1.CR
Country A currently relies on imports for its supply of wheat and soybeans. However, the government reports that if all of the country's unused arable land were dedicated to growing these crops, the nation could achieve self-sufficiency while also increasing the supply by 20% over current total demand. Consequently, even if Country A's population were to grow by 15%, the nation could still meet the increased demand by utilizing all of its unused arable land.
Which of the following statements, if true, would most weaken the government's claim?
(A) The demand for wheat and soybeans in Country A has been steadily increasing over the past decade due to population growth and changes in diet preferences.
(B) A significant portion of Country A's unused arable land is located in areas prone to frequent droughts and floods, making it unsuitable for reliable crop production.
(C) The government's report assumes that the yield per acre of wheat and soybeans on the unused arable land would be equal to the yield on land currently used for these crops.
(D) Dedicating all of the unused arable land to growing wheat and soybeans would require a significant investment in agricultural infrastructure, such as irrigation systems and storage facilities.
(E) Some of Country A's unused arable land is currently designated as protected wildlife habitats, and converting this land to agricultural use would require changes to environmental regulations.
A recent study aimed to investigate whether volunteers are more attentive to issues concerning themselves compared to non-volunteers. Researchers surveyed a group of volunteers and a control group of non-volunteers, asking them to recall details from a series of questions related to volunteering. The study found that volunteers were significantly better at remembering the questions compared to the control group. Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that volunteers are more focused on issues that directly relate to their own experiences and concerns.
Which of the following, if true, would most strongly support the researchers' conclusion?
(A) The questions used in the study were designed to be equally relevant and interesting to both volunteers and non-volunteers.
(B) Volunteers tend to have better memory skills than non-volunteers, possibly due to their regular engagement in mentally stimulating activities.
(C) The study also found that volunteers were more likely to express strong opinions about the importance of volunteering compared to non-volunteers.
(D) A significant portion of the questions in the survey directly related to the personal experiences and motivations of the volunteers.
(E) The researchers controlled for potential confounding variables, such as age and education level, when comparing the recall ability of volunteers and non-volunteers.
答案:
2.RC
Tiny marks on the teeth of an ancient human ancestor known as the “Nutcracker Man” may upset current evolutionary understanding of early hominid diet.
Using high-powered microscopes, researchers looked at rough geometric shapes on the teeth of several Nutcracker Man specimens and determined that their structure alone was not enough to predict diet.
Peter Ungar, professor of anthropology at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, contends the finding shows evolutionary adaptation for eating may have been based on scarcity rather than on an animal’s regular diet.
“These findings totally run counter to what people have been saying for the last half a century,” says Ungar. “We have to sit back and re-evaluate what we once thought.”
Ungar and his colleagues, Frederick E. Grine of State University of New York at Stony Brook and Mark F. Teaford of Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md., reported their findings last week in the Public Library of Science One, a peer-reviewed, international, online journal. The research was funded in part by the National Science Foundation.
The researchers examined the teeth of Paranthropus boisei, an ancient hominin that lived between 2.3 and 1.2 million years ago and is known popularly as the “Nutcracker Man” because it has the biggest, flattest cheek teeth and the thickest enamel of any known human ancestor.
“Ungar and colleagues’ work on Paranthropus boisei diet is extremely important,” says Joanna Lambert, physical anthropology program director at NSF. “Understanding what and how early hominins ate sheds light not only onto the feeding biology of our fossil ancestors, but also onto the very evolution of our own species.”
Scientists long have believed that P. boisei fed on nuts and seeds or roots and tubers found in the savannas throughout eastern Africa because the teeth, cranium and mandible appear to be built for chewing and crunching hard objects.
But Ungar points out that the teeth only suggest “what P. boisei could eat, but not necessarily what it did eat.”
Anthropologists have traditionally inferred the diet of ancient human ancestors by looking at the size and shape of the teeth and jaws. However, by using powerful microscopes to look at the patterns of wear on a tooth, scientists can get direct evidence of what the species actually ate.
Since food interacts with teeth, it leaves behind telltale signs that can be measured. Hard foods like nuts and seeds, for instance, lead to more complex tooth profiles, while tough foods like leaves lead to more parallel scratches.
Researchers compared dental microwear profiles of P. boisei to modern-day primates that eat different types of foods. P. boisei teeth were compared to those of the Old World Monkey species grey-cheeked mangabeys, and the New World Monkey species brown capuchin monkeys-both of these species consume mostly soft items but fall back on hard nuts or palm fronds.
Old World monkeys are found today in South and East Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Gibraltar at the southern tip of Spain. New World monkeys are found in tropical forest environments in southern Mexico, Central and South America.
P. boisei dental profiles also were compared to the New World mantled howling monkey and Old World silvered leaf monkey, which eat mostly leaves. Researchers also compared them to some of P. boisei’s more contemporary counterparts-Australopithecus africanus, which lived between 3.3 million and 2.3 million years ago, and Paranthropus robustus, which lived between 2 million and 1.5 million years ago.
