Sumerian Civilization
It is an astonishing fact that human civilization should have emerged into the light of history in two parate places at about the same time. Between 3,500 and 3,000 B.C. when Egypt was being united under pharaonic rule, another great civilization aro in Mesopotamia, “the land between the rivers”. And for clo to three thousand years, the two rival centers retained their distinct characters, even though they had contacted with each other from their earliest beginnings, and their destinies were interwoven in many ways. The pressure that forced the inhabitants of both regions to abandon the pattern of Neolithic village life may well have been the same. But the Valley of Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, unlike that of the Nile, is not a narrow fertile strip protected by dert on either side. It rembles a wide, shallow trough with few natural defens, crisscrosd by two great rivers and their tributaries, and is easily encroached upon from any direction.
1.The word “astonishing” in the passage is clost in meaning to
A.Important B. unknown C. amazing D. interesting
2.Which of the following ntences below best express the esntial information of the highlighted ntence in the passage?
A.The great civilization aro in Mesopotamia, the “land between the rivers” under pharaomic rule.
B.Egypt and another great civilization both developed in Mesopotamia between 3,500 and 3,000 B.C.
C.A great civilization aro in Mesopotamia between 3,500 and 3,000 B.C. at the same time that ancient Egypt was being united.
D.As Egypt was being united under pharaonic rule, a great civilization aro there.
Paragraph2: Thus the facts of geography tends to discharge the idea of uniting the entire Mesopotamia area under a single head. Rulers who had this ambition did not appear, so far as we know, until about 1,000 years after the beginning of Mesopotamia civilization and they succeeded in carrying it out only for brief periods and at the cost of almost conti
nuous warfare. As a conquence, the political history of ancient Mesopotamia has no underlying theme of the sort that divine kingship provides for Egypt. Local rivalries, foreign incursions, the sudden surge and equally sudden collap of military power—the are its substance. Against such a disturbed background, the continuity of cultural and artistic traditions ems all the remarkable. This common heritage is very largely the creation of the founders of Mesopotamia Civilization, whom we call Sumerians after the region of Sumer, which they inhabited, near the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates.
3.The phra “its substance” refers to
A.The political history of ancient Mesopotamia
B.Divine kingship
C.Egypt
D.The sudden collap of military power
Paragraph 3:
The origin of the Sumerians remains obscure. Their language is unrelated to any other known tongue. Sometimes before 4,000 B.C. they came to southern Mesopotamia, from Persia and there, within the next thousand years, they founded a number of cities—states and developed their distinctive form of writing in cuneiform characters on clay tablet. Unfortunately, the tangible remains of Sumerians civilization are extremely scanty compared to tho of ancient Egypt. Building stone being unavailable in Mesopotamia, the Sumerians ud mud brick and wood, so that almost nothing is left of their architecture except the foundations. Nor did they share the Egyptians concern with the hereafter, although some richly endowed tombs in the shape of vaulted chambers below ground from the early dynastic period have been found in the city of Ur. Our knowledge of Sumerian Civilization thus depends very largely on chance fragments brought to light by excavation, including vast numbers of inscribed clay tablets. Yet we have learned enough to form a general picture of this vigorous, inventive, and disciplined people.
4.The word “obscure” in the passage is clost in meaning to
A.Unclear B. unique C. controversial D. important
5.The author mentioned “Nor did they share the Egyptians’ concern with the hereafter” in order to
A.To provide one explanation for the relatively few physical remains of ancient Sumerian society.
B.To explain why ancient Sumerian built with mud brick and wood rather than with stone.
C.To help account for the fact that tombs and vaulted chambers have been found only at Ur.
D.To counter the claim that all ancient societies paid great attention to the afterlife.
6.According to the passage, it can be inferred that the City of Ur is located in
A.Egypt B. Persia C. northern Mesopotamia
D.near the confluence of Tigris and Euphrates
7.The word “vast” in the passage is clost in meaning to
A.Random B. very large C. surprising D. relatively small
