Jadeandbronzewere chosen early in China'shistoryas the materials for society's mostpreciousobjects. The mainreasonfor this is verystraightforward. Both materials are beautiful to the eye and, in the case ofjade, also to the touch. Jadeis adensestone that can be ground to smooth,softsurfaces and glows insubtlegreens, grays, and browns. Bronze, analloyof tin andcopper, is a light, bright gold color when polished.

Jadewas employed (c. 4500 B.C.) for exceptionallyelegantversions ofutilitarianstone tools,bronzewas the choice (c. 1650 B.C.) for the highest-quality cooking pots. Made injade, the tools were not for daily use but for displays ofstatusand power, and thebronzecooking pots were not for ordinary meals but were reserved for offerings of food and wine to ancestors. Jadeandbronzewere thus used forspecialritualorceremonialversions ofstandardeveryday items.

The materials themselves were scarcer and required more labor to work than ordinary stone andceramic. That this was the case must have been asclearin the past as it is today and must havemarkedthe objects as in some wayexceptional. Not only the materials but also the ways in which they were worked demonstrated theirexaltedfunctions. Jadescepters (ceremonialobjects of various shapes that were carried byinfluentialpeople as symbols ofauthority) were ground more thinly than the stone tools they copied, such as axes or reaping knives. Had they been used tochopdown a tree, they would have broken. Bronzecooking pots were made inintricateforms, withextraknobs and handles anddensedecoration, all of which would have been impracticable on everyday ceramics.

There would be no point in using thesescarceand labor-intensive materials in place ofcommonones if they could not be immediately recognized asoutstanding. Craftsmanshipwasthereforedirected toward exploiting and displaying theparticularqualities ofjadeandbronzethat make them recognizably different from ordinary stone andceramic. These qualities had to be made visuallynoticeable. Other qualities, such as weight ortexture, can only be appreciated by holding the object, and fewer people will have theopportunityto pick it up and feel its features with their hands than will be able toglanceat it quickly.

Visualdistinctions deployed toseparatetheceremonialfrom the everyday can also be used toreferto smaller differences in the ranking ofritualitems, separating those owned by kings from those owned by nobles. Such differences can be in size ormass——one piece being larger or thicker than another——or in skill, with one being better crafted than another. We make such judgments when looking atancientobjects today, and it seems likely that somesortofsimilarassessment was made at the time.

Two hierarchies, bothvisibleto the eye, were thus achieved. First and mostfundamentalwas ahierarchyoffunction, theritualobject standing above the everyday object. Secondwas thehierarchywithineachcategory, with the moreelaboratelyworked and often larger object higher up thescale. The rich and powerful owned thejadescepters andbronzevessels. What is more, these scepters and vessels not only expressed or reflected thestatusof their owners but they also probably reinforced it. In this way, jades and bronzes becameboundup with thereligiousandpoliticalstructures of the early Chinesestate, and they remained so linked up to the twentiethcentury.

It isthereforenot surprising that at times when rulers and their courts wished toasserttheirauthority, they commissioned large numbers ofconspicuousbronzes. Further, when they wished todistractattentionfrom weaknesses in society, they emphasized their powerevenmore by increasing expenditure onritualobjects. Thus changes in theaestheticqualities of jades and bronzes caninformus about the society that produced them.

Later generations of Chinese scholars of the Song Dynasty (A.D.960-1279) quickly recognized the link between the bronzes and jades andpoliticalpower. In their search forpoliticallegitimacy, they collected and studiedancientartifacts, pursuits that in themselves reinforced the highstatusofjadeandbronzein society. From the idea thatpoliticalpower resided inancientobjects, including calligraphy and painting, grew the first art collections.

Questions:
question_stem: Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 1 about bronze?
choices: tag: A
text: It is a heavier type of material than jade.

tag: B
text: It is less pleasing to the touch than jade.

tag: C
text: It was preferred over jade early in China's history.

tag: D
text: It was a more common material than jade.
answer_key: B
explanation: 题干提问“可以推断出以下哪个与青铜有关的表述”
定位第1段第3句 Both materials are beautiful to the eye and, in the case of jade, also to the touch. （这两种材料看起来都很漂亮，就玉而言，摸起来也很漂亮。）可理解为二者视觉感都很漂亮，玉手感也很好，并没有说铜手感好，对应选项 B 表述。另外三个选项的比较关系文中未提及。
故选 B。

question_stem: According to paragraph 2, objects made from jade and bronze were
choices: tag: A
text: special versions of ordinary objects

tag: B
text: passed down from ancestors through many generations

tag: C
text: used for everyday purposes only by the most powerful members of society

tag: D
text: more widely used than objects made from ordinary materials
answer_key: A
explanation: 题干提问“玉和青铜制成的物品”
定位第2段最后一句 Jade and bronze were thus used for special ritual or ceremonial versions of standard everyday items.（因此，玉器和青铜器被用于标准日常用品的特殊仪式或礼仪版本。）其中 everyday items = ordinary objects，special ritual or ceremonial versions = special versions，对应选项 A 表述。
故选 A。

