戴爾美語--托福聽力考滿分秘訣--TPO23 解題示範

Archaeology (Antikythera Mechanism) -- TPO 23

Professor:

I was talking to one of my colleagues in the physics department the other day, and we ended up discussing how one discovery can change everything. My colleague mentioned how the theory of relativity completely changed the field of physics. (1) At any rate, that conversation got me thinking about archaeological finds that really changed our understanding of ancient civilizations. So I want to talk about the discovery of the Antikythera Mechanism.

The Antikythera Mechanism was found a hundred years ago, under water in an ancient Greek shipwreck in the Mediterranean Sea. It was in extremely poor condition and in many corroded pieces. But once we figured out what it was and reconstructed it. Well, I simply don’t have the words to convey how extraordinary this find was.

(2) The Antikythera Mechanism is a relatively small device, roughly the size of a shoebox, made of gears fitted inside a wooden case. In its original state, there were rotating dials and other indicators on the top, with letters and drawings showing the Sun, the phases of the moon and different constellations. Inside the box, bronze gears would have rotated the displays. The displays, uh, the indicators of the Antikythera Mechanism, would then move to show the motion of the Sun and moon relative to the planets and stars. The device could be used to tell the different phases of the moon and much more.

Well, scientists have recently analyzed the inscriptions on the mechanism and re-examine the other cargo in the ship wreck, and the evidence makes an absolute case that this device dates back to ancient Greece somewhere between 150 and 100 B.C.E. What makes that so fascinating is that before we found the Antikythera Mechanism, the earliest device we had that could track the Sun and moon like this was invented over 1,000 years later. So when this was first found, people literally would not believe it. (3) Some of my colleagues insisted it had to have been made well after 100 B.C.E. But this physical evidence was conclusive. It was that old.

(4) Of course, part of what made this find so unusual is that the Antikythera Mechanism is constructed of bronze. Now, it is not that bronze was all that rare in Greece then; it is just that bronze was valuable and could easily be recycled. It would have been relatively easy for a person with knowledge of metals to melt down bronze objects and forge them into ... well, say, coins. Bronze was used to make money back then. Or mold the bronze into anything else of value for that matter. We are very fortunate that the device ended up under water, because otherwise it probably would have ended up recycled into ... who knows what.

Now, it was a challenge to figure out the Antikythera Mechanism. It spent over 2,000 years at the bottom of the sea before it was discovered. And even after it was discovered, it was still a number of years before we really understood what it was. You see, the mechanism had corroded underwater, and many of the gears were stuck together in a mass. Cleaning it was only partly successful. (5) We could only get a good look at the structure of the gears after gamma rays were used to see inside, very similar to the way X-rays are used to see your bones.

Now, once we got a good look inside, we saw a really complex device. The many gears not only moved in a way that could indicate the phases of the moon. The Antikythera Mechanism also tracked both the lunar year and the solar year. Additionally, the gears also moved to match the motions of the planet and predicted eclipses. But one thing that is particularly notable is that the mechanism was so precise that it even took into account a particular irregularity in the moon’s orbit, which requires some very complex math to replicate in mechanical device.

You could say that the Antikythera Mechanism was a very precise calendar, which stands to reason calendars were very important to ancient peoples. Religious festivals had to be held at the right time of year, crops needed to be planted at the right time as well. And let’s not forget that eclipses in planetary motions had important symbolic meanings.

1. What is the lecture mainly about?

A. The methods archaeologists used to reconstruct the Antikythera Mechanism

B. The influence the Antikythera Mechanism has had on the study of physics

C. A research project in the combined fields of archaeology, physics, and mathematics

D. An archaeological discovery that challenged an accepted historical view

答案：D

解析：

Professor: ...... At any rate, that conversation got me thinking about archaeological finds that really changed our understanding of ancient civilizations. So I want to talk about the discovery of the Antikythera Mechanism.

教授提出此講課內容只是為了舉例考古發現會改變世人的既定想法。

關鍵訊號詞： ...... really changed our understanding..... / 

             So I want to talk about ......

2. According to the professor, how did the Antikythera Mechanism work?

A. Dials on the device could be turned to calculate a ship's location at sea

B. The device was used to operate a larger computing system

C. A system of gears rotated the images located on the case

D. Light from the Sun illuminated particular indicators on the case throughout the day

答案：C

解析：

Professor: ......The Antikythera Mechanism is a relatively small device, roughly the size of a shoebox, made of gears fitted inside a wooden case. ...... Inside the box, bronze gears would have rotated the displays. The displays, uh, the indicators of the Antikythera Mechanism, would then move to show the motion of the Sun and moon relative to the planets and stars.

教授指出裝置用齒輪轉動。A選項中的船定位在講課中沒提到，故不考慮。

3. What is the professor’s attitude about the proposition that the Antikythera Mechanism is over two thousand years old?

A. She is confident that the dating is accurate.

B. She is sure the dating will be revised in the future.

C. She is surprised that the dating remains inconclusive.

D. She believes that additional testing will be needed to confirm the dating

答案：A

解析：

Professor: ...... Some of my colleagues insisted it had to have been made well after 100 B.C.E. But this physical evidence was conclusive. It was that old.

教授提到證據十分明確(conclusive)。

關鍵訊號詞：Some ...... but ...... /  that old

4. According to the professor, why is it unusual to discover a bronze artifact from ancient Greece?

A. Bronze objects were often recycled.

B. Bronze corrodes underwater very quickly

C. Ancient Greeks had limited access to bronze

D. Artists of ancient Greece preferred to work with other

答案：A

解析：

Professor: ......Of course part of what made this find so unusual is that the Antikythera Mechanism is constructed of bronze. Now, it is not that bronze was all that rare in Greece then; it is just that bronze was valuable and could easily be recycled.

教授使用Of course引出一個強調句，然後說明銅雖然不是很稀有，但是有價值而且容易回收。

關鍵訊號詞： what ...... is that ......  /  it is no that ...... it is just that ......

5. How were archaeologists able to determine how the Antikythera Mechanism operated?

A. By comparing it to similar devices used 1,000 years later

B. By using gamma rays to see inside of the mechanism

C. By referring to ancient Greek writings about the mechanism

D. By consulting with colleagues in the field of physics

答案：B

解析：

Professor: ...... We could only get a good look at the structure of the gears after gamma-rays were used to see inside, very similar to the way X-rays are used to see your bones.

教授說只能通過gamma射線才能看清楚內部結構。

關鍵訊號詞： We could only ......

6. What does the professor imply about the ancient Greeks when she says this [ But one thing that is particularly notable is that the mechanism was so precise that it even took into account a particular irregularity in the moon's orbit, which requires some very complex math to replicate in mechanical device. ]

A. They were the first to observe the irregularly in the Moon’s orbit.

B. They might not have been the inventors of the Antikythera Mechanism

C. They were more scientifically advanced than is commonly thought.

D. They appeared to have made some errors in their calculations.

答案：C

解析：

Professor: ...... But one thing that is particularly notable is that the mechanism was so precise that it even took into account a particular irregularity in the moon's orbit, which requires some very complex math to replicate in mechanical device.

教授用了but和強調句說明這個機器特別精準，比世人想像的還要先進。

關鍵訊號詞：But one thing ...... is that ...... /  particularly notable

本文出自TPO23

戴爾美語榮獲台灣區托福、GRE、雅思三考場，原地上課考試
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