作为备考读的考生来说，TPO模考试题肯定是多多益善，更何况托福TPO中道道是真题。今天TPO33阅读答案包括了阅读第一篇的文本、答案、和详细解析。干货呀，大家要珍惜机会，认真学习喔！
The First Civilizations
Paragraph 1
Evidence suggests that an important stimulus behind the rise of early civilizations was the development of settled agriculture, which unleashed a series of changes in the organization of human communities that culminated in the rise of large ancient empires.
1. The phrase “culminated in” in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. reached a high point with
B. logically followed from
C. partly contributed to D. marked
答案 A
解析 词汇题：culminate，达到顶点、高潮，对应 A 选项：达到高点。
Paragraph 2
The exact time and place that crops were first cultivated successfully is uncertain. Many prehistorians believe that farming may have emerged in dependently in several different areas of the world when small communities, driven by increasing population and a decline in available food resources, began to plant seeds in the ground in an effort to guarantee their survival. The first farmers, who may have lived as long as 10,000 years ago, undoubtedly used simple techniques and still relied primarily on other forms of food production, such as hunting, foraging, or pastoralism. The real breakthrough took place when farmers began to cultivate crops along the floodplains of river systems. The advantage was that crops grown in such areas were not as dependent on rainfall and therefore produced a more reliable harvest. An additional benefit was that the sediment carried by the river waters deposited nutrients in the soil, thus enabling the farmer to cultivate a single plot of ground for many years without moving to a new location. Thus, the first truly sedentary (that is, nonmigratory) societies were born. As time went on, such communities gradually learned how to direct the flow of water to enhance the productive capacity of the land, while the introduction of the iron plow eventually led to the cultivation of heavy soils not previously susceptible to agriculture.
2. In paragraph 2, which of the following statements is true of early farmers? A. They used farming to supplement other food sources.
B. They were driven out of small communities.
C. They were victims of flooding.
D. They farmed several plots of land at once.
答案 A
解析 细节题：定位句 Many prehistorians believe that farming may have emerged
independently in several different areas of the world when small communities, driven
by increasing population and a decline in available food resources, began to plant seeds in the ground in an effort to guarantee their survival. 意思是当食物来源短缺
的时候来时种植粮食来维持生计，对应 A 选项：他们用农业来补充其他食物来源。
3. The word “undoubtedly” in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. increasingly
B. certainly
C. in general D. apparently
答案 B 解析 词汇题：undoubtedly 毫无疑问地，对应 B 选项：理所应当地。
4. According to paragraph 2, what are TWO reasons why farmers chose river valleys for cultivation? To receive credit you must select TWO answer choices. A. The soils in river valleys were rich in nutrients.
B. The crops grown in river valleys were not completely dependent on rainwater.
C. Farming techniques could not be easily applied to soils far from rivers.
D. The heavier weight of river soil resulted in more reliable harvests.
答案 AB
解析 细节题：定位句 The advantage was that crops grown in such areas were not
asdependent on rainfall and therefore produced a more reliable harvest. An additional benefit was that the sediment carried by the river waters deposited nutrients in the soil,
thus enabling the farmer to cultivate a single plot of ground for many years without
moving to a new location. 里面提到了 not as dependent on rainfall，不太依赖于降雨，对应 B 选项：不完全依赖降水。同时也提到了 deposited nutrients in the soil, 在土壤中沉淀营养，对应 A 选项：土壤营养丰富。
5. The word “enhance” in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. serve
B. improve
C. control
D. protect
答案 B 解析 词汇题：enhance，提高，增强，对应 B 选项，提高，改善。
Paragraph 3
The spread of this river valley agriculture in various parts of Asia and Africa was the decisive factor in the rise of the first civilizations. The increase in food production in these regions led to a significant growth in population, while efforts to control the flow of water to maximize the irrigation of cultivated areas and to protect the local inhabitants from hostile forces outside the community provoked the first steps toward cooperative activities on a large scale. The need to oversee the entire process brought about the emergence of an elite that was eventually transformed into a government.
