托福TPO19阅读部分“难”度大揭密

　　9. The word

　　in the passage is closest in meaning to ○set of moral principles(a set of moral principles， esp. ones relating to

　　or affirming a specified group， field， or form of conduct ) ○division of labor ○economic system ○test of character

　　10. According to paragraph 4， what choice did Middle Eastern merchants and artisans have that many other people have not had？

　　○If they were unhappy in the mercantile environment， they could draw on personal connections to find a different kind of work.

　　○They were allowed to assert their opinions without having to listen to aristocratic professions of moral superiority.

　　○Following the example of the pastoralists， they could demand， and receive， better working conditions.

　　○If they didn't like their environment， they could move somewhere else.( Middle Eastern merchants and artisans unhappy with their environment could simply pack ethic up and leave for greener pastures 是这句话的同义改写 其中leave 对应选项的 move。)

　　Paragraph 5： Dependence on long-distance trade also meant that the great empires of the Middle East were built both literally and figuratively on shifting sand. The central state， though often very rich and very populous，was fragile，since the development of new international trade routes could undermine the monetary base and erode state power， as occurred when European seafarers circumvented Middle Eastern merchants after Vasco da Gama's voyage around Africa in the late fifteenth century opened up a southern route. The ecology of the region also permitted armed predators to prowl the surrounding barrens， which were almost impossible for a state to control. Peripheral peoples therefore had a great advantage in their dealings with the center， making government authority insecure and anxious.

　　11. The word

　　in the passage is closest in meaning to ○fundamentally (intrinsic： belonging naturally； essential)

　　○surprisingly ○consequently ○particularly

　　12.In paragraph 5， why does the author mention the new trade route opened up by Vasco da Gama's fifteenth century voyage around Africa？

　　○To provide evidence that European seafarers took every opportunity to bypass Middle Eastern merchants

　　○To present an instance in which Middle Eastern states lost money and power because of their reliance on long-distance trade( The central state， though often very rich and very populous， was

　　fragile， since the development of new international trade routes could undermine the monetary base and erode state power， as occurred when European seafarers circumvented Middle Eastern merchants after Vasco da Gama's voyage around Africa in the late fifteenth century

　　intrinsically

　　intrinsically

　　intrinsically

　　opened up a southern route. lost money and power是原文 undermine the monetary base and erode state power的改写。

　　their reliance on long-distance trade是原文 development of new international trade routes。其中还有：ETS把原文的since改成 because of了。 你看看，多对称的同义改写啊。有时候我都觉得，ETS的出题人不来 中国参与我们中国的手机山寨行业，真是咱们山寨手机企业的巨大损失啊。你想想： ETS的这种把戏骗了我们一代又一代的托福考生，可见其手段非同一般。真希望咱们 山寨手机能快快努力前进。争取将来iphone5出来不久后就山寨成功。到时候我肯定 去买支持咱们山寨产品的：爱疯哥--老五！)ETS果然按照老作风，在这种“变态”句 子中下手了。ETS总是不厌其烦的告诉我们那句隐晦的方言：孩子们，提高你们的阅 读能力吧。Saavedro也总是把ETS的那句方言再细化成普通标准话后说出来：词汇 +长难句！！！

　　○To argue this new route became necessary when European seafarers wanted to avoid Middle Eastern states whose central power had begun to erode

　　○To explain how da Gama helped European traders avoid the dangerous predators prowling the areas surrounding Middle Eastern cities

　　Paragraph2： Reliance on trade had several important consequences. ■Production was generally in the hands of skilled individual artisans doing piecework under the

　　tutelage of a master who was also the shop owner. ■In these shops differences of rank were blurred as artisans and masters labored side by side in the same modest establishment， were usually members of the same guild and religious sect， lived in the same neighborhoods， and often had assumed (or real) kinship relationships. ■The worker was bound to the master by a mutual contract that either one could repudiate， and the relationship was conceptualized as one of partnership. ■

　　13. Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.

　　For one thing， it created a demand for finished goods to be sold both locally and abroad.(根据 For one thing，这个状语，这句话只能被放在第一个位置)

　　Where would the sentence best fit？

　　14. 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.

　　Since ancient times. reliance on trade has shaped the culture and organizational structure of Middle Eastern societies.

　　● ● ●

　　Answer Choices

　　1. Persian and Arabian merchants traveled great distances to sell their finished goods at the marketplaces of ancient Sumeria.

　　2. Revenue from trade was unevenly distributed， causing Middle Eastern societies to be characterized by growing distinctions in wealth and power.

　　3. Qualities that were valued in the mercantile economy included individualism， hard work， loyalty， and the willingness to take risks.

　　4. As production increased， centralized control over production also increased， leading in turn to more-centralized control over fellowship and worship.

　　5. Crafts were produced by skilled artisans working in close， egalitarian relationships with their masters and other fellow guild members.

　　6. The stability of Middle Eastern governments was threatened by their lack of control over international trade patterns and over their own peripheral territories.

　　在这里我把TPO19阅读中的第一篇文章做了一个比较详细的解题分析。在这里我想告诉 大家的是：托福考题的难度可能会上升，但是考试的模式仍旧没有变化。这就是我之前那 篇Saavedro‘s Overview of TOEFL-iBT TEST for 2011(1)中所反复讲的那个道理。大家需要做的还是一方面加强自己英语能力基本功的训练；另一方面要贯彻我反复提及的那 个TOEFL阅读做题方法论和指导原则进行不间断，连续的阶段性训练。

　　对于阅读来说，正确答案一定是在原文有明确出处的，而错误答案多半就是intuitive(直 觉上，这个词老美非常喜欢用，我每每能在Textbook和各种Paper上看到)出来的。这也 反映了美国人的思维：证据，凡是正确的，有效的的事物之成立，都必须要有等同价值的 证据作为证明而存在于世。

　　在托福考试里，永远都不存在这种说法：只能意会，不能言传。