The special character of the Nile, which made it central to ancient Egyptian culture, was its annual inundation (flooding). During June the river began to rise, and a quantity of green water appeared. The color is said to have resulted from the brief period of reproduction of myriad minute organisms. During August the Nile rose rapidly and assumed a muddy red color created by the rich red earth brought into its waters by its tributaries. The Nile continued to rise until mid-September, then remained at that level for two or three weeks. In October it rose again slightly, then began to fall gradually until May, when it reached its lowest level.
The Nile has created a convex floodplain. In convex floodplains, sediments(clays and silts)are deposited by flood waters, making the land nearest the river have the highest elevation. The convex floodplain is marked by natural levees that form elevated barriers immediately adjacent to the river. These levees rise a few meters above the seasonally inundated lowlands. When the Nile floods, the water covers most of the low-lying land up to the edge of the desert. When the floods subside, the waters are trapped behind the levees and prevented from returning to the river. The benefit of such topography is obvious: the water can be used where it stands or can be channeled to other areas as dictated by agricultural needs.
Ancient records, those preserved both in texts and in the visible evidence on ancient devices for measuring water levels called nilometers, indicate that a flood of six meters was perilously low and that one of nine meters was high enough to cause damage to crops and villages. A flood of seven to eight meters was ideal in that low- lying areas and basins throughout the whole valley would be flooded up to the edge of the rising ground of the desert, but towns, villages, and dikes that served as paths and water barriers remained above the water level.
The ancient Egyptians fully understood the extent to which their lives and prosperity depended on the unfailing regularity of the inundation. The occasional low flood and consequent shortage of food were enough to cause much anxiety among the populace at the beginning of each flood season. Ancient Egyptians, therefore, never became completely confident about the annual inundation and its gifts, even though it usually brought a layer of fresh, rich silt and waters for irrigation that made agriculture in the Nile Valley relatively easy. The generally predictable crops and resulting surplus freed a significant segment of the population from agricultural labor, allowing for the development of nonfarming occupations, such as full-time craftspeople, bureaucrats, and priests.
The importance of the Nile to Egyptian civilization is reflected in the role that it played in religion and the myths that revolved around the river. The Nile was known in antiquity by the Egyptian name Iteru, meaning “great river.”The personification of the inundation was a god named Hapy, who was associated with fertility and regeneration. The ancient Egyptians had various conceptions of the origin of the inundation. Some texts relate that it began in a cavern at Philae, while others credit the site Gebel Silsila (about 100 kilometers to the north)as the source. It was believed that veneration of the gods associated with these sites in the Aswan area could ensure a sufficient inundation. The Famine Stela, a text carved on rocks at Sehel near Philae, records a famine that was averted by donations of land and goods to the Temple of Khnum at Aswan. This text was formerly thought to date from the reign of Djoser(2687-2667 B.c.), but in reality it dates to the Ptolemaic period some 2,500 years later.
1
The special character of the Nile, which made it central to ancient Egyptian culture, was its annual inundation (flooding). During June the river began to rise, and a quantity of green water appeared. The color is said to have resulted from the brief period of reproduction of myriad minute organisms. During August the Nile rose rapidly and assumed a muddy red color created by the rich red earth brought into its waters by its tributaries. The Nile continued to rise until mid-September, then remained at that level for two or three weeks. In October it rose again slightly, then began to fall gradually until May, when it reached its lowest level.
The word “minute” in the passage is closest in meaning to
Atiny
Bancient
Cdistinct
Dsimple
2
The special character of the Nile, which made it central to ancient Egyptian culture, was its annual inundation (flooding). During June the river began to rise, and a quantity of green water appeared. The color is said to have resulted from the brief period of reproduction of myriad minute organisms. During August the Nile rose rapidly and assumed a muddy red color created by the rich red earth brought into its waters by its tributaries. The Nile continued to rise until mid-September, then remained at that level for two or three weeks. In October it rose again slightly, then began to fall gradually until May, when it reached its lowest level.
It can be inferred from paragraph 1 that the Nile reached its highest level in
AMay
BJune
COctober
DSeptember
3
The special character of the Nile, which made it central to ancient Egyptian culture, was its annual inundation (flooding). During June the river began to rise, and a quantity of green water appeared. The color is said to have resulted from the brief period of reproduction of myriad minute organisms. During August the Nile rose rapidly and assumed a muddy red color created by the rich red earth brought into its waters by its tributaries. The Nile continued to rise until mid-September, then remained at that level for two or three weeks. In October it rose again slightly, then began to fall gradually until May, when it reached its lowest level.
According to paragraph 1, what was the reason for the change in the color of the Nile River that occurred in August?
AThe rapid rise of the waters of the Nile
BThe presence of organisms in the Nile
CThe transporting of earth by tributaries of the Nile
DThe seasonal warming of the waters of the Nile
4
The ancient Egyptians fully understood the extent to which their lives and prosperity depended on the unfailing regularity of the inundation. The occasional low flood and consequent shortage of food were enough to cause much anxiety among the populace at the beginning of each flood season. Ancient Egyptians, therefore, never became completely confident about the annual inundation and its gifts, even though it usually brought a layer of fresh, rich silt and waters for irrigation that made agriculture in the Nile Valley relatively easy. The generally predictable crops and resulting surplus freed a significant segment of the population from agricultural labor, allowing for the development of nonfarming occupations, such as full-time craftspeople, bureaucrats, and priests.
The word “consequent” in the passage is closest in meaning to
Aexpected
Bimmediate
Cperiodic
Dresulting
5
Ancient records, those preserved both in texts and in the visible evidence on ancient devices for measuring water levels called nilometers, indicate that a flood of six meters was perilously low and that one of nine meters was high enough to cause damage to crops and villages. A flood of seven to eight meters was ideal in that low- lying areas and basins throughout the whole valley would be flooded up to the edge of the rising ground of the desert, but towns, villages, and dikes that served as paths and water barriers remained above the water level.
