TF阅读真题第891篇The Early Iron Age

The Early Iron Age

 

 

During the Bronze Age (roughly 3300-1200 B.C.E. in the Middle East), civilizations were limited in their use of iron. Most iron occurred not in an easily usable form, like copper and tin, but in ores (naturally occurring minerals or rocks) combined with other elements; the ore had to be smelted for the iron to be released. This was not easy. The relatively low melting point of bronze, around 1,922 degrees Fahrenheit (1,050 degrees Celsius), made it easy to work with in pottery ovens. But the smelting of iron ore required a temperature of 2,800 degrees Fahrenheit (1,538 degrees Celsius). Yet, if the technology for smelting iron were available, a huge, inexpensive metal supply would become available since iron is very common, comprising 5 percent of the Earth’s crust, whereas copper and tin are only trace elements.

Early iron production often is associated with the Hittites, who sometimes are said to have used it as a “secret weapon.” But they, in fact, produced only small quantities of iron daggers and swords before their empire collapsed at the end of the Bronze Age. Not until then did the knowledge of iron smelting become widespread enough for iron to come into common use in western Asia. One can only speculate as to whether the movements of peoples at the end of the Bronze Age were a factor in the spread of this specialized knowledge. By 1100 B.C.E., knowledge of iron working had diffused into southwestern Europe, and it reached Britain by about 700 B.C.E River valley civilizations, however, lagged behind; not until the seventh century B.C.E. did iron become widely used in Egypt.

The beginning of the Iron Age can be defined as the time when iron-working technology became sufficiently widespread and economical for commonplace, utilitarian items to be manufactured. Once this had happened, the transition from bronze to iron as the metal of choice for many items occurred quickly. Metal became available to a much larger segment of the population, rather than just to elites, and could be used for everyday objects such as household utensils and tools. Farming implements in particular, such as plows, now could be made from iron rather than wood. As a result large areas, such as the Rhine and Danube river valleys, whose tough soils hitherto had been difficult to work with earlier plows, were opened up to agriculture and thus to the spread of more complex cultures.

A misconception about iron is that it replaced bronze for weapons right from the beginning of the Iron Age. This was not the case. Early cast iron was soft, brittle, and did not retain a sharp edge. Bronze thus at first remained the most suitable metal for weapons, and it took a while for the development of a technology that could manufacture iron weapons of sufficiently good quality. It did not matter if a plow or axe broke because the iron shattered, but weapons had to be more reliable. Over time, methods for creating effective iron weapons were developed, such as hammering, carburizing (alloying, or mixing, iron with about 1 percent carbon), quenching (immersing heated iron suddenly in water), and tempering (reheating quenched iron and allowing it to cool slowly).

In addition, the characteristics that define the Iron Age go far beyond the use of iron. The civilizations that characterized the Bronze Age had been based on the extensive exploitation of agriculture in river valleys, but, lacking natural resources, they long since had exhausted their possibilities for further technological and economic expansion. By the beginning of the Iron Age, the centers of cultural and economic development had moved out of the river valleys, and, in general, they tended to move toward the west, first to the Levant, then to the Balkans, and finally to western Europe. Because cultures located outside the fertile river valleys could not seek economic expansion in agriculture, they found an alternative form of economic development in manufacturing and trade. Along with the luxury items that had been traded in the Bronze Age, Iron Age merchants also exploited trade in less expensive bulk materials, such as mass-produced pottery, textiles, and agricultural produce. For these societies, trade was not just an adjunct to agriculture but the primary means of economic expansion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Early iron production often is associated with the Hittites, who sometimes are said to have used it as a “secret weapon.” But they, in fact, produced only small quantities of iron daggers and swords before their empire collapsed at the end of the Bronze Age. Not until then did the knowledge of iron smelting become widespread enough for iron to come into common use in western Asia. One can only speculate as to whether the movements of peoples at the end of the Bronze Age were a factor in the spread of this specialized knowledge. By 1100 B.C.E., knowledge of iron working had diffused into southwestern Europe, and it reached Britain by about 700 B.C.E River valley civilizations, however, lagged behind; not until the seventh century B.C.E. did iron become widely used in Egypt.

