阅读理解真题解析：Commercial Revolution 商业革命的影响

托福【TOEFL】阅读理解真题解析：

托福 阅读理解 真题 考前 冲刺 专项练习
Effects of the Commercial Revolution

In the third and the second millennia B.C. long-distance trade supposedly had the character of an expedition. By the start of the last millennium B.C., however, a new approach to engaging in such trade emerged. Based on the principle of colorization, it was pioneered by the Phoenicians and Greeks, who established colonies along the Mediterranean Sea. The new approach to long-distance trade, known as the commercial revolution, led to changes in a number of political and economic patterns.

For the first time, the planting of colonies in distant lands became possible. The Phoenician settlements in the central and western Mediterranean, such as Carthage, and the slightly later establishment of Greek colonies are early examples, while the settlement of south Arabians in Eritrea around the middle of the last millennium marks the subsequent spread of this sort of commercial consequence to the Horn of Africa. In the third or second millennia B. C., a state such as Egypt might colonize areas outside its heartland, such as Nubia. But this colonization comprised military outposts and ethnic settlements that were planted to hold the contiguous territories of a land empire, not distant localities far separated from the home country.

[▇A] The commercial revolution constructed the economic basis as well for a new kind of town or city, an urban center that above all serviced trade and was home to the crafts and occupational specializations that went along with commercial development. [▇B] The urban locations of earlier times commonly drew trade simply because their populations had included a privileged elite of potential consumers. [▇C] Such towns had arisen in the first place as political and religious centers of the society, they attracted population because power and influence resides there and access to position and wealth could be gained through service to the royal or priestly leadership. [▇D]

Wherever the effects of the commercial revolution penetrated over the last millennium B. C., kings and emperors increasingly lost their ability to treat trade as a royalty sponsored activity, intended to preserve the commodities of trade as the privileges of immemorial power and position. Instead, their policies shifted toward controlling geographical accessibility to the products of commerce and to ensuring security and other conditions that attracted and enhanced the movement of goods. No longer could kings rely on agriculturally supported and religiously based claims to an ability to protect their lands and people; now they also had to overtly support the material prosperity of their people compared to other societies. And rather than exerting a monopoly over prestige commodities, as had Egyptian kings of the third and second millennia, and redistributing such commodities in ways designed to reinforce the allegiance of their subjects and enhance the awesomeness of their position, rulers turned to the taxation of trade and to the creation and control of currency, more and more relying on duties and other revenues to support the apparatus of the state. It was no historical accident that the first metal coinage in the world began to be made in eighth-century Anatolia (modern Turkey) and that the use of coins rapidly spread with the expanding commercial revolution. The material bases and the legitimizations of state authority as we know them today had begun to take shape.

The commercial revolution tended also to spread a particular pattern of exchange. The early commercial centers of the Mediterranean most characteristically offered manufactured goods— purple dye, metal goods, wine, olive oil, and so forth—for the raw materials or the partially processed natural products of other regions. As the commercial revolution spread, this kind of exchange tended to spread with it, with the recently added areas of commerce providing new kinds of raw materials or new sources for familiar products of the natural world, and the longer established commercial centers—which might themselves have lain at the margins of this transformation—producing, or acting as the intermediaries in the transmission of, manufactured commodities. India, for instance, had developed by the tum of the ear into a major exporter of its own cotton textiles, as well as naturally occurring materials, such as gems of various kinds, and at the same time its merchants were the intermediaries of the silk trade.

1.The word “pioneered” in the passage is closest in meaning to

A.adopted

B.described

C.demonstrated

D.introduced

2.All of the following groups are mentioned in paragraph 2 as establishing distant trading outposts in the last millennium B. C. EXCEPT

A.the Greeks

B.the Egyptians

C.the Phoenicians

D.the south Arabians

3.In paragraph 2, why does the author mention the colonization of Nubia by the Egyptians?

A.To prove that colonization was first carried out by the military

B.To indicate that Egypt was a major military power in the third and second millennia B. C.

C.To illustrate how large the geographic area of colonization had become over several millennia

D.To show that the purpose of colonization during the third and second millennia B. C. differed from that of the last millennium B. C.

