首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
What point does the professor make about the theory that agriculture brings about social changes?
What point does the professor make about the theory that agriculture brings about social changes?
admin
2018-08-16
66
问题
What point does the professor make about the theory that agriculture brings about social changes?
Listen to part of a lecture in an Anthropology class.
Professor: We are aware that early agriculture arose independently in several regions of the world, for example, the Middle East, China, Southeast Asia, and parts of the Americas, roughly 10,000 years ago. And then agriculture spread from those areas to the rest of the world, lt is now believed by some archaeologists that agriculture also developed independently in New Guinea. Up here, you can see a huge island on this map located in the Southwest Pacific, north of Australia.
So for many years, it was considered that New Guinea domesticated crops and animals introduced from Southeast Asia about 3,500 years ago. Then in the 1960s and 70s, researchers explored sites in the island, hoping to find some evidence of independent agriculture development. Unfortunately, though, the research was unsuccessful to gather some conclusive evidence to support their speculation. For example, although evidence was found in deforestation, which is from at least 7,000 years ago, which is long before we’ve thought previously, it was unclear whether the forest had been cleared by farmers to plant crops or by hunter-gatherers to hunt more easily. And most plant remains like seeds and fruits don’t preserve well in swampy grounds. You know, New Guinea has a very humid environment, so really the proof was limited.
But recently a group of archaeologists have come up with some pretty convincing support from a site that had been previously examined: Kuk swamp. As its name implies, it is located on a wetland margin, in the upper Wahgi Valley of the New Guinea highlands. According to their findings, they identified a succession of phases of agriculture development in the wetland, and it actually predated the earliest known agricultural influence from Southeast Asia. By using a modern archaeological method, they were able to analyze the sediment samples from each layer of the earth at the site in Kuk. From the oldest soil layer, dating back 9,000 years, they found some features such as pits, postholes and irrigation draining ditches, which provide evidence for very early phase of agriculture. That is, these all indicate that crops were being planted.
From a higher layer of soil, the second phase, they identified regularly distributed mounds. Mounds were constructed in order to plant crops that don’t grow well in wet soil, such as bananas, because, remember, Kuk is a swampy wetland, and bananas can’t tolerate the conditions there. And in the layer from Kuk’s third phase, an extensive network of ditches and drainage channels have been found. They were excellent examples of transformation of agricultural practices. Since the archaeologists had more advanced techniques than were available from earlier researchers, the archaeologists also were able to identify microfossils in the soil from banana plants, and also grains of starch from taro date from about 10,000 years ago. lt was really significant to find taro remains because it meant that it must have been planted there, brought from the low areas, because taro doesn’t ordinarily grow in the high lands.
When it comes to bananas, in sediment samples dating from about 7,000 years ago, researchers also found a high percentage of fossils from banana plants. This proved that bananas were deliberately planted, because where bananas grow naturally, the concentration of the plant fossil is lower. Bananas don’t naturally grow so densely. In fact, recent genetic comparison research suggests that the type of banana grown in New Guinea was domesticated there; it was then brought to Southeast Asia.
Well, usually, we expect to see certain social changes brought about by the development of agriculture, structural changes in the society like rapid population surges and different social classes. But New Guinea? It’s largely unchanged. It remained an egalitarian society. So what does that tell us about the usual presumption?
选项
A、Future discoveries in Kuk are likely to provide definitive proof for the theory.
B、The theory explains why New Guinea has become an egalitarian society.
C、Recent research had yielded unexpected evidence supporting the theory.
D、The theory seems to be contradicted by the development of society in New Guinea.
答案
D
解析
态度题。在讲座的结尾教授介绍了新几内亚考古研究对整个考学领域的影响和意义:Well,usually,we expect to see certain social changes brought about by the development of agriculture,structural changes in the society like rapid population surges and different social classes.But New Guinea?It’s largely unchanged.即传统的观点认为农业的发展会引起人口的增长和不同社会阶级的产生,但新几内亚的人口没有变化,因此新几内亚的研究与传统观点矛盾,因此D选项是正确答案。新几内亚的研究发现与传统理论明显不符,因此A选项和C选项不正确。新几内亚社会平等的原因教授并未提及,因此B选项不正确。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/M8fO777K
0
托福(TOEFL)
相关试题推荐
Whatproblemsdothespeakersidentifyforthisproject?ChooseSEVENanswersfromtheboxandwritetheletters,A-H,nexttoq
Choosethecorrectletter,A,BorC.Studentswhocompleteaself-defensecourseare
Completetheformbelow.WriteNOMORETHANTWOWORDSAND/ORANUMBERforeachanswer.PhoneInterviewName:JohnMurphyExample
Completetheformbelow.WriteNOMORETHANTWOWORDSAND/ORANUMBERforeachanswer.PhoneInterviewName:JohnMurphyExample
ChooseFOURanswersfromtheboxandwritethecorrectletter,A-G,nexttoquestions37-40.AStudentUnionBuildingBNursery
Whichattitudeisassociatedwiththefollowingpeopleduringtheconversation?ChooseSIXanswersfromtheboxandwritetheco
Choosethecorrectletter,A,BorC.WhydidthelecturerchoosetofocusonthePleasantonTownMarket?
ChooseTWOletters,A-E.WhichTWObenefitsofthisactivitytothestudentsarementionedbytheprofessor?ATheybecomemore
Choosethecorrectletter,A,BorC.PlanningapresentationonnanotechnologyRusssaysthathisdifficultyinplanningthep
随机试题
简要说明公开市场政策的作用过程与优势。
按竞争实力划分,企业竞争战略包括()
诊断颅底凹陷症,影像学依据是
女,34岁,曾生育1子,并流产3次,近2年来痛经有日渐加重趋势。妇科检查;左侧附件可触及直径6cm的囊性包块,张力高,推之不动,有粘连感,追问病史,1年前肿块直径仅4cm。
项目经理部行为的法律后果由()承担。
净化有爆炸危险粉尘的干式除尘器和过滤器宜布置在厂房外的独立建筑内,且建筑外墙与所属厂房的防火间距不小于()m。
一天中午,六年级的一批孩子正在操场上打篮球,战况激烈。学生Z和学生C从人群中冲了出来,两人拳脚相加,气势凶猛,我见这阵势,就停在十几米外的地方用冷眼瞅着他俩。大概Z同学也看到了我的神态,就慢慢地停止了他愤怒的咆哮。待他俩过来,我默默地看着他俩刚才的动作,直
在西西里岛的一个坟墓中发现的一个陶瓷花瓶的样本证明,这个花瓶是在希腊制造的。由于该坟墓的主人死于2700年前西西里人统治的年代,所以这个花瓶的所处位置表明,在2700年前,西西里岛与希腊之间已有贸易往来了。下列哪一项是上述论断所基于的假设?
“真理和谬误在一定条件下能互相转化”,这说明()
求
最新回复
(
0
)