question_stem: Why does the author include the comment about jade scepters that "Had they been used to chop down a tree, they would have broken"?
choices: tag: A
text: To point out the poor quality of early Chinese tools

tag: B
text: To explain why so few unbroken jade scepters have been found

tag: C
text: To illustrate that jade scepters were not designed for practical purposes

tag: D
text: To explain why jade tools were eventually replaced by stone tools in early China
answer_key: C
explanation: 题干提问“作者为什么评论玉权杖：如果用它们砍树，它们就会折断。”
定位第3段第2句 marked the objects as in some way exceptional 表明这些物品的特殊；第3句 Not only the materials but also the ways in which they were worked demonstrated their exalted functions.表明这些物品的高贵。高亮句意为砍树就会折断，就是没有实用价值，进而可展现出其特殊、高贵，并非日常所需，对应选项 C 表述。
故选 C。

question_stem: The word "exploiting" in the passage is closest in meaning to
choices: tag: A
text: paying attention to

tag: B
text: discovering

tag: C
text: taking advantage of

tag: D
text: appreciating
answer_key: C
explanation: exlpoit v.运用，利用，发挥，与 take advantage of 同义。
故选 C。

question_stem: According to paragraph 4, the qualities of jade and bronze that Chinese craftsmanship emphasized were
choices: tag: A
text: qualities that could not be immediately recognized as outstanding but required good taste to appreciate

tag: B
text: qualities that could not be fully appreciated without touching an object in addition to looking at it

tag: C
text: qualities such as texture or weight that could only be appreciated by handling an object

tag: D
text: qualities that could be immediately recognized by just looking at an object
answer_key: D
explanation: 题干提问“中国工艺所强调的玉器和铜器的特征是”
根据 craftsmanship 定位第4段第2-3句 Craftsmanship was therefore directed toward exploiting and displaying the particular qualities of jade and bronze that make them recognizably different from ordinary stone and ceramic. These qualities had to be made visually noticeable.即其明显不同需在视觉上得以体现，对应选项 D 表述。
故选 D。

question_stem: Paragraphs 5 and 6 support all of the following statements about jade scepters and bronze vessels EXCEPT:
choices: tag: A
text: Jade and bronze objects owned by people of higher status were generally better crafted than those owned by people of lesser status.

tag: B
text: Jade and bronze objects owned by nobles were generally thicker and larger in size than the finer ones owned by kings.

tag: C
text: Jade and bronze objects probably not only reflected the social status of their owners but also confirmed and strengthened it.

tag: D
text: Jade and bronze objects played a role in the religious and political structures of China from early on up to the twentieth century.
answer_key: B
explanation: 题干提问“以下哪个表述不符合对玉权杖和青铜器的描述”，建议先看完四个选项，再逐一对应文本。
题干提问第5、6两段，建议从第5段开始阅读，定位第6段：
第3句 Second was the hierarchy within each category, with the more elaborately worked and often larger object higher up the scale. 即等级越高制作越精良，对应选项 A 表述，且选项 B 与该句表达之意相反，可选。
第5句 these scepters and vessels not only expressed or reflected the status of their owners but they also probably reinforced it 对应选项 C 表述。
第6句 jades and bronzes became bound up with the religious and political structures of the early Chinese state, and they remained so linked up to the twentieth century 对应选项 D 表述。
故选 B。

question_stem: According to paragraph 7, Chinese rulers spent more on bronze and jade objects at times when
choices: tag: A
text: there was economic prosperity

tag: B
text: there were long periods of uninterrupted peace

tag: C
text: the rulers needed to turn people's attention away from problems in society

tag: D
text: the rulers did not need to emphasize their power and authority over their subjects
answer_key: C
explanation: 题干提问“中国统治者在什么时候对铜器和玉器的支出更多”。
定位第7段第2句 when they wished to distract attention from weaknesses in society, they emphasized their power even more by increasing expenditure on ritual objects.（当他们希望转移人们对社会弱点的关注度时，他们会通过增加对仪式物品的支出来更加强调自己的权力），对应选项 C 表述。
故选 C。

question_stem: It can be inferred from the passage that jade and bronze objects in China were
choices: tag: A
text: owned only by people of high social status

tag: B
text: difficult to distinguish from one another in value

tag: C
text: produced in large numbers by scholars of the Song Dynasty

tag: D
text: thought to be of lesser status than works of calligraphy and painting
answer_key: A
explanation: 题干提问“根据全文可以推出玉器和青铜器”。
问全文的题目，建议先看完四个选项，再逐一对应文本。
可先完成第8段阅读，定位第8段第2句 In their search for political legitimacy, they collected and studied ancient artifacts, pursuits that in themselves reinforced the high status of jade and bronze in society（在寻求政治合法性的过程中，他们收集和研究古代文物，这种追求本身就加强了玉器和青铜在社会中的崇高地位。），及第7段第1句 rulers and courts，第5段第1句 kings and nobles 等，均可对应选项 A 表述。
故选 A。