GMAT考试阅读资料(二)a

Passage 7
　　Between the eighth and eleventh centuries A.D.， the　Byzantine Empire staged an almost unparalleled　economic and cultural revival¹， a recovery that is all the　more striking because it followed a long period of severe（5） internal decline. By the early eighth century， the empire　had lost roughly two-thirds of the territory it had　possessed² in the year 600， and its remaining area was　being raided by Arabs and Bulgarians， who at times　threatened to take Constantinople and extinguish the（10） empire altogether. The wealth of the state and itssubjects was greatly diminished， and artistic³ and literaryproduction had virtually ceased. By the early eleventh　century， however， the empire had regained⁴ almost half of　its lost possessions， its new frontiers were secure， and its（15） influence extended far beyond its borders. The economyhad recovered， the treasury⁵ was full， and art and scho-larship had advanced.
　　To consider the Byzantine military， cultural， and　economic advances as differentiated⁶ aspects of a single（20） phenomenon is reasonable. After all， these three forms　 of progress have gone together in a number of states and　 civilizations. Rome under Augustus and fifth-century　 Athens provide the most obvious examples in antiquity⁷.Moreover， an examination of the apparent sequential（25） connections among military， economic， and culturalforms of progress might help explain the dynamics⁸ ofhistorical change.
　　The common explanation of these apparent conn-ections in the case of Byzantium would run like this：（30） when the empire had turned back enemy raids on its　 own territory and had begun to raid and conquer enemyterritory， Byzantine resources naturally expanded andmore money became available to patronize art and lit-　 erature. Therefore， Byzantine military achievements led to（35） economic advances， which in turn led to cultural revival.
　　No doubt this hypothetical pattern did apply at times during the course of the recovery. Yet it is not clear that military advances invariably came first. economic　 advances second， and intellectual advances third. In the（40） 860‘s the Byzantine Empire began to recover from Arabincursions so that by 872 the military balance with the　 Abbasid Caliphate had been permanently⁹ altered in the　 empire’s favor. The beginning of the empire‘s economic　 revival， however， can be placed between 810 and 830.
　　（45） Finally， the Byzantine revival of learning appears to have begun even earlier. A number of notable scholars and writers appeared by 788 and， by the last decade of　 the eighth century， a cultural revival was in full bloom， a　 revival that lasted until the fall of Constantinople in（50） 1453.Thus the commonly expected order of militaryrevival followed by economic and then by culturalrecovery was reversed in Byzantium. In fact， the revivalof Byzantine learning may itself have influenced thesubsequent economic and military expansion.
　　1. Which of the following best states the central idea of the passage？
　　　（A） The Byzantine Empire was a unique case in which the usual order of military and economic revival preceding cultural revival was reversed.
　　　（B） The economic， cultural， and military revival in the Byzantine Empire between the eighth and eleventh centuries was similar in its order to the　　 sequence of revivals¹⁰ in Augustan Rome and fifth-　　 century Athens.
　　　（C） After 810 Byzantine economic recovery spurred a military and， later，cultural expansion that lasted until 1453.
　　　（D） The eighth-century revival of Byzantine learning is an inexplicable¹¹ phenomenon，and its economic and military precursors¹² have yet to be discovered.
　　　（E） The revival of the Byzantine Empire between the eighth and eleventh centuries shows cultural rebirth preceding economic and military revival，　　 the reverse of the commonly accepted order of　　 progress.

　　2. The primary purpose of the second paragraph is which of the following？
　　　（A） To establish the uniqueness of the Byzantine revival
　　　（B） To show that Augustan Rome and fifth-century Athens are examples of cultural， economic， and military expansion against which all subsequent　　 cases must be measured　
　　　（C） To suggest that cultural， economic. and military advances have tended to be closely interrelated in different societies.
　　　（D） To argue that， while the revivals of Augustan Rome and fifth-century Athens were similar， they are unrelated to other historical examples
　　　（E） To indicate that， wherever possible， historians should seek to make comparisons with the earliest chronological¹³ examples of revival

　　3. It can be inferred from the passage that by the　eleventh century the Byzantine military forces
　　　（A） had reached their peak and begun to decline
　　　（B） had eliminated the Bulgarian army
　　　（C） were comparable in size to the army of Rome under Augustus
　　　（D） were strong enough to withstand the Abbasid Caliphate‘s military forces　
　　　（E） had achieved control of Byzantine governmental structures

　　4. It can be inferred from the passage that the Byzantine　Empire sustained significant territorial¹⁴ losses
　　　（A） in 600
　　　（B） during the seventh century
　　　（C） a century after the cultural achievements of the Byzantine Empire had been lost
　　　（D） soon after the revival of Byzantine learning
　　　（E） in the century after 873

　　5. In the third paragraph， the author most probably　provides an explanation of the apparent connections among economic，military， and cultural development　in order to
　　　（A） suggest that the process of revival in Byzantium accords with this model
　　　（B） set up an order of events that is then shown to be not generally applicable to the case of Byzantium
　　　（C） cast aspersions on traditional historical scholarship about Byzantium
　　　（D） suggest that Byzantium represents a case for which no historical precedent¹⁵ exists
　　　（E） argue that military conquest is the paramount¹⁶ element in the growth of empires

　　6. Which of the following does the author mention as　crucial evidence concerning the manner in which the Byzantine revival began？
　　　（A） The Byzantine military revival of the 860‘s led to economic and cultural advances.
　　　（B） The Byzantine cultural revival lasted until 1453.
　　　（C） The Byzantine economic recovery began in the 900‘s.
　　　（D） The revival of Byzantine learning began toward the end of the eighth century.
　　　（E） By the early eleventh century the Byzantine Empire had regained much of its lost territory.

　　7. According to the author， “The common explanation”　（line 28） of connections between economic，military，and cultural development is
　　　（A） revolutionary and too new to have been applied to the history of the Byzantine Empire
　　　（B） reasonable， but an antiquated theory of the nature of progress
　　　（C） not applicable to the Byzantine revival as a whole， but does perhaps accurately describe limited　 periods during the revival
　　　（D） equally applicable to the Byzantine case as a whole and to the history of military， economic， and cultural advances in ancient Greece and Rome
　　　（E） essentially not helpful， because military， economic，and cultural advances are part of a single phenomenon