托福阅读真题+题目+答案解析：The Meaning of Upper Paleolithic Art

托福阅读真题+题目+答案：The Meaning of Upper Paleolithic Art

The period beginning 40,000 years ago (the Upper Paleolithic) witnessed a marked increase in human artistic and symbolic expression. At about this time, a large number of statues carved from bone or stone begin to appear in the archaeological record, as do magnificent paintings of animals that were hunted and animals that were not, as well as other images on cave walls and ceilings. It is difficult for modern viewers to remain unmoved by these images, but what did these works mean to their creators and why did they create them?

1.According to paragraph 1, which of the following happened about 40,000 years ago?

A. People started living in caves in Europe.

B. Bone and stone tools began to appear in the archaeological record.

C. Humans developed new hunting methods.

D. People started to create more works of art.

Some researchers regard Paleolithic artwork as part of a system of communication of ideas-a system that uses animals and geometric patterns as symbols, the specific meaning of which may be lost forever. Anthropologist Meg Conkey views the 1,200 bones engraved with abstract geometric patterns at Altamira Cave, Spain,as the identifying symbols-the "flags"-of different groups of people who came together at the cave during certain periods.Archaeologist Michael Joachim views the cave paintings of northern Spain and southern France (the so-called Franco-Cantabrian region) as symbols marking territory. Social stresses that accompanied the population influx into the region during the period beginning 25,000 years ago may have resulted in the need to mark territory with symbols of ownership.Painting animals-probably the most important resources of a territory-within a sacred place in the territory, like a cave, might have served to announce to intruders the rightful ownership of the surrounding lands. Archaeologist Clive Gamble views the small stone statues of female figures,known as Venus figurines, as a symbolic social glue, helping to maintain social connections between geographically distant groups through a common religion and art style.

2.The word "influx" in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. an arrival in large numbers

B. a change in the way something is organized

C. a state of uncertainty

D. a series of conflicts

3.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. Painting animals in a particular cave may have marked it as sacred to the owners.

B. Animal paintings may have been one of the most important resources of a territory.

C. Animal paintings in sacred places may have marked a claim on the surrounding land and its resources.

D. Only the rightful owners of a territory could produce paintings in its sacred places.

4.Paragraph 2 suggests which of the following about the small stone statues known as Venus figurines?

A. Some of the statues represent males and some represent females.

B. Similar statues have been found in locations far apart from one another.

C. This style of statue was first described by archaeologist Meg Conkey.

D. Clive Gamble believes these statues did not serve a religious unction.

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