阅读理解 Exactly when in the early modern era Native Americans began exchanging animal furs with Europeans for European-made goods is uncertain. What is fairly certain, even though they left no written evidence of having done so, is that the first Europeans to conduct such trade during the modern period were fishing crews working the waters around Newfoundland. Archaeologists had noticed that sixteenth-century Native American sites were strewn with iron bolts and metal pins. Only later, upon reading Nicolas Denys's 1672 account of seventeenth-century European settlements in North America, did archaeologists realize that sixteenth-century European fishing crews had dismantled and exchanged parts of their ships for furs.
By the time Europeans sailing the Atlantic coast of North America first documented the fur trade, it was apparently well underway. The first to record such trade—the captain of a Portuguese vessel sailing from Newfoundland in 1501—observed that a Native American aboard the ship wore Venetian silver earrings. Another early chronicler noted in 1524 that Native Americans living along the coast of what is now New England had become selective about European trade goods: they accepted only knives, fishhooks, and sharp metal. By the time Cartier sailed the Saint Lawrence River ten years later, Native Americans had traded with Europeans for more than thirty years, perhaps half a century.

单选题 14.The author of the passage draws conclusions about the fur trade in North America from all of the following sources EXCEPT

A、 Cartier's accounts of trading with Native Americans
B、 a seventeenth-century account of European settlements
C、 a sixteenth-century account written by a sailing vessel captain
D、 archaeological observations of sixteenth-century Native American sites
E、 a sixteenth-century account of Native Americans in what is now New England

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】Supporting idea
This question asks about the sources mentioned by the author of the passage. Answering the question correctly requires determining which answer option is NOT referred to in the passage as a source of evidence regarding the North American fur trade.
A Correct. The passage mentions Cartier's voyage but does not refer to Carrier's accounts of his trading.
B In the first paragraph, Nicolas Denys's 1672 account of European settlements provides evidence of fur trading by sixteenth-century European fishing crews.
C In the second paragraph, a Portuguese captain's records provide evidence that the fur trade was going on for some time prior to his 1501 account.
D In the first paragraph, archaeologists' observations of sixteenth-century Native American sites provide evidence of fur trading at that time.
E In the second paragraph, a 1524 account provides evidence that Native Americans living in what is now New England had become selective about which European goods they would accept in trade for furs.
The correct answer is A.

单选题 15.The passage suggests that which of the following is partially responsible for the difficulty in establishing the precise date when the fur trade in North America began?

A、 A lack of written accounts before that of Nicolas Denys in 1672
B、 A lack of written documentation before 1501
C、 Ambiguities in the evidence from Native American sources
D、 Uncertainty about Native American trade networks
E、 Uncertainty about the origin of artifacts supposedly traded by European fishing crews for furs

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】Inference
The question asks about information implied by the passage. The first paragraph points out the difficulty of establishing exactly when the fur trade between Native Americans and Europeans began. The second paragraph explains that the first written record of the fur trade (at least the earliest known to scholars who study the history of the trade) dates to 1501, but that trading was already well established by that time. Thus, it can be inferred that lack of written records prior to 1501 contributes to the difficulty in establishing an exact date for the beginning of the fur trade.
A Two written records of the fur trade prior to the account by Nicolas Denys are mentioned in the passage. The passage does not suggest that a lack of written records from before 1672 is a source of the difficulty in establishing the date.
B Correct. The passage indicates that the fur trade was well established by the time of the documentation dating from 1501 but strongly suggests that there is no known earlier documentation regarding that trade, so a lack of records before that time contributes to the difficulty in establishing an exact date.
C The only Native American sources mentioned in the passage are archaeological sites, and there is no indication of ambiguities at those sites.
D Native American trade networks are not mentioned in the passage.
E The passage mentions that fishing crews exchanged parts of their ships for furs and does not suggest any uncertainty about the origin of those artifacts.
The correct answer is B.

单选题 16.Which of the following, if true, most strengthens the author's assertion in the first sentence of the second paragraph?

