托福阅读tpo46R-2 原文+译文+题目+答案+背景知识

2024年3月19日发(作者：山仑)

托福阅读tpo46R-2 原文+译文+题目+答案+背景知识

原文 .................................................................................................................................................. 1

译文 .................................................................................................................................................. 2

题目 .................................................................................................................................................. 3

答案 .................................................................................................................................................. 7

背景知识........................................................................................................................................... 8

原文

The Commercial Revolution in Medieval Europe

①Beginning in the 1160s, the opening of new silver mines in northern Europe led

to the minting and circulation of vast quantities of silver coins. The widespread u

of cash greatly incread the volume of international trade. Business procedures

changed radically. The individual traveling merchant who alone handled virtually all

aspects of exchange evolved into an operation involving three parate types of

merchants: the dentary merchant who ran the "home office" financing and

organizing the firm's entire export-import trade; the carriers who transported

goods by land and a; and the company agents resident in cities abroad who, on

the advice of the home office, looked after sales and procurements.

②Commercial correspondence, unnecessary when one businessperson oversaw

everything and made direct bargains with buyers and llers, multiplied. Regular

courier rvice among commercial cities began. Commercial accounting became

more complex when firms had to deal with shareholders, manufacturers,

customers, branch offices, employees, and competing firms. Tolls on roads became

high enough to finance what has been called a road revolution, involving new

surfaces and bridges, new pass through the Alps, and new inns and hospices for

travelers. The growth of mutual trust among merchants facilitated the growth of

sales on credit and led to new developments in finance, such as the bill of

exchange, a device that made the long, slow, and very dangerous shipment of

coins unnecessary.

③The ventures of the German Hanatic League illustrate the advancements.

The Hanatic League was a mercantile association of European towns dating from

1159. The league grew by the end of the fourteenth century to include about 200

cities from Holland to Poland. Across regular, well- defined trade routes along the

Baltic and North as, the ships of league cities carried furs, wax, copper, fish, grain,

timber, and wine. The goods were exchanged for finished products, mainly cloth

and salt, from western cities. At cities such as Bruges and London, Hanatic

merchants cured special trading concessions, exempting them from all tolls and

allowing them to trade at local fairs. Hanatic merchants established foreign

trading centers, the most famous of which was the London Steelyard, a walled

community with warehous, offices, a church, and residential quarters for

company reprentatives. By the late thirteenth century, Hanatic merchants had

developed an important business technique, the business register. Merchants

publicly recorded their debts and contracts and received a league guarantee for

them. This device proved a decisive factor in the later development of credit and

commerce in northern Europe.

④The developments added up to what one modern scholar has called "a

commercial revolution." In the long run, the commercial revolution of the High

Middle Ages (a d 1000-1300) brought about radical change in European society.

One remarkable aspect of this change was that the commercial class constituted

a small part of the total population—never more than 10 percent. They exercid

an influence far in excess of their numbers. The commercial revolution created a

great deal of new wealth, which meant a higher standard of living. The existence of

wealth did not escape the attention of kings and other rulers. Wealth could be

taxed, and through taxation, kings could create strong and centralized states. In the

years to come, alliances with the middle class were to enable kings to weaken

aristocratic interests and build the states that came to be called modern.

⑤The commercial revolution also provided the opportunity for thousands of

agricultural workers to improve their social position. The slow but steady

transformation of European society from almost completely rural and isolated to

relatively more urban constituted the greatest effect of the commercial revolution

that began in the eleventh century. Even so, merchants and business people did

not run medieval communities, except in central and northern Italy and in the

county of Flanders. Most towns remained small. The nobility and churchmen

determined the predominant social attitudes, values, and patterns of thought and

behavior. The commercial changes of the eleventh through fourteenth centuries

did however, lay the economic foundation for the development of urban life and

culture.

译文

中世纪欧洲的商业革命

①从12世纪60年代开始，北欧新银矿的开发导致了大量银币的铸造和流通。现金的广泛使用大大增加了国际贸易额。商业流程发生了根本性的变化。单独处理几乎所有交易的个体行商演变成涉及三种不同商人类型的经营：定居商人经营内务，融资和组织公司的整个进出口贸易；经海路运输货物的承运人；以及定居在国外城市的公司代理商，他们在内务部门的建议下负责销售和采购。

②当一个商人监督一切并与买卖双方进行直接交易时，商业信函就变得多余了。

商业城市间的定期快递服务开始了。当公司不得不与股东、制造商、客户、分公司、员工和竞争对手打交道时，商业会计变得更加复杂。道路通行费高到足以支撑所谓的道路革命，包括新的路面和桥梁、新的阿尔卑斯山通道，以及新的旅馆和旅客收容所。商人之间相互信任的增长促进了赊销的增长，并导致了金融的新发展，如汇票，一种使漫长、缓慢和非常危险的硬币运输成为不必要的工具。