4.According to paragraph 3, before the emergence of the commercial revolution, trade

A.enabled craftspeople and occupational specialists to gain power and influence in society

B.centered on the ruling elite and those groups closely associated with them

C.was primarily conducted by people serving the royal and religious leadership

D.was a major reason why urban centers were established

5.The word “reinforce” in the passage is closet in meaning to

A.demand

B.strengthen

C.earn

D.repay

6.According to paragraph 4, as the commercial revolution expanded, rulers focused on

A.taxation and the development and control of money

B.distributing prestige commodities to ensure the allegiance of their subjects

C.monopolizing prestige commodities

D.protecting their land to legitimize their authority

7.Paragraph 5 supports which of the following statements about Indian merchants at the time of the commercial revolution?

A.They imported cotton, silk, and other high-quality fabrics intended for the Indian market.

B.They were simultaneously exporters of manufactured and natural products and intermediaries for goods produced elsewhere.

C.They obtained various kinds of gems from intermediaries in the silk trade.

D.They created a highly sophisticated textile industry at the same time that they were engaged in the processing of natural products.

8.Look at the four squares [▇] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. Where would the sentence best fit?

It was significantly different from the typical centers that existed before the commercial revolution.

9.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.

A.During the commercial revolution, newer centers of trade acted as intermediaries in the exchange of different types of manufactured goods.

B.Longer-established trading centers were familiar with the unprocessed products of the natural world, but depended on other areas as sources for manufactured commodities.

C.Eventually, the commercial revolution led to a trading system whereby newly established commercial centers provided the resources needed for the production of goods while older trading centers produced the goods or assisted in their distribution.

D.The commercial revolution depended on a system of trade where consumers valued novelty in the manufactured goods they acquired, but, at the same time, they wanted to be familiar with the natural products they received.

10.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 answer choices 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 questions is worth 2 points.The commercial revolution of the last millennium B. C. resulted in both political and economic changes.

A.New kinds of urban centers emerged that focused on commerce and encouraged craft and occupational specializations.

B.Rulers in the last millennium began to promote the material prosperity of their people through support and improvement of commerce.

C.More established commercial centers supplied final products to newer regions in exchange for raw materials.

D.During the first millennium B. C., new political and religious centers arose that based their power on their ability to protect their lands and people.

E.The focus on raw materials switched the balance of power from the manufacturing centers to the control of the exporters of the natural products.

F.Military occupation of neighboring lands became a major means of expanding trade into new territories.

文章大意：

Effects of the Commercial Revolution

商业革命的影响

在公元前三千年和第二千年，远距离贸易据说具有远征的性质。然而，到公元前最后一个千年开始，一种新的从事这种贸易的方法出现了。基于着色原理，它是由腓尼基人和希腊人率先提出的，他们在地中海沿岸建立了殖民地。长途贸易的新方法被称为商业革命，导致了许多政治和经济模式的变化。

第一次，在遥远的土地上种植殖民地成为可能。在迦太基等地中海中部和西部的腓尼基人定居点以及稍晚的希腊殖民地建立就是早期的例子，而上个千年中期左右在厄立特里亚南部的阿拉伯人的定居标志着这种商业的随后传播对非洲之角的影响。在公元前三千年或第二千年，埃及等国可能会在其心脏地带以外的地区定居，例如努比亚。但是，这种殖民化包括军事哨所和族裔聚居区，它们被种植来容纳土地帝国的连续领土，而不是远离祖国的遥远地区。

商业革命也为新型城镇创造了经济基础，这是一个首先为服务业提供服务的城市中心，是商业发展过程中手工艺和职业专业的所在地。较早时期的城市位置通常吸引贸易是因为他们的人口包括潜在消费者的特权精英。这些城镇最初是社会的政治和宗教中心，它们之所以吸引人口是因为那里存在着权力和影响力，可以通过为皇室或祭司领导层服务来获得地位和财富。

