The palaces built by the Minoan people of Crete (an island in the eastern Mediterranean) between 1950 B.C. and 1450 B.C. were centers of power, both sacred and secular, with wealth based on the stores of agricultural produce from the fertile hinterland that they controlled. What happened within them? Presumably they were busy places. The receipt, recording, and storage of goods brought in from the surrounding countryside must have been a major job, particularly at those tunes of the year when the corn was harvested, the olive ripe, or the wine newly made. Administration of the goods and commodities leaving the storerooms for consumption in the palace, for use in the workshops, or for wider distribution must have taken place throughout the year. We may imagine the storage areas as busy by day, and probably carefully guarded at night.

The craft workers creating precious works in such materials as gold, Ivory, and semiprecious stones may well have been fulltime craft specialists, totally dependent on the palaces and working constantly within them, their products in demand both for immediate use and possibly for exchange quite far afield. Their raw materials were part of palatial wealth, and must have been kept under strict control. Similarly bronze workers, whose raw material would have been carefully recorded, no doubt worked close by. Pottery workshops seem to have been further afield, situated near the clay beds and fuel for the kilns (pottery ovens) rather than within palace confines, though their products could still have been largely or totally under palace control. The production of textiles was probably always an important palace-based activity, though we do not know in which rooms, precisely, spinning and weaving took place.

Some revisionist interpretations of the palace of Knossos have questioned whether people lived within it to any great extent. We must face squarely the fact, implicit in the above account, that unequivocal evidence for human residence as opposed to human use, is hard to find. Nonetheless, it seems overwhelmingly probable that all the palaces were lived in by some, if not all, of the people engaged in the many activities for which they show evidence. Many nonspecific rooms could have been lived in by various dependents--craft workers, guards, textile workers, servants, or slaves. This remains true even if we follow those interpretations that would prefer "temple" to "palace" as the buildings' prime identification.

In fact, the choice of "temple" rather than “palace" is a change of emphasis rather than a change of interpretation. From the early twentieth-century work of archaeologist Arthur Evans onwards, the ingrained and embedded religious nature of the palaces has been accepted, as has the fact that "palace" is inadequate shorthand for the buildings' complexities. There are, though, good reasons not to change wholesale to "temple" which in truth is similarly inadequate. The most obvious problem with such a change is the fact that, while a society based on large palaces with no temples has always been recognized as anomalous in the ancient world, large-scale temples with no palaces would be equally so. Unless there is a truly huge gap in our excavated evidence possible, but as time goes on increasingly unlikely--these complex buildings are all we have. The most logical conclusion remains that they fulfilled two sets of functions simultaneously. Accurate terminology that did not privilege one function over another would require the coinage of a portmanteau term such as "palace-temple" or "temple-palace," but this seems an undesirable deviation from terminology that is long established, whatever its shortcomings.

What, though, of the ruling elite, whether priests, kings, or both? Is there evidence that the palaces housed a royal family? The attempt to see royal apartments throws into high relief not only the difficulty of identifying precisely the function of a room from its form, but also the fact that we do not really know who, in Minoan society, held the reins of power. The Minoan tradition indicates a king- yet power may have been wielded by a priest, or by a priest-king, combining functions that we would divide into sacred and secular. Nonetheless, it still seems overwhelmingly likely that the ruling elite lived in the palaces, or perhaps in both the palaces and the important houses in their immediate vicinity.

Questions:
question_stem: All of the following are mentioned in paragraph 1 as specific activities that occurred within Minoan palaces EXCEPT
choices: tag: A
text: the storing of incoming agricultural produce

tag: B
text: the distribution of goods to palace workshops

tag: C
text: the protection of goods in storerooms against theft

tag: D
text: quality inspections of goods made in workshops
answer_key: D
explanation: 正确答案 D。题干“以下皆为在 minoan 宫殿里发生的活动，除了”。A 符合原文 wealth and storage of goods ；B 符合原文 for wider distribution   must have taken place throughout the year；C 符合 probably carefully guarded at night.D 错，监督质量

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: Even though pottery workshops appeared to be located at a distance from the palace, their products may have been largely or totally under palace control.

tag: B
text: The palace had a lot more control over the production of pottery workshops than it did over other products, even though pottery workshops were located further afield.

tag: C
text: The palace controlled the products from factory workshops as well as their use of raw materials, even though the workshops were far away from the palace.

