托福阅读真题Official 53 Passage 3（三）

托福阅读真题Official 53 Passage 3（三）

Paleolithic Cave Painting

In any investigation of the origins of art,attention focuses on the cave paintings created in Europe during the Paleolithic era(C.40,000-10,000 years ago)such as those depicting bulls and other animals in the Lascaux cave in France.Accepting that they are the best preserved and most visible signs of what was a global creative explosion,how do we start to explain their appearance.Instinctively,we may want to update the earliest human artists by assuming that they painted for the sheer joy of painting.The philosophers of Classical Greece recognized it as a defining trait of humans to“delight in works of imitation”—to enjoy the very act and triumph of representation.If we were close to a real lion or snake,we might feel frightened.But a well-executed picture of a lion or snake will give us pleasure.Why suppose that our Paleolithic ancestors were any different?

This simple acceptance of art for art’s sake has a certain appeal.To think of Lascaux as a gallery allows it to be a sort of special viewing place where the handiwork of accomplished artists might be displayed.Plausibly,daily existence in parts of Paleolithic Europe may not have been so hard,with an abundance of ready food and therefore the leisure time for art.The problems with this explanation,however,are various.In the first place,the proliferation of archaeological discoveries—and this includes some of the world’s innumerable rock art sites that cannot be dated—has served to emphasize a remarkably limited repertoire of subjects.The images that recur are those of animals.Human figures are unusual,and when they do make an appearance,they are rarely done with the same attention to form accorded to the animals.If Paleolithic artists were simply seeking to represent the beauty of the world around them,would they not have left a far greater range of pictures—of trees,flowers,of the Sun and the stars?

A further question to the theory of art for art’s sake is posed by the high incidence of Paleolithic images that appear not to be imitative of any reality whatsoever.These are geometrical shapes or patterns consisting of dots or lines.Such marks may be found isolated or repeated over a particular surface,but also scattered across more recognizable forms.A good example of this may be seen in the geologically spectacular grotto of Pêche Merle,in the Lot region of France.Here we encounter some favorite animals from the Paleolithic repertoire—a pair of stout-bellied horses.But over and around the horses’outlines are multiple dark spots,daubed in disregard for the otherwise naturalistic representation of animals.What does such patterning imitate.There is also the factor of location.The caves of Lascaux might conceivably qualify as underground galleries,but many other paintings have been found in recesses totally unsuitable for any kind of viewing—tight nooks and crannies that must have been awkward even for the artists to penetrate,let alone for anyone else wanting to see the art.

Finally,we may doubt the notion that the Upper Paleolithic period was a paradise in which food came readily,leaving humans ample time to amuse themselves with art.For Europe it was still the Ice Age.An estimate of the basic level of sustenance then necessary for human survival has been judged at 2200 calories per day.This consideration,combined with the stark emphasis upon animals in the cave art,has persuaded some archaeologists that the primary motive behind Paleolithic images must lie with the primary activity of Paleolithic people:hunting.

Hunting is a skill.Tracking,stalking,chasing,and killing the prey are difficult,sometimes dangerous activities.What if the process could be made easier—by art.In the early decades of the twentieth century,AbbéHenri Breuil argued that the cave paintings were all about“sympathetic magic.”The artists strived diligently to make their animal images evocative and realistic because they were attempting to capture the spirit of their prey.What could have prompted their studious attention to making such naturalistic,recognizable images.According to Breuil,the artists may have believed that if a hunter were able to make a true likeness of some animal,then that animal was virtually trapped.Images,therefore,may have had the magical capacity to confer success or luck in the hunt.

Question 5 of 14

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.The limited variety in the subjects of rock art paintings has become increasingly evident in the many sites discovered.

B.The limited repertoire of subjects found in rock art has made it difficult for archaeologists to determine when each painting was created.

C.In the first place,there is little new archaeological information on the subject of rock art because of the limited number of recent discoveries.

D.Because many rock art sites cannot be dated,archaeologists have limited information about how rock art varied from period to period.

正确答案：A

题目详解

题型分类：简化句子题

原文解析：原句In the first place,the proliferation of archaeological discoveries—and this includes some of the world’s innumerable rock art sites that cannot be dated—has served to emphasize a remarkably limited repertoire of subjects.解释为：大量激增的考古发现——包括一些数不胜数的无法追溯时期的岩石壁画遗址——都强调了岩画题材的有限性。破折号中间的部分为次要信息，可以省略，句子主干为The proliferation of archaeological discoveries has served to emphasize a limited repertoire.

选项分析：

A选项正确。

B选项错误，difficult是原句中没有的信息。

C选项错误，little与原文意思相反。

D选项错误，原句中没有这种因果关系。

Question 6 of 14

According to paragraph 2,which of the following is true about human figures as subjects of rock art?

A.Human figures almost always appear alone and never appear with animals.

B.Images of humans are both rarer and less accurately drawn than those of animals.

C.Some of the most beautiful images in Paleolithic rock art are of human figures.

D.There is more variety in how humans are depicted in cave art than in how animals are.

正确答案：B

题目详解

题型分类：事实信息题

原文定位：根据human figure定位到原文第二段倒数第二句Human figures are unusual,and when they do make an appearance,they are rarely done with the same attention to form accorded to the animals.人物形象并不常见，并且当他们画人像时，投入的注意力和画动物时不同。

选项分析：

B选项正确，画人像既少见，又不认真。

A选项说人像往往单独出现，从来不和动物一起出现，太绝对，原文没有说从来不。

C选项说一些最美的作品是人像，原文说人像画的不认真，与原文意思相反。

D选项说画人像有更多的变化，原文没有提有更多的变化。