说到托福阅读备考，TPO是必不可少的备考神器，通过TPO练习来更好的适应阅读考试的节奏。本文小编带来的托福阅读笔记是TPO20 Early Settlements in the Southwest Asia的学习笔记，希望能够与正在备考的大家一起进步。
TPO20 Early Settlements in the Southwest Asia
文章题材：社会学科——西南亚的早期定居点
常见词汇：
species ['spi:ʃiz] n. (单复同)物种，种类
pollen ['pɔlin] n. [植]花粉，[昆]粉面(双翅目昆虫的易落粉)
utilize ['ju:tilaiz] vt. 利用
confine ['kɔnfain] vt. 限制，禁闭n. 边界，约束，范围
partially ['pɑ:ʃəli] adv. 部份地，一部份地，不公平地
global ['gləubəl] adj. 全球性的，全世界的，球状的，全局的
primitive ['primitiv] adj. 原始的n. 原始人，文艺复兴前的
social ['səuʃəl] adj. 社会的，社交的n. 社交聚会
confined [kən'faind] adj. 幽禁的;狭窄的;有限制的
movement ['mu:vmənt] n. 活动，运动，移动，[音]乐章
易错题解析：
Paragraph 2: Pollen samples from freshwater lakes in Syria and elsewhere tell us forest cover expanded rapidly at the end of the Ice Age, for the southwestern Asian climate was still cooler and considerably wetter than today. Many areas were richer in animal and plant species than they are now, making them highly favorable for human occupation. About 9000 B.C., most human settlements lay in the area along the Mediterranean coast and in the Zagros Mountains of Iran and their foothills. Some local areas, like the Jordan River valley, the middle Euphrates valley, and some Zagros valleys, were more densely populated than elsewhere. Here more sedentary and more complex societies flourished. These people exploited the landscape intensively, foraging on hill slopes for wild cereal grasses and nuts, while hunting gazelle and other game on grassy lowlands and in river valleys. Their settlements contain exotic objects such as seashells, stone bowls, and artifacts made of obsidian (volcanic glass), all traded from afar. This considerable volume of intercommunity exchange brought a degree of social complexity in its wake.
5.Why does the author mention "seashells, stone bowls, and artifacts made of obsidian"?
O To give examples of objects obtained through trade with other societies
O To illustrate the kinds of objects that are preserved in a cool climate
O To provide evidence that the organization of work was specialized
O To give examples of the artistic ability of local populations
题型：修辞目的题。答案是(A)
解析：首先回归原文Their settlements contain exotic objects such as seashells, stone bowls, and artifacts made of obsidian (volcanic glass), all traded from afar. 发现是对于异国物品的列举，而且本句后面有补充信息：从远方交易而来，所以正确答案是A。To give examples of objects obtained through trade with other societies. 由with other societies可以回归前句，由原文可知Their settlements指代的是more sedentary and more complex societies，也能够得出答案A。C项和D项原文中都没有提及，B项信息错误。
易错选项：(B)。
The universal global warming at the end of the Ice Age had dramatic effects on temperate regions of Asia, Europe, and North America. Ice sheets retreated and sea levels rose. ■The climatic changes in southwestern Asia were more subtle, in that they involved shifts in mountain snow lines, rainfall patterns, and vegetation cover. ■However, these same cycles of change had momentous impacts on the sparse human populations of the region. ■At the end of the Ice Age, no more than a few thousand foragers lived along the eastern Mediterranean coast, in the Jordan and Euphrates valleys. Within 2,000 years, the human population of the region numbered in the tens of thousands, all as a result of village life and farming. ■Thanks to new environmental and archaeological discoveries, we now know something about this remarkable change in local life.
13.Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence can be added to the passage.
One of the major effects was the rapid growth of the human population itself.
Where would the sentence best fit?Click on a square [■] to insert the sentence in the passage.
题型：句子插入题。答案是(C)
解析：由One of知待插入的句子应该是总分结构的分。而由关键词effects, the rapid growth of the human population回归原文寻找有人口快速增长的，有效果的句子优先考虑。 ■However, these same cycles of change had momentous impacts on the sparse human populations of the region. ■At the end of the Ice Age, no more than a few thousand foragers lived along the eastern Mediterranean coast, in the Jordan and Euphrates valleys. Within 2,000 years, the human population of the region numbered in the tens of thousands, all as a result of village life and farming.根据灰色内容可以判断标明的就是人口数量的突然增加，所以在C处插入句子。
以上就是小编带来的托福阅读笔记之TPO20 Early Settlements in the Southwest Asia,希望能够和备考的大家一起学习。更多托福考试资讯请关注前程百利。
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