在公元前最后一个千年中，无论商业革命的影响在哪里蔓延，国王和皇帝都越来越失去了将贸易视为皇室赞助活动的能力，这种意图是将贸易商品保留为享有远古权力和地位的特权。相反，他们的政策转向控制商业产品的地理可及性，并确保安全性和其他吸引和增强商品流动的条件。国王不再能够依靠农业支持和宗教上的主张来保护自己的土地和人民的能力；现在，与其他社会相比，他们还必须公开支持人民的物质繁荣。而不是像第三，第二个千年的埃及国王那样，对高档商品实行垄断，并以加强对臣民的忠诚和增强地位的方式重新分配此类商品，统治者转向贸易征税以及货币的创造和控制，越来越多地依靠关税和其他收入来支持商品。状态的设备。世界上第一个金属造币始于八世纪的安纳托利亚（现代土耳其），并且随着商业革命的发展，硬币的使用迅速普及，这绝非历史偶然。我们今天知道的物质基础和国家权威的合法化已初具规模。统治者转向贸易税收以及货币的创造和控制，越来越多地依靠关税和其他收入来支持国家的机器。世界上第一个金属造币始于八世纪的安纳托利亚（现代土耳其），并且随着商业革命的发展，硬币的使用迅速普及，这绝非历史偶然。我们今天知道的物质基础和国家权威的合法化已初具规模。统治者转向贸易税收以及货币的创造和控制，越来越多地依靠关税和其他收入来支持国家的机器。世界上第一个金属造币始于八世纪的安纳托利亚（现代土耳其），并且随着商业革命的发展，硬币的使用迅速普及，这绝非历史偶然。我们今天知道的物质基础和国家权威的合法化已初具规模。

商业革命也倾向于传播一种特殊的交换方式。地中海地区早期的商业中心最具特色的是为其他地区的原材料或部分加工的天然产品提供了制成品-紫色染料，金属制品，葡萄酒，橄榄油等。随着商业革命的发展，这种交流趋于普及，最近增加的商业领域为自然界熟悉的产品提供了新的原材料或新的来源，而历史悠久的商业中心也可能随之而来。处于这种转变的边缘—生产或作为制造商品的传输媒介。例如印度。

1.答案：D答题解析：introduced 介绍（介绍才能开始，和先驱pioneer类似）。【题干是：文章中“先驱”一词的意思最接近于】A.adopted收养的，领养的；所选择居住的，移居的；B.described描述的；C.demonstrated（v. 证明；证实；论证，demonstrate 的过去分词和过去式）；D.introduced（v. 介绍；引进，introduce的过去分词，adj. 引进的；引种的）

2.答案：B答题解析：本文中，ABCD四个选项的单词都提到了。但是，埃及人出现的位置是最后一句话，也是本段的长难句。This Colonization指代的是上一句的埃及，他们的殖民地是not distant localities far separated from the home country，和题干的问题相反。【题干是：在第二段提到的所有下列团体在公元前一千年建立了遥远的贸易前哨】

3.答案：D答题解析：such as Nubia，是一个典型的例子。它的位置出现在和埃及有关的这个观点中。作者说埃及的目的，是为了说明不同时期，不同国家的占领目的不同。因此Nubia就是这个目的。答案是D。【题干是：在第二段中，作者为什么提到埃及人对努比亚的殖民?】

4.答案：B；【题干是：根据第三段，在商业革命出现之前，贸易】

5.答案：B；【题干是：文章中“reinforce”一词的意思与“to”的意思相近，A.demand要求，需求，逼问，查询；B.strengthen加强，巩固，变强；C.earn获得，挣得，博得；D.repay偿还，报答，报复，回答】

6.答案：A解析：A选项对应的是“ rulers turned to the taxation of trade and to the creation and control of currency,”；B选项对应redistributing such commodities in ways designed to reinforce the allegiance of their subjects 是属于“Egyptian kings of the third and second millennia, ”的做法；C选项对应a monopoly over prestige commodities，是属于“Egyptian kings of the third and second millennia, ”的做法；D未提到。【题干是：根据第4段，随着商业革命的扩大，统治者关注】

7.答案：B；解析：题目对应原文：India, for instance, had developed by the tum of the ear into a major exporter of its own cotton textiles, as well as naturally occurring materials, such as gems of various kinds, and at the same time its merchants were the intermediaries of the silk trade.

A选项说反了，原文是export，A选项是import。CD选项原文没有提到。【题干是：第5段支持下列哪一项关于商业革命时期印度商人的陈述?】

8.答案：B【题干是：看四个方框[▇]，指出下面的句子可以添加到文章中。这句话最适合放在哪里? 它与商业革命前的典型中心有很大的不同。】

9.答案：C【题干是：下面哪个句子最好地表达了文章中高亮句子中的基本信息?不正确的选项会在重要的方面改变意思或遗漏重要的信息】

10.正确答案：A B C【题干是：下面提供了一个介绍这篇文章的简短摘要的句子。从三个选项中选出能表达文章中最重要思想的选项来完成总结。有些选项不属于总结，因为它们表达的是文章中没有提到的观点或者是文章中的小观点。这个问题值2分。公元前一千年的商业革命导致了政治和经济的变革。】