6. The word “provoked” in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. secured
B. coordinated
C. modeled D. brought about
答案 D 解析 词汇题：provoke 激起，引起，招致，激怒，对应 D 选项，引起。
7. According to paragraph 3, which of the following is NOT a reason why governments first arose among agricultural communities? A. A significant increase in population
B. The desire to control water resources for irrigation
C. The need for protection from outside forces
D. The demand for organized communication with other communities 答案 D
解析 否定细节题: 定位第二句 The increase in food production in these regions led
to a significant growth in population, while efforts to control the flow of water to maximize the irrigation of cultivated areas and to protect the local inhabitants from hostile forces outside the community provoked the first steps toward cooperative activities on a large scale. 中的 significant growth in population 对应 A 选项; efforts
to control the flow of water 对应 B 选项; protect the local inhabitants from hostile forces outside the community 对应 C 选项。因此 D 选项错误。
Paragraph 4
The first clear steps in the rise of the first civilizations took place in the fourth and third millennia B.C. in Mesopotamia, northern Africa, India, and China. How the first governments took shape in these areas is not certain, but anthropologists studying the evolution of human communities in various parts of the world have discovered that one common stage in the process is the emergence of what are called “big men” within a single village or a collection of villages. By means of their military prowess, dominant personalities, or political talents, these people gradually emerge as the leaders of that community. In time, the “big men” become formal symbols of authority and pass on that authority to others within their own family. As the communities continue to grow in size and material wealth, the “big men” assume hereditary status, and their allies and family members are transformed into a hereditary monarchy.
8. According to paragraph 4, what is not known about the rise of the first ‘civilizations?
A. Where the first steps toward civilization took place
B. Who was allowed to replace “big men” after the “big men” died
C. Why some individuals became recognized as leaders D. How governments emerged
答案 D
解析 否定细节题: 定位句 The first clear steps in the rise of the first civilizations
took place in the fourth and third millennia B.C. in Mesopotamia, northern Africa,
India, and China. 出现地点 northern Africa, India and China 对应 A 选项。定位句
As the communities continue to grow in size and material wealth, the “big men”
assume hereditary status, 提到了世袭制, 对应 B 选项。定位句 By means of their
military prowess, dominant personalities, or political talents, these people gradually emerge as the leaders of that community. 对应 C 选项。定位句 How the first governments took shape in these areas is not certain. 与 D 选项相违背, 因此 D 选项错误。
9. What is the relationship between paragraphs 3 and 4 in the passage?
A. Paragraph 3 explains why a need for leadership arose in early civilizations, and paragraph 4 describes how that leadership developed.
B. Paragraph 3 suggests that agriculture was first practiced in Asia and Africa, and paragraph 4 discusses how it might have later spread to the rest of the world.
C. Paragraph 3 describes several methods of early government, and paragraph 4 gives an extended example of one of them.
D. Paragraph 3 discusses a cause of the spread of river valley agriculture in earlycivilizations, and paragraph 4 discusses an effect.
答案 A
解析 宏观题：第三段主要是说领导者即后来政府形成的原因, 第四段主要是讲领导者是如何形成的。对应 A 中 why 和 how。
Paragraph 5
The appearance of these sedentary societies had a major impact on the social organizations, religious beliefs, and way of life of the peoples living within their boundaries.■With the increase in population and the development of centralized authority came the emergence of the cities.■While some of these urban centers were identified with a particular economic function, such as proximity to gold or iron deposits or a strategic location on a major trade route, others served primarily as administrative centers or the site of temples for the official cult or other ritual observances.■Within these cities, new forms of livelihood appeared to satisfy the growing need for social services and consumer goods.■Some people became artisans or merchants, while others became warriors, scholars, or priests. In some cases, the physical division within the first cities reflected the strict hierarchical character of the society as a whole, with a royal palace surrounded by an imposing wall and separate from the remainder of the urban population. In other instances, such as the Indus River Valley, the cities lacked a royal precinct and the ostentatious palaces that marked their contemporaries elsewhere.
10. 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. Some cities were associated with economic activities, while others were government or religious centers.
