托福阅读真题：美索不达米亚和古埃及城市对比

　　阅读真题：TOPIC Mesopotamian and Egyptian City Structure文章比较了美索不达米亚(M)和古埃及(E)的城市形态，包括农业、贸易等。

　　解析：本文文章结构清晰明白，属于对比类文章，也是托福文章中较简单的类型。文章涉及的美索不达米亚和古埃及这两个地区都是托福常考地点，话题并不陌生。

　　Egypt and Mesopotamia Compared

　　The development of two great early civilizations in the Middle East andNorth Africa encourages a first effort at comparative analysis. Because ofdifferent geography, different degrees of exposure to outside invasion andinfluence, and different prior beliefs, Egypt and Mesopotamia were in contrastto one another in many ways. Egypt emphasized strong central authority, whileMesopotamian politics shifted more frequently over a substructure of regionalcity-states. Mesopotamian art focused on less monumental structures, whileembracing a pronounced literary element that Egyptian art lacked.

　　These cultural differences can be explained partly by geography:

　　Mesopotamians lacked access to the great stones that Egyptians could importfor their monuments. The differences also owed something to differentpolitics, for Egyptian ability to organize masses of laborers¹ followed fromits centralized government structures and strong bureaucracy. The differencesowed something, finally, to different beliefs, for the Mesopotamians lackedthe Egyptian concern for preparations for the afterlife, which so motivatedthe great tombs and pyramids that have made Egypt and some of the pharaohslive on in human memory.

　　Both societies traded extensively, but there was a difference in economictone. Mesopotamia was more productive of technological² improvements, becausetheir environment was more difficult to manage than the Nile valley. Tradecontacts were more extensive, and the Mesopotamians gave attention to amerchant class and commercial law.

　　Social differences were less obvious because it is difficult to obtaininformation on daily life for early civilizations. It is probable, though,that the status of women was greater in Egypt than in Mesopotamia (wherewomen's position seems to have deteriorated³ after Sumer). Egyptians paid greatrespect to women at least in the upper classes, in part because marriagealliances were vital to the preservation⁴ and stability of the monarchy⁵. Also,Egyptian religion included more pronounced deference⁶ to goddesses as sourcesof creativity.

　　Comparisons in politics, culture, economics, and society suggestcivilizations that varied⁷ substantially because of largely separate originsand environments. The distinction in overall tone was striking, with Egyptbeing more stable and cheerful than Mesopotamia not only in beliefs about godsand the afterlife but in the colorful and lively pictures the Egyptiansemphasized in their decorative⁸ art. Also striking was the distinction ininternal history, with Egyptian civilization far less marked by disruptionthan its Mesopotamian counterpart.

　　Comparison must also note important similarities, some of themcharacteristic of early civilizations. Both Egypt and Mesopotamia emphasizedsocial stratification, with a noble, landowning class on top and masses ofpeasants and slaves at the bottom. A powerful priestly group also figured inthe elite⁹. While specific achievements in science differed, there was a commonemphasis on astronomy and related mathematics, which produced durable¹⁰ findings about units of time and measurement. Both Mesopotamia and Egypt changed only slowly by the standards of more modern societies. Details of change have not been preserved, but it is true that having developed successful political and economic systems there was a strong tendency toward conservation. Change, when it came, was usually brought by outside forces - natural disasters or invasions. Both civilizations demonstrated extraordinary durability¹¹ in the basics. Egyptian civilization and a fundamental Mesopotamian culture lasted far longer than the civilizations that came later, in part because of relative isolation¹² within each respective region and because of the deliberate effort to maintain what had been achieved, rather than experiment widely.

　　Both civilizations, finally, left an important heritage in their region and adjacent territories. A number of smaller civilization centers were launched under the impetus¹³ of Mesopotamia and Egypt, and some would produce important innovations of their own by about 1000 B.C.

 

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