TF阅读真题第853篇Climate and the Ancient Sahara

Climate and the Ancient Sahara

 

Though now largely dry and barren aside from its coasts and the Nile valley, northern Africa has known several wetter periods when the Sahara desert was considerably smaller. In fact, the Sahara has grown and shrunk many times in its history. Geologists have established that the desert reached its greatest size around 19,000 B.C.E., during the Pleistocene period, when arid landscapes extended far south into the savannah areas of present-day west and central Africa. From the end of the Pleistocene (circa 9000 B.C.E.)to about 3000 B.C.E., northern Africa experienced a “wet phase,”when greater rainfall shrank the Sahara far below its present size. After 3000 B.C.E., much drier conditions returned. Although significant smaller-scale climate and landscape shifts continued to take place, by about 300 C.E. the desert assumed the general proportions we are familiar with today.

These transitions between humidity and aridity played a major role in the human settlement of the Sahara and its surrounding regions. The time of abundant rainfall that preceded 4000 B.C.E coincided with the beginning of the Neolithic, or Late Stone Age, throughout the Mediterranean world. During this era, small wandering bands of hunters and gatherers moved into fixed settlements and their populations increased. To the stone tools already available, this new way of life added clay pottery and direct control over food resources. The Sahara was no exception to these changes, although here, as in most of tropical Africa, animal herding and farming occurred only late in the period, mainly as a drier climate began to return. Archaeologists have found evidence of stable communities practicing fishing along with hunting and gathering around the lakes that dotted this region during its early wet phase. Later, when moderate declines in rainfall began to diminish fish and game, people took control over local breeds of cattle and sheep and became herders. The diets of Saharan populations at this time also included some cereals, but it is not clear whether they came from wild or cultivated plants.

Although the Sahara presented few transportation barriers during its wet period, it does not seem that people here established regular contacts with either the Mediterranean coast or the Nile valley. Saharan populations in this era had neither the motivation nor the means to engage in long-distance trade. Under such favorable climatic conditions, each small community in the region could produce its own basic food, although neighboring groups apparently exchanged some items, such as pottery. Movement of goods over wider land expanses would have required animal transportation, and this was not yet available since Saharan peoples did not breed cattle for these purposes, wild donkeys had not been domesticated, and horses reached the region only in the first millennium B.C.E., when the desert had already returned to a very dry state. In that later period, Saharan populations became much smaller. Inhabitants of the scattered oases in the midst of the desert needed goods that had to be brought from distant areas. Rock illustrations made in this time show Saharans using not only draft animals but also wheeled vehicles, so some sort of cross-desert commerce was now possible.

In the southern regions of the Sahara, the drier climate definitely produced new contacts with farming peoples to the south. Some desert communities migrated into better-watered areas of the Sudan, such as the inner delta of the Niger River. Here they relied on agriculture for their main food supplies and lived in even more dense settlements than those of the Neolithic Sahara. Settlers in these grasslands suffered from one major limitation. Any cattle kept there throughout the year would fall severely ill during the rainy season, when they were attacked by tsetse flies bearing sleeping-sickness parasites. This handicap became a stimulus for interdependency between separate communities of farmers and cattle keepers, involving multiple forms of exchange. Not only could grain be traded for milk products but herds came south from the desert edge during the dry season to graze on already-harvested fields. The fields, in return, received the fertilizing benefit of manure deposits. Ironworking, which also began in the Sudan during the first millennium B.C.E., produced further specialization and incentives for regional exchange.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Though now largely dry and barren aside from its coasts and the Nile valley, northern Africa has known several wetter periods when the Sahara desert was considerably smaller. In fact, the Sahara has grown and shrunk many times in its history. Geologists have established that the desert reached its greatest size around 19,000 B.C.E., during the Pleistocene period, when arid landscapes extended far south into the savannah areas of present-day west and central Africa. From the end of the Pleistocene (circa 9000 B.C.E.)to about 3000 B.C.E., northern Africa experienced a “wet phase,”when greater rainfall shrank the Sahara far below its present size. After 3000 B.C.E., much drier conditions returned. Although significant smaller-scale climate and landscape shifts continued to take place, by about 300 C.E. the desert assumed the general proportions we are familiar with today.

Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 1 about the present-day Sahara region prior to 300 C.E.?

Inference Questions推理题

AIt was not always entirely desert.

BIt consisted entirely of flat grasslands.

CIts size remained relatively stable.

DIts climate was even more arid than it is today.

