托福阅读tpo 4 Cave Art in Europe欧洲的岩洞艺术原题解析
阅读原文：
The earliest discovered traces of art are beads and carvings, and then paintings, from sites dating back to the Upper Paleolithic period. We might expect that early artistic efforts would be crude, but the cave paintings of Spain and southern France show a marked degree of skill. So do the naturalistic paintings on slabs of stone excavated in southern Africa. Some of those slabs appear to have been painted as much as 28,000 years ago, which suggests that painting in Africa is as old as painting in Europe. But painting may be even older than that. The early Australians may have painted on the walls of rock shelters and cliff faces at least 30,000 years ago, and maybe as much as 60,000 years ago.
迄今为止，发现的最早的并且有迹可寻的工艺品是珠链和雕刻，然后还有绘画，人类在旧石器时代晚期的遗址上发现了它们。虽然我们可能会认为早期的艺术成就都是不成熟的，但西班牙与法国南部的岩洞画显示出了高超的技艺，在非洲南部发掘出的自然石板画也是如此。其中的一些石板画看上去像是在28 000年前画出的，这表明非洲绘画与欧洲绘画一样时间久远，但可能更早些。至少30 000年前，也可能追溯至60 000年前，早期澳大利亚人就已经在岩石遮蔽的墙上和悬崖断面上作画了。
The researchers Peter Ucko and Andree Rosenfeld identified three principal locations of paintings in the caves of western Europe: (1) in obviously inhabited rock shelters and cave entrances; (2) in galleries immediately off the inhabited areas of caves; and (3) in the inner reaches of caves, whose difficulty of access has been interpreted by some as a sign that magical-religious activities were performed there.
研究人员彼特?阿寇和安德烈?罗森菲尔德指出西欧洞画的三个主要地点：（1）在明显有遮蔽可供人类居住的岩石和洞穴入口处，（2）在居住的洞穴一出门的走廊上，（3）在洞穴所能及的最深处，有人认为之所以在最深处作画是因为当时的人们曾在这里进行神秘的宗教活动。
The subjects of the paintings are mostly animals. The paintings rest on bare walls, with no backdrops or environmental trappings. Perhaps, like many contemporary peoples, Upper Paleolithic men and women believed that the drawing of a human image could cause death or injury, and if that were indeed their belief, it might explain why human figures are rarely depicted in cave art. Another explanation for the focus on animals might be that these people sought to improve their luck at hunting. This theory is suggested by evidence of chips in the painted figures, perhaps made by spears thrown at the drawings. But if improving their hunting luck was the chief motivation for the paintings, it is difficult to explain why only a few show signs of having been speared. Perhaps the paintings were inspired by the need to increase the supply of animals. Cave art seems to have reached a peak toward the end of the Upper Paleolithic period, when the herds of game were decreasing.
这些绘画的主题大部分都是动物。这些画画在裸露的岩石上，没有任何背景和环境装饰。或许，同许多当代人一样，后石器时代的人们也相信画人物像会引起伤害或死亡。如果这确实是他们的信念，那就解释了为什么在洞穴绘画中很少描绘人物。对于画中以动物题材为主的另一个解释是，人们在探索如何提高打猎的命中率。墙上所画的动物身上有一些伤口，很可能是原始人向它们扔矛时留下的，这个证据也证实了以上判断。但如果提高打猎命中率真的是岩壁画的主要动机，那么就很难解释为什么只有少数画上有被矛戳过的痕迹。或许是出于增加猎物的需求而画的画。在后期旧石器时代猎群数量减少时，岩洞画艺术似乎达到了顶峰。
The particular symbolic significance of the cave paintings in southwestern France is more explicitly revealed, perhaps, by the results of a study conducted by researchers Patricia Rice and Ann Paterson. The data they present suggest that the animals portrayed in the cave paintings were mostly the ones that the painters preferred for meat and for materials such as hides. For example, wild cattle (bovines) and horses are portrayed more often than we would expect by chance, probably because they were larger and heavier (meatier) than other animals in the environment. In addition, the paintings mostly portray animals that the painters may have feared the most because of their size, speed, natural weapons such as tusks and horns, and the unpredictability of their behavior. That is, mammoths, bovines, and horses are portrayed more often than deer and reindeer. Thus, the paintings are consistent with the idea that the art is related to the importance of hunting in the economy of Upper Paleolithic people. Consistent with this idea, according to the investigators, is the fact that the art of the cultural period that followed the Upper Paleolithic also seems to reflect how people got their food. But in that period, when getting food no longer depended on hunting large game animals (because they were becoming extinct), the art ceased to focus on portrayals of animals.
