单选题
单选题 What is the topic of the discussion?
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[听力原文] 12-17
P What we're going to do today is really at the heart of history. We're going to look at the physical remains of a civilization and try to use them to see what we can learn about the people who left them behind. Basically, we take objects and make guesses about the people who built and used them. So, what I want to do is to talk about the system of roads built by the Romans, as an example. First off, we know that the Romans built a lot of roads, about 53,000 miles worth. And they built really good ones. Some of them are still in use today, in fact. That's pretty good, considering that we're talking about a system that was put in place as long ago as around 450 BC. So, what can we guess about the Romans based on their numerous, well-constructed roads?
S1 We already know that Rome was an empire, don't we? They constantly took over the lands and governments of other groups. Are the roads related to that?
P The roads they built allowed them to travel quickly and over great distances. How is that related to them as an empire? What does that say about the sort of empire they had? Well, only an empire interested in constant expansion would bother with making really good roads. Think of it this way: If you want to be able to take control of other countries, you need to be able to move your armies rather quickly. The roads allowed for that. In fact, Romans used their armies to build the roads in the first place. So, there we have one solid guess based on the roads. The Roman Empire wanted to expand.
There is an interesting fact about the roads. Basically, if you walked along any of the main ones, you'd eventually get to the capital. If you were going in the right direction, you would get there, of course. What does that tell us about the Romans? They were afraid of insurrection.
They saw it this way: They were afraid that the roads between the people they controlled would allow them to better communicate with one another and then plan ways to get rid of the Romans. So, all the main roads were constructed to simplify travel between the capital and the outlying areas, but not between the outlying areas themselves. The Romans not only wanted to take control, but they also wanted to keep it. You can see that they felt they would have to fight for it. Who can blame them, really?
S2 But not everyone in Rome was a part of the military. Can the roads tell us about other parts of Roman culture?
P The answer is yes. The Romans managed to write all sorts of laws for the correct construction and use of roads. A proper road had to be eight feet wide but a full sixteen feet along any corners. This allowed for commercial traffic both ways. I'll talk about this more later, but you should know that the Romans loved to build really straight roads, which could have caused potential problems, because a tot of the roads had to go over private property. So, they made a law that anyone could enter private property, basically trespass, as long as they stayed on the road. What does this sort of thinking tell us about the Romans? I think that it's fairly easy to see, don't you?
I want to tell you my favorite thing about the Romans. Now, imagine you can have a road go over a hill or around it. Going around is better, because if you go over, you end up with a really steep road. Most likely it's too steep for anyone to use, let alone try to push a cart up. It may be straight, but it's also more like a monument to effort and not something practical. We can see something about the Romans when we look at some of their straight and unusable roads. They were rather stubborn. The fact that they eventually started to go around mountains, and not over them, though, shows that they, in the end, preferred practicality to perfection. So, there you have it.
P They saw it this way: They were afraid that the roads between the people they controlled would allow them to better communicate with one another and then plan ways to get rid of the Romans. So, all the main roads were constructed to simplify travel between the capital and the outlying areas, but not between the outlying areas themselves. The Romans not only wanted to take control, but they also wanted to keep it. You can see that they felt they would have to fight for it. Who can blame them, really?
Why does the professor say this
P Who can blame them, really?

[解析] 主旨题 本文通过罗马人建筑的公路系统,对罗马人的军事扩张、文化、交通和思考方式进行了介绍。因为文中没有提到历史研究的形式,因此A项是不对的。虽然文中提到过与B项和D项相关的内容,但并不是重点。
单选题 How is the information in the discussion organized?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 结构题 教授在讲座开始的时候提到,通过一个文明所留下的遗物来了解一下留下这些东西的人。文中通过罗马人建设的公路系统分析了他们文化的各个方面,所以B项是最恰当的讨论的组织方式。
多选题 What is stated in the lecture about Roman roads? Click on 2 answers.
  • A. They connected various cities in the empire.
  • B. They helped the Romans to increase their power.
  • C. They were built using different methods.
  • D. They were only used by wealthy landowners.
【正确答案】
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题 罗马将首都和周围地区的交通建设得很通畅,但是并没有使地区间的交通通畅。因此A项是不对的。罗马利用道路让军队可以迅速行动,使得军队不断扩张,所以B项是正确的。罗马人限定了道路的宽度,为了更好地建设和使用道路,他们制定了各种法律,因此C项也是正确的。罗马人把道路用于军事和商业,因此D项是不对的。
单选题 What does the professor imply about Roman laws?
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 推理题 罗马人制定了任何人都可以使用穿越私人用地的道路的法律.从这一点来看,罗马的法律是为大多数人制定的。
单选题 Why does the professor say this:
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 判断意图题 “谁能责怪他们呢?”这句话的意思是“谁也不能责怪他们。”教授之所以这么说,是为了表示对罗马人的想法的赞同。
问答题 Is each of these true about Roman roads?
For each statement, click in the YES or NO column.
[*]
【正确答案】
[*]
【答案解析】[解析] 内容连接题 罗马道路是士兵们修建的,并且他们将一般宽度在8英尺的道路的拐角建成了16英尺。罗马人坚持要把道路建成直的,所以在地势比较危险的地区,有些道路无法使用。但是在讲座开始部分,教授提到,罗马的道路至今有些还在使用,所以并不是已全部被破坏。