『新东方在线托福阅读』为托福考生准备了ETS托福TPO/Official 12 Passage 1阅读练习：What is the author’s primary purpose in paragraph 7?真题题目及答案解析，TPO/Official 12 Passage 1阅读原文范文音频翻译

托福TPO/Official 12 Passage 1阅读原文What is the author’s primary purpose in paragraph 7?题目答案及解析-新东方托福官方网校手机版

众所周知，现如今越来越多的人习惯使用右手，而不是左手。

We all know that many more people today are right-handed than left-handed.

我们可以在远古时期找到相同的习惯吗？

Can one trace this same pattern far back in prehistory?

大量证据表明，习惯使用右手的人比习惯使用左手的人多，这些证据来自于人们在澳大利亚和其他地区的石屋以及法国、西班牙和塔斯马尼亚的冰河时代的岩洞中发现的图案和手印。

Much of the evidence about right-hand versus left-hand dominance comes from stencils and prints found in rock shelters in Australia and elsewhere, and in many Ice Age caves in France, Spain, and Tasmania.

如果图案上有左手的手印，则说明这位艺术家习惯使用右手，反之亦然。

When a left hand has been stenciled, this implies that the artist was right-handed, and vice versa.

尽管岩画的漆层是用嘴巴喷涂上去的，但是人们认为，在这一过程中，常用的那只手起到了协助作用。

Even though the paint was often sprayed on by mouth, one can assume that the dominant hand assisted in the operation.

人们还需要假设那些图案是手掌朝下印出来的，而左手手掌朝上印出的图案看上去也会很像右手。

One also has to make the assumption that hands were stenciled palm downward—a left hand stenciled palm upward might of course look as if it were a right hand.

法国加尔加斯山洞中的158个图案中，有136处被认为是左手，只有22处被认为是右手。因此，使用右手的习惯占了相当大的比重。

Of 158 stencils in the French cave of Gargas, 136 have been identified as left, and only 22 as right; right-handedness was therefore heavily predominant.

山洞艺术为这一现象提供了其他类型的证据。

Cave art furnishes other types of evidence of this phenomenon.

例如，大多数版画从左边打光效果最好，这是因为这有利于习惯使用右手的艺术家们作画，他们一般喜欢让光源从左边照过来，这样他们的手影就不会映在錾刀或刷子头上了。

Most engravings, for example, are best lit from the left, as befits the work of right-handed artists, who generally prefer to have the light source on the left so that the shadow of their hand does not fall on the tip of the engraving tool or brush.

有几幅画上画着冰河时代的人物手里拿着东西，东西多半是拿在右手上的，尽管不全是。

In the few cases where an Ice Age figure is depicted holding something, it is mostly, though not always, in the right hand.

还有其他方法可以找到人们惯用右手的线索。

Clues to right-handedness can also be found by other methods.

惯用右手的人一般右半边的骨骼会长得更长，更壮，而且肌肉更发达。马塞林·布列早在1911年就指出，一具名为圣沙拜尔的尼安德特人骸骨的右上臂骨明显比左上臂骨强壮。

Right-handers tend to have longer, stronger, and more muscular bones on the right side, and Marcellin Boule as long ago as 1911 noted the La Chapelle-aux-Saints Neanderthal skeleton had a right upper arm bone that was noticeably stronger than the left.

观察其他尼安德特人的骸骨，如费拉西一号和尼安德特本族人，人们也发现了相似的特点。

Similar observations have been made on other Neanderthal skeletons such as La Ferrassie I and Neanderthal itself.

Fractures and other cut marks are another source of evidence.

惯用右手的士兵身体左侧容易受伤。

Right-handed soldiers tend to be wounded on the left.

一位四五十岁的纳巴坦勇士的骸骨2000年前被埋在了以色列的尼盖夫沙漠，其颅骨、左臂和肋骨有多处已经愈合的骨折痕迹。

The skeleton of a 40- or 50-year-old Nabatean warrior, buried 2,000 years ago in the Negev Desert, Israel, had multiple healed fractures to the skull, the left arm, and the ribs.