也许研究者帕特丽夏?赖斯和安?派特森所做研究的结果更清楚地揭示了法国西南部的岩洞画的特殊象征性意义。研究显示，绘画者喜欢食用的动物或喜欢用作兽皮的动物是岩洞画中经常被描绘的动物。比如，野牛（牛）和马的出现比我们预料的更为频繁，可能因为它们比其它动物更大更沉（肉更多）。另外，画作中主要描绘了绘画者害怕的动物，它们的体形、速度、与生俱来的武器如长牙和角，以及它们行为的不可预知性都令绘画者感到恐惧。于是，和鹿、驯鹿相比，猛犸、牛和马会更经常画在墙上。因此，在旧石器时代晚期的人的经济中，岩洞艺术与打猎的重要性有关，这些画作也与这个观点相符合。看起来旧石器时代晚期的文化期的艺术也反映了人们如何得到食物，根据调查者的研究，这一事实也与前文的想法一致。但在那个时期，当不再依靠猎取大型猎物获得食物时（因为它们开始变得稀少），岩洞艺术便不再以描绘动物为主了。
Upper Paleolithic art was not confined to cave paintings. Many shafts of spears and similar objects were decorated with figures of animals. The anthropologist Alexander Marshack has an interesting interpretation of some of the engravings made during the Upper Paleolithic. He believes that as far back as 30,000 B.C., hunters may have used a system of notation, engraved on bone and stone, to mark phases of
the Moon. If this is true, it would mean that Upper Paleolithic people were capable of complex thought and were consciously aware of their environment. In addition to other artworks, figurines representing the human female in exaggerated form have also been found at Upper Paleolithic sites. It has been suggested that these figurines were an ideal type or an expression of a desire for fertility.
旧石器时代晚期的艺术不仅仅局限于洞穴绘画。许多矛杆和类似的东西上都画了动物作为装饰。人类学家亚历山大?马斯哈克对旧石器时代晚期的一些雕刻品有一个有趣的解释。他认为在公元前30 000年，猎人们可能使用了一种刻在骨头或石头上的标志法来标记不同的月相。如果此论述是真的，这就意味着旧石器时代晚期的人们已经有了复杂的思维并对他们的环境有了一个理性的认识。人们还在旧石器时代晚期的遗址上发现了以夸张的形式描绘妇女的小雕塑。这也暗示了这些小雕塑是一种理想形象或者说表达了当时的人类期望多生育的愿望。
第1题：
The word “marked” in the passage is closest in meaning to
A：considerable
B：surprising
C：limited
D：adequate
题目解析
mark标记，marked明显的，显著的。所在句的上半句讲我们认为artistic efforts是比较粗劣的，后面来了个转折，说他们应该有怎么样的技巧，considerable相当的，正确。limited感情色彩反了，surprise意思太夸张，而且surprise也不一定是好，adequate意思过了
第2题：
Paragraph 1 supports which of the following statements about painting in Europe?
A：It is much older than painting in Australia.
B：It is as much as 28,000 years old.
C：It is not as old as painting in southern Africa.
D：It is much more than 30,000 years old.
题目解析
此题答案中的关键词很容易找，故使用排除法，原文一共提到了三个地方岩画的年龄，南非28000年前，欧洲和南非一样，澳洲30000年前，所以澳洲老，A错，同时D也错；B 说28000年前，原文既然说欧洲和非洲一样，当然也是28000年前，所以B对；C刚好和原文说反，错。
第3题：
The word “principal” in the passage is closest in meaning to
A：major
B：likely
C：well protected
D：distinct
题目解析
principal主要的，所以major是答案。
第4题：
According to paragraph 2, what makes some researchers think that certain cave paintings were connected with magical-religious activities?
A：The paintings were located where many people could easily see them, allowing groups of people to participate in the magical-religious activities.