A、 When Europeans retraced Cartier's voyage in the first years of the seventeenth century, they frequently traded with Native Americans.
B、 Furs from beavers, which were plentiful in North America but nearly extinct in Europe, becarre extremely fashionable in Europe in the final decades of the sixteenth century.
C、 Firing arms were rarely found on sixteenth-century Native American sites or on European lists of trading goods since such arms required frequent maintenance and repair.
D、 Europeans and Native Americans had established trade protocols, such as body language assuring one another of their peaceful intentions, that antedate the earliest records of trade.
E、 During the first quarter of the sixteenth century, an Italian explorer recorded seeing many Native Americans with what appeared to be copper beads, though they may have been made of indigenous copper.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】Evaluation
The question depends on evaluating an assertion made in the passage and determining which additional evidence would most strengthen it. The first sentence of the second paragraph claims that the fur trade was well established by the time Europeans sailing the Atlantic coast of America first documented it. The passage then indicates that the first written documentation of the trade dates to 1501. Thus, evidence showing that trade had been going on for some time before 1501 would strengthen (support) the assertion.
A This evidence shows trade occurring in the first years of the seventeenth century, not prior to the first records from 1501.
B This evidence shows trade occurring in the final decades of the sixteenth century, not prior to the first records from 1501.
C This evidence does not indicate that trade took place prior to the first records from 1501.
D Correct. Evidence that trade protocols had developed before the trade was first recorded (in 1501) would strengthen support for the assertion that trade was taking place prior to the earliest documentation.
E Because the copper beads may have been made by Native Americans rather than acquired through trade with other societies, this observation would not provide evidence that trade with Europeans took place prior to 1501.
The correct answer is D.

单选题 17.Which of the following best describes the primary function of lines 11-16?

A、 It offers a reconsideration of a claim made in the preceding sentence.
B、 It reveals how archaeologists arrived at an interpretation of the evidence mentioned in the preceding sentence.
C、 It shows how scholars misinterpreted the significance of certain evidence mentioned in the preceding sentence.
D、 It identifies one of the first significant accounts of seventeenth-century European settlements in North America.
E、 It explains why Denys's account of seventeenth-century European settlements is thought to be significant.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】Evaluation
This question depends on understanding how the last sentence of the first paragraph functions in relation to the larger passage. The first paragraph explains that the earliest Europeans to trade with Native Americans were fishing crews near Newfoundland. The second-to-last sentence of the paragraph describes archaeological artifacts from Native American sites. The last sentence then explains that Nicolas Denys's 1672 account helped archaeologists realize that the artifacts were evidence of trade with fishing crews. Thus, the last sentence of the passage shows how archaeologists learned to interpret the evidence mentioned in the previous sentence.
A The only claim made in the previous sentence is that archaeologists found a particular type of evidence. The final sentence of the paragraph does not suggest that this claim should be reconsidered.
B Correct. After reading Denys's account, archaeologists were able to interpret the archaeological evidence mentioned in the previous sentence.
C The passage suggests that archaeologists correctly interpreted the evidence, not misinterpreted it.
D Denys's account is mentioned primarily to explain how archaeologists learned to interpret the archaeological evidence, not primarily to identify an important early account of settlements.
E The passage does not discuss why Denys's account is significant, only that archaeologists used it to help understand the evidence mentioned in the previous sentence.
The correct answer is B.

单选题 18.It can be inferred from the passage that the author would agree with which of the following statements about the fur trade between Native Americans and Europeans in the early modern era?

A、 This trade may have begun as early as the 1480s.
B、 This trade probably did not continue much beyond the 1530s.
C、 This trade was most likely at its peak in the mid-1520s.
D、 This trade probably did not begin prior to 1500.
E、 There is no written evidence of this trade prior to the seventeenth century.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】Inference
The question requires determining which statement can most reasonably be inferred from the information in the passage. The passage argues that it is difficult to determine when the fur trade between Native Americans and Europeans began, since the earliest people to participate in that trade apparently left no written records. The second paragraph notes that at the time of the earliest known record in 1501, trade was already well underway. In the final two sentences of the passage, the author mentions an event that occurred in 1534 and then says that by that time the trade may have been going on for perhaps half a century.
A Correct. The next-to-last sentence of the passage cites evidence of fur trade between Native Americans and Europeans in 1524. In the final sentence of the passage, the author mentions an event that happened a decade after that date—thus in 1534—and expresses the opinion that the trade started perhaps half a century (fifty years) before that later date. Fifty years before 1534 would be 1484. This implies that the author accepts that the trade may have begun by the 1480s.
B The passage gives no indication that the author believes trade ended shortly after the 1530s.
C The passage does not discuss when the fur trade was at its peak.
D To the contrary, the passage argues that trade began well before 1501.
E The passage mentions written evidence of the trade from 1501 and 1524.
The correct answer is A.

单选题 19.Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about the Native Americans mentioned in line 24?

A、 They had little use for decorative objects such as earrings.
B、 They became increasingly dependent on fishing between 1501 and 1524.
C、 By 1524, only certain groups of Europeans were willing to trade with them.
D、 The selectivity of their trading choices made it difficult for them to engage in widespread trade with Europeans.
E、 The selectivity of their trading choices indicates that they had been trading with Europeans for a significant period of time prior to 1524.

