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Sumer and the First Cities of the Ancient Near East
PARAGRAPH 1
The earliest of the city states of the ancient Near East appeared at the southern end of the Mesopotamian plain, the area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in what is now Iraq. It was here that the civilization known as Sumer emerged in its earliest form in the fifth millennium. At first sight, the plain did not appear to be a likely home for a civilization. There were few natural resources, no timber, stone, or metals. Rainfall was limited, and what water there was rushed across the plain in the annual flood of melted snow. As the plain fell only 20 meters in 500 kilometers, the beds of the rivers shifted constantly. It was this that made the organization of irrigation, particularly the building of canals to channel and preserve the water, essential. Once this was done and the silt carried down by the rivers was planted, the rewards were rich: four to five times what rain-fed earth would produce. It was these conditions that allowed an elite to emerge, probably as an organizing class, and to sustain itself through the control of surplus crops.
PARAGRAPH 2
It is difficult to isolate the factors that led to the next development—the emergence of urban settlements. The earliest, that of Eridu, about 4500 B.C.E., and Uruk, a thousand years later, center on impressive temple complexes built of mud brick. In some way, the elite had associated themselves with the power of the gods. Uruk, for instance, had two patron gods—Anu, the god of the sky and sovereign of all other gods, and inanna, a goddess of love and war—and there were others, patrons of different cities. Human beings were at their mercy. The biblical story of the Flood may originate in Sumer. In the earliest version, the gods destroy the human race because its clamor had been so disturbing to them.
PARAGRAPH 3
It used to be believed that before 3000 B.C.E. the political and economic life of the cities was centered on their temples, but it now seems probable that the cities had secular rulers from earliest times. Within the city lived administrators, craftspeople, and merchants. (Trading was important, as so many raw materials, the semiprecious stones for the decoration of the temples, timbers for roofs, and all metals, had to be imported.) An increasingly sophisticated system of administration led in about 3300 B.C.E. to the appearance of writing. The earliest script was based on logograms, with a symbol being used to express a whole word. The logograms were incised on damp clay tablets with a stylus with a wedge shape at its end. (The Romans called the shape cuneus and this gives the script its name of cuneiform.) Two thousand logograms have been recorded from these early centuries of writing. A more economical approach was to use a sign to express not a whole word but a single syllable. (To take an example: the Sumerian word for" head" was "sag." Whenever a word including a syllable in which the sound "sag" was to be written, the sign for "sag" could be used to express that syllable with the remaining syllables of the word expressed by other signs.) By 2300 B.C.E. the number of signs required had been reduced to 600, and the range of words that could be expressed had widened. Texts dealing with economic matters predominated, as they always had done; but at this point works of theology, g literature, history, and law also appeared.
PARAGRAPH 4
Other innovations of the late fourth millennium include the wheel, probably developed first as a more efficient way of making pottery and then transferred to transport. A tablet engraved about 3000 B.C.E. provides the earliest known example from Sumer, a roofed boxlike sledge mounted on four solid wheels. A major development was the discovery, again about 3000 B.C.E., that if copper, which had been known in Mesopotamia since about 3500 B.C.E., was mixed with tin, a much harder metal, bronze, would result. Although copper and stone tools continued to be used, bronze was far more successful in creating sharp edges that could be used as anything from saws and scythes to weapons. The period from 3000 to 1000 B.C.E., when the use of bronze became I widespread, is normally referred to as the Bronze Age.
PARAGRAPH 1
The earliest of the city states of the ancient Near East appeared at the southern end of the Mesopotamian plain, the area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in what is now Iraq. It was here that the civilization known as Sumer emerged in its earliest form in the fifth millennium. At first sight, the plain did not appear to be a likely home for a civilization. There were few natural resources, no timber, stone, or metals. Rainfall was limited, and what water there was rushed across the plain in the annual flood of melted snow. As the plain fell only 20 meters in 500 kilometers, the beds of the rivers shifted constantly. It was this that made the organization of irrigation, particularly the building of canals to channel and preserve the water, essential. Once this was done and the silt carried down by the rivers was planted, the rewards were rich: four to five times what rain-fed earth would produce. It was these conditions that allowed an elite to emerge, probably as an organizing class, and to sustain itself through the control of surplus crops.
