In the wake of the Roman Empire's conquest of Britain in the first century A.D., a large number of troops stayed in the new province, and these troops had a considerable impact on Britain with their camps, fortifications, and participation in the local economy. Assessing the impact of the army on the civilian population starts from the realization that the soldiers were always unevenly distributed across the country. Areas rapidly incorporated into the empire were not long affected by the military. Where the army remained stationed, its presence was much more influential. The imposition of a military base involved the requisition of native lands for both the fort and the territory needed to feed and exercise the soldiers' animals. The imposition of military rule also robbed local leaders of opportunities to participate in local government, so social development was stunted and the seeds of disaffection sown. This then meant that the military had to remain to suppress rebellion and organize government.
Economic exchange was clearly very important as the Roman army brought with it very substantial spending power. Locally a fort had two kinds of impact. Its large population needed food and other supplies. Some of these were certainly brought from long distances, but demands were inevitably placed on the local area. Although goods could be requisitioned, they were usually paid for, and this probably stimulated changes in the local economy. When not campaigning, soldiers needed to be occupied; otherwise they represented a potentially dangerous source of friction and disloyalty. Hence a writing tablet dated 25 April tells of 343 men at one fort engaged on tasks like shoemaking, building a bathhouse, operating kilns, digging clay, and working lead. Such activities had a major effect on the local area, in particular with the construction of infrastructure such as roads, which improved access to remote areas.
Each soldier received his pay, but in regions without a developed economy there was initially little on which it could be spent. The pool of excess cash rapidly stimulated a thriving economy outside fort gates. Some of the demand for the services and goods was no doubt fulfilled by people drawn from far afield, but some local people certainly became entwined in this new economy. There was informal marriage with soldiers, who until AD 197 were not legally entitled to wed, and whole new communities grew up near the forts. These settlements acted like small towns, becoming centers for the artisan and trading populations.
The army also provided a mean of personal advancement for auxiliary soldiers recruited from the native peoples, as a man obtained hereditary Roman citizenship on retirement after service in an auxiliary regiment. Such units recruited on an ad hoc (as needed) basis from the area in which they were stationed, and there was evidently large-scale recruitment within Britain. The total numbers were at least 12,500 men up to the reign of the emperor Hadrian (A.D. 117-138), with a peak around A.D. 80. Although a small proportion of the total population, this perhaps had a massive local impact when a large proportion of the young men were removed from an area. Newly raised regiments were normally transferred to another province from whence it was unlikely that individual recruits would ever return. Most units raised in Britain went elsewhere on the European continent, although one is recorded in Morocco. The reverse process brought young men to Britain, where many continued to live after their 20 to 25 years of service, and this added to the cosmopolitan Roman character of the frontier population. By the later Roman period, frontier garrisons (groups of soldiers) were only rarely transferred, service in units became effectively hereditary, and forts were no longer populated or maintained at full strength.
This process of settling in as a community over several generations, combined with local recruitment, presumably accounts for the apparent stability of the British northern frontier in the later Roman period. It also explains why some of the forts continued in occupation long after Rome ceased to have any formal authority in Britain, at the beginning of the fifth century A.D. The circumstances that had allowed natives to become Romanized also led the self-sustaining military community of the frontier area to become effectively British.
Paragraph 1: In the wake of the Roman Empire's conquest of Britain in the first century A.D., a large number of troops stayed in the new province, and these troops had a considerable impact on Britain with their camps, fortifications, and participation in the local economy. Assessing the impact of the army on the civilian population starts from the realization that the soldiers were always unevenly distributed across the country. Areas rapidly incorporated into the empire were not long affected by the military. Where the army remained stationed, its presence was much more influential. The imposition of a military base involved the requisition of native lands for both the fort and the territory needed to feed and exercise the soldiers' animals. The imposition of military rule also robbed local leaders of opportunities to participate in local government, so social development was stunted and the seeds of disaffection sown. This then meant that the military had to remain to suppress rebellion and organize government.
1.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.
O Many Roman soldiers remained in Britain after conquering it, and their presence had a strong influence.
