『新东方在线托福听力』为托福考生准备了ETS托福TPO/Official 17 Passage 1阅读练习，TPO/Official 17 Passage 1原文答案解析，TPO/Official 17 Passage 1阅读原文练习音频翻译。

托福TPO/Official 17 Passage 1阅读原文题目答案及解析-新东方托福官方网校手机版

在14世纪，一些政治上的发展切断了欧洲通往南亚和东亚的陆路贸易路线，自12世纪以来，欧洲一直与南亚和东亚有着重要和高收益的商业联系。

In the fourteenth century, a number of political developments cut Europe’s overland trade routes to southern and eastern Asia, with which Europe had had important and highly profitable commercial ties since the twelfth century.

这一事态发展，就像欧洲经济触底时一样，推动了一种长期以来的愿望，即通过建立海上贸易来确保与东方的直接关系。

This development, coming as it did when the bottom had fallen out of the European economy, provided an impetus to a long-held desire to secure direct relations with the East by establishing a sea trade.

像著名的威尼斯旅行家马可·波罗（Marco Polo），这样的人物对中国人与欧洲人进行贸易往来的意愿以及通过这种接触而获得的巨大财富的描述，虽然有些不可信，但却被广泛报道，使这种想法变得不可抗拒。

Widely reported, if somewhat distrusted, accounts by figures like the famous traveler from Venice, Marco Polo, of the willingness of people in China to trade with Europeans and of the immensity of the wealth to be gained by such contact made the idea irresistible.

贸易的可能性似乎很有希望，但维持传统的陆路路线是没有希望的。

Possibilities for trade seemed promising, but no hope existed for maintaining the traditional routes over land.

主要的问题是技术上的：欧洲人如何到达东方?

The chief problem was technological: How were the Europeans to reach the East?

欧洲的航海传统是在易于航行的海洋环境中发展起来的——地中海、波罗的海，以及没有那么容易航行的英国和欧洲大陆之间的北海——而不是广阔的海洋。

Europe’s maritime tradition had developed in the context of easily navigable seas—the Mediterranean, the Baltic, and, to a lesser extent, the North Sea between England and the Continent—not of vast oceans.

我们需要新型船舶，需要新的寻路方法，需要为如此庞大的计划筹措资金的新技术。

New types of ships were needed, new methods of finding one’s way, new techniques for financing so vast a scheme.

在海上进行商业扩张所需要的投资规模之大，反映了这种东西方贸易所能创造的巨大利润。

The sheer scale of the investment it took to begin commercial expansion at sea reflects the immensity of the profits that such East-West trade could create.

Spices were the most sought-after commodities.

香料不仅极大地改善了欧洲饮食的口味，而且还被用于制造香水和某些药物。

Spices not only dramatically improved the taste of the European diet but also were used to manufacture perfumes and certain medicines.

但是，即使是像香料这样的高价商品，也必须大量运输，才能让环绕非洲大陆航行到印度和中国的费用和困难是合理的。

But even high-priced commodities like spices had to be transported in large bulk in order to justify the expense and trouble of sailing around the African continent all the way to India and China.

中世纪主要使用的海船是大桡船，一种长而低的船，装有帆，但主要由桨驱动。

The principal seagoing ship used throughout the Middle Ages was the galley, a long, low ship fitted with sails but driven primarily by oars.

最大的一艘船上有多达50名桨手。

The largest galleys had as many as 50 oarsmen.

因为它们的船身相对较浅，所以在帆的驱动下或在波涛汹涌的水面上航行时，它们是不稳定的；因此，它们不适合去东方航行。

Since they had relatively shallow hulls, they were unstable when driven by sail or when on rough water; hence they were unsuitable for the voyage to the East.

即使它们沿着非洲海岸线航行，也几乎没有机会穿越印度洋。

Even if they hugged the African coastline, they had little chance of surviving a crossing of the Indian Ocean.

15世纪后不久，造船工人开始开发一种新型的船，这种船设计合理，可以在波涛汹涌的、开阔的水面上航行：卡拉维尔帆船（caravel）。

Shortly after 1400, shipbuilders began developing a new type of vessel properly designed to operate in rough, open water: the caravel.

它的船身比大桡船更宽更深，因此能装更多的货物；增加的稳定性使它有可能添加多个桅杆和帆。

It had a wider and deeper hull than the galley and hence could carry more cargo; increased stability made it possible to add multiple masts and sails.

在最大的帆船里，两根主桅上都挂着巨大的方帆，这些方帆提供了推动船只前进的大量推力，而一根较小的前桅上挂着三角形的帆，叫做拉丁帆，可以移动到不同的方位来操纵船只。

In the largest caravels, two main masts held large square sails that provided the bulk of the thrust driving the ship forward, while a smaller forward mast held a triangular-shaped sail, called a lateen sail, which could be moved into a variety of positions to maneuver the ship.

星盘一直是主要的导航仪器，在11世纪被引进。

The astrolabe had long been the primary instrument for navigation, having been introduced in the eleventh century.

它是通过测量太阳和恒星的高度来运作的;通过计算这些点所形成的角度，它就确定了一个人所处的纬度。

It operated by measuring the height of the Sun and the fixed stars; by calculating the angles created by these points, it determined the degree of latitude at which one stood.