The findings showed that P. boisei teeth had light wear, suggesting that none of the individuals ate extremely hard or tough foods in the days leading up to death. The pattern was more consistent with modern-day fruit-eating animals than with most modern-day primates.
“It looks more like they were eating Jell-O,” Ungar said.
This finding, while contradictory to previous speculation on the diet of P. boisei, is in line with a paradox documented in fish. Liem’s Paradox states that animals may actively avoid eating the very foods they have developed adaptations for when they can find other food sources.
It appears the paradox may hold true for P. boisei and for some modern-day primates as well.
“If you give a gorilla a choice of eating fruit or a leaf, it will take the fruit every time,” Ungar says. “But if you look at a gorilla’s skull, its sharp teeth are adapted to consuming tough leaves. They don’t eat the leaves unless they have to.”
Accordingly, the finding represents a fundamental shift in the way researchers look at the diets of early human ancestors.
“For many years, the perspective has been that the very large teeth and thick dental enamel of P. boisei were adaptations to consuming very hard food types year-round,” says Lambert. “Such specialization has historically been viewed as a potential cause for this fossil species’ extinction. The research team demonstrated that such generalizations require careful re-thinking, and that P. boisei was a more flexible feeder than has classically been viewed.”
“This challenges the fundamental assumptions of why such specializations occur in nature,” Ungar says. “It shows that animals can develop an extreme degree of specialization without the specialized object becoming a preferred resource.”
1. The passage calls into question which of the following assumptions underlying the traditional approach to inferring the diets of early hominids?
(A) Dental microwear analysis is the most reliable method for determining the diets of extinct species.
(B) The diets of early hominids were more varied than those of modern-day primates.
(C) Morphological adaptations are always indicative of an animal's preferred food sources.
(D) The extinction of early hominid species was primarily due to their specialized diets.
(E) Ecological factors play a minor role in shaping the dietary preferences of animals.
2. The research conducted by Ungar and his colleagues is most analogous to which of the following hypothetical scenarios?
(A) A study revealing that a species of bird with a beak adapted for cracking hard seeds prefers to eat soft fruits when they are available.
(B) An analysis of the stomach contents of a fossilized mammal, indicating that it primarily consumed leaves and grasses.
(C) A comparison of the jaw structures of two closely related primate species, showing that they are adapted to different dietary niches.
(D) An experiment demonstrating that a species of fish with specialized teeth for filtering plankton can survive on a diet of larger prey when necessary.
(E) A study using stable isotope analysis to determine the proportion of meat in the diet of an extinct carnivore.
3. Which of the following, if true, would most strongly support the authors' interpretation of the dental microwear patterns observed in P. boisei?
(A) Similar dental microwear patterns are found in other early hominid species known to have consumed hard, brittle foods.
(B) The geographic range of P. boisei overlapped with that of several species of fruit-bearing plants.
(C) Fossilized remains of nuts and seeds are rarely found in the same geological layers as P. boisei fossils.
(D) Studies of modern-day primates show that individuals with worn teeth tend to have lower reproductive success.
(E) Isotopic analysis of P. boisei teeth suggests that the species consumed a significant amount of meat.
4. The passage suggests that the traditional view of P. boisei as a specialized feeder was based primarily on which of the following?
(A) Dental microwear analysis of P. boisei teeth
(B) Comparisons with the dental morphology of modern-day primates
(C) Analysis of the fossilized remains of P. boisei's preferred food sources
(D) Observations of the feeding behavior of P. boisei's closest living relatives
(E) Inferences drawn from the size and shape of P. boisei's teeth and jaws
5. Based on the information in the passage, which of the following hypotheses about the diet of Paranthropus robustus is most likely to be supported by dental microwear analysis?
(A) P. robustus primarily consumed hard, brittle foods.
(B) The diet of P. robustus was more specialized than that of P. boisei.
(C) P. robustus preferred soft fruits over tough leaves.
(D) The dental microwear profiles of P. robustus were similar to those of modern-day howling monkeys.
(E) P. robustus had a more varied diet than suggested by its dental morphology.
6. The findings of Ungar and his colleagues can best be characterized as:
(A) Confirming the traditional view of P. boisei's dietary preferences
(B) Refuting the possibility that P. boisei consumed hard, brittle foods
(C) Suggesting that morphological adaptations may not always reflect an animal's preferred diet
(D) Providing conclusive evidence of the specific foods consumed by P. boisei
(E) Demonstrating that P. boisei had a more specialized diet than previously thought
7. Which of the following questions is left unanswered by the passage?
(A) What specific food sources were consumed by P. boisei?
(B) How do the dental microwear profiles of P. boisei compare to those of other early hominid species?