 

2

These transitions between humidity and aridity played a major role in the human settlement of the Sahara and its surrounding regions. The time of abundant rainfall that preceded 4000 B.C.E coincided with the beginning of the Neolithic, or Late Stone Age, throughout the Mediterranean world. During this era, small wandering bands of hunters and gatherers moved into fixed settlements and their populations increased. To the stone tools already available, this new way of life added clay pottery and direct control over food resources. The Sahara was no exception to these changes, although here, as in most of tropical Africa, animal herding and farming occurred only late in the period, mainly as a drier climate began to return. Archaeologists have found evidence of stable communities practicing fishing along with hunting and gathering around the lakes that dotted this region during its early wet phase. Later, when moderate declines in rainfall began to diminish fish and game, people took control over local breeds of cattle and sheep and became herders. The diets of Saharan populations at this time also included some cereals, but it is not clear whether they came from wild or cultivated plants.

According to paragraph 2， during the wet phase of the Late Stone Age, the Saharan peoples had not yet begun to

Factual Information Questions事实信息题

Amake clay pottery

Bpractice fishing

Cpractice farming

Dhunt in areas around lakes

3

These transitions between humidity and aridity played a major role in the human settlement of the Sahara and its surrounding regions. The time of abundant rainfall that preceded 4000 B.C.E coincided with the beginning of the Neolithic, or Late Stone Age, throughout the Mediterranean world. During this era, small wandering bands of hunters and gatherers moved into fixed settlements and their populations increased. To the stone tools already available, this new way of life added clay pottery and direct control over food resources. The Sahara was no exception to these changes, although here, as in most of tropical Africa, animal herding and farming occurred only late in the period, mainly as a drier climate began to return. Archaeologists have found evidence of stable communities practicing fishing along with hunting and gathering around the lakes that dotted this region during its early wet phase. Later, when moderate declines in rainfall began to diminish fish and game, people took control over local breeds of cattle and sheep and became herders. The diets of Saharan populations at this time also included some cereals, but it is not clear whether they came from wild or cultivated plants.

According to paragraph 2， what led Saharan peoples to become herders?

Factual Information Questions事实信息题

AThe abundance of cereals for feeding cattle and sheep

BThe example set by other peoples in tropical Africa

CThe need to establish stable communities

DThe decline in the availability of fish and game

4

Although the Sahara presented few transportation barriers during its wet period, it does not seem that people here established regular contacts with either the Mediterranean coast or the Nile valley. Saharan populations in this era had neither the motivation nor the means to engage in long-distance trade. Under such favorable climatic conditions, each small community in the region could produce its own basic food, although neighboring groups apparently exchanged some items, such as pottery. Movement of goods over wider land expanses would have required animal transportation, and this was not yet available since Saharan peoples did not breed cattle for these purposes, wild donkeys had not been domesticated, and horses reached the region only in the first millennium B.C.E., when the desert had already returned to a very dry state. In that later period, Saharan populations became much smaller. Inhabitants of the scattered oases in the midst of the desert needed goods that had to be brought from distant areas. Rock illustrations made in this time show Saharans using not only draft animals but also wheeled vehicles, so some sort of cross-desert commerce was now possible.

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

Vocabulary Questions词汇题

Aopportunities

Broutes

Climitations

Dmethods

 

5

Although the Sahara presented few transportation barriers during its wet period, it does not seem that people here established regular contacts with either the Mediterranean coast or the Nile valley. Saharan populations in this era had neither the motivation nor the means to engage in long-distance trade. Under such favorable climatic conditions, each small community in the region could produce its own basic food, although neighboring groups apparently exchanged some items, such as pottery. Movement of goods over wider land expanses would have required animal transportation, and this was not yet available since Saharan peoples did not breed cattle for these purposes, wild donkeys had not been domesticated, and horses reached the region only in the first millennium B.C.E., when the desert had already returned to a very dry state. In that later period, Saharan populations became much smaller. Inhabitants of the scattered oases in the midst of the desert needed goods that had to be brought from distant areas. Rock illustrations made in this time show Saharans using not only draft animals but also wheeled vehicles, so some sort of cross-desert commerce was now possible.

6

Although the Sahara presented few transportation barriers during its wet period, it does not seem that people here established regular contacts with either the Mediterranean coast or the Nile valley. Saharan populations in this era had neither the motivation nor the means to engage in long-distance trade. Under such favorable climatic conditions, each small community in the region could produce its own basic food, although neighboring groups apparently exchanged some items, such as pottery. Movement of goods over wider land expanses would have required animal transportation, and this was not yet available since Saharan peoples did not breed cattle for these purposes, wild donkeys had not been domesticated, and horses reached the region only in the first millennium B.C.E., when the desert had already returned to a very dry state. In that later period, Saharan populations became much smaller. Inhabitants of the scattered oases in the midst of the desert needed goods that had to be brought from distant areas. Rock illustrations made in this time show Saharans using not only draft animals but also wheeled vehicles, so some sort of cross-desert commerce was now possible.

