Question

It is sometimes thought that the longing for material goods, the need to buy things, is a relatively modern invention. 1. Trade or shopping is certainly an ancient desire, and existed before our ancestors invented writing, laws, cities or farming, even before they used metal to make tools.

Humans are born to trade. 2. Evidence from hunter-gatherers suggests that the exchange of food and other necessary things comes naturally, as well as the ability to keep a record of the credits involved. And once trade begins, the benefits are hard to resist.

Ancient local coastal people in northern Australia traded fish hooks, along a chain of trading partners, with people living 400 miles inland, who cut and polished local stone to make axes (斧子). 3. Finally, both groups of “producers”, by concentrating on things they could produce and exchanging them for other things they needed, benefited as a result.

Trade in the necessities of life, such as food and simple tools, is not really surprising, considering the link between these basic items and survival. What is surprising, though, is that our taste for unnecessary expensive objects also goes back a long way.

In South Africa, 100,000-year-old decorative dyes (染料) have been found in an area where none were produced. 4. Small round pieces of glass 76,000 years old were also found at the same place. The earliest jewellery known to us were not just random findings — they were grouped together in size and had holes like those used for threading onto a necklace.

Archaeologists argue that trade prepared the way for the complex societies in which we live today. 5. However, their modern equivalents — fast cars and expensive clothes — hold the same attraction for us as “trade goods” did for people 100,000 years ago.

A. And we don’t need shops or money to do it.

B. These are powerful evidence for cash purchase.

C. In fact, its roots go back to the beginning of humanity.

D. However, first trade began from the exchange of objects.

E. Modern-day shoppers may not be impressed by ancient glass pieces.

F. It is thought that these goods were bought at least 30  kilometres  away.

G. Every individual along the chain made a profit, even if he produced neither himself.

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.G

4.F

5.E

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。本文主要讲了人类贸易交换的历史和发展。

1.上文It is sometimes thought that the longing for material goods, the need to buy things, is a relatively modern invention.提到有时认为对物质东西的渴望，买东西的需要，相对来说，是一种现代的发明，下文Trade or shopping is certainly an ancient desire, and existed before our ancestors invented writing, laws, cities or farming, even before they used metal to make tools.提到贸易或是购物是一种古代的欲望，在我们的祖先发明书写、法律、城市或者农业之前就存在，甚至在他们使用金属制造工具之前，需要填的内容起一个承上启下的作用，故选C，事实上，它的根源追溯到人类的开始。

2.上文Humans are born to trade.提到人类生来就是贸易的，下文 Evidence from hunter-gatherers suggests that the exchange of food and other necessary things comes naturally, as well as the ability to keep a record of the credits involved.提到来自狩猎者的证据表明食物和其他必需品的交换自然而然发生的，需要填的内容起一个承上启下的作用，故选A，我们不需要金钱和商店来做这件事。

3.在上文内容Ancient local coastal people in northern Australia traded fish hooks, along a chain of trading partners, with people living 400 miles inland, who cut and polished local stone to make axes（斧子）.中捕捉到关键词a chain，以及联系下文内容Finally, both groups of “producers”, by concentrating on things they could produce and exchanging them for other things they needed, benefited as a result.最后，这个群体中的“生产者”，通过专注于他们生产的东西或是为了需要和别人交换的东西，结果从中获益，所以需要填的内容应该是贸易链中的每个个体都从中获益，即使他本人不曾制造物品，故选G，

4.上文In South Africa, 100,000-year-old decorative dyes（染料） have been found in an area where none were produced.提到在南非，100,000年以前的染料被发现出现在一个不生产这种染料的地方，所以下文会说那些货物被认为是至少从30公里以外买回来的，故选F。

5.下文内容However, their modern equivalents—fast cars and expensive clothes—hold the same attraction for us as “trade goods” did for people 100,000 years ago.提到在现代社会，人们感兴趣的商品，所以上文会说现代社会，购物者可能不会被古代的玻璃碎片所吸引，故选E。