PARAGRAPH 1
The earliest of the city states of the ancient Near East appeared at the southern end of the Mesopotamian plain, the area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in what is now Iraq. It was here that the civilization known as Sumer emerged in its earliest form in the fifth millennium. At first sight, the plain did not appear to be a likely home for a civilization. There were few natural resources, no timber, stone, or metals. Rainfall was limited, and what water there was rushed across the plain in the annual flood of melted snow. As the plain fell only 20 meters in 500 kilometers, the beds of the rivers shifted constantly. It was this that made the organization of irrigation, particularly the building of canals to channel and preserve the water, essential. Once this was done and the silt carried down by the rivers was planted, the rewards were rich: four to five times what rain-fed earth would produce. It was these conditions that allowed an elite to emerge, probably as an organizing class, and to sustain itself through the control of surplus crops.
1、Which of the following is NOT mentioned in paragraph 1 as a disadvantage of the Mesopotamian plain?
There was not very much rainfall for most of the year.
Melting snow caused flooding every year.
The silt deposited by rivers damaged crops.
Timber, stone and metals were not readily available.
2、According to paragraph 1, which of the following made it possible for an elite to emerge?
New crops were developed that were better suited to conditions on the Mesopotamian plain.
The richest individuals managed to gain control of the most valuable cropland.
Control over the few available natural resources made some people four to five times richer than everyone else.
The building of canals to increase agricultural output required organization.
3、The word "sustain" in the passage is closest in meaning to
defend
promote
maintain
transform
新托福作文题库【2】
26.“Fiction (such as short stories or novels) can teach us more about life than textbooks can”. Do you agree or disagree with the statement? Use specific examples to support your answer.
27.Living in big cities has more advantages dm living in small towns or countryside. Do you agree or disagree with the statement. Use specific reasons to support your answer.
28.Some university students want to live in a room alone. Others prefer having roommates. Which do you like better living alone or living with roommates? Give specific examples to support your answer.
29.Some people like to travel alone, other like to travel together with several friends. Which do you prefer, Why?
30.Which is more important for you in your life? Knowledge from books you read, or personal experiences in reality. Please use details to explain your answer.
31.Newspapers contain many information topics such as sports, current event, business and entertainment. Which topic do you like to read most often. Give reasons to explain your answer.
32.Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: People should always show their strong emotions (such as excitement, anger, or joy). Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.
33.Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: Dissatisfaction leads to progress. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
34.Do you agree or disagree with the following statement. A student“s main purpose in getting an education is to earn a lot of money. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
35.Some students like to attend a large university that has many students. Others prefer to attend a small university that has fewer students. Which type of university do you prefer? Use specific reasons and example to support your answer. 蜕变培训网
36.Some students like to have outdoor activities. Others like indoor activities. Which do you prefer? Give specific reasons and examples to illustrate your answer.
37.How do movies or TV influence people”s behavior? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer.
38.Some people like to buy books to read, others like to borr4Dw books from libraries or from other people. Compare the advantages of these two ways of reading. Which do you prefer? Why?
39.Some universities arrange a long period of vacation for students in the school year, others arrange several short vacations. Which kind of vacation do you prefer---a long vacation or a short one? Give specific reasons and examples for your answer.
40.Some people like to communicate by telephone, Other people like to communicate by letter. Which do you prefer to communicate-by phone or by letter? Use specific and details to explain your answer.
41.Some people like to listen to classical music, others like to listen to popular music (including popular songs). Which kind of music do you prefer? Give specific reasons for your answer.
42.Games teach people about life. Do you agree or disagree with the statement? Give specific s for your answer.
43.Many important natural resources such as water, forests, oil, etc, are running out in the world today. What should we do to protect them? Give specific examples to support your idea about one kind of these resources.
44.When people succeed, it is because of hard work luck has nothing to do with success, Do you agree or disagree with the quotation above? Use specific reasons and examples to explain your position.
45.Sometimes it is fun to think of living in another time and place. If you could experience a different time and place, what time and what place would you choose? Use reasons and specific details to support your answer.
46.Some people think that parents should plan their children“s leisure time carefully. Other people believe? that children should decide for themselves how to spend their free time, Which idea do you agree with? Give reasons for your choice.
47.People should be realistic rather than romantic in order to live a better life. Do you agree or disagree? with the statement. Use specific reasons to support your answer.
48.People should never be satisfied with what they have, they should always want something new or? something different Do you agree or disagree with the statement. Give reasons for your choice.
49.Some people think that the family is the most important influence on young adults. Other people think? that friends are the most important influence on young adults. Which view do you agree with? Use examples to) support your position.
50.Some students participate in school activities such as clubs and sports. Other students do not take part in?? such activities because they spend more time on their studies. Tell why you think the two groups of? students spend their time differently? Which type of student do you prefer to be? Explain why.
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