GMAT考试作为申请美国研究生的学术考试，其重要性不言而喻。且GMAT官方每隔一段时间都会更换题库，以保证考题的新鲜度。因此GMAT考生回忆的机经就受到考生的热捧。
今天小编就给各位整理GMAT考试官网上的一道语文真题：Reading Comprehension，是GMAT阅读理解题，真题来之不易，大家赶紧试试自己的实力吧!
题目
Archaeology as a profession faces two major problems. First, it is the poorest of the poor. Only paltry sums are available for excavating and even less is available for publishing the results and preserving the sites once excavated. Yet archaeologists deal with priceless objects every day. Second, there is the problem of illegal excavation, resulting in museum-quality pieces being sold to the highest bidder.
I would like to make an outrageous suggestion that would at one stroke provide funds for archaeology and reduce the amount of illegal digging. I would propose that scientific archaeological expeditions and governmental authorities sell excavated artifacts on the open market. Such sales would provide substantial funds for the excavation and preservation of archaeological sites and the publication of results. At the same time, they would break the illegal excavator’s grip on the market, thereby decreasing the inducement to engage in illegal activities.
You might object that professionals excavate to acquire knowledge, not money. Moreover, ancient artifacts are part of our global cultural heritage, which should be available for all to appreciate, not sold to the highest bidder. I agree. Sell nothing that has unique artistic merit or scientific value. But, you might reply, everything that comes out of the ground has scientific value. Here we part company. Theoretically, you may be correct in claiming that every artifact has potential scientific value. Practically, you are wrong.
I refer to the thousands of pottery vessels and ancient lamps that are essentially duplicates of one another. In one small excavation in Cyprus, archaeologists recently uncovered 2,000 virtually indistinguishable small jugs in a single courtyard. Even precious royal seal impressions known as l’melekh handles have been found in abundance—more than 4,000 examples so far.
The basements of museums are simply not large enough to store the artifacts that are likely to be discovered in the future. There is not enough money even to catalog the finds; as a result, they cannot be found again and become as inaccessible as if they had never been discovered. Indeed, with the help of a computer, sold artifacts could be more accessible than are the pieces stored in bulging museum basements. Prior to sale, each could be photographed and the list of the purchasers could be maintained on the computer. A purchaser could even be required to agree to return the piece if it should become needed for scientific purposes.
It would be unrealistic to suggest that illegal digging would stop if artifacts were sold on the open market. But the demand for the clandestine product would be substantially reduced. Who would want an unmarked pot when another was available whose provenance was known, and that was dated stratigraphically by the professional archaeologist who excavated it?
提问
The author’s argument concerning the effect of the official sale of duplicate artifacts on illegal excavation is based on which of the following assumptions?
选项
A. Prospective purchasers would prefer to buy authenticated artifacts.
B. The price of illegally excavated artifacts would rise.
C. Computers could be used to trace sold artifacts.
D. Illegal excavators would be forced to sell only duplicate artifacts.
E. Money gained from selling authenticated artifacts could be used to investigate and prosecute illegal excavators.
答案：A
解释：
The best answer is A. The author's argument concerning the effect of the official sale of duplicate artifacts on illegal excavation appears in lines 51-52, in which the author predicts that such official sale would reduce demand for "the clandestine product." The rhetorical question that follows (lines 52-55) indicates that the author finds it unlikely that any purchaser would prefer objects of unknown provenance to objects of known origin, or, to rephrase, the author assumes that most people would prefer to purchase objects of authenticated provenance, as choice A states. The author's argument concerning the effect of such sales on illegal excavation does not assume any of the other answer choices.
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