托福阅读：欧亚早期海上贸易

　　为了帮助大家学习托福阅读背景知识，更快提高托福阅读成绩，新东方在线托福网为大家带来托福阅读：欧亚早期海上贸易一文，希望对大家托福备考有所帮助。更多精彩尽请关注新东方在线托福网!

　　Europe's Early Sea Trade with Asia

　　欧亚早期海上贸易

　　P1: In the fourteenth century, a number of political developments cut Europe's overland trade routes to southern and eastern Asia, with which Europe had had important and highly profitable commercial ties since the twelfth century. This development, coming as it did when the bottom had fallen out of the European economy, provided an impetus to a long-held desire to secure direct relations with the East by establishing a sea trade. Widely reported, if somewhat distrusted, accounts by figures like the famous traveler from Venice, Marco Polo, of the willingness of people in China to trade with Europeans and of the immensity of the wealth to be gained by such contact made the idea irresistible. Possibilities for trade seemed promising, but no hope existed for maintaining the traditional routes over land. A new way had to be found.

　　难词解析：

　　Overland ['əʊvəlænd]: 经过陆地的

　　Route [ruːt]: 路线

　　Commercial [kə'mɜːʃ(ə)l]: 商业的

　　Tie [taɪ]: 连接

　　Impetus ['ɪmpɪtəs]: 刺激/动力

　　Long-held: 被长期持有的

　　Secure [sɪ'kjʊə; sɪ'kjɔː]: 使…安全

　　Establish [ɪ'stæblɪʃ]: 建立

　　Account [ə'kaʊnt]: 解释/说明

　　Promising ['prɒmɪsɪŋ]: adj.有前途的

　　难句解析：

　　[In the fourteenth century], [a number of political] developments cut [Europe's overland trade] routes [to southern and eastern Asia], [with which Europe had had important and highly profitable commercial ties since the twelfth century].

　　在14世纪，一系列的政治发展切断了欧洲的陆地贸易路线，到东亚和南亚的贸易路线。欧洲与东亚和南亚国家有着重要且高利润的商业联系，自从12世纪。

　　[Widely reported], [if somewhat distrusted], accounts[ [[by figures] [like the famous traveler from Venice], [Marco Polo]], [of the willingness of people in China to trade with Europeans] and [of the immensity of the wealth to be gained by such contact] ]made the idea irresistible.

　　被广为报道，如果或多或少有不信任，解释说明，由人物、由类似来自威尼斯的著名旅行者马可波罗这类人物带来的解释说明，对中国人有意愿与欧洲人进行贸易的解释说明，和对这样的接触能带来的巨大财富的解释说明，使得这个想法不可抵抗。

　　P2: The chief problem was technological: How were the Europeans to reach the East? Europe's maritime tradition had developed in the context of easily navigable seas—the Mediterranean, the Baltic, and, to a lesser extent, the North Sea between England and the Continent—not of vast oceans. New types of ships were needed, new methods of finding one's way, new techniques for financing so vast a scheme. The sheer scale of the investment it took to begin commercial expansion at sea reflects the immensity of the profits that such East-West trade could create. Spices were the most sought-after commodities. Spices not only dramatically improved the taste of the European diet but also were used to manufacture perfumes and certain medicines. But even high-priced commodities like spices had to be transported in large bulk in order to justify the expense and trouble of sailing around the African continent all the way to India and China.

　　难词解析：

　　Maritime ['mærɪtaɪm]: 航海的

　　To…an extent: 达到…..程度

　　Finance [faɪ'næns; fɪ-; 'faɪnæns]: 募集资金

　　Scheme [skiːm]: 计划/图纸/阴谋

　　Sheer [ʃɪə]: 纯粹的

　　Reflect [rɪ'flekt]: 反省/反映

　　Immensity [ɪ'mensətɪ]: 广袤

　　Sought-after: 被追逐的

　　Bulk [bʌlk]: 大体积/大量

　　难句解析：

　　But even high-priced commodities [like spices] had to be transported [in large bulk] in order to justify the expense and trouble [[of sailing] [around the African continent] all the way [to India and China]].

　　即使是高价的商品例如香料也必须被大量运输，这样才使得成本和麻烦合理，绕着非洲大陆航行到印度和中国的成本和麻烦。