托福阅读常考话题及练习题推荐四：希腊与罗马（3）

1   托福阅读常考话题-希腊与罗马练习题

Paragraph 4: Modern attitudes to Roman civilization range from the infinitely impressed to the thoroughly disgusted. As always, there are the power worshippers, especially among historians, who are predisposed to admire whatever is strong, who feel more attracted to the might of Rome than to the subtlety of Greece. At the same time, there is a solid body of opinion that dislikes Rome. For many, Rome is at best the imitator and the continuator of Greece on a larger scale. Greek civilization had quality; Rome, mere quantity. Greece was original; Rome, derivative. Greece had style; Rome had money. Greece was the inventor; Rome, the research and development division. Such indeed was the opinion of some of the more intellectual Romans. “Had the Greeks held novelty in such disdain as we,”asked Horace in his epistle, “what work of ancient date would now exist?”

8. Paragraph 4 indicates that some historians admire Roman civilization because of

A. the diversity of cultures within Roman society

B. its strength

C. its innovative nature

D. the large body of literature that it developed

9. In paragraph 4, the author develops a description of Roman civilization by

A. comparing the opinions of Roman intellectuals to Greek intellectuals

B. identifying which characteristics of Roman civilization were copied from Greece

C. explaining how the differences between Roman and Greece developed as time passed

D. contrasting characteristics of Roman civilization with characteristics of Greek civilization

Paragraph 4: Modern attitudes to Roman civilization range from the infinitely impressed to the thoroughly disgusted. As always, there are the power worshippers, especially among historians, who are predisposed to admire whatever is strong, who feel more attracted to the might of Rome than to the subtlety of Greece. At the same time, there is a solid body of opinion that dislikes Rome. For many, Rome is at best the imitator and the continuator of Greece on a larger scale. Greek civilization had quality; Rome, mere quantity. Greece was original; Rome, derivative. Greece had style; Rome had money. Greece was the inventor; Rome, the research and development division. Such indeed was the opinion of some of the more intellectual Romans. “Had the Greeks held novelty in such disdain as we,”asked Horace in his epistle, “what work of ancient date would now exist?”

10. According to paragraph 4, intellectual Romans such as Horace held which of the following opinions about their civilization?

A. Ancient works of Greece held little value in the Roman world.

B. The Greek civilization had been surpassed by the Romans.

C. Roman civilization produced little that was original or memorable.

D. Romans valued certain types of innovations that had been ignored by ancient Greeks.

Paragraph 5: Rome’s debt to Greece was enormous. The Romans adopted Greek religion and moral philosophy. In literature, Greek writers were consciously used as models by their Latin successors. It was absolutely accepted that an educated Roman should be fluent in Greek. In speculative philosophy and the sciences, the Romans made virtually no advance on early achievements.

Paragraph 6: Yet it would be wrong to suggest that Rome was somehow a junior partner in Greco-Roman civilization. The Roman genius was projected into new spheres—especially into those of law, military organization, administration, and engineering. Moreover, the tensions that arose within the Roman state produced literary and artistic sensibilities of the highest order. It was no accident that many leading Roman soldiers and statesmen were writers of high caliber.

11. The word “spheres” in the paragraph is closest in meaning to

A. abilities

B. areas

C. combinations

D. models

12. Which of the following statements about leading Roman soldiers and statesmen is supported by paragraphs 5 and 6?

A. They could read and write the Greek language.

B. They frequently wrote poetry and plays.

C. They focused their writing on military matters.

D. They wrote according to the philosophical laws of the Greeks.

Paragraph 4: Modern attitudes to Roman civilization range from the infinitely impressed to the thoroughly disgusted. ■As always, there are the power worshippers, especially among historians, who are predisposed to admire whatever is strong, who feel more attracted to the might of Rome than to the subtlety of Greece. ■At the same time, there is a solid body of opinion that dislikes Rome. ■For many, Rome is at best the imitator and the continuator of Greece on a larger scale. ■Greek civilization had quality; Rome, mere quantity. Greece was original; Rome, derivative. Greece had style; Rome had money. Greece was the inventor; Rome, the research and development division. Such indeed was the opinion of some of the more intellectual Romans. “Had the Greeks held novelty in such disdain as we,” asked Horace in his epistle, “what work of ancient date would now exist?”

13. Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the paragraph.

They esteem symbols of Roman power, such as the massive Colosseum.

Where would the sentence best fit?

14.【Direction】An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the paragraph is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the paragraph. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the paragraph or are minor ideas in the paragraph. This question worth 2 points.

The Roman world drew its strength from several important sources.

Answer choices

A. Numerous controls imposed by Roman rulers held its territory together.

B. The Roman military was organized differently from older military organizations.

C. Romans valued sea power as did the Latins, the original inhabitants of Rome.

D. Roman values were rooted in a strong attachment to the land and the stability of rural life.

E. Rome combined aspects of ancient Greek civilization with its own contributions in new areas.

F. Educated Romans modeled their own literature and philosophy on the ancient Greeks.