公元前3000年阿尔卑斯山村庄留存的新石器时代的长柄紫杉木勺子完整地保存了下来。勺子左侧的磨痕表明，使用这些勺子的人惯用右手。

Long-handed Neolithic spoons of yew wood preserved in Alpine villages dating to 3000 B.C.have survived; the signs of rubbing on their left side indicate that their users were right-handed.

在法国拉斯科岩洞中找到的冰河时代末期的绳子，其纤维是向右拧的，因此可以说明是惯用右手的人捻制而成的。

The late Ice Age rope found in the French cave of Lascaux consists of fibers spiraling to the right, and was therefore tressed by a right-hander.

有时候，我们可以判断出人们是用右手还是用左手使用石器，甚至还能推测出人们是多久之前开始有这种习惯的。

Occasionally one can determine whether stone tools were used in the right hand or the left, and it is even possible to assess how far back this feature can be traced.

尼克·托特是一个习惯使用右手的人，他在制作石器的实验中用左手拿着石胚（就是即将被打磨成石器的石头），右手拿着石锤。

In stone tool making experiments, Nick Toth, a right-hander, held the core (the stone that would become the tool) in his left hand and the hammer stone in his right.

制造这个石器时，石胚被顺时针旋转，碎片一点一点掉落，表层（石胚的外表面）的侧边会留下一个个月牙状的痕迹。

As the tool was made, the core was rotated clockwise, and the flakes, removed in sequence, had a little crescent of cortex (the core’s outer surface) on the side.

托特捶打产生的碎痕，56％留在了右侧，44%留在了左侧。

Toth’s knapping produced 56 percent flakes with the cortex on the right, and 44 percent left-oriented flakes.

一个习惯使用左手的石器制造者打造的石器上会出现相反的图案。

A left-handed toolmaker would produce the opposite pattern.

托特将这种标准运用到了使用类似方法打造出来的鹅卵石器具上，这些鹅卵石器具来自于肯尼亚库彼福勒的多处早期遗址（150万年前），有可能是能人制造的。

Toth has applied these criteria to the similarly made pebble tools from a number of early sites (before 1.5 million years) at Koobi Fora, Kenya, probably made by Homo habilis.

在七处遗址中，他发现有石器上有57％的碎痕朝右，43%朝左，这和今天我们器具上的痕迹几乎是一样的。

At seven sites he found that 57 percent of the flakes were right-oriented, and 43 percent left, a pattern almost identical to that produced today.

大约90%的现代人都习惯使用右手。我们是唯一有用手偏好的哺乳动物。

About 90 percent of modern humans are right-handed: we are the only mammal with a preferential use of one hand.

负责精密控制和身体活动的这部分大脑位于左半球。以上的发现说明，在两百万年前的不久之后，人脑在结构和功能方面已经是不对称的了。

The part of the brain responsible for fine control and movement is located in the left cerebral hemisphere, and the findings above suggest that the human brain was already asymmetrical in its structure and function not long after 2 million years ago.

马塞琳·布洛指出，在70000-35000年前的尼安德特人中，圣沙拜尔的左脑比右脑大一点。他从尼安德特人、直布罗陀人和拉昆尼亚人种的脑样本中也得出了相同的结论。

Among Neanderthalers of 70,000 - 35,000 years ago, Marcellin Boule noted that the La Chapelle-aux-Saints individual had a left hemisphere slightly bigger than the right, and the same was found for brains of specimens from Neanderthal, Gibraltar, and La Quina.

It can be inferred from paragraph 1 that even when paint was sprayed by mouth to make a hand stencil

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 3, the La Chapelle-aux-Saints Neanderthal skeleton can be identified as right-handed because

Which of the following statements about fractures and cut marks can be inferred from paragraph 4?