B. Emerging cities generally served strategic administrative, economic, and religious purposes.
C. The creation of an economic or administrative activity led to the emergence of a city for its proper supervision.
D. Some cities emerged as economic centers and later became the sites of administrative or religious activities.
答案 A
解析 句子简化题：原句逻辑 while 表示对比转折;句子核心;城市中心的经济功能以及管理中心的仪式功能。A 选项句子对应两个核心，while 的转折对比关系正确，因此 A 选项正确。
11. Paragraph 5 suggests that which of the following was a consequence of the emergence of cities?
A. The decentralization of authority
B. An increase in religious activity
C. The emergence of service- and production-related jobs D. A decreased reliance on mineral resources
答案 C
解析 推断题：定位句 Within these cities, new forms of livelihood appeared to satisfy the growing need for social services and consumer goods. 在这些城市只能给，新的生活形式的出现满足了不断增长的社会服务和消费品的需求。可以推断出有需求就有供给，就会出现与之相关的产业。
12. According to paragraph 5, why were huge walls built around early royal palaces?
A. To protect the inhabitants from invaders
B. To mark the urban areas
C. To separate the ruling class from the rest of the population D. To represent the prosperity of a city
答案 C
解析 细节题: 定位句 In some cases, the physical division within the first cities reflected the strict hierarchical character of the society as a whole, with a royal palace surrounded by an imposing wall and separate from the remainder of the urban
population. 意思是说通过建立高墙来建立严格的等级制度, 将统治者和普通老板姓区分开来, 对应 C 选项。
13. Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence could beadded to the passage.
This was accompanied by increased professional specialization.
Where would the sentence best fit? Click on a square to add the sentence to the passage.
答案 第四个方框
解析 句子插入题 This was accompanied by increased professional specialization 中的 professional specialization 职业专门化对应第四个方框之后句子中 artisans or merchants, warriors, scholars, or priests。
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.
The practice of settled agriculture in some areas of Asia and Africa was crucial to the development of early civilizations.
Answer Choices:
A. Prehistorians disagree as to whether early farmers first cultivated crops along floodplains or first tried cultivating crops in less successful environments. 错。定位第二段: 没有出现 disagree, less successful environments 的相关概念。
B. Cultivation in fertile river valleys resulted in predictable harvests, which meant thatfarmers no longer needed to migrate constantly in search of food.
正确。对应第二段 An additional benefit was that the sediment carried by the river waters deposited nutrients in the soil, thus enabling the farmer to cultivate a single plot of ground for many years without moving to a new location. Thus, the first truly sedentary (that is, nonmigratory) societies were born.因为土壤中含有丰富的营养，所以一块地农民可以种很多年，因此就不用迁移到别的地方，最后就定居了。
C. Because crops could be cultivated more successfully where farmers were notcompletely dependent on rainfall, hostilities between groups arose over control of the river systems.
错。定位第二, 三段。The advantage was that crops grown in such areas were not as dependent on rainfall and therefore produced a more reliable harvest. The increase in food production in these regions led to a significant growth in population, while efforts to control the flow of water to maximize the irrigation of cultivated areas and to protect the local inhabitants from hostile forces outside the community provoked the first steps toward cooperative activities on a large scale. 原句是转折关系，不是因果关系。
D. The need to organize the effort to ensure the food supply and defend the land led to the formation of elite supervising groups that eventually became the first governments. 正确。对应第三段的核心主旨：政府的形成。
E. Increasingly centralized forms of administration resulted in the emergence of social classes and in the development of cities as trade, administration, or religious centers. 正确。对应第五段核心意思：中央集权导致了社会阶层和不同功能城市的形成。
F. Unlike other early civilizations, those that developed in the Indus River Valley did not have any spectacular palaces or areas for exclusive use by the authorities. 错。定位第五段：In other instances, such as the Indus River Valley, the cities lacked a
royal precinct and the ostentatious palaces that marked their contemporaries
elsewhere. 意思是说 Indus River Valley 这个地方没有华丽的宫殿来代表权力。虽
然 F 选项没有什么太大的错误，但它属于段落细节，可以参照 E 选项正确的原因。
答案：BDE
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