tag: D
text: Unlike other workshops, pottery workshops were located near sources of raw material and fuel rather than within the palace confine.
answer_key: A
explanation: 正确答案 A。原句主要结构是 A ，B ，thoughC，其中 B 为插入成分不做考虑，原句意为“作坊虽远，但很大程度或者完全受宫殿控制”。A 满足原句逻辑和主干；B 错，控制陶器生产多过其他产品；C 错，控制商品和原材料；D 错，没提其他作坊。

question_stem: The word "precisely" in the passage is closest in meaning to
choices: tag: A
text: probably

tag: B
text: exactly

tag: C
text: primarily

tag: D
text: ordinarily
answer_key: B
explanation: 题干 precisely 意为“准确的”；选项 A 可能；B 准确的；C 主要的；D 原本的

question_stem: According to paragraph 2, what did craft workers using precious materials and textile workers have in common?
choices: tag: A
text: They both worked within the palaces.

tag: B
text: They both usually kept careful records of the materials they used.

tag: C
text: They both shared workshops with bronze workers.

tag: D
text: They both made products that were immediately used or exchanged.
answer_key: A
explanation: 正确答案 A。题干问两者有什么共同点？定位至第一句 totally dependent on the palaces 和最后一句，he production of textiles was probably always an important palace-based activity 都提到了在宫殿里，因此 A 正确；B 错记录使用没提及；C 错没提 share with ；D 错没提 immediately used or exchanged

question_stem: According to paragraph 3, which of the following best describes the author's position on the issue of whether people actually lived within Minoan palaces?
choices: tag: A
text: Additional archaeological evidence will probably allow archaeologists to determine whether people actually lived in the palaces.

tag: B
text: Archaeological evidence suggests that people lived in some but not every Minoan palace.

tag: C
text: Dependents who lived in nonspecific rooms within Minoan palaces were the only people that actually lived within the palace.

tag: D
text: It is highly likely that at least some people who used Minoan palaces also lived in them.
answer_key: D
explanation: 正确答案 D。题干“正确描述作者立场（关于人们是否在宫殿里生活）”。A 错，有额外的证据来确定人们是否真的生活在宫殿里，原文说没证据 unequivocal evidence for human residence；B 错，住一些而不是每一个；C 错，only 极端表达；D 正确，it  seems  overwhelmingly  probable  that  all  the  palaces  were  lived  in  by some,if not  all,of  the  people  engaged  in  the  many   activities  for  which  they   show  evidence.

question_stem: The word "shortcomings" in the passage is closest in meaning to
choices: tag: A
text: dangers

tag: B
text: weaknesses

tag: C
text: considerations

tag: D
text: interpretations
answer_key: B
explanation: 题干 shortcomings 意为“缺点”；选项 A 危险；B 弱点；C 考虑；D 翻译、理解

question_stem: What can be inferred from paragraph 4 about early twentieth-century archaeologist Arthur Evans?
choices: tag: A
text: He believed that there was a large gap in the excavated evidence regarding the Minoan palaces.

tag: B
text: He argued that the term "temple" should be used in place of the term "palace" for Minoan palaces

tag: C
text: He argued that religious activities were an important aspect of life within Minoan palaces.

tag: D
text: He demonstrated that nearly all large palaces in the ancient world contained temples.
answer_key: C
explanation: 正确答案 C。题干推断20世纪考古学家 Arthur。A 错，他认为有大 gap，原文说 Unless there is a truly huge gap in ourexcavated evidence possible,butas time goes on increasingly unlikely；B 错，temple 应该代替 palace，原文说 Accurate terminology that did not privilege one function
over another would require the coinage of a portmanteau term such as "palace temple"or "temple-palace,"；C 正确，可根据线索 From the early twentieth-century work of archaeologist Arthur Evans onwards,the ingrained and embedded religious nature of the palaces has been accepted, as has the fact that "palace"is inadequate shorthand for the buildings'complexities.D 错误 all large palaces 都包括 temples

question_stem: According to paragraph 5, it is difficult to determine if Minoan palaces included royal apartments in part because
choices: tag: A
text: important houses located near palaces have features similar to those of palaces used by royalty

tag: B
text: the reins of power in Minoan society were not tightly held by a ruling elite

tag: C
text: the royalty and priests were in a constant struggle for control over Minoan society

tag: D
text: it is not clear who held power in Minoan society
answer_key: D
explanation: 正确答案 D。题干“minoan 宫殿是否包括皇家公寓很难确定，其中的部分原因是”。A 错，similar to ；B 错，权利不在管理层；C 错 皇室和教徒都为权利争夺；D 正确,but also the
fact that we do not really know who,in Minoan society,held the reins of power.不清楚权利在谁手