『新东方在线托福阅读』为托福考生准备了ETS托福TPO/Official 41 Passage 1阅读练习：Why does the author discuss “a mythic ancestor named Spider Woman”?真题题目及答案解析，TPO/Official 41 Passage 1阅读原文范文音频翻译

托福TPO/Official 41 Passage 1阅读原文Why does the author discuss “a mythic ancestor named Spider Woman”?题目答案及解析-新东方托福官方网校手机版

纳瓦霍人是生活在美国西南部的土著美国人，居住在分散的小定居点。

The Navajo, a Native American people living in the southwestern United States, live in small scattered settlements.

在许多方面，如教育、职业和休闲活动，他们的生活就像在二十一世纪为北美文化的多元化社会结构做出贡献的其他群体一样。

In many respects, such as education, occupation, and leisure activities, their life is like that of other groups that contribute to the diverse social fabric of North American culture in the twenty-first century.

同时，他们也保留了一些与特定艺术形式相关的传统文化习俗。

At the same time, they have retained some traditional cultural practices that are associated with particular art forms.

例如，最重要的传统纳瓦霍仪式包括大型地板绘画的制作。

For example, the most important traditional Navajo rituals include the production of large floor paintings.

它们实际上是通过将细密受控的五彩斑斓的细沙流或者细粉状的蔬菜或矿物质、花粉和花朵以精确的图案倒在地上而制成的。

These are actually made by pouring thin, finely controlled streams of colored sands or pulverized vegetable and mineral substances, pollen, and flowers in precise patterns on the ground.

这些画中最大的直径可达5.5米，并覆盖整个房间的地板。

The largest of these paintings may be up to 5.5 meters in diameter and cover the entire floor of a room.

纳瓦霍艺术家和他的助手们从设计的内部向外展开工作，通过他们的手指筛选黑色、白色、蓝灰色、橙色和红色的材料，创造出精细的图像。

Working from the inside of the design outward, the Navajo artist and his assistants will sift the black, white, bluish-gray, orange, and red materials through their fingers to create the finely detailed imagery.

在仪式上使用的绘画和圣歌是由训练有素的艺术家和歌手指导的，他们寻求精灵的帮助，这些精灵由戴面具的演员扮演。

The paintings and chants used in the ceremonies are directed by well-trained artists and singers who enlist the aid of spirits who are impersonated by masked performers.

已知的24种纳瓦霍圣歌可以用多达500幅沙画来表现。

The twenty-four known Navajo chants can be represented by up to 500 sand paintings.

这些复杂的绘画可以作为记忆辅助，来为歌手在演唱仪式歌曲的过程中提供指导，演唱的过程可能长达9天。

These complex paintings serve as memory aids to guide the singers during the performance of the ritual songs, which can last up to nine days.

沙画的目的和意义可以通过考察纳瓦霍人社会最基本的理想之一来加以解释，这个理想体现在他们的词hozho中（美丽或和谐，善良，和幸福）。

The purpose and meaning of the sand paintings can be explained by examining one of the most basic ideals of Navajo society, embodied in their word hozho (beauty or harmony, goodness, and happiness).

它与hochxo（“丑陋”或“邪恶”和“混乱”） 在一个活力和稳定的对立力量创造了持续的变化的世界中。

It coexists with hochxo (“ugliness,” or “evil,” and “disorder”) in a world where opposing forces of dynamism and stability create constant change.

当原本美丽的世界变得丑陋而混乱时，纳瓦霍人聚集在一起举办仪式，他们唱歌并制作沙画来  恢复世界的美丽与和谐。

When the world, which was created in beauty, becomes ugly and disorderly, the Navajo gather to perform rituals with songs and make sand paintings to restore beauty and harmony to the world.

有些疾病本身就被认为是一种不和谐。

Some illness is itself regarded as a type of disharmony.

因此，通过仪式恢复和谐可能成为治愈过程的一部分。

Thus, the restoration of harmony through a ceremony can be part of a curing process.

人们通过精确地复制过去的画来制作沙画。

Men make sand paintings that are accurate copies of paintings from the past.

歌唱这幅画的歌曲也是对过去歌曲的忠实再现。

The songs sung over the paintings are also faithful renditions of songs from the past.

通过重新创造这些反映原始创造之美的艺术，纳瓦霍人将美感带到当今世界。

By re-creating these arts, which reflect the original beauty of creation, the Navajo bring beauty to the present world.

作为在气候、邻居和统治者这些可能条件同样恶劣的西南地区相对的新来者，纳瓦霍人创造了这些艺术形式来影响他们周围的世界，不仅是通过对象征的行为的叙述，而且是通过艺术作品本身的美丽与和谐。

As relative newcomers to the Southwest, a place where their climate, neighbors, and rulers could be equally inhospitable, the Navajo created these art forms to affect the world around them, not just through the recounting of the actions symbolized, but through the beauty and harmony of the artworks themselves.

这些画一般描述了一个神话英雄的生活中的想法和生平，这个英雄在被神治愈后，拥有了歌曲和画作的天赋。

The paintings generally illustrate ideas and events from the life of a mythical hero, who, after being healed by the gods, gave gifts of songs and paintings.

通过记忆，艺术家们尽可能精确地重新创造了图像的传统形式。

Working from memory, the artists re-create the traditional form of the image as accurately as possible.

纳瓦霍人也因编织毯子上的设计而闻名于世。

The Navajo are also world-famous for the designs on their woven blankets.

