ST_013
听力音频：
综合写作
The Olmec Empire was an ancient civilization that flourished in Central America from about 1200 to 400 BCE. While the Olmec created striking art and architecture, historians are not certain that they developed a system of writing. Researchers have recently discovered a stone block in Mexico that they claim is engraved with Olmec writing. But is it rally evidence of Olmec writing? Many experts have serious doubts about that, for the following reasons
No similar objects
First, the stone block is the only Olmec object that appears to bear sins of writing. When a culture develops writing, the writing appears repeatedly on many objects. But, while many other stone blocks nave been found at Olmec sites, none of them have similar markings. This .suggests that the markings on the recently found block do not represent a writing system.
Signs may be decorative
Second, the signs on the block may have a different purpose than writing. Many of the signs look similar to designs and shapes found on ancient Olmec artwork such as figurines and masks. The designs on Olmec artwork are decorative or perhaps have religious symbolism but are clearly not written language. The similarities of the signs on the discovered block to decorative or religious designs suggest that the block may simply be an example of Olmec art and not evidence of an Olmec writing system
Origin
Finally, the discovered stone block may not even date from the Olmec times. Archaeologists generally date ancient objects by examining their original position in the ground. However, the block was found and dug up by local road workers who simply put the block in a large pile of other materials before noting its historical value. Since archeologists were unable to observe the block’s position in the ground, establishing the block’s true date and origin is difficult
Question:
Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they respond to the specific concerns expressed in the reading passage.
学术写作：
教授：看球过多对人们的生活影响负面吗？
Claire：负面。
Paul：正面。
This week, we are discussing the social psychology of sports. We have learned that sports often have positive psychological effects on athletes, such as the members of sports teams. But how can we describe their effects on other groups of people, such as sports enthusiasts or sports fans? Consider the following question: When people spend a lot of time watching sports or following their favorite team, does it have a negative effect on their lives? Why or why not?
Claire: I agree that focusing on sports too much can have negative impacts. For example, some people who like watching sports on television have few other interests. In fact, it seems like watching sports is all they’re interested in. l sometimes find such people annoying because they care too much about things that don’t matter.
Paul: I am not sure what we mean by spending “a lot of time” following sports. But following sports has helped me in life when l first met one of my best friends, Daphne, l started a conversation with her by saying something about a sports team l liked. Then we moved to other topics, but sports were a great conservation starter.
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