The word “speculate” in the passage is closest in meaning to

Vocabulary Questions词汇题

Arefuse to judge

Bfeel confused

Cdoubt

Dguess

 

2

Early iron production often is associated with the Hittites, who sometimes are said to have used it as a “secret weapon.” But they, in fact, produced only small quantities of iron daggers and swords before their empire collapsed at the end of the Bronze Age. Not until then did the knowledge of iron smelting become widespread enough for iron to come into common use in western Asia. One can only speculate as to whether the movements of peoples at the end of the Bronze Age were a factor in the spread of this specialized knowledge. By 1100 B.C.E., knowledge of iron working had diffused into southwestern Europe, and it reached Britain by about 700 B.C.E River valley civilizations, however, lagged behind; not until the seventh century B.C.E. did iron become widely used in Egypt.

Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 2 about the Hittites’ knowledge of iron working?

Inference Questions推理题

AThey relied heavily on iron weapons for defense.

BTheir knowledge of iron tool production made their empire powerful during the iron Age.

CThey possessed the knowledge needed to smelt iron during the Bronze Age

DThey likely gained their knowledge of iron working through contact with Egypt

 

3

Early iron production often is associated with the Hittites, who sometimes are said to have used it as a “secret weapon.” But they, in fact, produced only small quantities of iron daggers and swords before their empire collapsed at the end of the Bronze Age. Not until then did the knowledge of iron smelting become widespread enough for iron to come into common use in western Asia. One can only speculate as to whether the movements of peoples at the end of the Bronze Age were a factor in the spread of this specialized knowledge. By 1100 B.C.E., knowledge of iron working had diffused into southwestern Europe, and it reached Britain by about 700 B.C.E River valley civilizations, however, lagged behind; not until the seventh century B.C.E. did iron become widely used in Egypt.

According to paragraph 2. which of the following was true of the spread of iron after the end of the Bronze Age?

Factual Information Questions事实信息题

AThe use of iron became widespread in western Asia for the first time following the collapse of the Hittite empire

BRiver valley civilizations were among the first places where knowledge of iron working spread at the end of the Bronze Age

CKnowledge of iron working failed to spread from western Asia to Europe because there was little migration between Iron Age civilizations.

DThe techniques needed to make iron tools and weapons remained unknown in Europe long after iron had come into common use in Egypt.

 

4

The beginning of the Iron Age can be defined as the time when iron-working technology became sufficiently widespread and economical for commonplace, utilitarian items to be manufactured. Once this had happened, the transition from bronze to iron as the metal of choice for many items occurred quickly. Metal became available to a much larger segment of the population, rather than just to elites, and could be used for everyday objects such as household utensils and tools. Farming implements in particular, such as plows, now could be made from iron rather than wood. As a result large areas, such as the Rhine and Danube river valleys, whose tough soils hitherto had been difficult to work with earlier plows, were opened up to agriculture and thus to the spread of more complex cultures.

The word “utilitarian” in the passage is closest in meaning to

Vocabulary Questions词汇题

Afamiliar

Bpractical

Ccheap

Drequired

 

5

The beginning of the Iron Age can be defined as the time when iron-working technology became sufficiently widespread and economical for commonplace, utilitarian items to be manufactured. Once this had happened, the transition from bronze to iron as the metal of choice for many items occurred quickly. Metal became available to a much larger segment of the population, rather than just to elites, and could be used for everyday objects such as household utensils and tools. Farming implements in particular, such as plows, now could be made from iron rather than wood. As a result large areas, such as the Rhine and Danube river valleys, whose tough soils hitherto had been difficult to work with earlier plows, were opened up to agriculture and thus to the spread of more complex cultures.

According to paragraph 3, all of the following changes occurred at the beginning of the lorn Age EXCEPT

Negative Factual Information Questions否定事实信息题

AIron objects became affordable to a larger segment of the population.

BIt became common for everyday household objects to be made of iron.

CRivers such as the Rhine and Danube began to be used to transport iron.

DAgriculture expanded to new areas after the introduction of iron plows.

 

6

A misconception about iron is that it replaced bronze for weapons right from the beginning of the Iron Age. This was not the case. Early cast iron was soft, brittle, and did not retain a sharp edge. Bronze thus at first remained the most suitable metal for weapons, and it took a while for the development of a technology that could manufacture iron weapons of sufficiently good quality. It did not matter if a plow or axe broke because the iron shattered, but weapons had to be more reliable. Over time, methods for creating effective iron weapons were developed, such as hammering, carburizing (alloying, or mixing, iron with about 1 percent carbon), quenching (immersing heated iron suddenly in water), and tempering (reheating quenched iron and allowing it to cool slowly).

Why does the author provide the information that “Early cast iron was soft, brittle, and did not retain a sharp edge”?