③德国汉萨同盟的经历说明了这些进步。汉萨同盟是1159年由欧洲城镇组成的商业联盟。到14世纪末，该联盟发展到包括从荷兰到波兰的约200个城市。联盟城市的船只越过波罗的海和北海的常规的、明确的贸易路线，运载着毛皮、蜡、铜、鱼、谷物、木材和葡萄酒。这些商品从西方城市换来了制成品，主要是布料和盐。在布鲁日和伦敦等城市，汉萨商人获得了特殊的贸易特许权，免除了所有的过路费，并允许他们在当地集市上交易。汉萨商人建立了对外贸易中心，其中最著名的是伦敦钢场，这是一个有围墙的社区，有仓库、办公室、教堂和供公司代表居住的住宅区。到十三世纪晚期，汉萨商人已经发展出一种重要的商业技术——商业登记。商人们公开记录他们的债务和合同，并获得联盟担保。这种方法被证明是后来北欧信贷和商业发展的决定性因素。

④这种变化的一个显著的方面是，商业阶层只占总人口的一小部分——从不超过10%。他们的影响力远远超过了他们的人数。商业革命创造了大量的新财富，这意味着更高的生活水平。财富的存在并没有逃过国王和其他统治者的注意。财富可以征税，通过征税，国王可以建立强大而集权的国家。在接下来的几年里，与中产阶级结盟使国王能够削弱贵族的利益，建立起后来被称为“现代”的国家。

⑤商业革命也为成千上万的农业工人提供了改善其社会地位的机会。11世纪开始的商业革命的最大影响是欧洲社会缓慢而稳定地从几乎完全的乡村和孤立状态向相对比较城市化的状态转变。尽管如此，除了在意大利中部和北部以及佛兰德斯郡，商人们并没有经营中世纪的社区。大多数城镇仍然很小。贵族和教士决定了占主导地位的社会态度、价值观以及思想和行为方式。然而，11世纪到14世纪的商业变化确实为城市生活和文化的发展奠定了经济基础。

题目

1. According to paragraph 1, one effect of the incread u of cash was that

A. an individual merchant no longer performed all aspects of trading

operations

B. a company's home office declined in importance

C. merchants no longer had to transport their goods to distant places

D. the volume of trade declined in areas lacking silver mines

2. The word “radically”， in the passage is clost in meaning t

A. fundamentally

B. quickly

C. unexpectedly

D. gradually

3. The word oversaw" in the passage is clost In meaning t

A. understood

B. included

C. delivered

D. supervid

4. According tparagraph 2, which of the following was NOT an effect of the change

in business procedures?

A. An increa in credit sales

B. The u of courier rvices between cities

C. The adoption of simpler accounting procedures

D. The improvement of roads

5. Which of the ntences below best express the esntial information in the

highlighted ntence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in

important ways or leave out esntial information.

A. Credit sales and bills of exchange were devices that merchants developed in

order to increa their mutual trust.

B. Merchants developed ways to finance their sales without having trely on

slow and dangerous shipments of coins.

C. Greater trust among merchants led tan increa in credit sales and to the

u of bills of exchange that made the shipping of coins unnecessary.

D. Merchants began to trust one another when it became to slow and

dangerous for a single merchant to ship coins.

6. According to paragraph 3, Hanatic merchants benefited by all of the following

EXCEPT

A. the u of trading centers in distant cities

B. a new system of recording commercial transactions

C. the opening of overland trade routes across northern Europe

D. access to markets in about 200 cities

7. The word "decisive" in the passage is clost in meaning t

A. probable

B. determining

C. helpful

D. limiting

8. Why does the author provide the information in paragraph 4 that the

commercial class never exceeded 10 percent of the population?

A. To argue that the wealth created by the commercial revolution benefited

only a small number of people

B. To challenge the view that the commercial class made up a majority of the

population of Europe

C. To suggest a reason that the commercial revolution ended around A. D. 1300

D. To emphasize the point that the commercial revolution was brought about

by a small part of the population

9. According to paragraph 4, which of the following was associated with the ri of

modem states?

A. Incread wealth for the ruling class

B. The weakening of the aristocracy

C. The decline of the middle class

D. A reduction in taxes

10. The word "alliances" in the passage is clost in meaning t

A. transactions

B. communications

C. partnerships

D. conflicts

11. According to paragraph 5, the most important result of the commercial

revolution was t

A. simplify the organization of European society

B. provide employment to agricultural workers

C. encourage merchants to become community leaders

D. change Europe from a rural ta more urban society

12. Paragraph 5 supports which of the following inferences about the commercial

revolution between ad 1000 and 1300?

A. It had very little impact on social attitudes and values.

B. It brought about major political changes throughout Europe.

C. It lesned the influence of the church.

D. It incread the population of small towns.

13. Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following ntence could

be added to the passage.

While it originated in the German city of Liibeck, it began to expand in 1241

when Liibeck entered into a mutual protection treaty with the city of Hamburg..

Where would the ntence best fit? Click on a square [■] to add the ntence to

the passage.

