托福阅读真题Official 51 Passage 1（七）

托福阅读真题Official 51 Passage 1（七）

Memphis:United Egypt’s First Capital

The city of Memphis,located on the Nile near the modern city of Cairo,was founded around 3100 B.C.as the first capital of a recently united Egypt.The choice of Memphis by Egypt’s first kings reflects the site’s strategic importance.First,and most obvious,the apex of the Nile River delta was a politically opportune location for the state’s administrative center,standing between the united lands of Upper and Lower Egypt and offering ready access to both parts of the country.The older predynastic(pre-3100 B.C.)centers of power,This and Hierakonpolis,were too remote from the vast expanse of the delta,which had been incorporated into the unified state.Only a city within easy reach of both the Nile valley to the south and the more spread out,difficult terrain to the north could provide the necessary political control that the rulers of early dynastic Egypt(roughly 3000–2600 B.C.)required.

The region of Memphis must have also served as an important node for transport and communications,even before the unification of Egypt.The region probably acted as a conduit for much,if not all,of the river-based trade between northern and southern Egypt.Moreover,commodities(such as wine,precious oils,and metals)imported from the Near East by the royal courts of predynastic Upper Egypt would have been channeled through the Memphis region on their way south.In short,therefore,the site of Memphis offered the rulers of the Early Dynastic Period an ideal location for controlling internal trade within their realm,an essential requirement for a state-directed economy that depended on the movement of goods.

Equally important for the national administration was the ability to control communications within Egypt.The Nile provided the easiest and quickest artery of communication,and the national capital was,again,ideally located in this respect.Recent geological surveys of the Memphis region have revealed much about its topography in ancient times.It appears that the location of Memphis may have been even more advantageous for controlling trade,transport,and communications than was previously appreciated.Surveys and drill cores have shown that the level of the Nile floodplain has steadily risen over the last five millenniums.When the floodplain was much lower,as it would have been in predynastic and early dynastic times,the outwash fans(fan-shaped deposits of sediments)of various wadis(stream-beds or channels that carry water only during rainy periods)would have been much more prominent features on the east bank.The fan associated with the Wadi Hof extended a significant way into the Nile floodplain,forming a constriction in the vicinity of Memphis.The valley may have narrowed at this point to a mere three kilometers,making it the ideal place for controlling river traffic.

Furthermore,the Memphis region seems to have been favorably located for the control not only of river-based trade but also of desert trade routes.The two outwash fans in the area gave access to the extensive wadi systems of the eastern desert.In predynastic times,the Wadi Digla may have served as a trade route between the Memphis region and the Near East,to judge from the unusual concentration of foreign artifacts found in the predynastic settlement of Maadi.Access to,and control of,trade routes between Egypt and the Near East seems to have been a preoccupation of Egypt’s rulers during the period of state formation.The desire to monopolize foreign trade may have been one of the primary factors behind the political unification of Egypt.The foundation of the national capital at the junction of an important trade route with the Nile valley is not likely to have been accidental.Moreover,the Wadis Hof and Digla provided the Memphis region with accessible desert pasturage.As was the case with the cities of Hierakonpolis and Elkab,the combination within the same area of both desert pasturage and alluvial arable land(land suitable for growing crops)was a particularly attractive one for early settlement;this combination no doubt contributed to the prosperity of the Memphis region from early predynastic times.

Question 13 of 14

Look at the four squares[■]that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.While considerations of political power and ease of administration were decisive in choosing the location of the new capital,the site clearly had other advantages.Where would the sentence best fit?Click on a square[■]to add the sentence to the passage.

正确答案：A

题目详解

题型分类：插入句子题

题干分析：考察句子和句子之间的衔接判断，从带插入句子可以看出是承上启下的句子，预测前面会提及到政治权利及管理方面的优越性，后面会提及到其他好处。

选项分析：

A选项后面提到also served as an important node for transport and communications可知是另外一个方面好处，后面几个选项都是围绕一个话题transport and communications进行讲解，所以不能分开，A选项正确。

B选项，选项后方conduit和前方node for transport and communications呼应。

C选项，选项后方imported from the Near East...have been channeled还是讲运输。

D选项，therefore对前面交通便利进行总结，不能拆开。

Question 14 of 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.

Around 3100 B.C.Memphis was chosen for its strategic importance to be the first capital of a recently united Egypt.

Answer Choices:

A.

River-based trade from northern Egypt and imported goods going south all passed through the Memphis region,making Memphis an ideal location for controlling trade.

B.

After Memphis became the capital city,river-based trade along the Nile gained in importance,while land-based desert trade declined in importance.

C.

Recent geological surveys suggest that the topographical features of the Memphis region made it particularly well-suited for controlling communications and trade.

D.

The Nile,despite a constriction of its valley near Memphis,was the most advantageous route for communication and travel once the floodplain had begun to rise.

E.

The rulers of unified Egypt enjoyed a monopoly over foreign trade because all such trade was required to go through the Wadi Digla,to which the rulers controlled all access.

F.

While the location of Memphis was agriculturally favorable,it was particularly attractive because it enabled Egypt’s rulers to control trade moving through the desert from the Near East.

正确答案：ACF

题目详解

题型分类：文章总结题

题干分析：选择概括性的正确选项。

选项分析：

A选项，对应第一段句子简化题以及第二段第三句话。

C选项，对应第三段开头两句话。

F选项，对应最后一段倒数第四句和倒数第二句，倒数第四句讲控制贸易是主要的原因，倒数第二句讲农业也是个原因，所以农业和主要原因相比就没那么重要。

B选项，对应第四段第一句，与原文相反，沙漠路线和河流路线都重要，而且after逻辑不对，文章讲成为首都的原因不是首都建立后造成的影响。

D选项，对应第三段第四句和第五句，与原文相反，文章说the floodplain was much lower比较容易控制贸易交通等。

E选项，对应最后一段第四句和第五句，那个时候还没垄断呢，是想垄断，所以才选择孟菲斯作为首段，所以enjoyed a monopoly不对。