(C) What role did ecological factors play in shaping the dietary preferences of P. boisei?
(D) How might the dietary adaptations of P. boisei have contributed to its extinction?
(E) What implications do the findings of Ungar and his colleagues have for the study of human evolution?
8. The author's primary purpose in discussing the dental microwear profiles of modern-day primates is to:
(A) Provide evidence that supports the traditional view of P. boisei's diet
(B) Suggest that the dietary preferences of early hominids were similar to those of modern primates
(C) Illustrate the limitations of using dental morphology to infer dietary preferences
(D) Emphasize the importance of considering ecological factors when studying animal diets
(E) Establish a framework for interpreting the dental microwear patterns observed in P. boisei
3.DI
The Austrian musical tradition, which reached its apogee during the Classical and Romantic eras, is often regarded as the apotheosis of Western art music. This tradition, which encompassed such luminaries as Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and Brahms, was profoundly influenced by the humanistic and artistic ideals of the Italian Renaissance, which had permeated throughout Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries. The Italian Renaissance, with its emphasis on individualism, emotional expressiveness, and the revival of classical learning, had a seminal impact on the development of Austrian music, particularly in the realms of opera, sacred music, and instrumental music.
One of the key figures in the dissemination of Italian musical styles to Austria was the composer and theorist Johann Joseph Fux (1660-1741), who studied in Italy and later served as Kapellmeister at the Habsburg court in Vienna. Fux's magnum opus, Gradus ad Parnassum (1725), which codified the principles of Renaissance polyphony and counterpoint, became a seminal textbook for composers well into the 19th century, and was assiduously studied by such masters as Mozart and Beethoven. Fux's treatise, which emphasized the importance of imitating Renaissance models and the use of complex contrapuntal techniques, had a profound influence on the development of Austrian sacred music, particularly in the works of Mozart and his contemporaries.
The influence of Italian Renaissance humanism can also be discerned in the development of the opera, which originated in Florence in the late 16th century and rapidly proliferated throughout Europe. The earliest operas, such as Jacopo Peri's Dafne (1598) and Claudio Monteverdi's Orfeo (1607), sought to resurrect the ancient Greek ideal of music as a conduit for dramatic expression, and featured a new style of solo singing known as monody, which emphasized lucid declamation of the text and emotional expressiveness. This new operatic style, which represented a marked departure from the polyphonic complexity of Renaissance music, had a profound impact on the development of Austrian opera, particularly in the works of Mozart and his librettist, Lorenzo Da Ponte.
Mozart's operas, which amalgamate Italian bel canto singing with German theatrical traditions and Enlightenment ideals, are renowned for their psychological depth, musical sophistication, and subtle interplay between music and drama. Works such as The Marriage of Figaro (1786), Don Giovanni (1787), and Così fan tutte (1790) exemplify Mozart's mastery of the operatic form, and his ability to create complex, multi-dimensional characters through music. Mozart's operas also reflect the influence of Enlightenment ideals, particularly in their emphasis on reason, individuality, and social critique, as well as their exploration of themes such as class struggle, gender roles, and the tension between love and duty.
The influence of Italian Renaissance humanism can also be discerned in the instrumental music of the Classical and Romantic eras, which emphasized emotional expressiveness, technical virtuosity, and a sense of individual subjectivity. This is particularly evident in the works of Beethoven, whose symphonies, sonatas, and string quartets are often perceived as the embodiment of Romantic individualism and heroism. Beethoven's music, which represents a bridge between the Classical and Romantic eras, reflects the influence of Renaissance humanism in its emphasis on personal expression, innovation, and the breaking of traditional forms. Beethoven's late works, in particular, such as the Ninth Symphony and the late string quartets, are characterized by a sense of transcendence and spiritual striving that reflects the Romantic ideal of the artist as a visionary and prophet.
In conclusion, the Austrian musical tradition, which reached its zenith during the Classical and Romantic eras, was profoundly shaped by the humanistic and artistic ideals of the Italian Renaissance. From the theoretical treatises of Johann Joseph Fux to the operas of Mozart and the instrumental works of Beethoven, the influence of Italian Renaissance humanism can be discerned in the emphasis on emotional expressiveness, technical virtuosity, and individual subjectivity that characterizes the greatest works of Austrian art music. This tradition, which represents a unique synthesis of Italian, German, and Austrian cultural influences, had a profound impact on the development of Western art music as a whole.
The Austrian musical tradition not only absorbed and transformed the humanistic ideals of the Italian Renaissance but also served as a conduit for the dissemination of these ideals throughout Europe. The works of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and Brahms, which are celebrated for their formal perfection, emotional depth, and technical brilliance, continue to inspire and influence composers, performers, and music lovers around the world. The enduring legacy of the Austrian musical tradition is a testament to the power of music to transcend cultural and historical boundaries, and to express the deepest aspirations and emotions of the human spirit.
