater lakes covered much of what are now arid plains.

在这片土地上，各种各样的羚羊比比皆是——还有一种已经灭绝的牛——原始牛。

This was a landscape where antelope of all kinds abounded—along with Bos primigenius, a kind of oxen that has become extinct.

与所有干旱地区一样，现在的沙漠地区非常容易受到降雨量增减周期的影响，导致动植物分布发生重大、突然的变化。

The areas that are now desert were, like all arid regions, very susceptible to cycles of higher and lower levels of rainfall, resulting in major, sudden changes in distributions of plants and animals.

捕猎稀少的沙漠动物的人通过管理他们捕猎和采集的野生资源来应对干旱，尤其是野牛，它们必须有稳定的水供应才能生存。

The people who hunted the sparse desert animals responded to drought by managing the wild resources they hunted and gathered, especially wild oxen, which had to have regular water supplies to survive.

即使在干旱之前，撒哈拉沙漠也从未得到充分的灌溉。

Even before the drought, the Sahara was never well watered.

人类和动物都在不停地移动，寻找食物和可靠的水供应。

Both humans and animals were constantly on the move, in search of food and reliable water supplies.

考古学家安德鲁·史密斯认为，在这种情况下，随着干旱的蔓延，沙漠中的小牛群变得更小，繁殖单位变得更加紧密。

Under these circumstances, archaeologist Andrew Smith believes, the small herds of Bos primigenius in the desert became smaller, more closely knit breeding units as the drought took hold.

这些野兽更有纪律性，因此猎人更容易预测它们的习性，并随意捕获动物。

The beasts were more disciplined, so that it was easier for hunters to predict their habits, and capture animals at will.

与此同时，牛和人的行动更加受限，在很长一段时间内都离永久供水源更近。

At the same time, both cattle and humans were more confined in their movements, staying much closer to permanent water supplies for long periods of time.

结果就是，牛和人紧密地联系在一起了。

As a result, cattle and humans came into close association.

史密斯认为，猎人们很清楚猎物更规律的行为方式。

Smith believes that the hunters were well aware of the more disciplined ways in which their prey behaved.

猎人们不再跟随牛群每年迁徙，而是开始阻止牛群从一个地方迁移到另一个地方。

Instead of following the cattle on their annual migrations, the hunters began to prevent the herd from moving from one spot to another.

起初，他们控制着牛群的移动，同时确保他们的肉类饮食的持续。

At first, they controlled the movement of the herd while ensuring continuance of their meat diet.

但很快，他们也获得了对动物的基因控制，这导致了牛群的快速生理变化。

But soon they also gained genetic control of the animals, which led to rapid physical changes in the herd.

南非农民养了一群野生大羚羊（大型非洲羚羊，角短而弯曲），他们报告说，除非不断从外面引进野生公牛，否则后代的个头很快就会变小。

South African farmers who maintain herds of wild eland (large African antelopes with short, twisted horns) report that the offspring soon diminish in size, unless wild bulls are introduced constantly from outside.

近亲繁殖的同样影响可能发生在受控制的牛种群中，但它有一些额外的，也许没有被认识到的优势。

The same effects of inbreeding may have occurred in controlled cattle populations, with some additional, and perhaps unrecognized, advantages.

新驯养的动物表现更好，更容易控制，可能享有更高的出生率，这又产生了更多的牛奶供应。

The newly domesticated animals behaved better, were easier to control, and may have enjoyed a higher birth rate, which in turn yielded greater milk supplies.

我们从撒哈拉沙漠深处的岩画中得知，牧民们很快就开始挑选能繁殖的动物，让它们的后代拥有不同的角形和隐藏的颜色。

We know from rock paintings deep in the Sahara that the herders were soon selecting breeding animals to produce offspring with different horn shapes and hide colors.

目前尚不清楚驯养的牛是在北非独立驯养的，还是从西南亚引入非洲大陆的。

It is still unclear whether domesticated cattle were tamed independently in northern Africa or introduced to the continent from Southwest Asia.

无论原始驯养牛群的来源是什么，似乎完全有可能在西南亚和北非，甚至在欧洲，在对野牛行为有密切了解的民族中，发生了大致相同的（人群对牛群）并置（并排居住）和控制的过程。

Whatever the source of the original tamed herds might have been, it seems entirely likely that much the same process of juxtaposition (living side by side) and control occurred in both Southwest Asia and northern Africa, and even in Europe, among peoples who had an intimate knowledge of the behavior of wild cattle.

驯化实验可能发生在许多地方，因为生活在越来越干燥的环境中的人们四处寻找更可预测的食物供应。

The experiments with domestication probably occurred in many places, as people living in ever-drier environments cast around for more predictable food supplies.

牧牛人只有很少的财产：简陋的锅和磨光的刀刃与手柄成直角的切割工具。

The cattle herders had only a few possessions: unsophisticated pots and polished adzes cutting tools with blades set at right angles to the handle.

撒哈拉人民在沙漠深处的洞穴墙上留下了他们生活的非凡记录。

The Saharan people left a remarkable record of their lives painted on the walls of caves deep in the desert.

他们的艺术创作保存在野生动物，牛，山羊，人类和日常生活场景的绘画中，这些绘画可以追溯到公元前5000年。

Their artistic endeavors have been preserved in paintings of wild animals, cattle, goats, humans, and scenes of daily life that extend back perhaps to 5000 B.C.

