gwd-6-v5

Q5 to Q7:

      According to a theory advanced

            by researcher Paul Martin, the wave

            of species extinctions that occurred

Line     in North America about 11,000 years

  (5)      ago, at the end of the Pleistocene era,

can be directly attributed to the arrival

of humans, i.e., the Paleoindians, who

were ancestors of modern Native

Americans.  However, anthropologist

(10)     Shepard Krech points out that large

animal species vanished even in areas

where there is no evidence to demon-

strate that Paleoindians hunted them.

Nor were extinctions confined to large

(15)     animals:  small animals, plants, and

insects disappeared, presumably not

all through human consumption.  Krech

also contradicts Martin’s exclusion of

climatic change as an explanation by

(20)     asserting that widespread climatic

            change did indeed occur at the end of

            the Pleistocene.  Still, Krech attributes

secondary if not primary responsibility

for the extinctions to the Paleoindians,

(25)     arguing that humans have produced

local extinctions elsewhere.  But,

according to historian Richard White,

even the attribution of secondary

responsibility may not be supported

(30)     by the evidence.  White observes that

Martin’s thesis depends on coinciding

dates for the arrival of humans and the

            decline of large animal species, and

Krech, though aware that the dates

(35)     are controversial, does not challenge

them; yet recent archaeological

discoveries are providing evidence

that the date of human arrival was

much earlier than 11,000 years ago.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q5:

Which of the following is true about Martin’s theory, as that theory is described in the passage?

一开始偶跟你有同感, A和B之间搞不定. 但事后想想, A的ASSUMPTION有点缺陷. Paleoindians主要依靠那些动物为生未必会造成那些动物绝种啊. 除非如果Paleoindians的数量远远超过那些动物的数量并且又非吃它们不可那还差不多.

我的gwd11这个答案是c，请二位把GWD11的答案贴一下。我这里的答案有问题。

这个题B是对的，定位在：Krech

also contradicts Martin’s exclusion of

climatic change as an explanation by

(20)     asserting that

想确认一下Q6的答案。

Q6:

Which of the following, if true, would most weaken Krech’s objections to Martin’s theory?

1. Further studies showing that the climatic change that occurred at the end of the Pleistocene era was even more severe and widespread than was previously believed
2. New discoveries indicating that Paleoindians made use of the small animals, plants, and insects that became extinct
3. Additional evidence indicating that widespread climatic change occurred not only at the end of the Pleistocene era but also in previous and subsequent eras
4. Researchers’ discoveries that many more species became extinct in North America at the end of the Pleistocene era than was previously believed
5. New discoveries establishing that both the arrival of humans in North America and the wave of Pleistocene extinctions took place much earlier than 11,000 years ago

管的答案是B, 我的答案是C.

Krech并没有否认人类导致了一部分的动物死亡。所以B不对。

Krech反对的是Martin没有将气候变化作为一个因素来参考。C中说明气候的剧烈变化在动物大规模死亡之前早就存在了，所以削弱。

请NN指点。

关于Q6，我的一点想法，认为B正确，欢迎讨论。

文中提到：

Nor were extinctions confined to large

(15)     animals:  small animals, plants, and

insects disappeared, presumably not

all through human consumption.

K认为，灭绝的除了大动物外，还有小动物、植物和昆虫，推测起来，这些东东不可能全部都是被人吃掉。

B指出：New discoveries indicating that Paleoindians made use of the small animals, plants, and insects that became extinct

说明：人确实利用过这些灭绝了的小动物、植物和昆虫，这样就存在这些东东的灭绝确实是人为造成的可能，于是就削弱了K对M理论的反驳。

C：C中说明气候的剧烈变化在动物大规模死亡之前早就存在了，但文章中讨论的是at the end of the 动物的大规模灭绝的原因。如果如C中所说，在Pleistocene era末期也可能存在剧烈的气候变化的话，那么就支持了K对M的反驳，而不是削弱。

BB

Q7:

In the last sentence of the passage, the author refers to “recent archaeological discoveries” (lines 36-37) most probably in order to

1. refute White’s suggestion that neither Maritn nor Krech adequately account for Paleoindians’ contributions to the Pleistocene extinctions
2. cast doubt on the possibility that a more definitive theory regarding the causes of the Pleistocene extinctions may be forthcoming
3. suggest that Martin’s, Krech’s, and White’s theories regarding the Pleistocene extinctions are all open to question
4. call attention to the most controversial aspect of all the current theories regarding the Pleistocene extinctions
5. provide support for White’s questioning of both Martin’s and Krech’s positions regarding the role of Paleoindians in the Pleistocene extinctions

My answer is C. Because "yet recent archaeological

discoveries are providing evidence

that the date of human arrival was

much earlier than 11,000 years ago"

The word 'yet' not only cast doubt on above two but also on White's theory.

Any body any comments?

567:
BBC
完全支持

6:给个C不能削弱的理由:
C说的状况可想像如下
1.较早的era有800种生物，气候大变，变热，100种不耐热的死光了
2.于是还有700种生物存活到pleistocene era，气候又大变，这次变冷，死了617种不耐寒的。
3.后来的era气候又变热，死3种。
.....an so on。
结论：C成立-->其中的2造成了大规模的动物绝迹-->完全支持了K的看法，何来削弱?