B：Upper Paleolithic people shared similar beliefs with contemporary peoples who use paintings of animals in their magical-religious rituals.
C：Evidence of magical-religious activities has been found in galleries immediately off the inhabited areas of caves.
D：The paintings were found in hard-to-reach places away from the inhabited parts of the cave.
题目解析
以magical-religious activities做关键词定位至第三个位置，inner reach和difficult to access都说明D是正确的，因为四个答案中只有D提到了hard-to-reach places。
第5题：
The word “trappings” in the passage is closest in meaning to
A：conditions
B：problems
C：influences
D：decorations
题目解析
trap最常见的意思是捕猎或者陷阱，但注意trappings，而且只有复数的时候有一个意思是装饰物。原文与之并列的是backdrop，说既没有什么也没有什么。而backdrop指背景，所以problems问题和influences是完全不靠谱的，注意condition选项颇具迷惑性，但条件跟背景的并列明显不如D装饰decorations的并列更好。
第6题：
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.
A：Upper Paleolithic people, like many contemporary peoples, believed that if they drew a human image in their cave art, it would cause death or injury.
B：Many contemporary people believe that the drawing of a human image can cause death or injury, so they, like Upper Paleolithic people, rarely depicted human figures in their cave art.
C：If Upper Paleolithic people, like many contemporary peoples, believed that the drawing of a human image could cause death or injury, this belief might explain why human figures are rarely depicted in cave art.
D：Although many contemporary peoples believe that the drawing of a human image can cause death or injury, researchers cannot explain why Upper Paleolithic people
rarely depicted human figures in their cave art.
题目解析
原文的结构是旧石器时代的人相信blablabla，如果真是这样，blablabla。A选项缺了如果真是这样那部分，缺失重要信息，错；B偷换了原文的陈述对象，原文说upper Paleolithic 的人怎么怎么样，被B换成了现代人怎么怎么样；C正确；D刚好说反了，不是不能解释，而是这个是可能的解释，错.
第7题：
According to paragraph 3, scholars explained chips in the painted figures of animals by proposing that
A：Upper Paleolithic artists used marks to record the animals they had seen
B：the paintings were inspired by the need to increase the supply of animals for hunting
C：the artists had removed rough spots on the cave walls
D：Upper Paleolithic people used the paintings to increase their luck at hunting
题目解析
修辞目的题，尽管问法不是那么典型，问作者解释了chips in the painted animal figures是为什么，往前找，找到之前的another explanation那句，说这些人把画的重点放在动物身上是为了提升自己在打猎时候的运气，所以D正确
第8题：
Why does the author mention that Upper Paleolithic cave art seemed to have “reached a peak toward the end of the Upper Paleolithic period, when the herds of game were decreasing”?
A：To argue that Upper Paleolithic art ceased to include animals when herds of game became scarce
B：To provide support for the idea that the aim of the paintings was to increase the supply of animals for hunting
C：To emphasize the continued improvement in the quality of cave art throughout the Upper Paleolithic period
D：To show the direct connection between the decrease in herds of game and the end of the Upper Paleolithic period
题目解析
修辞目的题，例子所在的那句说当猎物变少的时候，这样的岩画达到了高峰，往前看，之前一句说人们之所以画这样的画是因为想得到更多的猎物，所以这句话就是证明画画是想要更多的猎物，答案B正确。
第9题：
According to paragraph 4, scholars believe that wild cattle, horses, and mammoths are the animals most frequently portrayed in cave paintings for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:
A：These animals were difficult to hunt because their unpredictable behavior.
B：People preferred these animals for their meat and for their skins.
C：The painters admired the beauty of these large animals.
D：People feared these animals because of their size and speed.
题目解析
排除法，所有答案集中在这段的二四两句，第四句说到A和D两个答案，第二句说到B 答案，原文只是说大的动物多画，没说是因为画画的人喜欢大动物的美，C没说，选。
第10题：
According to paragraph 4, which of the following may best represent the attitude of hunters toward deer and reindeer in the Upper Paleolithic period?
A：Hunters did not fear deer and reindeers as much as they did large game animals such as horses and mammoths.
B：Hunters were not interested in hunting deer and reindeer because of their size and speed.