O The new Roman province of Britain seemed to awaken in the first century A.D. as the local economy improved.
O Camps, fortifications, and economic change contributed to the Roman conquest of Britain.
O With the conquest of Britain by Roman troops, the Roman Empire gained considerable economic strength.
2.According to paragraph 1, the Roman army had the most influence on those areas of Britain that were
O conquered first
O near population centers
O used as military bases
O rapidly incorporated into the empire
3.According to paragraph 1, what effect did military occupation have on the local population?
O It encouraged more even distribution of the population and the settlement of previously undeveloped territory.
O It created discontent and made continuing military occupation necessary.
O It required local labor to construct forts and feed and exercise the soldiers’ animals.
O It provided local leaders with opportunities to participate in governance.
4.The word “suppress” in the passage is closest in meaning to
O respond to
O warn against
O avoid the impact of
O stop by force
Paragraph 2: Economic exchange was clearly very important as the Roman army brought with it very substantial spending power. Locally a fort had two kinds of impact. Its large population needed food and other supplies. Some of these were certainly brought from long distances, but demands were inevitably placed on the local area. Although goods could be requisitioned, they were usually paid for, and this probably stimulated changes in the local economy. When not campaigning, soldiers needed to be occupied; otherwise they represented a potentially dangerous source of friction and disloyalty. Hence a writing tablet dated 25 April tells of 343 men at one fort engaged on tasks like shoemaking, building a bathhouse, operating kilns, digging clay, and working lead. Such activities had a major effect on the local area, in particular with the construction of infrastructure such as roads, which improved access to remote areas.
5. The word “friction” in the passage is closest in meaning to
O rebellion
O conflict
O neglect
O crime
6.The author mentions “343 men at one fort engaged on tasks like shoemaking, building a bathhouse, operating kilns, digging clay, and working lead” in order to
O describe the kinds of tasks soldiers were required to perform as punishment for disloyalty or misdeeds
O illustrate some of the duties assigned to soldiers to keep them busy and well-behaved when not involved in military campaigns
O provide evidence that Roman soldiers had a negative effect on the local area by performing jobs that had been performed by native workers
O argue that the soldiers would have been better employed in the construction of infrastructure such as roads
7.The phrase “entitled to” in the passage is closest in meaning to
O given the right to
O able to afford to
O encouraged to
O required to
8.According to paragraph 3, how did the soldiers meet their needs for goods and services?
O Their needs were met by the army, and all of their economic transactions took place within the fort.
O Most of their needs were met by traveling tradespeople who visit the forts.
O During their days off, soldiers traveled to distant towns to make purchases.
O They bought what they needed from the artisans and traders in nearby towns.
Paragraph 4: The army also provided a means of personal advancement for auxiliary soldiers recruited from the native peoples, as a man obtained hereditary Roman citizenship on retirement after service in an auxiliary regiment. Such units recruited on an ad hoc (as needed) basis from the area in which they were stationed, and there was evidently large-scale recruitment within Britain. The total numbers were at least 12,500 men up to the reign of the emperor Hadrian (A.D. 117-138), with a peak around A.D. 80. Although a small proportion of the total population, this perhaps had a massive local impact when a large proportion of the young men were removed from an area. Newly raised regiments were normally transferred to another province from whence it was unlikely that individual recruits would ever return. Most units raised in Britain went elsewhere on the European continent, although one is recorded in Morocco. The reverse process brought young men to Britain, where many continued to live after their 20 to 25 years of service, and this added to the cosmopolitan Roman character of the frontier population. By the later Roman period, frontier garrisons (groups of soldiers) were only rarely transferred, service in units became effectively hereditary, and forts were no longer populated or maintained at full strength.
9.According to paragraph 4, which of the following is true of Britain’s auxiliary regiments of the Roman army?
O Membership in these regiments reached its highest point during the region of the emperor Hadrian.
O Most of the units recruited in Britain were sent to Morocco and other stations outside Europe.
O Soldiers served in the regiments for many years and after retirement generally stayed where they had been stationed.
