托福阅读真题+题目+答案：The Greek City-states: Sparta and Athens

托福阅读真题+题目+答案：The Greek City-states: Sparta and Athens

Of the hundreds of city-states that evolved during the Archaic Age, (800-479 B.C.), Sparta and Athens stand out for their vivid contrasting styles of life and their roles in subsequent Greek history. Sparta, the principal symbol of Dorian civilization, chose to guarantee its integrity and future through stringent and uncompromising policies. The earliest Spartans forcibly enslaved the Helots, the original inhabitants of the lower part of Peloponnese a peninsula forming the southern part of Greece. To prevent rebellions and to control the Helots, who outnumbered the Spartans ten to one, a vigilant Sparta was forced to keep its military always on the alert. Thus, Sparta created a rigid hierarchical society of well- trained, tough, and athletic men, women, and children. The Spartans also established a genuine oligarchy: a constitutional government operated by five officials elected annually by a small body of citizens. The ruling class, obsessed with keeping social order, passed laws forbidding immigration, limiting material possessions, and restricting creativity. Sparta was admired for its loyal, brave soldiers and its stable social order. But Sparta contributed little to the artistic enrichment of Greece.

1.The word “stringent” in the passage is closest in meaning to

A.deliberate

B.impressive

C.strict

D.decisive

2.Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 1 about the relationship between the Helots and the Spartans?

A.The Helots had the strongest military in Greek civilization before they were conquered by the Spartans.

B.The Helots were not happy to have been dominated by the Spartans.

C.Their different styles of life made the Helots and the Spartans natural enemies.

D.The labor of the Helots enabled the Spartans to use more resources for their military.

3.According to paragraph 1, what was one weakness of Spartan civilization?

A.It experienced too many rebellions.

B.It did not produce great works of art.

C.It did not have a fixed system of government.

D.It encouraged citizens to acquire many material possessions.

By contrast, Athens, the symbol of Ionian civilization, reached greater artistic, intellectual, and literary heights than did any other Greek city-state. Athens, both the city and its surrounding countryside of Attica, was a more open society than Sparta. The Attic clans shared a sense of community with the Athenians and supported them in wartime.

The history of Athens echoes the general pattern of change in the Greek city-states during the Archaic Age. Aristocrats initially ruled Athens through councils and assemblies. ▋As long as farming and trading sustained an expanding population, the nobles ruled without challenge. ▋But at the beginning of the sixth century BC many peasant farmers were burdened with debts and were threatened with prison or slavery.▋ Having no voice in the government, the farmers began to protest what they perceived as unfair laws.▋

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