Paragraph 3 implies which of the following about the Nile’s floods in ancient Egypt?
AEgyptians managed to protect their crops and villages from floods of nine meters or higher by creating dikes that served as water barriers
BFloods of six meters and floods reaching nine meters occurred almost as often as those of seven to eight meters.
CFloods of nine meters could cover the dikes used as paths and water barriers
DEven floods of seven to eight meters may have caused significant damage to the towns closest to the river basins
6
The ancient Egyptians fully understood the extent to which their lives and prosperity depended on the unfailing regularity of the inundation. The occasional low flood and consequent shortage of food were enough to cause much anxiety among the populace at the beginning of each flood season. Ancient Egyptians, therefore, never became completely confident about the annual inundation and its gifts, even though it usually brought a layer of fresh, rich silt and waters for irrigation that made agriculture in the Nile Valley relatively easy. The generally predictable crops and resulting surplus freed a significant segment of the population from agricultural labor, allowing for the development of nonfarming occupations, such as full-time craftspeople, bureaucrats, and priests.
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.
AThe ancient Egyptians had enough rich silt and water for agriculture because they were never overly confident.
BSince annual flooding provided sufficient silt and water for agriculture, the ancient Egyptians never worried about the river and its gifts
CAlthough the inundations usually made agriculture in the Nile Valley comparatively easy, the Egyptians never took for granted the rich silt and irrigation the floods provided.
DAlthough the gifts of the Nile did not make agriculture easy, the Egyptians worried the floods might not come.
7
The ancient Egyptians fully understood the extent to which their lives and prosperity depended on the unfailing regularity of the inundation. The occasional low flood and consequent shortage of food were enough to cause much anxiety among the populace at the beginning of each flood season. Ancient Egyptians, therefore, never became completely confident about the annual inundation and its gifts, even though it usually brought a layer of fresh, rich silt and waters for irrigation that made agriculture in the Nile Valley relatively easy. The generally predictable crops and resulting surplus freed a significant segment of the population from agricultural labor, allowing for the development of nonfarming occupations, such as full-time craftspeople, bureaucrats, and priests.
The author mentions “full-time craftspeople, bureaucrats, and priests’ in the passage in order to
Acompare how segments of the Egyptian population contributed to the development of an extremely successful society
Bspecify some of the nonfarming occupations that developed in Egyptian society because of agricultural surpluses
Cdemonstrate why the Egyptians reached a higher level of prosperity than other societies with similarly regular river floods
Dhelp explain why only a small segment of the Egyptian population pursued occupations other than farming
8
The importance of the Nile to Egyptian civilization is reflected in the role that it played in religion and the myths that revolved around the river. The Nile was known in antiquity by the Egyptian name Iteru, meaning “great river.”The personification of the inundation was a god named Hapy, who was associated with fertility and regeneration. The ancient Egyptians had various conceptions of the origin of the inundation. Some texts relate that it began in a cavern at Philae, while others credit the site Gebel Silsila (about 100 kilometers to the north)as the source. It was believed that veneration of the gods associated with these sites in the Aswan area could ensure a sufficient inundation. The Famine Stela, a text carved on rocks at Sehel near Philae, records a famine that was averted by donations of land and goods to the Temple of Khnum at Aswan. This text was formerly thought to date from the reign of Djoser(2687-2667 B.c.), but in reality it dates to the Ptolemaic period some 2,500 years later.
According to paragraph 5, views have changed on which of the following aspects of the Famine Stela?
AWhen the text was written
BWhether the text is authentic
CWhy the text was written
DWhether the text was composed by Egyptians
9
The Nile has created a convex floodplain. In convex floodplains, sediments(clays and silts)are deposited by flood waters, making the land nearest the river have the highest elevation. The convex floodplain is marked by natural levees that form elevated barriers immediately adjacent to the river. These levees rise a few meters above the seasonally inundated lowlands. When the Nile floods, the water covers most of the low-lying land up to the edge of the desert. [■] When the floods subside, the waters are trapped behind the levees and prevented from returning to the river. [■] The benefit of such topography is obvious: the water can be used where it stands or can be channeled to other areas as dictated by agricultural needs.[■]
[■] Ancient records, those preserved both in texts and in the visible evidence on ancient devices for measuring water levels called nilometers, indicate that a flood of six meters was perilously low and that one of nine meters was high enough to cause damage to crops and villages. [■] A flood of seven to eight meters was ideal in that low- lying areas and basins throughout the whole valley would be flooded up to the edge of the rising ground of the desert, but towns, villages, and dikes that served as paths and water barriers remained above the water level.
Look at the four squaresthat indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage
Nile floods, however, could be a mixed blessing.
Where would the sentence best fit？Click on a square sentence to the passage.
10
The Nile was central to the life of ancient Egyptians
AAgriculture was successful in the Nile Valley because of the seasonal patterns of flooding and the geographical features of the floodplain.
BNilometers and ancient records indicate that water levels reached by the annual inundation were very predictable, usually varying by less than a meter from year to year
CThe annual inundation was so important to Egyptian life that the location of temples was selected based on myths about where the flood originated.
DNatural levees protected crops from floods by preventing floodwaters from reaching the lowlands.
EThe Nile floods usually resulted in agricultural surpluses, but very low or high floods could cause food shortages or damage to villages.
FPractices of honoring gods associated with flood sites and of making offerings to ensure adequate flooding demonstrate the great importance of the Nile to Egyptians.
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