（不过，确定经度的问题直到18世纪才得到解决。）到了13世纪早期，西欧人也发明并使用了磁罗盘，当云层遮住太阳和星星时，磁罗盘就派上了用场。

(The problem of determining longitude, though, was not solved until the eighteenth century.) By the early thirteenth century, Western Europeans had also developed and put into use the magnetic compass, which helped when clouds obliterated both the Sun and the stars.

同样从13世纪开始，出现了新的地图，这些地图通过精确的计算和水手们的报告得以改进，使人们能够合理准确地追踪自己的路线。

Also beginning in the thirteenth century, there were new maps refined by precise calculations and the reports of sailors that made it possible to trace one’s path with reasonable accuracy.

一些体制和实际准则也被确立了。

Certain institutional and practical norms had become established as well.

14世纪起源于西地中海地区的《海上领事馆海商法》被大多数海上旅行者接受为规范的海上行为守则；它规定了诸如船长的权威、指挥规程、薪酬结构、水手的权利以及船舶在海上航线上相遇时的交战规则等事项。

A maritime code known as the Consulate of the Sea, which originated in the western Mediterranean region in the fourteenth century, won acceptance by a majority of sea goers as the normative code for maritime conduct; it defined such matters as the authority of a ship’s officers, protocols of command, pay structures, the rights of sailors, and the rules of engagement when ships met one another on the sea-lanes.

因此，到15世纪左右，关键因素已经到位，使欧洲能够开始它的海上冒险。

Thus by about 1400 the key elements were in place to enable Europe to begin its seaward adventure.

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

According to paragraph 1, why was it necessary to find a new way for European merchants to reach the East?

According to paragraph 2, what was the main difficulty Europeans had to overcome in order to develop a new way of trading with the East?

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 “dramatically” in the passage is closest in meaning to

It can be inferred from paragraph 2 that spices from Asia were desirable in Europe in the Middle Ages because they

According to paragraph 3, all of the following statements comparing the caravel with the galley are true EXCEPT:

According to paragraph 3, what did the lateen sail contribute to the caravel as a sailing ship?

Why does the author include the information that Western Europeans had “developed and put into use the magnetic compass”?

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

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

According to paragraph 4, which of the following is true of the maritime code developed in Europe in the fourteenth century?

Look at the four squares  that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. They were highly valued for a couple of reasons.  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.

Europe’s Early Sea Trade with Asia In the fourteenth century, a number of political developments cut Europe’s overland trade routes to southern and eastern Asia, with which Europe had had important and highly profitable commercial ties since the twelfth century. This development, coming as it did when the bottom had fallen out of the European economy, provided an impetus to a long-held desire to secure direct relations with the East by establishing a sea trade. Widely reported, if somewhat distrusted, accounts by figures like the famous traveler from Venice, Marco Polo, of the willingness of people in China to trade with Europeans and of the immensity of the wealth to be gained by such contact made the idea irresistible. Possibilities for trade seemed promising, but no hope existed for maintaining the traditional routes over land. A new way had to be found. The chief problem was technological: How were the Europeans to reach the East? Europe’s maritime tradition had developed in the context of easily navigable seas—the Mediterranean, the Baltic, and, to a lesser extent, the North Sea between England and the Continent—not of vast oceans. New types of ships were needed, new methods of finding one’s way, new techniques for financing so vast a scheme. The sheer scale of the investment it took to begin commercial expansion at sea reflects the immensity of the profits that such East-West trade could create.  Spices were the most sought-after commodities.  Spices not only dramatically improved the taste of the European diet but also were used to manufacture perfumes and certain medicines.  But even high-priced commodities like spices had to be transported in large bulk in order to justify the expense and trouble of sailing around the African continent all the way to India and China.  The principal seagoing ship used throughout the Middle Ages was the galley, a long, low ship fitted with sails but driven primarily by oars. The largest galleys had as many as 50 oarsmen. Since they had relatively shallow hulls, they were unstable when driven by sail or when on rough water; hence they were unsuitable for the voyage to the East. Even if they hugged the African coastline, they had little chance of surviving a crossing of the Indian Ocean. Shortly after 1400, shipbuilders began developing a new type of vessel properly designed to operate in rough, open water: the caravel. It had a wider and deeper hull than the galley and hence could carry more cargo; increased stability made it possible to add multiple masts and sails. In the largest caravels, two main masts held large square sails that provided the bulk of the thrust driving the ship forward, while a smaller forward mast held a triangular-shaped sail, called a lateen sail, which could be moved into a variety of positions to maneuver the ship. The astrolabe had long been the primary instrument for navigation, having been introduced in the eleventh century. It operated by measuring the height of the Sun and the fixed stars; by calculating the angles created by these points, it determined the degree of latitude at which one stood. (The problem of determining longitude, though, was not solved until the eighteenth century.) By the early thirteenth century, Western Europeans had also developed and put into use the magnetic compass, which helped when clouds obliterated both the Sun and the stars. Also beginning in the thirteenth century, there were new maps refined by precise calculations and the reports of sailors that made it possible to trace one’s path with reasonable accuracy. Certain institutional and practical norms had become established as well. A maritime code known as the Consulate of the Sea, which originated in the western Mediterranean region in the fourteenth century, won acceptance by a majority of sea goers as the normative code for maritime conduct; it defined such matters as the authority of a ship’s officers, protocols of command, pay structures, the rights of sailors, and the rules of engagement when ships met one another on the sea-lanes. Thus by about 1400 the key elements were in place to enable Europe to begin its seaward adventure.