C：Hunters preferred the meat and hides of deer and reindeer to those of other animals.
D：Hunters avoided deer and reindeer because of their natural weapons, such as horns.
题目解析
以deer和reindeer做关键词定位至原文第五句，接上题，说大的动物比诸如deer和reindeer这类小动物更多出现在岩画上，前文说因为怕那些大动物的很多方面才画，所以A 对，B将两个概念杂合到一起，而且原文没说猎人对deer不感兴趣，错；9题B项说对，所以10题C项错；原文说有horn的是大型动物，不是deer，D错
第11题：
According to paragraph 4, what change is evident in the art of the period following the Upper Paleolithic?
A：This new art starts to depict small animals rather than large ones.
B：This new art ceases to reflect the ways in which people obtained their food.
C：This new art no longer consists mostly of representations of animals.
D：This new art begins to show the importance of hunting to the economy.
题目解析
以following the upper Paleolithic做关键词定位至最后两句，说后来大的动物消失了，根据之前谁重要画谁的理论，后面也就不再画动物了，C正确；不是不画大动物画小动物是干脆就不画动物，A错；还是反映生活的，B错；D从来没说。
第12题：
According to paragraph 5, which of the following has been used as evidence to suggest that Upper Paleolithic people were capable of complex thought and conscious awareness of their environment?
A：They engraved animal figures on the shafts of spears and other objects.
B：They may have used engraved signs to record the phases of the Moon.
C：Their figurines represented the human female in exaggerated form.
D：They may have used figurines to portray an ideal type or to express a desire for fertility.
题目解析
以complex thought and conscious awareness做关键词定位至本段第四句，因为有个代词it，说明这句跟前面的第三句有联系，前一句的具体例子是记录月相，B正确。
第13题：
Look at the four squares [] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. Where would the sentence best fit?
Therefore, if the paintings were connected with hunting, some other explanation is needed.
题目解析
三个过渡点，hunting说明D选项不可能，排除掉；some other explanation说明之前必须有其他的解释，但这个没用上；第三个就是therefore所表示的因果关系；A选项后的this与上文的指代关系明显，所以A排除；B选项之前有spears thrown at drawings，之后有having been speared，过渡紧密，排除，所以只有C正确，代入发现后面果然是另外一个explanation，所以C对。
第14题：
Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that explain the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points. Upper Paleolithic cave paintings in Western Europe are among humanity’s earliest artistic efforts.
A. Researchers have proposed several different explanations for the fact that animals were the most common subjects in the cave paintings.
B. The art of the cultural period that followed the Upper Paleolithic ceased to portray large game animals and focused instead on the kinds of animals that people of that period preferred to hunt.
C. Some researchers believe that the paintings found in France provide more explicit evidence of their symbolic significance than those found in Spain, southern Africa, and Australia.
D. The cave paintings focus on portraying animals without also depicting the
natural environments in which these animals are typically found.
E. Some researchers have argued that the cave paintings mostly portrayed large animals that provided Upper Paleolithic people with meat and materials.
F. Besides cave paintings, Upper Paleolithic people produced several other kinds of artwork, one of which has been thought to provide evidence of complex thought.
题目解析
文章标题暗示有几种展开方向：艺术的特点（现象描述）／艺术的发展（历史叙述）／为什么画这些艺术（现象解释）
首段说旧石器时代艺术水平高，年代久，算是背景介绍
二段进入主题，说艺术发现的3个位置。
三段说一个特点，主要画动物，给出解释，各有褒贬。
四段说两个人的观点，给出正面支持。
五段从主题引申，扯到其他艺术。
引出句概括首段内容，正确答案应概括以后各段大意。
A（researchers have proposed）选项对应整个第三段，提出了三个主要画动物的解释，正确。
B（the art）选项文章没有说，不选。
C（some researchers believe）选项文章没有说，不选。
D（the cave）选项原文没说，不选。
E（some researchers have）选项对应原文第四段，正确。
F（besides）选项对应第五段，正确.
答案：
第1题：A
第2题：B
第3题：A
第4题：D
第5题：D
第6题：C
第7题：D
第8题：B
第9题：C
第10题：A 第11题：C 第12题：B 第13题：C 第14题：AEF