2006年6月大學英語六級新模擬試題(3)

　　Passage 2
　　In large part as a consequence of the feminist movement, historians have focused a great deal of attention in resent years on determining more accurately the status of women in various periods. Although much has been accomplished for the modem period, pre-modern cultures have proved more difficult to determine: sources are restricted in number, fragmentary, difficult to interpret, and often contradictory. Thus it is not surprising that some earlier studies concerning such cultures has so far gone unchallenged. An example is Johann Bachofen’s 1861 paper on Amazons（希臘神話中亞瑪遜族女戰(zhàn)士）, women-ruled societies of questionable existence which was contemporary with ancient Greece.
　　Bachofen argued that women were dominant in many ancient societies. His work was based on a comprehensive survey of references in the ancient sources to Amazonian and other societies—societies in which ancestors and property rights are traced through the female line. Some support for his theory can be found in evidence such as that drawn from Herodotus, the Greek “historian” of the fifth century B.C. who speaks of an Amazonian society, where the women hunted and fought in wars. A woman in this society was not allowed to marry until she had killed a person in battle.
　　Nevertheless, the assumption that the first recorders of ancient myths have preserved facts is doubtful. If one begins by examining why ancients refer to Amazons, it becomes clear that ancient Greek descriptions of such societies were meant not so much to represent observed historical fact --- real Amazonian societies -- but rather to offer “moral lessons” on the supposed outcome of women's role in their own society. Thus I would argue, the purpose of accounts of the Amazons for their male Greek recorders was to teach both male and female Greeks that all-female groups, formed by withdrawal from traditional society, are destructive and dangerous.
　　26. Bachofen’s theory are still popular today because ______.
　　A) reliable information about the ancient world is difficult to acquire
　　B) ancient societies show the best evidence of woman in positions of power
　　C) feminists have shown little interest in ancient societies
　　D) Bachofen’s knowledge of Amazonian culture is unparalleled
　　27. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a problem concerning the sources of knowledge of pre-modern cultures?
　　A) They are far from sufficient
　　B) They are confined to researchers
　　C) They confuse researchers
　　D) Conflicting accounts in the literature
　　28. The author’s attitude toward Bachofen’s theory is that ______.
　　A) it is convincing
　　B) it is feasible
　　C) it is skeptical
　　D) it is radical
　　29. It can be inferred that the probable reactions of many males in ancient Greece to the idea of a society ruled by women could best be characterized as _______.
　　A) hostile        B) disinterested        C) curious        D) confused
　　30. Which of the following is NOT true?
　　A) The author disagrees with Bachofen’s agument
　　B) Herodotus mentioned an Amazonian society
　　C) Facts show that a female-ruled Amazonian society did exist
　　D) The first recorder of ancient myths may not necessarily reflect facts
　　Passage 3