🔥Born to Trade: Đề thi thật IELTS READING (IELTS Reading Recent Actual Test) - Làm bài online format computer-based, kèm giải thích từ vựng

Born to Trade
Long before our ancestors had any trappings of civilization, they had a taste for material goods. Kate Douglas discovers where this ancient obsession has led us.

A

Humans are born to trade, and we don't need shops or money to do it—the heart of commerce is an instinctive ability for what anthropologists call reciprocity. This is an ability to exchange goods of equal worth, and it evolved as the brains of our ancient ancestors and societies became more complex, allowing individuals to keep a running tally of their interactions with others. Evidence from modern hunter-gatherers leaves little doubt that the exchange of food and flavors is innate, as is the ability to keep track of the credits and debits that accrue as a result. Combine this skill for mental bookkeeping with even the most basic material culture, and trade inevitably follows.

B

Once trade gets off the ground, the economic benefits quickly make it irresistible. But exchanging tools, food, and other essentials of life in a barter economy is a far cry from the shopping mall. Modern consumerism sways beyond subsistence and utilitarianism to encompass everything from Gucci handbags and BMW convertibles to valuable paintings. Clearly, the worth of such goods is not inherent but resides in certain intangible qualities that we invest in them. When did humans start holding these goods in such high esteem?>> Form đăng kí giải đề thi thật IELTS 4 kĩ năng kèm bài giải bộ đề 100 đề PART 2 IELTS SPEAKING quý đang thi (update hàng tuần) từ IELTS TUTOR

C

All the archaeological evidence for the flowering of consumer culture has, up to now, pointed to a date of around 40,000 years ago. That’s when early modern humans started making increasingly intricate bone and stone tools, carving patterns into rocks, and creating representational art such as carved figurines, jewelry, and cave paintings. However, discoveries in Africa are pushing the origins of consumerism much further back into human prehistory.

A few years ago, reports began to emerge of discoveries made at the Blombos cave, a site of ancient human habitation in South Africa. Christopher Henshilwood and colleagues from the University of Bergen in Norway dated thousands of pieces of ochre from the cave, and many of them proved to be more than 100,000 years old—before the time that early humans moved out of Africa. Ochre, a colored clay that comes in various shades from red to black, does not occur naturally around Blombos and must have been imported from quarries at least 30 kilometers away, either directly by Blombos residents or through trade. Although ochre can be used to dry and preserve (or "cure") animal hides, the researchers are convinced the Blombos ochre had a symbolic purpose. For a start, it is predominantly red—any of the other colors available would have sufficed for curing—and the surfaces of the clay had been scraped in a way that indicates they were used to yield pigment for dyes.

D

An even more intriguing discovery from Blombos was of 41 beads dating from 76,000 years ago, found in clusters and made from the shells of a tiny mollusk. These cannot be natural deposits, argue the researchers, as each cluster contains shells of a similar size and color with consistently placed holes. What’s more, all the beads display a pattern of wear suggesting friction from rubbing against thread, clothes, or other beads.

The previous oldest find of beads in Africa dates back to just 45,000 years ago. And it seems the Blombos people's taste for beautiful items was not an isolated phenomenon. Jessica Thompson of Arizona State University in Tempe has described finding shell fragments from a site in Tanzania that she believes may represent debris from bead manufacture. They are at least 45,000—and possibly 280,000—years old. Although there is no evidence of how the ancient beads were used, their modern counterparts are often traded. So it looks as though our taste for jewelry and art is much older than we thought.

E

But why did we come to value these objects in the first place? In many animal species, individuals signal their genetic fitness by showing off with attention-grabbing adornment. Some researchers think that in humans, consumer products play a similar role. Archaeologist Aimee Plourde, from the University of California, also argues that even in egalitarian societies, some people are more successful than others. Among our ancestors, superior skills in areas such as hunting, crafts, environmental knowledge, and contact with neighboring groups would have brought respect—in other words, prestige.

And because prestige brings social benefits, people would want to show off their talents. The best way to do this would be through demonstrating possession of material items that are hard to fake. "A good hunter, for instance, could advertise his skills by wearing the tooth of an animal that is elusive or dangerous," says Plourde. The benefits of prestige would also lead to competition to acquire it. As a result, the value and variety of prestige goods would spiral, and there would be a parallel increase in the ranking of social systems.

If Plourde is correct, prestige goods form a direct link between our innate drive for trade and the development of structured, hierarchical societies. They are arguably the first step on the road to modern civilization, paving the way for agriculture and urbanization. We may not be impressed by beads anymore, but their modern equivalents have the same fascination. Nobody believes the guy who spends €670,000 on a Bugatti Veyron car does so because he needs to travel at 250 mph. We all know in today's consumer society he’s buying an exclusive status symbol.