In a broader sense, the Austrian musical tradition can be seen as a microcosm of the larger cultural and intellectual ferment that characterized Europe during the Classical and Romantic eras. The ideals of the Enlightenment, with its emphasis on reason, individual liberty, and the pursuit of knowledge, found expression not only in the works of philosophers and scientists but also in the music of composers such as Mozart and Beethoven. At the same time, the Romantic movement, with its celebration of emotion, imagination, and the sublime, found its most powerful expression in the music of Schubert, Brahms, and other Austrian composers.
The Austrian musical tradition thus represents a unique confluence of cultural and historical forces, a synthesis of the humanistic ideals of the Italian Renaissance, the rational spirit of the Enlightenment, and the emotional intensity of the Romantic movement. It is a tradition that continues to resonate with us today, reminding us of the enduring power of music to express the deepest truths of the human experience, and to unite us across the boundaries of time, space, and culture.
1. Which of the following best encapsulates the central thesis of the passage?
(A) The Austrian musical tradition was superior to that of the Italian Renaissance.
(B) The Italian Renaissance had a profound and lasting influence on the development of Austrian music, particularly during the Classical and Romantic eras.
(C) Johann Joseph Fux was the most influential composer of the Austrian musical tradition.
(D) The opera was the most significant musical genre of the Classical and Romantic eras.
(E) Beethoven's instrumental works were the apotheosis of the Austrian musical tradition.
2. According to the passage, which of the following composers assiduously studied Johann Joseph Fux's magnum opus, Gradus ad Parnassum?
(A) Haydn and Schubert
(B) Mozart and Beethoven
(C) Monteverdi and Peri
(D) Brahms and Schubert
(E) Haydn and Brahms
3. The passage suggests that the earliest operas, such as Jacopo Peri's Dafne and Claudio Monteverdi's Orfeo, were influenced by which of the following?
(A) The polyphonic style of the Italian Renaissance
(B) The ancient Greek ideal of music as a conduit for dramatic expression
(C) The bel canto singing style of the 19th century
(D) The German theatrical traditions of the 18th century
(E) The instrumental music of the Classical era
4. According to the passage, which of the following is true of Mozart's operas?
(A) They were primarily influenced by German theatrical traditions.
(B) They were characterized by a lack of psychological depth and complexity.
(C) They reflected the influence of Enlightenment ideals and social critique.
(D) They were written in collaboration with the librettist Pietro Metastasio.
(E) They represented a return to the polyphonic complexity of Renaissance music.
5. The passage suggests that Beethoven's music reflects the influence of Italian Renaissance humanism in which of the following ways?
(A) Its emphasis on counterpoint and imitation of Renaissance models
(B) Its use of Italian bel canto singing style
(C) Its adherence to traditional forms and structures
(D) Its emphasis on personal expression, innovation, and breaking of traditional forms
(E) Its incorporation of ancient Greek musical modes and scales
6. The passage suggests that Beethoven's late works, such as the Ninth Symphony and the late string quartets, are characterized by which of the following?
(A) A return to the classical forms and structures of the 18th century
(B) A rejection of the humanistic ideals of the Italian Renaissance
(C) A sense of transcendence and spiritual striving that reflects the Romantic ideal of the artist as a visionary and prophet
(D) A renewed interest in the polyphonic complexity of Renaissance music
(E) A rejection of the emotional expressiveness and technical virtuosity of the Classical era
7. According to the passage, the Austrian musical tradition represents a unique synthesis of which of the following cultural influences?
(A) Italian, French, and English
(B) German, Russian, and Spanish
(C) Italian, German, and Austrian
(D) Austrian, Hungarian, and Bohemian
(E) Italian, German, and Dutch
8. The passage suggests that the Austrian musical tradition had a profound impact on the development of which of the following?
(A) Western art music as a whole
(B) The Baroque style of the 17th century
(C) The atonal music of the 20th century
(D) The folk music traditions of Eastern Europe
(E) The popular music of the 19th century
9. According to the passage, the ideals of the Enlightenment found expression in which of the following aspects of the Austrian musical tradition?
(A) The use of folk melodies and dance rhythms
(B) The emphasis on emotional restraint and formal clarity
(C) The rejection of virtuosity and technical brilliance
(D) The pursuit of knowledge and the celebration of reason and individual liberty
(E) The revival of ancient Greek musical modes and scales
10. The passage suggests that the Austrian musical tradition continues to resonate with modern audiences for which of the following reasons?
(A) Its emphasis on technical virtuosity and formal complexity
(B) Its rejection of emotional expressiveness and individual subjectivity
(C) Its ability to express the deepest truths of the human experience and unite people across cultural boundaries
(D) Its adherence to the classical forms and structures of the 18th century
(E) Its influence on the development of atonal music in the 20th century