在2014年5月24日的托福閱讀考試中有這樣一道題：蘇美爾文明。針對這道托?？碱}，出國留學(xué)網(wǎng)(www.liuxue86.com)小編來為大家普及一下關(guān)于蘇美爾文明的背景知識，這樣有助于考生在面對這類題目時方便作答。小編在此提醒大家：蘇美爾人(也譯作蘇默)，是歷史上兩河流域(底格里斯河和幼發(fā)拉底河中下游)早期的定居民族，他們所建立的蘇美爾文明是整個美索不達(dá)米亞文明中最早，同時也是全世界最早產(chǎn)生的文明。
托福閱讀真題再現(xiàn)：
蘇美爾人的居住地土地貧瘠，但是每年的洪水泛濫留下了肥沃的淤泥用來耕作，由此產(chǎn)生了統(tǒng)治階層。而統(tǒng)治階層在管理時為了記錄則導(dǎo)致了楔形文字的產(chǎn)生，后來文字應(yīng)用到了社會生活中。
解析：
蘇美爾人(也譯作蘇默)，是歷史上兩河流域(底格里斯河和幼發(fā)拉底河中下游)早期的定居民族，他們所建立的蘇美爾文明是整個美索不達(dá)米亞文明中最早，同時也是全世界最早產(chǎn)生的文明。蘇美爾文明主要位于美索不達(dá)米亞的南部，通過放射性碳十四的斷代測試，表明蘇美爾文明的開端可以追溯至公元前4000年。約結(jié)束在公元前2000年，被閃米特人(閃族人)建立的巴比倫所代替。這里發(fā)現(xiàn)的含有楔形文字前文字的最古老的石板(這是目前公認(rèn)的最早的文字記錄)可以被定期為約前36世紀(jì)。
托福閱讀相關(guān)背景：
Sumerian Agriculture and hunting
The Sumerians adopted an agricultural mode of life as by perhaps as early as c. 5000 - 4500 BC the region demonstrated a number of core agricultural techniques, including organized irrigation, large-scale intensive cultivation of land, mono-cropping involving the use of plough agriculture, and the use of an agriculturalspecialized labour force under bureaucratic control. The necessity to manage temple accounts with this organization led to the development of writing (c. 3500 BC).
From the royal tombs of Ur, made of lapis lazuli and shell, shows peacetime
In the early Sumerian Uruk period, the primitive pictograms suggest that sheep, goats, cattle, and pigs were domesticated. They used oxen as their primary beasts of burden and donkeys or equids as their primary transport animal and "woollen clothing as well as rugs were made from the wool or hair of the animals. ... By the side of the house was an enclosed garden planted with trees and other plants; wheat and probably other cereals were sown in the fields, and the shaduf was already employed for the purpose of irrigation. Plants were also grown in pots or vases."
An account of barley rations issued monthly to adults and children written in cuneiformon clay tablet, written in year 4 of King Urukagina, circa 2350 BC
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