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Linguists subscribe to the belief that the languages of about |
| |
one-third of the human race all developed from one Indo-European |
| |
language. But who were the speakers of this ancient language? |
| |
Linguistic detective work offers some clues: you can deduce a |
| 5 |
people’s history from the words they use. Study of some fifty ancient |
| |
vocabularies has led to a reconstruction of the lifestyle of the first |
| |
Indo-Europeans, a vanished people. From the words they used, it |
| |
seems likely that they lived a half-settled, half-nomadic existence. |
| |
They worshipped gods who are clear ancestors of Indian, |
| 10 |
Mediterranean, and Celtic deities. However, exactly who the original |
| |
Indo-Europeans were and when they lived remain a hotly debated |
| |
mystery. According to an early theory, they lived in Mesopotamia, but |
| |
this idea was exploded by nineteenth-century archaeology. Today, |
| |
some argue for the Krugan culture of the Russian steppes, others for |
| 15 |
the farming culture of the Danube valley. The most widely accepted |
| |
theory locates the Indo-Europeans in a cold, northern climate where |
| |
common words for snow and wolf were important. None of these |
| |
prehistoric languages had a word for the sea. From this, and from |
| |
our knowledge of nature, it is clear that the Indo-Europeans must |
| 20 |
have lived somewhere in northern central Europe. |
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( ) 1. According to the passage, what does the underlined word “exploded” mean?
(A) Disproved (B) Burst (C) Arranged (D) Destroyed
( ) 2. According to the passage, who might have created the Krugan culture?
(A) The original Indo-Europeans
(B) A tribe of Celtic origin
(C) A farming people in ancient Mesopotamia
(D) A tribe that led a settled life
( ) 3. According to the passage, what kind of study plays a major part in helping us understand the history of the Indo-Europeans?
(A) A study of prehistoric plants (B) A study of prehistoric deities
(C) A study of prehistoric climate (D) A study of prehistoric languages
( ) 4. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
(A) None of the prehistoric languages studied had a word for sea.
(B) About two-thirds of human languages stemmed from Latin.
(C) The Indo-Europeans did not worship their gods and goddesses.
(D) There was an explosion in ancient Mesopotamia. |
英銘解析
英銘老師：閱讀測驗是很多考生畏懼的英文題型之一，其實閱題測驗的的解題並不難，因為外國人寫文章都愛用破題法，只要看第一段即可知道文章大概在講什麼內容。例如在此篇文章的第一段中，有提到“language” (語言)、“develop” (發展)，所以文章一定是跟語言的發展有關。
第1題：根據這篇文章，“exploded”是什麼意思？“exploded”有爆炸、推翻的意思，根據文章的內容，所用的是“推翻”這個意思，故答案是(A)。
補充：
explode v. 爆炸、爆發、推翻、激增 (always)
The terrorists exploded a bomb in a mall.
恐怖分子在商場引爆了一枚炸彈。
Stanley exploded with anger when he saw his wife kiss another man.
當Stanley看到他的妻子親吻另一個男人時，他氣炸了。
Ricky's rumor has been exploded.
Ricky的謊言被戳穿了。
Investment by Germany firms has exploded.
德國公司的投資已經開始激增。
disprove v. 反駁、證明...是虛假的 (always)
The lawyer defied anyone to disprove the defendant's statements.
那律師倒要看看有沒有人能對被告的陳述進行反駁。
Mr. Upton argues that the theory has been disproved.
Upton先生認為那理論已被證明不正確。
burst v. n. 爆炸(發)、破裂 (always)
Sandy felt as if her heart would burst with joy.
Sandy覺得自己高興得心花怒放。
There was a burst of laughter in the next classroom.
隔壁教室裡突然爆發出一陣笑聲。
arrange v. 佈置、安排 (always)
Eleanor arranged the flowers in a vase.
Eleanor把花瓶裡的花插好。
The seminar has been arranged for next Monday.
本次研討會已安排在下週一舉行。
destroy v. 毀(破)壞、消滅 (always)
Should there be a nuclear war, the whole world will be destroyed.
萬一發生了核戰，整個世界將被毀壞。
Caleb had to destroy the injured horse.
Caleb不得不殺死那隻受傷的馬。
同義：demolish, destruct, ruin.