Questions 19–21

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D. Write the correct letter in boxes 19–21 on your answer sheet.

19. In section A, ‘reciprocity’ refers to our ancestors’ ability to:
A. keep written records of different goods traded
B. monitor the balance between goods given and received
C. produce more materials for trading purposes
D. make money from trading goods and services

20. What is said about the ochre found around Blombos?
A. It is of a type only found in this particular area.
B. It has all been dyed to give the same shade of red.
C. It has been perfectly preserved despite its age.
D. It appears it was selected for its color.

21. What made the researchers realize the purpose of the beads found at the Blombos caves?
A. They are a great variety of shapes and sizes.
B. They were found in large numbers, all grouped around each other.
C. They have patterns in many different colors.
D. They have holes and markings suggesting they were joined together.

Questions 22–26

Complete the summary below.

Why certain objects are valued?

Some researchers argue that we may use ownership of desirable goods to demonstrate our strength and fitness as other 22. _______ use their attractive physical features. Showing off one’s superiority is not a new phenomenon, and even in ancient times, successful people would have gained 23. _______ from this. A desire for status could have led to an increase in the worth of prestige goods and to 24. _______ among people wishing to achieve this status.

It is thought that our natural desire to trade provided a basis for organized farming and 25. _______ development and finally resulted in the complex societies which can be seen today. Whilst we do not value things such as beads nowadays, other items hold the same appeal for us and bring the same status as owning beads did for our 26. _______.

Answer Choices:
A. competitiveness
B. respect
C. ancestors
D. species
E. city

1. Trappings (n.)

   • Definition (English): The outward signs or accessories associated with something, often used to refer to superficial possessions or features.
   • Vietnamese: Vật trang trí, phụ kiện
   • IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: Long before our ancestors had any trappings of citation, they had a taste or material goods.

2. Reciprocity (n.)

   • Definition (English): The practice of exchanging things with others for mutual benefit.
   • Vietnamese: Sự trao đổi qua lại, lòng biết ơn
   • IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: Humans are born to trade and we don't need shops or money to do it—the heart of commerce is an instinctive ability for what anthropologists call reciprocity.

3. Tally (v.)

   • Definition (English): To keep a record or count of something.
   • Vietnamese: Ghi chép, đếm số
   • IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: ...allowing individuals to keep a running tally of their interactions with others.

4. Barter (n.)

   • Definition (English): The exchange of goods or services without using money.
   • Vietnamese: Hình thức trao đổi, buôn bán trao đổi
   • IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: But exchanging tools, food, and other essentials of life in a barter economy is a far cry from the shopping mall.

5. Inherent (adj.)

   • Definition (English): Existing in something as a permanent, essential, or characteristic attribute.
   • Vietnamese: Vốn có, bẩm sinh
   • IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: Clearly, the worth of such goods is not inherent but resides in certain intangible qualities that we invest in them.

6. Ochre (n.)

   • Definition (English): A natural earthy pigment, typically yellow or red.
   • Vietnamese: Đất son (màu đỏ hoặc vàng)
   • IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: ...they dated thousands of pieces of ochre from the cave and many of them proved to be more than 100,000 years old.

7. Mollusc (n.)

   • Definition (English): A soft-bodied animal, usually with a shell, such as a snail or clam.
   • Vietnamese: Loài nhuyễn thể
   • IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: ...41 beads dating from 76,000 years ago, found in clusters and made from the shells of a tiny mollusc.

8. Frigidity (n.)

   • Definition (English): The quality of being cold or lacking warmth.
   • Vietnamese: Sự lạnh lẽo
   • IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: They have holes and markings suggesting they were joined together.

9. Prestige (n.)

   • Definition (English): The respect and admiration that someone or something has because of their achievements or quality.
   • Vietnamese: Uy tín, danh giá
   • IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: Superior skills in areas such as hunting, crafts, and environmental knowledge would have brought respect—in other words, prestige.

10. Egalitarian (adj.)

• Definition (English): Relating to the belief in or principle of equality for all people.
• Vietnamese: Bình đẳng
• IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: Even in egalitarian societies, some people are more successful than others.

1. Frivolous (adj.)

• Definition (English): Not having any serious purpose or value.
• Vietnamese: Hời hợt, vô nghĩa
• IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: We may not be impressed by beads any more, but their modern equivalents have the same fascination.

• 19. B
• 20. D
• 21. D
• 22. I (species)
• 23. F (respect)
• 24. A (competitiveness)
• 25. J (city)
• 26. H (ancestors)