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[历史学]

BetweentheeighthandeleventhcenturiesA.D.,theByzantineEmpirestagedanalmostunparalleledeconomicandculturalrevival,arecoverythatisallthemorestrikingbecauseitfollowedalongperiodofsevereinternaldecline.Bytheearlyeighthcentury,theempirehadlostroughlytwo-thirdsoftheterritoryithadpossessedintheyear600,anditsremainingareawasbeingraidedbyArabsandBulgarians,whoattimesthreatenedtotakeConstantinopleandextinguishedtheempirealtogether.Thewealthofthestateanditssubjectswasgreatlydiminished,andartisticandliteraryproductionhadvirtuallyceased.Bytheearlyeleventhcentury,however,theempirehadregainedalmosthalfofitslostpossessions,itsnewfrontiersweresecure,anditsinfluenceextendedfarbeyonditsborders.Theeconomyhadrecovered,thetreasurywasfull,andartandscholarshiphadadvanced.

ToconsidertheByzantinemilitary,cultural,andeconomicadvancesasdifferentiatedaspectsofasinglephenomenonisreasonable.Afterall,thesethreeformsofprogresshavegonetogetherinanumberofstatesandcivilizations.RomeunderAugustusandfifth-centuryAthensprovidethemostobviousexamplesinantiquity.Moreover,anexaminationoftheapparentsequentialconnectionsamongmilitary,economic,andculturalformsofprogressmighthelpexplainthedynamicsofhistoricalchange.

ThecommonexplanationoftheseapparentconnectionsinthecaseofByzantiumwouldrunlikethis:whentheempirehadturnedbackenemyraidsonitsownterritoryandhadbeguntoraidandconquerenemyterritory,Byzantineresourcesnaturallyexpandedandmoremoneybecameavailabletopatronizeartandliterature.Therefore,Byzantinemilitaryachievementsledtoeconomicadvances,whichinturnledtoculturalrevival.

Nodoubtthishypotheticalpatterndidapplyattimesduringthecourseoftherecovery.Yetitisnotclearthatmilitaryadvancesinvariablycamefirst.Economicadvancessecond,andintellectualadvancesthird.Inthe860’stheByzantineEmpirebegantorecoverfromArabincursionssothatby872themilitarybalancewiththeAbbasidCaliphatehadbeenpermanentlyalteredintheempire’sfavor.Thebeginningoftheempire’seconomicrevival,however,canbeplacedbetween810and830.Finally,theByzantinerevivaloflearningappearstohavebegunevenearlier.Anumberofnotablescholarsandwritersappearedby788and,bythelastdecadeoftheeighthcentury,aculturalrevivalwasinfullbloom,arevivalthatlasteduntilthefallofConstantinoplein1453.ThusthecommonlyexpectedorderofmilitaryrevivalfollowedbyeconomicandthenbyculturalrecoverywasreversedinByzantium.Infact,therevivalofByzantinelearningmayitselfhaveinfluencedthesubsequenteconomicandmilitaryexpansion.

1.Whichofthefollowingbeststatesthecentralideaofthetext?

[A]TheByzantineEmpirewasauniquecaseinwhichtheusualorderofmilitaryandeconomicrevivalprecedingculturalrevivalwasreversed.

[B]Theeconomic,cultural,andmilitaryrevivalintheByzantineEmpirebetweentheeighthandeleventhcenturieswassimilarinitsordertothesequenceofrevivalinAugustanRomeandfifth-centuryAthens.

[C]After810Byzantineeconomicrecoveryspurredamilitaryand,later,culturalexpansionthatlasteduntil1453.

[D]TherevivaloftheByzantineEmpirebetweentheeighthandeleventhcenturiesshowsculturalrebirthprecedingeconomicandmilitaryrevival,thereverseofthegenerallyacceptedsequenceofprogress.

2.ItcanbeinferredfromthetextthattheByzantineEmpiresustainedsignificantterritoriallosses

[A]in600.

[B]duringtheseventhcentury.

[C]acenturyaftertheculturalachievementsoftheByzantineEmpirehadbeenlost.

[D]soonaftertherevivalofByzantinelearning.

3.Inthethirdparagraph,theauthormostprobablyprovidesanexplanationoftheapparentconnectionsamongeconomic,military,andculturaldevelopmentinorderto

[A]suggestthattheprocessofrevivalinByzantiumaccordswiththismodel.

[B]setupanorderofeventsthatisthenshowntobenotgenerallyapplicabletothecaseofByzantium.

[C]castaspersionsontraditionalhistoricalscholarshipaboutByzantium.

[D]suggestthatByzantiumrepresentsacaseforwhichnohistoricalprecedentexists.

4.WhichofthefollowingdoestheauthormentionascrucialevidenceconcerningthemannerinwhichtheByzantinerevivalbegan?

[A]TheByzantinemilitaryrevivalofthe860’sledtoeconomicandculturaladvances.

[B]TheByzantineculturalrevivallasteduntil1453.

[C]TheByzantineeconomicrecoverybeganinthe900’s.

[D]TherevivalofByzantinelearningbegantowardtheendoftheeighthcentury.

5.Accordingtotheauthor,“Thecommonexplanation”(line1,paragraph3)ofconnectionsbetweeneconomic,military,andculturaldevelopmentis

[A]revolutionaryandtoonewtohavebeenappliedtothehistoryoftheByzantineEmpire.

[B]reasonable,butanantiquatedtheoryofthenatureofprogress.

[C]notapplicabletotheByzantinerevivalasawhole,butdoesperhapsaccuratelydescribelimitedperiodsduringtherevival.

[D]equallyapplicabletotheByzantinecaseasawholeandtothehistoryofmilitary,economic,andculturaladvancesinancientGreeceandRome.