O Most of the regiments stationed on the frontier were new units transferred from a neighboring province.
10.According to paragraph 4, all of the following changes could be seen in the frontier garrisons by the later Roman period EXCEPT:
O Membership in the units passed from father to son.
O Fewer soldiers were stationed at the forts.
O Soldiers usually were not transferred to different locations.
O Frontier units became more effective and proficient.
Paragraph 5: This process of settling in as a community over several generations, combined with local recruitment, presumably accounts for the apparent stability of the British northern frontier in the later Roman period. It also explains why some of the forts continued in occupation long after Rome ceased to have any formal authority in Britain, at the beginning of the fifth century A.D. The circumstances that had allowed natives to become Romanized also led the self-sustaining military community of the frontier area to become effectively British.
11.Why does the author mention that “some of the forts continued in occupation long after Rome ceased to have any formal authority in Britain” ?
O To emphasize the degree to which the stability of the British northern frontier depended on firm military control
O To suggest that the Romans continued to occupy Britain even after they had formally given up the right to do so
O To support the claim that forts continued to serve an import economic function even after they ceased to be of any military use
O To describe one of the things that resulted from frontier garrisons’ becoming part of the local community over a long period
12.The word “circumstances” in the passage is closest in meaning to
O experiences
O communities
O conditions
O laws
Paragraph 2: Economic exchange was clearly very important as the Roman army brought with it very substantial spending power. Locally a fort had two kinds of impact. Its large population needed food and other supplies. ■ Some of these were certainly brought from long distances, but demands were inevitably placed on the local area. ■ Although goods could be requisitioned, they were usually paid for, and this probably stimulated changes in the local economy. ■ When not campaigning, soldiers needed to be occupied; otherwise they represented a potentially dangerous source of friction and disloyalty. ■ Hence a writing tablet dated 25 April tells of 343 men at one fort engaged on tasks like shoemaking, building a bathhouse, operating kilns, digging clay, and working lead. Such activities had a major effect on the local area, in particular with the construction of infrastructure such as roads, which improved access to remote areas.
13.Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.
One solution was to keep them busy as sources of labor.
Where would the sentence best fit?
14.Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentence do not belong to the summary because they express ideas that are no presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.
The Roman army’s occupation of Britain influenced and changed the local population.
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Answer Choices
O Although the presence of the army in certain areas caused resentment among the local population, it provided important services such as building infrastructure.
O By recruiting unemployed young men for its auxiliary units, the army made it possible for them to stay in their home towns and provide financial support for their families.
O Large quantities of cash from soldiers’ pay stimulated development, but also drove up prices, making it hard for local residents to afford goods and services.
O Though the army appropriated land and some goods, it also paid for many supplies, stimulating local economic growth.
O The forts contributed to the quality of local crafts by bringing in artisans from distant places who brought with them new skills and techniques.
O Roman soldiers started families with local inhabitants, and over the generations, the military community became a stable part of British society.
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參考答案：
1. 1
2. 3
3. 2
4. 4
5. 2
6. 2
7. 1
8. 4(2和4選項(xiàng)都不合適)
9. 3
10. 4
11. 4
12. 3
13. 4th square
14. Although the presence...
Though the army...
Roman soldiers started...
