托福阅读真题Official 53 Passage 3（七）

托福阅读真题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.

正确答案：C

题目详解

题型分类：插入句子题

题干分析：在如此恶劣的环境中获得这种程度的营养一定花费了旧石器时代人们不少时间和精力。被插入句子中“This level”一定在前文中出现过。

选项分析：

C位置正确，位置前出现了被插入句子“this level”所指代的内容：An estimate of the basic level…。

A、B、D位置前面都没有交代所指的内容。

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.

正确答案：CDE

题目详解

题型分类：文章总结题

题干分析：选择概括性的正确选项。

选项分析：

C选项(People in the Paleolithic)说旧石器时代的人们没有时间从事艺术，从画作的位置来看也不是供人观赏的。对应原文第三、四段内容，正确。

D选项(Paleolithic artists)说旧石器时代艺术家只选择画自然界中的一小部分，并不总是写实临摹，对应原文第二段、第三段内容，正确。

E选项(Hunting was centra)说捕猎是旧石器时代生活的核心，通过作画来使捕猎更容易，对应第四、五段内容，正确。

A选项(It is generally)说模仿的艺术起源于古典希腊时代，原文只是引用了古典希腊时代哲人的话，没有说模仿艺术起源于古典希腊时代。

B选项(Paleolithic artists)说旧石器时代的艺术家经常选择画一些意在吓唬人的画。原文没有提及画作的目的是吓唬别人。

F选项(Humans)说人像不是主要的画作对象，是因为人们认为捕捉猎人的形象会导致猎人实际上被困住。原文说的是画动物会导致动物被困住，所以动物成了主要的画作对象，没有提到是否人被困住。

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