14. Directions: An introductory ntence for a brief summary of the passage is

provided below. Complete the summary by lecting the THREE answer choices

that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some ntences do not

belong in the summary becau they express ideas that are not prented in the

passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.

Drag your answer choices to the spaces where they belong To remove an answer

choice, click on it

To review the passage, click VIEW TEXT

During the High Middle Ages (A.D. 1000-1300), Europe underwent a commercial

revolution.

Answer Choices

nts adopted new accounting and trading procedures to make

long-distance trading more efficient.

faster transportation made possible by improved roads expanded the variety

of goods that could be brought to European towns from far away.

increasing importance of commercial trade led to a decline in the influence

of traditional sources of power, such as kings and church leaders.

mining of silver improved the curity of commercial transactions by

allowing coins to replace credit and bills of exchange as the means of exchange.

Hanatic League was an association of European towns that obtained

shipping, trading, and financial benefits for its members.

an society became increasingly urban, with better living conditions and a

stronger centralized government.

答案

1-5.A A D C C

6-10.C B D B C

11-13.D A A

背景知识

一、欧洲历史上的商业革命及其影响力

欧洲的商业革命大约开始于11世纪，结束于18世纪，它标志着从封建社会到现代社会的转变。以下是这个过程的一些关键阶段和事件：

1) 城市的复兴（大约11-13世纪）：在欧洲的商业革命初期，许多城市开始复兴，尤其是在意大利和弗兰德斯地区。这些城市中的商人和手工艺者开始组织起来，形成行会，通过贸易和手工业活动积累财富。

2) 新贸易路线的开辟（大约13-15世纪）：在这个阶段，由于航海技术的发展和对亚洲商品的需求增加，欧洲人开始寻找新的贸易路线。例如，威尼斯和热那亚等城市成为地中海贸易的中心。随着地理大发现，大西洋贸易也开始兴起。

3) 银行和金融系统的发展（大约13-17世纪）：商业革命期间，银行和金融系统得到了显著的发展。兑换凭证的使用、信用制度的建立，以及股份公司的出现，这些都是这个阶段的重要特点。威尼斯、热那亚、安特卫普和阿姆斯特丹等城市逐渐成为欧洲的金融中心。

4) 货币经济的扩大（大约16-18世纪）：在这个阶段，货币经济在欧洲进一步发展，特别是金银的流通。新大陆的银矿开采，尤其是南美的波托西银矿，为欧洲提供了大量的贵金属。这使得商品价格普遍上涨，被历史学家称为"价格革命"。

5) 全球贸易网络的形成（大约16-18世纪）：随着大航海时代的到来，欧洲人开始了广泛的海洋探索，与亚洲、非洲和美洲的贸易联系也日益增强。葡萄牙、西班牙、荷兰、英国和法国等国家建立起遍布全球的贸易网络，欧洲成为全球经济的中心。

欧洲的商业革命是一个复杂的过程，涉及到许多社会、经济和技术因素。这场革命推动了商品生产的扩大，催生了现代银行和金融系统，推动了全球贸易网络的形成。这些改变对欧洲社会的影响深远，它打破了封建社会的经济结构，为资本主义的出现打下了基础，同时也为欧洲的工业革命和近代化做好了准备。

二、欧洲的商业革命为欧洲近代的发展奠定了基础，具体体现在以下几个方面：

1) 经济增长：商业革命扩大了商品交换的范围，促进了经济增长。城市的崛起和商业活动的增加使得社会生产力得到提升。银行和金融机构的发展，特别是信用系统的建立，使得贸易可以更为便捷地进行。

2) 社会变革：商业革命催生了新的社会阶层，特别是商人和手工工艺者阶层。这些阶层的崛起瓦解了封建社会的等级制度，为社会的民主化和现代化打下了基础。

3) 文化影响：随着贸易的扩大，人们的视野也得到了开阔。异域文化的传入推动了文化的交流和创新。此外，商人阶层对教育和艺术的赞助，特别是文艺复兴运动的推动，对欧洲文化的发展产生了深远影响。

4) 科技进步：商业革命带来了许多重要的科技创新，例如航海技术、印刷技术等。这些科技的进步不仅推动了商业的发展，而且为欧洲的工业化奠定了基础。

5) 地理大发现：商业革命刺激了对新航路和新地域的探索，这导致了欧洲的地理大发现。这些大发现使欧洲人接触到了世界的其他部分，获取了大量的新资源，并使欧洲逐渐成为世界的中心。

6) 资本主义初步：商业革命在一定程度上打破了封建主义经济，为资本主义经济的出现打下了基础。商品生产的扩大，商业资本的积累，货币经济的发展，这些都是资本主义经济的重要特征。

综上所述，欧洲的商业革命在很多方面为欧洲近代的发展奠定了基础。这个过程并非一帆风顺，也有许多矛盾和冲突，但总体来说，它推动了欧洲社会的现代化进程。