托福阅读真题第61篇TheOriginsofAgriculture.pdf

托福阅读真题第61篇TheOriginsofAgricultureTheOriginsofAgricultureTheOriginsofAgriculture

yearsago.Anditmayseemeasytoexplainsuchasuddenand

thoroughtransitionfromforaging(dependingprimarilyonwild

foods)toagriculturebyhumansocieties.Processesofcollective

learningensuredthathumancommunitieswouldcontinueto

explorewaysofextractingresourcesfromtheirenvironment,and

eventuallytheywereboundtostumbleonagriculture.Besides,

agriculturewassomuchmoreproductivethanmostforaging

lifestylesthatitistemptingtosupposethatonceithadbeenbeen

explaintheNeolithicRevolution(thetransitionfromforagingto

settledagriculturalsocieties)didindeedmaketheseassumptions.

Theseexplanationssawagricultureasaninventionthatspread

fromasinglecenterbecauseofitsinherentsuperioritytoall

otherhumanadaptations.

However,researchinthetwentiethcenturyrevealedtwo

significantproblemswithsuchexplanationsFirst,agriculturedid

notinfactspreadfromasinglecenter.Instead,itappeared,

apparentlyindependentlyinmanydifferentregionsoftheworld.

Howcanweexplainthenear-simultaneityofthesechangesin

partsoftheworldthatseemtohavehadnocontactwitheach

other?AsanthropologistMarkCohenhasstressed,stressed,most

strikingfactaboutearlyagriculture..ispreciselythatitissucha

universalevent.

Second,wecannolongerassumethatcommunitiesof

foragerswereboundtoadoptagricultureoncetheylearned

aboutit.Indeed,wearenolongersoconfidentthatthe

appearanceofagriculturecanautomaticallyberegar