纳瓦霍妇女拥有家庭的羊群，控制剪羊毛、梳理、纺纱、染线和织布。

Navajo women own the family flocks, control the shearing of the sheep, the carding, the spinning, and dying of the thread, and the weaving of the fabrics.

当男性忠实地复制了过去的代表了纳瓦霍人思想中的稳定原则的沙画时，女性则体现出活力，并为她们所做的每一种编织都创造出新的设计。

While the men who make faithful copies of sand paintings from the past represent the principle of stability in Navajo thought, women embody dynamism and create new designs for every weaving they make.

编织是一个被称为蜘蛛女的神话祖先的创造力的范例，她将宇宙编织成一个联合地球和天空的宇宙网。

Weaving is a paradigm of the creativity of a mythic ancestor named Spider Woman who wove the universe as a cosmic web that united earth and sky.

根据传说，是她教纳瓦霍妇女如何织布的。

It was she who, according to legend, taught Navajo women how to weave.

在准备材料和编织的过程中，纳瓦霍妇女模仿那些最初创造世界的变化。

As they prepare their materials and weave, Navajo women imitate the transformations that originally created the world.

在织布机上工作时，纳瓦霍织工们创造了图像，通过这些图像她们能够感受到与大自然的和谐相处。

Working on their looms, Navajo weavers create images through which they experience harmony with nature.

这是他们创造美的手段，从而有助于世界的美丽、和谐和治愈。

It is their means of creating beauty and thereby contributing to the beauty, harmony, and healing of the world.

因此，编织是一种观察世界和融入世界的方式。

Thus, weaving is a way of seeing the world and being part of it.

The word “precise” is closest in meaning to

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

What can be inferred from paragraph 1 about the Navajo ritual chants?

According to paragraph 1, all of the following are true of many important Navajo rituals EXCEPT:

It can be inferred from the discussion of illness and curing in paragraph 2 that

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

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, which of the following is often the subject of Navajo sand paintings?

Paragraph 4 supports which of the following statements about Navajo weavers and weaving?

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

Why does the author discuss “a mythic ancestor named Spider Woman”?

According to paragraph 4, Navajo weavers imitate

Look at the four squares  that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. Since this purpose is limited to the context of the ritual, the paintings are destroyed when the ritual is completed.  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.

Navajo Art The Navajo, a Native American people living in the southwestern United States, live in small scattered settlements. In many respects, such as education, occupation, and leisure activities, their life is like that of other groups that contribute to the diverse social fabric of North American culture in the twenty-first century. At the same time, they have retained some traditional cultural practices that are associated with particular art forms. For example, the most important traditional Navajo rituals include the production of large floor paintings. These are actually made by pouring thin, finely controlled streams of colored sands or pulverized vegetable and mineral substances, pollen, and flowers in precise patterns on the ground. The largest of these paintings may be up to 5.5 meters in diameter and cover the entire floor of a room. Working from the inside of the design outward, the Navajo artist and his assistants will sift the black, white, bluish-gray, orange, and red materials through their fingers to create the finely detailed imagery.  The paintings and chants used in the ceremonies are directed by well-trained artists and singers who enlist the aid of spirits who are impersonated by masked performers.  The twenty-four known Navajo chants can be represented by up to 500 sand paintings.  These complex paintings serve as memory aids to guide the singers during the performance of the ritual songs, which can last up to nine days.  The purpose and meaning of the sand paintings can be explained by examining one of the most basic ideals of Navajo society, embodied in their word hozho (beauty or harmony, goodness, and happiness). It coexists with hochxo (“ugliness,” or “evil,” and “disorder”) in a world where opposing forces of dynamism and stability create constant change. When the world, which was created in beauty, becomes ugly and disorderly, the Navajo gather to perform rituals with songs and make sand paintings to restore beauty and harmony to the world. Some illness is itself regarded as a type of disharmony. Thus, the restoration of harmony through a ceremony can be part of a curing process. Men make sand paintings that are accurate copies of paintings from the past. The songs sung over the paintings are also faithful renditions of songs from the past. By re-creating these arts, which reflect the original beauty of creation, the Navajo bring beauty to the present world. As relative newcomers to the Southwest, a place where their climate, neighbors, and rulers could be equally inhospitable, the Navajo created these art forms to affect the world around them, not just through the recounting of the actions symbolized, but through the beauty and harmony of the artworks themselves. The paintings generally illustrate ideas and events from the life of a mythical hero, who, after being healed by the gods, gave gifts of songs and paintings. Working from memory, the artists re-create the traditional form of the image as accurately as possible. The Navajo are also world-famous for the designs on their woven blankets. Navajo women own the family flocks, control the shearing of the sheep, the carding, the spinning, and dying of the thread, and the weaving of the fabrics. While the men who make faithful copies of sand paintings from the past represent the principle of stability in Navajo thought, women embody dynamism and create new designs for every weaving they make. Weaving is a paradigm of the creativity of a mythic ancestor named Spider Woman who wove the universe as a cosmic web that united earth and sky. It was she who, according to legend, taught Navajo women how to weave. As they prepare their materials and weave, Navajo women imitate the transformations that originally created the world. Working on their looms, Navajo weavers create images through which they experience harmony with nature. It is their means of creating beauty and thereby contributing to the beauty, harmony, and healing of the world. Thus, weaving is a way of seeing the world and being part of it.