The early history of salt

文章大意

这篇雅思听力Part4介绍了盐的早期历史。盐是人类最古老的调味品之一，对健康至关重要，能调节酸碱平衡。在古代希腊、埃及和罗马，盐是贵重商品，曾用作货币和贸易手段。古罗马最繁忙的运盐道路叫萨拉里亚路，士兵的薪水中包含盐，英语单词salary即源于此。盐也是最早的防腐剂，用盐保存食物的做法可追溯到古代瑞典，当时人们通过夏季饲养动物来保证肉类供应。

题目与答案

1. The Early History of Salt

   Introduction

   Salt is essential for human 31_____

   答案：health

   原文定位：More importantly, salt plays an indispensable role in the health of human beings

   同义替换：「essential for」↔「plays an indispensable role in」

2. Ancient Rome

   The word 32_____ comes from the Latin word`s solarium argentum, which was used to describe the payment to Roman soldiers.

   答案：salary

   原文定位：A soldier's pay, which partly consisted of salt, was known as salarium argentum in Latin, from which we derived the English word salary

3. Ancient Sweden

   Animals were kept in the local 33_____ at the right time of year.

   答案：forests

   原文定位：many families in Sweden began to raise animals in the surrounding forests during the summer

   同义替换：「local」↔「surrounding」

4. Fresh meat was only available in 34_____ .

   答案：October

   原文定位：That was the only month when ancient Swedish people had fresh meat on their table

5. Salt has been used widely, from the diet of the 35_____ in Sweden.

   答案：King

   原文定位：Historical documents in fifteen seventy-three recorded the Swedish king's everyday meals, mentioning that one hundred and seventy-five pounds of meat was consumed each year

   同义替换：「diet」↔「meals」，「widely used」↔「importance of」

6. 36_____ consumption increased rapidly because the food was much too salty.

   答案：beer

   原文定位：the documents also noted the annual sales of beer in Sweden soared during that period, and this must be related to high levels of salt in their food

   同义替换：「consumption increased rapidly」↔「sales of beer in Sweden soared」，「food was much too salty」↔「high levels of salt in their food」

7. Salt source

   People mainly extract salt from oceans and 37_____ in the basins.

   答案：deserts

   原文定位：the two most important ones are oceans and basins. On the floor of the latter often lie deserts where traces of salt can be found

   同义替换：「extract」↔「can be found」

8. Salt from spring water is more 38_____ and purer compared to that from sea water.

   答案：concentrated

   原文定位：However, this is not the case with salt from springwater. We can hardly find any impurities, and the salt level is much more concentrated

   同义替换：「purer 」↔「hardly find any impurities」

9. Salt distribution

   In Ancient Sweden

   Local needed to protect the 39_____ by which they imported salt.

   答案：shipping

   原文定位：the Swedish had to attach great importance to shipping and keep it undamaged, as it was the most crucial way at that time

   同义替换：「protect」↔「keep it undamaged」

10. In other ancient countries

    People carrying salt around were seen as natural means of 40_____ .

    答案：transport

    原文定位：groups of men were employed;these people were considered as a mode of transport in early times

    同义替换：「natural means of」↔「a mode of」，「people」↔「groups of men」