Rhetorical Purpose Questions修辞目的题

ATo explain why iron weapons did not immediately replace bronze weapons

BTo argue that early cast iron had only small advantages over bronze

CTo help illustrate what weapons were like at the beginning of the Iron Age

DTo indicate the reason that it was common for early iron objects to break

 

7

A misconception about iron is that it replaced bronze for weapons right from the beginning of the Iron Age. This was not the case. Early cast iron was soft, brittle, and did not retain a sharp edge. Bronze thus at first remained the most suitable metal for weapons, and it took a while for the development of a technology that could manufacture iron weapons of sufficiently good quality. It did not matter if a plow or axe broke because the iron shattered, but weapons had to be more reliable. Over time, methods for creating effective iron weapons were developed, such as hammering, carburizing (alloying, or mixing, iron with about 1 percent carbon), quenching (immersing heated iron suddenly in water), and tempering (reheating quenched iron and allowing it to cool slowly).

According to paragraph 4, why were techniques such as hammering carburizing, quenching, and tempering developed?

Factual Information Questions事实信息题

ATo prevent plows and axes from shattering

BTo make weapons stronger

CTo reduce the cost of manufacturing weapons

DTo increase production of weapons

 

8

In addition, the characteristics that define the Iron Age go far beyond the use of iron. The civilizations that characterized the Bronze Age had been based on the extensive exploitation of agriculture in river valleys, but, lacking natural resources, they long since had exhausted their possibilities for further technological and economic expansion. By the beginning of the Iron Age, the centers of cultural and economic development had moved out of the river valleys, and, in general, they tended to move toward the west, first to the Levant, then to the Balkans, and finally to western Europe. Because cultures located outside the fertile river valleys could not seek economic expansion in agriculture, they found an alternative form of economic development in manufacturing and trade. Along with the luxury items that had been traded in the Bronze Age, Iron Age merchants also exploited trade in less expensive bulk materials, such as mass-produced pottery, textiles, and agricultural produce. For these societies, trade was not just an adjunct to agriculture but the primary means of economic expansion.

According to paragraph 5, Iron Age cultures differed from Bronze Age cultures in all of the following ways EXCEPT.

Negative Factual Information Questions否定事实信息题

AIron Age cultures developed a high demand for expensive luxury items

BIron Age cultures traded a wider variety of items.

CIron Age cultures supported themselves through means other than agriculture.

DIron Age cultures were not limited to living in river valleys.

9

During the Bronze Age (roughly 3300-1200 B.C.E. in the Middle East), civilizations were limited in their use of iron. Most iron occurred not in an easily usable form, like copper and tin, but in ores (naturally occurring minerals or rocks) combined with other elements; the ore had to be smelted for the iron to be released. ⬛This was not easy. ⬛The relatively low melting point of bronze, around 1,922 degrees Fahrenheit (1,050 degrees Celsius), made it easy to work with in pottery ovens. ⬛But the smelting of iron ore required a temperature of 2,800 degrees Fahrenheit (1,538 degrees Celsius). ⬛Yet, if the technology for smelting iron were available, a huge, inexpensive metal supply would become available since iron is very common, comprising 5 percent of the Earth’s crust, whereas copper and tin are only trace elements.

Look at the four squaresthat indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage

A specially designed furnace capable of reaching such a temperature would have to be developed, along with a complex procedure for removing impurities from the ore.Insert Text Questions句子插入题

Where would the sentence best fit？Click on a square  sentence to the passage.

10

The spread of technology for smelting iron led to the birth of the Iron Age around 1200 B.C.E

Prose Summary Questions概要小结题

Select 3 answers

ASocieties in western Asia were forced to experiment with new technologies for smelting iron when they had exhausted most of the bronze resources.

BIron had been used for agricultural tools throughout the Bronze Age but alloying iron with carbon and immersing treated iron in water resulted in stronger plows that did not break.

CThe Iron Age was also associated with the movement of people out of river valleys and the expansion of trade as many abandoned an agricultural lifestyle.

DAlthough iron was in limited use during the Bronze Age, it was not until the collapse of the Hittite empire that knowledge of iron smelting spread throughout western Asia and Europe.

EThe Iron Age began when iron became cheap and plentiful enough to be used for household goods and farming tools, but the techniques needed to make highly effective iron weapons developed only later.

FIron-producing societies became extremely wealthy because they could trade cheaply produced iron goods for produce and luxury items such as textiles and pottery.