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.

Sentence Simplification Questions句子简化题

AMovement of goods over wider land expanses became common only when the desert had already returned to a very dry state.

BSaharan peoples would not have been able to move goods over wider land expanses because they did not yet have animal transportation.

CSaharan peoples could not breed animals for transportation purposes because of the very dry state of the region.

DBecause Saharan peoples did not breed cattle extensively, they attempted to domesticate wild donkeys and horses to transport goods.

 

7

In the southern regions of the Sahara, the drier climate definitely produced new contacts with farming peoples to the south. Some desert communities migrated into better-watered areas of the Sudan, such as the inner delta of the Niger River. Here they relied on agriculture for their main food supplies and lived in even more dense settlements than those of the Neolithic Sahara. Settlers in these grasslands suffered from one major limitation. Any cattle kept there throughout the year would fall severely ill during the rainy season, when they were attacked by tsetse flies bearing sleeping-sickness parasites. This handicap became a stimulus for interdependency between separate communities of farmers and cattle keepers, involving multiple forms of exchange. Not only could grain be traded for milk products but herds came south from the desert edge during the dry season to graze on already-harvested fields. The fields, in return, received the fertilizing benefit of manure deposits. Ironworking, which also began in the Sudan during the first millennium B.C.E., produced further specialization and incentives for regional exchange.

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

Vocabulary Questions词汇题

Adisadvantage

Bcircumstance

Cattack

Dconsequence

 

8

In the southern regions of the Sahara, the drier climate definitely produced new contacts with farming peoples to the south. Some desert communities migrated into better-watered areas of the Sudan, such as the inner delta of the Niger River. Here they relied on agriculture for their main food supplies and lived in even more dense settlements than those of the Neolithic Sahara. Settlers in these grasslands suffered from one major limitation. Any cattle kept there throughout the year would fall severely ill during the rainy season, when they were attacked by tsetse flies bearing sleeping-sickness parasites. This handicap became a stimulus for interdependency between separate communities of farmers and cattle keepers, involving multiple forms of exchange. Not only could grain be traded for milk products but herds came south from the desert edge during the dry season to graze on already-harvested fields. The fields, in return, received the fertilizing benefit of manure deposits. Ironworking, which also began in the Sudan during the first millennium B.C.E., produced further specialization and incentives for regional exchange.

According to paragraph 4， the interdependence between settlers in the grasslands of the Sudan and those communities that remained in the desert took all of the following forms EXCEPT:

Negative Factual Information Questions否定事实信息题

AThe desert communities got grain from the settlers in exchange for milk products.

BThe settlers depended on desert communities to supply them with goods made of iron.

CThe manure deposits left by cattle from desert communities fertilized the fields of the settlers.

DThe desert communities could feed their cattle during the dry season by grazing them on the settlers’ harvested fields.

9

Though now largely dry and barren aside from its coasts and the Nile valley, northern Africa has known several wetter periods when the Sahara desert was considerably smaller. In fact, the Sahara has grown and shrunk many times in its history. Geologists have established that the desert reached its greatest size around 19,000 B.C.E., during the Pleistocene period, when arid landscapes extended far south into the savannah areas of present-day west and central Africa. [■]From the end of the Pleistocene (circa 9000 B.C.E.)to about 3000 B.C.E., northern Africa experienced a “wet phase,”when greater rainfall shrank the Sahara far below its present size. [■]After 3000 B.C.E., much drier conditions returned. [■]Although significant smaller-scale climate and landscape shifts continued to take place, by about 300 C.E. the desert assumed the general proportions we are familiar with today.[■]

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

It remains the largest desert on the African continent and the third largest desert in the world.

Insert Text Questions句子插入题

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

10

The Sahara has experienced periods of expansion and reduction several times in its history because of changes in climatic conditions

Prose Summary Questions概要小结题

Select 3 answers

ADuring the wet phase before 4000 B.C.E., the populations of Saharan peoples increased as they established settlements, and later in this period they began to produce their own food.

BArchaeologists have found evidence of cereal cultivation in settlements built around lakes in the wet period; these settlements also traded fish and grain with communities in other areas.

CSome desert communities migrated south into wetter grassland areas where they began farming, but since tsetse flies made it difficult to raise cattle, they became interdependent with desert cattle keepers.

DDuring the wet period, communities were unable to engage in long- distance trade and were self-sufficient, but when it became very dry again, Saharan populations declined and trade became a necessity.

EIn the beginning of the Late Stone Age, most of the peoples of tropical Africa became farmers, but Saharan peoples, who had taken control over local breeds of cattle, typically remained herders.

FCross-desert commerce and regional exchange increased enormously once settlers in the Sudan learned how to produce wheeled vehicles from iron that could be pulled by draft animals.