In the fourteenthcentury, a number ofpoliticaldevelopments cut Europe's overlandtraderoutes to southern and eastern Asia, with which Europe had had important and highlyprofitablecommercialties since the twelfthcentury. Thisdevelopment, coming as it did when the bottom had fallen out of the Europeaneconomy, provided animpetusto a long-helddesiretosecuredirect relations with the East by establishing a seatrade. Widely reported, ifsomewhatdistrusted, accounts by figures like the famous traveler from Venice, Marco Polo, of the willingness of people in China totradewith Europeans and of the immensity of the wealth to be gained by suchcontactmade the ideairresistible. Possibilities fortradeseemedpromising, but no hope existed for maintaining thetraditionalroutes over land. A new way had to be found.

Thechiefproblem was technological: How were the Europeans toreachthe East? Europe'smaritimetradition had developed in thecontextof easily navigable seas—theMediterranean, the Baltic, and, to a lesserextent, the North Sea between England and theContinent—not ofvastoceans. New types of ships were needed, new methods of finding one's way, new techniques for financing sovastascheme. Thesheerscaleof the investment it took to begincommercialexpansionat sea reflects the immensity of the profits that such East-Westtradecould create. Spices were the most sought-after commodities. Spices not onlydramaticallyimproved thetasteof the Europeandietbut also were used tomanufactureperfumes and certain medicines. Butevenhigh-priced commodities like spices had to be transported in largebulkin order tojustifythe expense and trouble of sailing around the Africancontinentall the way to India and China.

Theprincipalseagoing ship usedthroughoutthe Middle Ages was the galley, a long, low ship fitted with sails but drivenprimarilyby oars. The largest galleys had as many as 50 oarsmen. Since they hadrelativelyshallowhulls, they were unstable when driven by sail or when onroughwater: hence they were unsuitable for thevoyageto the East. Evenif they hugged the Africancoastline, they had littlechanceof surviving acrossingof the Indian Ocean. Shortlyafter 1400, shipbuilders began developing a new type ofvesselproperly designed tooperateinrough, open water: the caravel. It had a wider and deeperhullthan the galley and hence could carry more cargo: increasedstabilitymade it possible to addmultiplemasts and sails. In the largest caravels, two main masts held largesquaresails that provided thebulkof the thrust driving the shipforward, while a smallerforwardmastheld a triangular-shaped sail, called a lateen sail, which could be moved into avarietyof positions tomaneuverthe ship.

The astrolabe had long been theprimaryinstrumentfornavigation, having been introduced in the eleventhcentury. It operated by measuring the height of the Sun and the fixed stars: by calculating the angles created by these points, itdeterminedthedegreeoflatitudeat which one stood (The problem of determininglongitude, though, was not solved until the eighteenthcentury.) By the early thirteenthcentury,Western Europeans had also developed and put into use themagneticcompass, which helped when clouds obliterated both the Sun and the stars. Also beginning in the thirteenthcentury, there were new mapsrefinedbyprecisecalculations and the reports of sailors that made it possible totraceone'spathwithreasonableaccuracy. Certain institutional andpracticalnorms had become established as well. Amaritimecodeknown as theConsulateof the Sea, which originated in the westernMediterraneanregionin the fourteenthcentury, won acceptance by amajorityof sea goers as thenormativecodeformaritimeconduct; it defined such matters as theauthorityof a ship's officers, protocols ofcommand,paystructures, the rights of sailors, and the rules of engagement when ships met one another on the sea-lanes. Thus by about 1400 the key elements were in place to enable Europe to begin its seawardadventure.

Questions:
question_stem: The word impetus in the passage is closest in meaning to
choices: tag: A
text: Return

tag: B
text: Opportunity

tag: C
text: Stimulus

tag: D
text: Obstacle
answer_key: C
explanation: C impetus: 推动，促进，推动力。A 是报答，B 是机会，C 是促进；D 是障碍。所以 C 的 stimulus 正确。

question_stem: According to paragraph 1 why was it necessary to find a new way for European merchants to reach the East?
choices: tag: A
text: People in China were finally ready to trade with Europeans

tag: B
text: The European economy was failing because there was no trade with the East

tag: C
text: Traditional ways of trading with the East had become very costly

tag: D
text: Commercial routes over land had become blocked because of political events
answer_key: D
explanation: D 以 a new way 做关键词定位至最后一句，这句信息太少，所以往前看，前句说没法维持传统的陆路贸易，但还是没说为什么，这时候可以使用排除法，也可以去看这段的开头，开头说政治因素切断了陆路贸易，所以答案是 D。

question_stem: According to paragraph 2, what was the main difficulty Europeans had to overcome in order to develop a new way of trading with the East?
choices: tag: A
text: Europeans were unwilling to invest in large-scale commercial ventures.

tag: B
text: Europeans lacked the means for navigating long distances across oceans.

tag: C
text: Europeans were unwilling to experiment with new business techniques.

tag: D
text: Europeans lacked knowledge about the commercial methods of other peoples.
answer_key: B
explanation: B, 以 main difficulty 做关键词定位至第一句，说主要的问题是技术问题，西方人怎么到达东方，也就是航行技术问题，而且接着也说欧洲传统的航路是在哪里哪里，所以答案是 B。欧洲人非常想与亚洲人贸易，所以 A 和 C 的 unwilling 说错；D 的 commercial methods 没说。

question_stem: Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
choices: tag: A
text: The high cost to investors of developing trade by sea between East and West indicates the great size of the profits that such trade could produce.

