2019年3月3日托福阅读真题+题目+答案：Natufian Culture

2019年3月3日托福阅读真题+题目+答案：Natufian Culture

In the archaeological record of the Natufian period, from about 12,500 to 10,200 years ago, in the part of the Middle East known as the Levant - roughly east of the Mediterranean and north of the Arabian Peninsula - we see clear evidence of agricultural origins. The stone tools of the Natufians included many sickle-shaped cutting blades that show a pattern of wear characteristic of cerealharvesting. Also, querns (hand mills) and other stone tools used for processing grain occur in abundance at Natufian sites, and many such tools show signs of long, intensive use. Along with the sickle blades are many grinding stones, primarily mortars and pestles of limestone or basalt. There is also evidence that these heavy grinding stones were transported over long distances, more than 30 kilometers in some cases, and this is not something known to have been done by people of preceding periods. Fishhooks and weights for sinking fishing nets attest to the growing importance of fish in the diet in some areas. Stone vessels indicate an increased need for containers, but there is no evidence of Natufian clay working or pottery. Studies of the teeth of Natufians also strongly suggest that these people specialized in collecting cereals and may have been cultivating them and in the process of domesticating them, but they were also still hunter-foragers who intensively hunted gazelle and deer in more lush areas and wild goats and equids in more arid zones.

Question 1 of 14

All of the following are mentioned in paragraph 1 as evidence that the Natufians may have engaged in the growing and processing of cereals and grains EXCEPT

A. tools with a specific pattern of wear

B. the widespread presence of grinding stones

C. the presence of clay containers

D. results from the analysis of Natufian teeth

Question 2 of 14

Why does the author say that "many such tools show signs of long, intensive use " in connection with Natufian agriculture?

A. To argue that the Natufian people consumed grains long before they included fish in their diet

B. To suggest that Natufian people could not replace their tools frequently because they had to travel very long distances to find grinding stones

C. To illustrate the sophistication of the Natufians in the design of stone tools

D. To support the claim that the archaeological record of the Natufian period shows clear evidence of agricultural origins

Question 3 of 14

The phrase "attest to " in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. symbolize

B. provide evidence of

C. are predictive of

D. coincide with

Question 4 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. Studies of the teeth of Natufians suggest the importance of cereals in their culture although they still hunted and foraged.

B. The Natufians specialized in collecting cereals and may have been in the process of domesticating certain animals.

C. Studies of the teeth of Natufians suggest that these people became hunter-foragers after they began domesticating cereals.

D. The Natufians’ diet consisted mostly of cereals and lacked sufficient meat.

The Natufians had a different settlement pattern from that of their predecessors. Some of their base camps were far larger (over 1,000 square meters) than any of those belonging to earlier periods, and they may have lived in some of these camps for half the year or even more. In some of the camps, people made foundations and other architectural elements out of limestone blocks. Trade in shell, obsidian, and other commodities seems to have been on the rise, and anthropologists suspect that the exchange of perishables (such as skins, foodstuffs) and salt was also on the increase. With the growing importance of wild cereals in the diet, salt probably became for the first time a near necessity: people who eat a lot of meat get many essential salts from this diet, but diets based on cereals can be deficient in salts. Salt was probably also important as a food preservative in early villages.

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