2. 职称英语
  3. Read the following passage. Throughout the Greek islands, archaeologists

Read the following passage. Throughout the Greek islands, archaeologists

游客2024-01-02  12
问题     Read the following passage.
    Throughout the Greek islands, archaeologists have found over 200 plate-sized ceramic disks dating back to about 2000 to 3000 B.C.E. The disks are typically decorated on one side, while the other side is undecorated and has a raised edge that creates a shallow basin. They usually have short handles. Archaeologists are still unclear about what the objects were used for. Three theories about their function have been proposed.
    Some archaeologists believe that the objects were used for cooking food. These archaeologists believe that food was placed on the undecorated side and that the raised edge on that side prevented the food from falling out of the pan. The handle would have made it easier and safer to remove the pan from a cooking fire or an oven.
    Other archaeologists believe that the objects were drums for making sounds. These archaeologists point out that animal skins could have been stretched over the side with the raised edge, creating an air chamber that would have amplified sound when the animal skin was struck. According to this theory, the person doing the drumming would hold the drum by the handle with one hand and strike the skin with the other hand.
    Yet other archaeologists believe that the objects were a kind of ancient mirror. Although the objects are not made of a reflective material, they could have been used to create a reflection by pouring a liquid, such as olive oil, into the shallow basin with the raised edge. Supporters of this theory point out that the decorations found on the ceramic disks are similar to decorations found on handheld metal mirrors made in ancient Greece.
    Now listen to part of a lecture on the topic you just read about.
    Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they challenge the specific theories presented in the reading passage.
These ancient ceramic disks certainly served some purpose, but it’s still not clear what that purpose was. None of the theories you read about is very convincing when you consider the objects closely.
    First, the idea that the objects were used as cooking pans. That seems unlikely. Think of the pots and pans in your home. If they’ve been used for a while, they become blackened or discolored in some other way as a result of having come into contact with high heat. Well, shouldn’t we expect to find the same type of blackening or discoloration on ancient objects used as cooking pans? But the fact is, none of the more than 200 disks found so far exhibit such marks.
    Second, the drum theory. Well, remember that the disks are ceramic. Ceramic disks of this size and shape would not make a very pleasant sound, even with an animal skin stretched over them. They just wouldn’t sound the way a drum should. A ceramic drum would also have been heavy and hard to use. Drums made of wood and animal skins are much easier to make and play and also sound much better. It’s hard to understand why anyone would make a ceramic drum when better materials for drums were available.
    Third, the mirror theory. Well, to make a mirror, you’d have to fill the basin with liquid, place the disk on a horizontal surface and then bend over it to look down at your reflection, but that would mean placing the disk with its decorated side down. In other words, the elaborate decoration would be entirely hidden from view. Why would ancient craftspeople have made elaborate decorations that no one could see? The metal mirrors that had silver decorations worked very differently. People held them up vertically, so everyone could see the decorations.
选项
答案     The lecturer challenges the three hypotheses proposed in the reading passage on the function of more than 200 plate-sized ceramic disks on the Greek islands.
    First, some archaeologists believe that the ceramic disks are pans for cooking. The lecturer doubts it on the grounds that there was no blackening or discoloration on these ancient disks as a result of high heat, as usually found on other cooking pans.
    The second theory is also untenable. It says that the disks could have been used as drums by stretching an animal skin over the side with the raised edge. Compared with drums made of wood and animal skins, ceramic drums are too heavy and hard to use, and their sound is less beautiful. It makes no sense to make a ceramic drum when other materials are more suitable.
    Finally, the third hypothesis suggests that these disks are some kind of ancient mirrors, as their decorations are similar to those of hand-held metal mirrors in ancient Greece. But when used as mirrors, these disks need to be filled with liquid and placed horizontally. In this case, the decorated side would be facing the ground. There is no point of making elaborate decorations when they are bound to be hidden from view.
解析     题目：年轻人应该在决定自己长期从事的职业之前，尝试几份不同的工作。
    这是一个“Agree or Disagree”类型的题目，问的是年轻人是否应该多做几份工作，再决定自己的长期职业。建议考生选择明确的立场，在此基础上进行立论。如果选择同意，则重点阐述多做几份工作的好处；如果选择不同意，则应围绕早些决定长期职业的好处和多做几份其他工作的弊端展开讨论。无论选择哪个立场，都可以在总结的时候从对方立场做一些让步讨论，以增加文章的客观性。
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