资源描述：
《托福经典加试阅读之苏美尔文明英文全文》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在行业资料-天天文库。
1、2005年10月12日开始第一次加试SumerianCivilizationItisanastonishingfactthathumancivilizationshouldhaveemergedintothelightofhistoryintwoseparateplacesatjustaboutthesametime.Between3,500and3,000B.C.whenEgyptwasbeingunitedunderpharaonicrule,anothergreatcivilizationaroseinMesopotamia,the“landbetweentherive
2、rs”.Andforclosetothreethousandyears,thetworivalcentersretainedtheirdistinctcharacters,eventhoughtheyhadcontactwitheachotherfromtheirearliestbeginnings,andtheirdestinieswereinterwoveninmanyways.ThepressurethatforcedtheinhabitantsofbothregionstoabandonthepatternofNeolithicvillagelifemaywellha
3、vebeenthesame.ButthevalleyoftheTigrisandEuphratesrivers,unlikethatoftheNile,isnotanarrowfertilestripprotectedbydesertoneitherside.Itresemblesawide,shallowtroughwithfewnaturaldefenses,crisscrossedbytwogreatriversandtheirtributaries,andiseasilyencroacheduponfromanydirection.P2:Thusthefactsofg
4、eographytendtodiscouragetheideaofunitingtheentireMesopotamianareaunderasinglehead.Rulerswhohadthisambitiondidnotappear,sofarasweknow,untilaboutathousandyearsafterthebeginningsofMesopotamiancivilization,andtheysucceededincarryingitoutonlyforbriefperiodsandatthecostofalmostcontinuouswarfare.A
5、saconsequence,thepoliticalhistoryofancientMesopotamiahasnounderlyingthemeofthesortthatdivinekingshipprovidesforEgypt.Localrivalries,foreignincursions,thesuddenupsurgeandequallysuddencollapseofmilitarypower–theseareitssubstance.P3:TheoriginoftheSumeriansremainsobscure.Theirlanguageisunrelate
6、dtoanyotherknowntongue.Sometimesbefore4,000B.C.theycametosouthernMesopotamia,fromPersia,andthere,withinthenextthousandyears,theyfoundedanumberofcity-statesanddevelopedtheirdistinctiveformofwritingincuneiform(wedge-shaped)charactersonclaytablets.Unfortunately,thetangibleremainsofSumeriancivi
7、lizationareextremelyscantycomparedtothoseofancientEgypt.BuildingstonebeingunavailableinMesopotamia,theSumeriansusedmudbrickandwood,sothatalmostnothingisleftoftheirarchitectureexceptthefoundation.NordidtheysharetheEgyptians’concernwiththehereafter,althoug
