托福阅读tpo46R-1 原文+译文+题目+答案+背景知识.docx

托福阅读tpo46R-1TheOriginsofWriting

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TheOriginsofWriting

①ItwasinEgyptandMesopotamia(modern-dayIraq)thatcivilizationarose,anditistherethatwefindtheearliestexamplesofthatkeyfeatureofcivilization,writing.Theseexamples,intheformofinscribedclaytabletsthatdatetoshortlybefore3000B.C.E.,havebeendiscoveredamongthearchaeologicalremainsoftheSumerians,agiftedpeoplesettledinsouthernMesopotamia.

②TheEgyptianswerenotfarbehindindevelopingwriting,butwecannotfollowthehistoryoftheirwritingindetailbecausetheyusedaperishablewritingmaterial.InancienttimesthebanksoftheNilewerelinedwithpapyrusplants,andfromthepapyrusreedstheEgyptiansmadeaformofpaper;itwasexcellentinqualitybut,likeanypaper,fragile.Mesopotamia’sriversboastednosuchusefulreeds,butitslanddidprovidegoodclay,andasaconsequencetheclaytabletbecamethestandardmaterial.Thoughclumsyandbulkyithasavirtuedeartoarchaeologists:itisdurable.Fire,forexample,whichisdeathtopapyruspaperorotherwritingmaterialssuchasleatherandwood,simplybakesithard,therebymakingitevenmoredurable.SowhenaconquerorsetaMesopotamianpalaceablaze,hehelpedensurethesurvivalofanyclaytabletsinit.Clay,moreover,ischeap,andformingitintotabletsiseasy,factorsthathelpedtheclaytabletbecomethepreferredwritingmaterialnotonlythroughoutMesopotamiabutfaroutsideitaswell,inSyria,AsiaMinor,Persia,andevenforawhileinCreteandGreece.Excavatorshaveunearthedclaytabletsinalltheselands.IntheNearEasttheyremainedinuseformorethantwoandahalfmillennia,andincertainareastheylasteddowntothebeginningofthecommonerauntilfinallyyielding,onceandforall,tomoreconvenientalternatives.

③TheSumeriansperfectedastyleofwriting