A.New kinds of urban centers emerged that focused on commerce and encouraged craft and occupational specializations.新型的城市中心出现了，以商业为中心，鼓励工艺和职业专业化。

B.Rulers in the last millennium began to promote the material prosperity of their people through support and improvement of commerce.上一千年的统治者开始通过支持和改善商业来促进人民的物质繁荣。

C.More established commercial centers supplied final products to newer regions in exchange for raw materials.更成熟的商业中心向更新的地区提供最终产品，以换取原材料。

D.During the first millennium B. C., new political and religious centers arose that based their power on their ability to protect their lands and people.在公元前一千年，新的政治和宗教中心兴起，他们的权力建立在保护他们的土地和人民的能力上。

E.The focus on raw materials switched the balance of power from the manufacturing centers to the control of the exporters of the natural products.对原材料的关注将权力的平衡从制造中心转移到了对天然产品出口商的控制上。

F.Military occupation of neighboring lands became a major means of expanding trade into new territories.军事占领邻国成为向新领土扩张贸易的主要手段。

刘凯老师介绍

刘凯，男，蒙古族，黑龙江省齐齐哈尔人。本科为哈尔滨师范大学英语系，硕士为北京理工大学。2010年赴美国宾夕法尼亚大学交流学习；2013年美国亚利桑那大学访问学者；2015年澳大利亚新南威尔士大学ESL研修；2018年加州理工学院语言学双学位获得者；2019年赴澳大利亚麦考瑞大学交流习；GRE托福考试全球高分获得者；荣获长江商学院EMBA。

北京市优秀青年教师，北京市级重点高中示范校骨干教师，多年高中一线执教经验，高三年级把关教师，多次参与东城区模拟试题命题工作，教学理念先进，教学成果突出，多篇教学论文获市区级奖项。多篇文章发表在《中国教育报》《中国考试》《北京教育》等报刊上。多次参加高考阅卷工作，参与人民教育出版社、北京教育出版社、外研社等各类高考教学用书的编写工作，有丰富的备考经验，国际核心期刊发表多篇论文。

教育部课题研究员，参与国家十二五课题计划，并作出突出贡献，参与初中、高中各年级区级试题的命制，多次承担区级和市级研究课任务。北京市科技英语优秀指导教师，所带学生在各级英语口语、作文竞赛中多次获奖；将扎实的英语基本功和严谨的学术思想作为教学的基础，课堂上善于寓教于乐，信息量大，内容丰富，使学生在和谐的课堂气氛下欣赏英语、享受英语、掌握英语、运用英语。

2009-2012年期间，多次受邀在北京广播电台主持英语高考大纲解析及英语新课程改革节目，学术功底深厚，兼具偶像派与实力派特点，教风亲切洒脱，诙谐幽默，思维开阔，屡有奇思妙想，善于引导学生学以致用，对高考动向把握极其准确，深受学生和家长欢迎。尤其擅长英语语法和单词记忆法。

海外生活学习十年，社科人文类学科偏爱者；10年雅思教龄，知名教师培训师；指导上万考生快速冲刺雅思写作、阅读，平均分数7.5分；独创“段落清空”、极简化“针对检索式”阅读法等众多高效技法；每年雅思考试均在10次以上；均分8+；真题回忆准确度97%以上；贴近西式思路和语言指导学生写作；善于帮助学生突破学术写作思维瓶颈。讲授科目有长难句、翻译、四六级考试、阅读和写作；在2014、2015、2017、2019四年考研中，接受其培训的所有考生中有近万名考生取得高分。带给学生的不只是考分的提高，更多的是对英语领悟和感知的突破。纯正的英音、独到的见解、睿智的思维和轻松幽默的语言，为其赢得了广大学生的认同和喜爱。

资深考研培训讲师；

英语四六级考试天团高级讲师；

雅思阅读、雅思写作培训主讲名师；

六级考试阅卷组成员；

深谙命题规律和解题套路，对英语的学习规律和方法见解独特。

呼吁国人学习英语的态度：

重复是记忆之母。

用听，用看，用心去触摸每个单词，你便会有好的记忆。

中国人要学好英语就要有一点点变态。

上课特点：课堂从不需点名，却无人缺席

教学理念：英语教师很幸运也有责任与学生一同叩响世界之门