托福閱讀真題Official 53 Passage 3（七）

托福閱讀真題Official 53 Passage 3（七）

Paleolithic Cave Painting

In any investigation of the origins of art,attention focuses on the cave paintings created in Europe during the Paleolithic era(C.40,000-10,000 years ago)such as those depicting bulls and other animals in the Lascaux cave in France.Accepting that they are the best preserved and most visible signs of what was a global creative explosion,how do we start to explain their appearance.Instinctively,we may want to update the earliest human artists by assuming that they painted for the sheer joy of painting.The philosophers of Classical Greece recognized it as a defining trait of humans to“delight in works of imitation”—to enjoy the very act and triumph of representation.If we were close to a real lion or snake,we might feel frightened.But a well-executed picture of a lion or snake will give us pleasure.Why suppose that our Paleolithic ancestors were any different?

This simple acceptance of art for art’s sake has a certain appeal.To think of Lascaux as a gallery allows it to be a sort of special viewing place where the handiwork of accomplished artists might be displayed.Plausibly,daily existence in parts of Paleolithic Europe may not have been so hard,with an abundance of ready food and therefore the leisure time for art.The problems with this explanation,however,are various.In the first place,the proliferation of archaeological discoveries—and this includes some of the world’s innumerable rock art sites that cannot be dated—has served to emphasize a remarkably limited repertoire of subjects.The images that recur are those of animals.Human figures are unusual,and when they do make an appearance,they are rarely done with the same attention to form accorded to the animals.If Paleolithic artists were simply seeking to represent the beauty of the world around them,would they not have left a far greater range of pictures—of trees,flowers,of the Sun and the stars?

A further question to the theory of art for art’s sake is posed by the high incidence of Paleolithic images that appear not to be imitative of any reality whatsoever.These are geometrical shapes or patterns consisting of dots or lines.Such marks may be found isolated or repeated over a particular surface,but also scattered across more recognizable forms.A good example of this may be seen in the geologically spectacular grotto of Pêche Merle,in the Lot region of France.Here we encounter some favorite animals from the Paleolithic repertoire—a pair of stout-bellied horses.But over and around the horses’outlines are multiple dark spots,daubed in disregard for the otherwise naturalistic representation of animals.What does such patterning imitate.There is also the factor of location.The caves of Lascaux might conceivably qualify as underground galleries,but many other paintings have been found in recesses totally unsuitable for any kind of viewing—tight nooks and crannies that must have been awkward even for the artists to penetrate,let alone for anyone else wanting to see the art.

Finally,we may doubt the notion that the Upper Paleolithic period was a paradise in which food came readily,leaving humans ample time to amuse themselves with art.For Europe it was still the Ice Age.An estimate of the basic level of sustenance then necessary for human survival has been judged at 2200 calories per day.This consideration,combined with the stark emphasis upon animals in the cave art,has persuaded some archaeologists that the primary motive behind Paleolithic images must lie with the primary activity of Paleolithic people:hunting.

Hunting is a skill.Tracking,stalking,chasing,and killing the prey are difficult,sometimes dangerous activities.What if the process could be made easier—by art.In the early decades of the twentieth century,AbbéHenri Breuil argued that the cave paintings were all about“sympathetic magic.”The artists strived diligently to make their animal images evocative and realistic because they were attempting to capture the spirit of their prey.What could have prompted their studious attention to making such naturalistic,recognizable images.According to Breuil,the artists may have believed that if a hunter were able to make a true likeness of some animal,then that animal was virtually trapped.Images,therefore,may have had the magical capacity to confer success or luck in the hunt.

Question 13 of 14

Look at the four squares[■]that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.Obtaining this level of nourishment from such a harsh environment must have consumed most of Paleolithic people’s time and attention.Where would the sentence best fit?Click on a square[■]to add the sentence to the passage.

正確答案：C

題目詳解

題型分類：插入句子題

題干分析：在如此惡劣的環(huán)境中獲得這種程度的營養(yǎng)一定花費了舊石器時代人們不少時間和精力。被插入句子中“This level”一定在前文中出現(xiàn)過。

選項分析：

C位置正確，位置前出現(xiàn)了被插入句子“this level”所指代的內(nèi)容：An estimate of the basic level…。

A、B、D位置前面都沒有交代所指的內(nèi)容。

Question 14 of 14

Directions:An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below.Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express 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.

There are a number of arguments against the idea that Paleolithic cave paintings were created for the sheer joy of painting.

Answer Choices:

A.

It is generally agreed that art as imitation arose during the age of Classical Greece.

B.

Paleolithic artists often chose to paint pictures that were intended to frighten people.

C.

People in the Paleolithic era may not have had time for art,and the placement of the paintings does not indicate that they were meant to be looked at.

D.

Paleolithic artists chose to represent only a small segment of the natural world,and their paintings were not always strict imitations of nature.

E.

Hunting was central to Paleolithic life,and animals are central to cave art,leading some to believe that the paintings were created to bring luck to hunters.

F.

Humans were rarely the subjects of cave paintings because it was thought that capturing the image of a hunter would cause the hunter to be virtually trapped.

正確答案：CDE

題目詳解

題型分類：文章總結(jié)題

題干分析：選擇概括性的正確選項。

選項分析：

C選項(People in the Paleolithic)說舊石器時代的人們沒有時間從事藝術(shù)，從畫作的位置來看也不是供人觀賞的。對應原文第三、四段內(nèi)容，正確。

D選項(Paleolithic artists)說舊石器時代藝術(shù)家只選擇畫自然界中的一小部分，并不總是寫實臨摹，對應原文第二段、第三段內(nèi)容，正確。

E選項(Hunting was centra)說捕獵是舊石器時代生活的核心，通過作畫來使捕獵更容易，對應第四、五段內(nèi)容，正確。

A選項(It is generally)說模仿的藝術(shù)起源于古典希臘時代，原文只是引用了古典希臘時代哲人的話，沒有說模仿藝術(shù)起源于古典希臘時代。

B選項(Paleolithic artists)說舊石器時代的藝術(shù)家經(jīng)常選擇畫一些意在嚇唬人的畫。原文沒有提及畫作的目的是嚇唬別人。

F選項(Humans)說人像不是主要的畫作對象，是因為人們認為捕捉獵人的形象會導致獵人實際上被困住。原文說的是畫動物會導致動物被困住，所以動物成了主要的畫作對象，沒有提到是否人被困住。

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