托福阅读常考话题及练习题推荐二：苏美尔和埃及（3）

1托福常考话题：苏美尔和埃及练习题

► paragraph 4: 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.

10. According to paragraph 4 which of the following is NOT a reason Memphis was chosen as the capital of a united Egypt?

A. It was at the junction of a major trade route with the Nile valley.

B. It was near land that could be used for animal grazing and for growing crops.

C. The nearby outwash fans led into wadis that could be used as desert trade routes.

D. Since foreign traders had settled in nearby Maadi, trade between the two cities could be established.

11. The phrase "to have been accidental" in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. to have gone wrong

B. to have been helpful

C. to have occurred by chance

D. to have made a difference

12. In paragraph 4, why does the author mention the cities of Hierakonpolis and Elkab?

A. To give an indication of the level of prosperity that Memphis is thought to have enjoyed from its earliest days

B. To compare the Memphis region to them in terms of their similar combinations of characteristics providing advantages for early settlement

C. To identify the models that the founders of Memphis followed in laying out the national capital

D. To suggest that the combination of desert pasturage and alluvial arable land in the same area was very common

► paragraph 2: [■] 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.

13. 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.

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

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

D. 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.

E. 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.

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