【正确答案】 E

【答案解析】Inference
The question asks about information that can be inferred from the passage. The Native Americans mentioned in the 1524 chronicles accepted only certain kinds of European goods in trade. The passage indicates that these Native Americans had become selective about which goods they would accept, which implies that by 1524 they had been trading long enough to determine which European goods were most valuable to them.
A The passage does not imply that these Native Americans had no use for decorative objects, only that they did not desire to obtain such items through trade with Europeans.
B The passage does not suggest that the Native Americans' dependency on fishing changed over time.
C There is no indication that any groups of Europeans were unwilling to trade with these Native Americans.
D The passage notes that the Native Americans were selective in their trade choices but does not suggest that such selectivity made widespread trade difficult.
E Correct. The passage notes that by 1524, the Native Americans had become selective about which European goods they would accept, and the passage takes this to indicate that the trade with Europeans significantly predated 1524.
The correct answer is E.

单选题 20.The passage supports which of the following statements about sixteenth-century European fishing crews working the waters off Newfoundland?

A、 They wrote no accounts of their fishing voyages.
B、 They primarily sailed under the flag of Portugal.
C、 They exchanged ship parts with Native Americans for furs.
D、 They commonly traded jewelry with Native Americans for furs.
E、 They carried surplus metal implements to trade with Native Americans for furs.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】Inference
The question asks which statement is supported by information provided in the passage. The first paragraph states that European fishing crews around Newfoundland were the first Europeans to trade goods for furs with Native Americans in the modern period. The last sentence of the paragraph states that archaeological evidence indicates the crews had dismantled their ships to trade ship parts for furs.
A The second sentence states that the crews left no written accounts of their trade with Native Americans, but it does not suggest that they left no written accounts of their voyages.
B The passage mentions one Portuguese vessel but does not suggest that the European crews who fished off Newfoundland were mostly on Portuguese vessels.
C Correct. The last sentence of the first paragraph supports the conclusion that the crews traded ship parts for furs.
D The passage mentions one instance of a Native American acquiring earrings from Europeans but does not suggest that trades for such goods were common.
E The passage indicates that fishing crews traded metal implements with Native Americans but does not suggest that they brought surplus implements for that purpose—and in fact mentions that sometimes traded metal articles had been parts of their own ships.
The correct answer is C.

单选题 21.Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about evidence pertaining to the fur trade between Native Americans and Europeans in the early modern era?

A、 A lack of written evidence has made it difficult to establish which Europeans first participated in this trade.
B、 In general, the physical evidence pertaining to this trade has been more useful than the written evidence has been.
C、 There is more written evidence pertaining to this trade from the early part of the sixteenth century than from later in that century.
D、 The earliest written evidence pertaining to this trade dates from a time when the trade was already well established.
E、 Some important pieces of evidence pertaining to this trade, such as Denys's 1672 account, were long overlooked by archaeologists.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】Inference
This question asks about information that can be inferred from the passage. Any suggestion that Native Americans may have produced written evidence of the early-modern trade with Europeans is absent from the passage. The second paragraph states that by the time Europeans first documented the fur trade, it was already well underway. This statement, in the context of the passage, implies that the earliest written records of the trade date to a time after it was well established.
A The first paragraph indicates that the first Europeans to participate in the trade were quite certainly fishing crews near Newfoundland.
B The passage gives no indication that physical evidence of the trade has been more useful than written evidence.
C Although the passage does not cite written evidence from the late sixteenth century, the passage gives no reason to believe that less written evidence exists from that time.
D Correct. According to the passage, the fur trade was well underway when written evidence of the trade was first documented by Europeans. The passage contains no suggestion that there might have been earlier documentation of that trade by anybody other than Europeans.
E The passage does not imply that archaeologists overlooked evidence for long periods of time.
The correct answer is D.

单选题 22.The passage suggests which of the following about the sixteenth-century Native Americans who traded with Europeans on the coast of what is now called New England?

A、 By 1524 they had become accustomed to exchanging goods with Europeans.
B、 They were unfamiliar with metals before encountering Europeans.
C、 They had no practical uses for European goods other than metals and metal implements.
D、 By 1524 they had become disdainful of European traders because such traders had treated them unfairly in the past.
E、 By 1524 they demanded only the most prized European goods because they had come to realize how valuable furs were on European markets.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】Inference
The question asks about what is implied in the passage. The Native Americans trading with Europeans on the coast of what is now called New England are discussed in the 1524 chronicles mentioned in the second paragraph. The passage indicates that these Native Americans had become selective about which European goods they would accept in trade, which suggests they had become accustomed to trading with Europeans.
A Correct. By the time the chronicle was written, the Native Americans were familiar enough with trade to be able to specify which European goods they would accept.
B Although the Native Americans chose to trade furs for European metal goods, the passage does not imply they were unfamiliar with any metals prior to encountering Europeans.
C The passage does not suggest why Native Americans preferred certain goods over others.
D The passage does not attribute disdain for European traders to Native Americans.
E There is no indication in the passage that Native Americans were aware of furs' value in European markets.
The correct answer is A.