在公元1世紀(jì)羅馬帝國成功征服不列顛之后，有大量軍隊(duì)駐守在這片新省區(qū)，這些軍隊(duì)的軍營和城防以及他們參與當(dāng)?shù)亟?jīng)濟(jì)都對英國產(chǎn)生了重要的影響。評估軍隊(duì)對人口數(shù)量的影響要從士兵在國家內(nèi)不均勻的分布開始講起。那些很快就并入帝國的地區(qū)并未長期受到軍隊(duì)的影響。而那些保留軍隊(duì)的地區(qū)，軍隊(duì)的影響更大。建立軍事基地需要征用當(dāng)?shù)氐耐恋亟ㄔ煲�，喂養(yǎng)并訓(xùn)練士兵的動物。實(shí)行軍事統(tǒng)治也強(qiáng)行剝奪了本地領(lǐng)導(dǎo)參與政府事務(wù)的機(jī)會，因而社會的發(fā)展受到了阻礙，由此播下了不滿的種子。這就意味著軍隊(duì)不得不維持對反叛的高壓政策以及承擔(dān)組織政府的責(zé)任。
因?yàn)榱_馬軍隊(duì)有著強(qiáng)大的消費(fèi)潛力，經(jīng)濟(jì)交流就顯得非常重要。在當(dāng)?shù)�，一個(gè)軍事基地有兩種影響，一方面大量的人口需要食物和其他供給。有些食物和供給確實(shí)是從遠(yuǎn)方帶來的，但是需求不可避免地由本地承擔(dān)。盡管這些商品可以強(qiáng)征，但是軍隊(duì)會給予報(bào)酬，這些都會刺激當(dāng)?shù)亟?jīng)濟(jì)的發(fā)展。另一方面當(dāng)沒有戰(zhàn)爭時(shí)，士兵們需要有事可做，否則他們就會成為摩擦和叛變的潛在根源。因此4月25日的一塊寫字板說一個(gè)基地內(nèi)343名士兵干著諸如做鞋，造浴室，操作爐子，挖泥土和鑄鉛之類的工作。這樣的活動對當(dāng)?shù)赜兄@著的影響，特別是基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施（如道路）的建設(shè)使得偏遠(yuǎn)地區(qū)的交通很便利。。
每一個(gè)士兵都會有報(bào)酬，但是在那些經(jīng)濟(jì)欠發(fā)達(dá)地區(qū)花不了那么多的錢。所以這些多余的錢迅速刺激了基地外的經(jīng)濟(jì)。一些服務(wù)和商品的需求毫無疑問是由外地的人來完成的，但是本地人當(dāng)然也會卷入到這個(gè)新的經(jīng)濟(jì)體系中。士兵中出現(xiàn)了非正式婚姻，這種婚姻直到公元197年才得到了法律的承認(rèn)，從而在這些軍事基地周圍發(fā)展出一些全新的社會群體。這些定居地就像城鎮(zhèn)一樣，成為了工匠和生意人的聚集地。
軍隊(duì)還為當(dāng)?shù)卣髡俚暮髠浔峁┝藗�(gè)人升遷途徑，一個(gè)人從后備隊(duì)退役之后就可以成為世襲羅馬公民。這樣的人就是從這些駐地中特別招募而來，并且不列顛的招募規(guī)模特別的大。在哈德良皇帝(A.D. 117-138)統(tǒng)治時(shí)期總?cè)藬?shù)至少是12 500人，在公元80年時(shí)達(dá)到頂峰。盡管這只占總?cè)丝诘囊恍〔糠�，但�?dāng)有大量年輕人離開一個(gè)地方時(shí)，這可能對當(dāng)?shù)赜蟹浅４蟮挠绊�。新建立起來的軍團(tuán)通常會被轉(zhuǎn)移到一個(gè)不可能回到原籍的省區(qū)。大多數(shù)不列顛的軍團(tuán)都去了歐洲大陸別的地方，盡管記載下來的只有摩洛哥一個(gè)地方。逆過程把年輕人帶回英國，在英國很多士兵持續(xù)服務(wù)20到25年，這樣又給駐守邊境的人增添了四海為家的羅馬情懷。在后羅馬時(shí)期，前線衛(wèi)戍部隊(duì)很少調(diào)動，軍團(tuán)中的服務(wù)得到了有效的延續(xù)，而軍事基地也沒有人居住或者全力去維持。
這種像群落一樣的定居過程持續(xù)了好幾代，再結(jié)合當(dāng)?shù)氐氖勘心即蟾啪褪橇_馬帝國后期英國北部邊境比較穩(wěn)定的原因。這也解釋了為什么五世紀(jì)初時(shí)這些軍事基地在羅馬已經(jīng)不再統(tǒng)治英國之后依然存在。這種情況使得本地人羅馬化的同時(shí)也使得在邊境自給自足的軍事組織英國化了。
