题目
Although the earliest surviving Greek inscriptions written in an alphabet date from the eighth century B.C., a strong case can be made that the Greeks actually adopted alphabetic writing at least two centuries earlier. Significantly, the text of these earliest surviving Greek inscriptions sometimes runs from right to left and sometimes from left to right. Now, the Greeks learned alphabetic writing from the Phoenicians, and in the process they would surely have adopted whatever convention the Phoenicians were then using with respect to the direction of writing. Originally, Phoenician writing ran in either direction, but by the eighth century B.C. it had been consistently written from right to left for about two centuries.
In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?
选项
A.The first is the position that the argument seeks to establish; the second reports a discovery that has been used to support a position that the argument opposes.
B.The first is the position that the argument seeks to establish; the second presents an assumption on which the argument relies.
C.The first presents evidence that is used in support of the position that the argument seeks to establish; the second presents an assumption on which the argument relies.
D.The first is an objection raised against a position that the argument opposes; the second is the position that the argument seeks to establish.
E.The first is an objection raised against a position that the argument opposes; the second is evidence that has been used to support that position.
解析
虽然现存最早的用字母书写的希腊铭文可追溯到公元前8世纪,但有充分的理由认为**希腊人实际上至少在两个世纪前就采用了字母书写**。值得注意的是,这些最早的现存希腊铭文的文本有时从右向左书写,有时从左向右书写。希腊人是从腓尼基人那里学会字母书写的,在这个过程中**他们肯定会采用腓尼基人当时使用的任何关于书写方向的惯例**。最初,腓尼基文字可以向任一方向书写,但到公元前8世纪时,它已经持续约两个世纪从右向左书写了。
在给出的论证中,两个黑体部分分别起到什么作用?
- **核心论点**:论证的结论(第一个黑体)是“希腊人实际上至少在两个世纪前就采用了字母书写”(即论证试图确立的**立场/结论**)。
已知“最早的希腊铭文(公元前8世纪)书写方向不定(有时右→左,有时左→右)”“希腊人从腓尼基人学字母”“腓尼基文字最初方向不定,公元前8世纪时已持续约两个世纪(公元前10世纪—前8世纪)从右→左书写”。结合第二个黑体的**假设**(希腊人学字母时会采用腓尼基当时的书写方向惯例),可推出:若希腊人在公元前8世纪学字母,应采用腓尼基当时固定的“右→左”方向,但铭文方向不定,因此希腊人学字母的时间更早(至少两个世纪前,彼时腓尼基方向仍不定),从而支持第一个黑体的结论。
- **正确答案方向**:第一个黑体是论证试图确立的**结论(position)**;第二个黑体是论证依赖的**假设(assumption)**(若该假设不成立,论证无法推出结论)。
- **选项A**:
第一个黑体是“论证试图确立的立场”(符合),但第二个黑体“报告了一个被用来支持论证反对的立场的发现”错误。
理由:①第二个黑体是**假设**(assumption),非“发现(discovery)”;②论证无“反对的立场”,它旨在支持第一个结论,而非反驳某立场。排除。
- **选项B**:
第一个黑体是“论证试图确立的立场”(结论),第二个黑体“呈现了论证所依赖的假设”(符合:论证依赖“希腊人学字母时会采用腓尼基当时的书写方向惯例”这一假设,才能通过铭文方向推出学字母的时间)。与分析完全一致,正确。
- **选项C**:
第一个黑体“呈现支持论证要确立的立场的证据”错误。
理由:第一个黑体是**结论(position)**,而非“证据(evidence)”(证据是“最早的希腊铭文方向不定”“腓尼基书写方向的历史”等)。排除。
- **选项D**:
第一个黑体“是对论证反对的立场的反驳”错误(第一个是论证的**结论**,非反驳);第二个黑体“是论证要确立的立场”错误(第二个是**假设**,非结论)。排除。
- **选项E**:
第一个黑体“是对论证反对的立场的反驳”错误(第一个是结论);第二个黑体“是支持那个立场的证据”错误(第二个是**假设**,且“那个立场”(论证反对的立场)不存在)。排除。
答案:B