这一时期牧场的广泛分布表明撒哈拉人将他们的牧群分布在夏季和冬季相距甚远的牧场上。

The widespread distribution of pastoral sites of this period suggests that the Saharans ranged their herds over widely separated summer and winter grazing grounds.

大约在公元前3500年，气候条件再次恶化。

About 3,500 B.C., climatic conditions again deteriorated.

撒哈拉沙漠慢慢变得干燥，湖泊逐渐消失。

The Sahara slowly became drier and lakes vanished.

另一方面，西非内陆的降雨量增加，采采蝇（一种对牛来说致命的昆虫）的种群北部边界向南移动。

On the other hand, rainfall increased in the interior of western Africa, and the northern limit of the tsetse fly, an insect fatal to cattle, moved south.

因此，牧民们转向南方，沿着主要的河流水系进入稀树草原地区。

So the herders shifted south, following the major river systems into savanna regions.

到了这个时候，撒哈拉人可能已经开始使用本地的作物，试验高粱和小米等夏季降雨作物，因为他们离开了可以种植小麦、大麦和其他地中海作物的地区。

By this time, the Saharan people were probably using domestic crops, experimenting with such summer rainfall crops as sorghum and millet as they moved out of areas where they could grow wheat, barley, and other Mediterranean crops.

According to paragraph 1, what was true of the Sahara region around 6000 B.C.?

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

According to paragraph 1, which of the following is true of all arid regions?

Paragraph 2 supports which of the following ideas about wild oxen in the Sahara region after the drought took hold?

According to paragraph 2, what was it that brought cattle and humans into close association?

Why does the author mention the “rock paintings deep in the Sahara”?

According to paragraph 3, all of the following statements were true of newly domesticated animals 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.

According to paragraph 5, each of the following was true about the early Saharan people EXCEPT:

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

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

According to paragraph 6, what allowed the herders to shift south into the savanna regions after about 3500 B.C.?

Look at the four squares  that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. This knowledge enabled the hunters to adopt a different approach to hunting.  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.

Early Saharan Pastoralists The Sahara is a highly diverse, albeit dry, region that has undergone major climatic changes since 10,000 B.C. As recently as 6000 B.C., the southern frontier of the desert was far to the north of where it is now, while semiarid grassland and shallow freshwater lakes covered much of what are now arid plains. This was a landscape where antelope of all kinds abounded—along with Bos primigenius, a kind of oxen that has become extinct. The areas that are now desert were, like all arid regions, very susceptible to cycles of higher and lower levels of rainfall, resulting in major, sudden changes in distributions of plants and animals. The people who hunted the sparse desert animals responded to drought by managing the wild resources they hunted and gathered, especially wild oxen, which had to have regular water supplies to survive. Even before the drought, the Sahara was never well watered. Both humans and animals were constantly on the move, in search of food and reliable water supplies. Under these circumstances, archaeologist Andrew Smith believes, the small herds of Bos primigenius in the desert became smaller, more closely knit breeding units as the drought took hold. The beasts were more disciplined, so that it was easier for hunters to predict their habits, and capture animals at will. At the same time, both cattle and humans were more confined in their movements, staying much closer to permanent water supplies for long periods of time. As a result, cattle and humans came into close association. Smith believes that the hunters were well aware of the more disciplined ways in which their prey behaved.  Instead of following the cattle on their annual migrations, the hunters began to prevent the herd from moving from one spot to another.  At first, they controlled the movement of the herd while ensuring continuance of their meat diet.  But soon they also gained genetic control of the animals, which led to rapid physical changes in the herd.  South African farmers who maintain herds of wild eland (large African antelopes with short, twisted horns) report that the offspring soon diminish in size, unless wild bulls are introduced constantly from outside. The same effects of inbreeding may have occurred in controlled cattle populations, with some additional, and perhaps unrecognized, advantages. The newly domesticated animals behaved better, were easier to control, and may have enjoyed a higher birth rate, which in turn yielded greater milk supplies. We know from rock paintings deep in the Sahara that the herders were soon selecting breeding animals to produce offspring with different horn shapes and hide colors. It is still unclear whether domesticated cattle were tamed independently in northern Africa or introduced to the continent from Southwest Asia. Whatever the source of the original tamed herds might have been, it seems entirely likely that much the same process of juxtaposition (living side by side) and control occurred in both Southwest Asia and northern Africa, and even in Europe, among peoples who had an intimate knowledge of the behavior of wild cattle. The experiments with domestication probably occurred in many places, as people living in ever-drier environments cast around for more predictable food supplies. The cattle herders had only a few possessions: unsophisticated pots and polished adzes cutting tools with blades set at right angles to the handle. They also hunted with bow and arrow. The Saharan people left a remarkable record of their lives painted on the walls of caves deep in the desert. Their artistic endeavors have been preserved in paintings of wild animals, cattle, goats, humans, and scenes of daily life that extend back perhaps to 5000 B.C. The widespread distribution of pastoral sites of this period suggests that the Saharans ranged their herds over widely separated summer and winter grazing grounds. About 3,500 B.C., climatic conditions again deteriorated. The Sahara slowly became drier and lakes vanished. On the other hand, rainfall increased in the interior of western Africa, and the northern limit of the tsetse fly, an insect fatal to cattle, moved south. So the herders shifted south, following the major river systems into savanna regions. By this time, the Saharan people were probably using domestic crops, experimenting with such summer rainfall crops as sorghum and millet as they moved out of areas where they could grow wheat, barley, and other Mediterranean crops.