According to paragraph 5, what characteristic of a Neolithic spoon would imply that the spoon’s owner was right-handed?

In paragraph 5, why does the author mention the Ice Age rope found in the French cave of Lascaux?

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

What was the purpose of Toth’s toolmaking experiment described in paragraph 6?

What is the author’s primary purpose in paragraph 7?

Look at the four squares  that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. The stencils of hands found in these shelters and caves allow us to draw conclusions about which hand was dominant.  Where would the sentence best fit? Click on a square  to add the sentence to the passage.

Which Hand Did They Use? We all know that many more people today are right-handed than left-handed. Can one trace this same pattern far back in prehistory?  Much of the evidence about right-hand versus left-hand dominance comes from stencils and prints found in rock shelters in Australia and elsewhere, and in many Ice Age caves in France, Spain, and Tasmania.  When a left hand has been stenciled, this implies that the artist was right-handed, and vice versa.  Even though the paint was often sprayed on by mouth, one can assume that the dominant hand assisted in the operation. One also has to make the assumption that hands were stenciled palm downward—a left hand stenciled palm upward might of course look as if it were a right hand.  Of 158 stencils in the French cave of Gargas, 136 have been identified as left, and only 22 as right; right-handedness was therefore heavily predominant. Cave art furnishes other types of evidence of this phenomenon. Most engravings, for example, are best lit from the left, as befits the work of right-handed artists, who generally prefer to have the light source on the left so that the shadow of their hand does not fall on the tip of the engraving tool or brush. In the few cases where an Ice Age figure is depicted holding something, it is mostly, though not always, in the right hand. Clues to right-handedness can also be found by other methods. Right-handers tend to have longer, stronger, and more muscular bones on the right side, and Marcellin Boule as long ago as 1911 noted the La Chapelle-aux-Saints Neanderthal skeleton had a right upper arm bone that was noticeably stronger than the left. Similar observations have been made on other Neanderthal skeletons such as La Ferrassie I and Neanderthal itself. Fractures and other cut marks are another source of evidence. Right-handed soldiers tend to be wounded on the left. The skeleton of a 40- or 50-year-old Nabatean warrior, buried 2,000 years ago in the Negev Desert, Israel, had multiple healed fractures to the skull, the left arm, and the ribs. Tools themselves can be revealing. Long-handed Neolithic spoons of yew wood preserved in Alpine villages dating to 3000 B.C. have survived; the signs of rubbing on their left side indicate that their users were right-handed. The late Ice Age rope found in the French cave of Lascaux consists of fibers spiraling to the right, and was therefore tressed by a right-hander. Occasionally one can determine whether stone tools were used in the right hand or the left, and it is even possible to assess how far back this feature can be traced. In stone tool making experiments, Nick Toth, a right-hander, held the core (the stone that would become the tool) in his left hand and the hammer stone in his right. As the tool was made, the core was rotated clockwise, and the flakes, removed in sequence, had a little crescent of cortex (the core’s outer surface) on the side. Toth’s knapping produced 56 percent flakes with the cortex on the right, and 44 percent left-oriented flakes. A left-handed toolmaker would produce the opposite pattern. Toth has applied these criteria to the similarly made pebble tools from a number of early sites (before 1.5 million years) at Koobi Fora, Kenya, probably made by Homo habilis. At seven sites he found that 57 percent of the flakes were right-oriented, and 43 percent left, a pattern almost identical to that produced today. About 90 percent of modern humans are right-handed: we are the only mammal with a preferential use of one hand. The part of the brain responsible for fine control and movement is located in the left cerebral hemisphere, and the findings above suggest that the human brain was already asymmetrical in its structure and function not long after 2 million years ago. Among Neanderthalers of 70,000 - 35,000 years ago, Marcellin Boule noted that the La Chapelle-aux-Saints individual had a left hemisphere slightly bigger than the right, and the same was found for brains of specimens from Neanderthal, Gibraltar, and La Quina.