tag: B
text: The profits that could be created by sea trade between East and West were immense compared with the investment required to develop such trade.

tag: C
text: The increase in commercial activity by using sea routes reflects the importance trade between East and West had for investors seeking great profits.

tag: D
text: Because people made large investments in sea commerce between East and West. They expected to make immense profits.
answer_key: A
explanation: A 原句的结构是 scale 反映了 immensity of profits，也就是投资的规模反映了能够获得利益的规模，所以答案是 A。B 的谓语发生改变，不是将两者进行比较；C 的主语和宾语都不对，跟原文完全不搭；D 的因果关系莫名其妙。

question_stem: The word dramatically in the passage is closest in meaning to
choices: tag: A
text: Artificially

tag: B
text: Greatly

tag: C
text: Immediately

tag: D
text: Regularly
answer_key: B
explanation: B dramatically: 急剧的，剧烈地，戏剧性地。A 是人工地；B 是大大地；C 是立即地；D 是常规地。所以答案是 B，表示程度大。

question_stem: It can be inferred from paragraph 2 that spices from Asia were desirable in Europe in the Middle Ages because they
choices: tag: A
text: were easily transported in large quantities

tag: B
text: could not be produced in European countries

tag: C
text: could be traded for products such as perfumes and medicines

tag: D
text: were expected to increase in value over time
answer_key: B
explanation: B 以 spice 做关键词定位至倒数三句话，说辣椒最受欢迎，能用来做这做那，接着又说即使高价的辣椒也要大量运输才能平衡高昂的运输成本。既然是运来的，就说明本地不产，所以答案是 B。A 是否容易运输原文没有信息；C 偷换原文概念，原文说能用来生产香水和药，不是用来贸易；D 增值原文完全没说。

question_stem: According to paragraph 3, all of the following statements comparing the caravel with the galley are true EXCEPT:
choices: tag: A
text: The caravel had fewer masts than the galley.

tag: B
text: The caravel had a wider hull than the galley.

tag: C
text: The caravel could carry more cargo than the galley.

tag: D
text: The caravel was more stable in rough water than the galley.
answer_key: A
explanation: A EXCEPT 题，排除法，A 的 masts 做关键词定位至最后两句，都说 caravel 的 mast 比 galley 多，所以 A 说反了，选；B 的 hull 做关键词定位至倒数第二句，说 caravel 的 hul 更大更深，能装更多货物，B 和 C 正确，不选；D 的 stable 做关键词定位至倒数第二句，说 increased stability，所以 D 正确，不选。

question_stem: According to paragraph 3, what did the lateen sail contribute to the caravel as a sailing ship?
choices: tag: A
text: It provided stability for the front part of the ship.

tag: B
text: It made it possible for the hull to be wider and deeper.

tag: C
text: It added considerably to the speed of the wind-driven ship.

tag: D
text: It improved the capacity of the ship to be guided.
answer_key: D
explanation: D 以 lateen sail 做关键词定位至最后一句，说 lateen sail 能够挪到很多位置来操作这艘船，所以答案是 D，引导船的能力。其他的都没说。

question_stem: Why does the author include the information that Western Europeans had developed and put into use the magnetic compass?
choices: tag: A
text: To provide an example of an instrument that was developed after caravels had begun traveling across oceans

tag: B
text: To provide an example of an improvement that resulted directly from the invention of the astrolabe

tag: C
text: To identify one of the technological advances that made sea trade with the East possible

tag: D
text: To explain how the problem of determining longitude was solved
answer_key: C
explanation: C 修辞目的题，修辞点所在句子只是单纯说明一个事实，没有观点，往前看，前一句又是一个例子，也不是观点，再次放弃，第一句不是中心句，所以也不行；后面一句也是个例子，还是不对。遇到这种情况要想想是不是整段都是一个例子，在支持前面各段的东西？第二段就强调了技术困难，然后在第三段就说了发明了一种新的船，而这段就说了 astrolable 的使用，这么看来就是距离说明技术进步使得海上贸易变得可能，所以答案是 C。而且也可以用排除法，B 和 D 都是在简单说例子，就事论事，不选；A 原文没说；所以 C 是答案，而且从第二段就一直在说怎么解决 东西方贸易的技术问题，这个也是技术问题的一个。

question_stem: The word refined in the passage is closest in meaning to
choices: tag: A
text: Completed

tag: B
text: Improved

tag: C
text: Drawn

tag: D
text: Checked
answer_key: B
explanation: B refine: 改善，精炼，精制。A 是完成；B 是改善；C 是绘图；D 是检查。所以 B 的 improve 正确。

question_stem: The word norms in the passage is closest in meaning to
choices: tag: A
text: purposes

tag: B
text: skills

tag: C
text: activities

tag: D
text: rules
answer_key: D
explanation: D  norm: 规范，约定。A 是目的；B 是技术；C 是活动；D 是规范，规则。所以答案是 rules，想到 normal 正常的，符合规定才正常。

question_stem: According to paragraph 4, which of the following is true of the maritime code developed in Europe in the fourteenth century?
choices: tag: A
text: It mapped out lanes in the seas for trading ships to follow.

tag: B
text: It defined the ways in which people should behave at sea.

tag: C
text: It replaced an earlier code that could not be adapted to the sea trade with the East.

tag: D
text: It gave instructions on how to navigate a ship.
answer_key: B
explanation: B，以 martime code 做关键词定位至倒数第二句，说航海准则规定了这个规定了那个，最能概括的是 B，而且 martime conduct 是 B 的同义替换，A 和 C 没说，D 是 B 的一个例子，所以答案是 B。