TPO33综合写作范文

TPO33综合写作范文
The passage mainly puts forward three theories to explain the purpose and meaning of the carved stone balls. Nevertheless, the professor in the lecture argues that none of the theories are convincing enough to identify what the carved stoneballs are made for.
Regarding on the first theory, carved stone balls being weapons used in hunting or fighting, the lecturer argues that if the stone balls were used as weapons for hunting or fighting like arrowheads and hand axes, both of which were common Neolithic weapons, they would show signs of wear or damage since they would be cracked or have pieces broken off in the fighting, but the surfaces of the balls are well preserved and show little signs of wear and damage. As a result, the stone ball cannot be used as weapons as the reading suggests.
Secondly, the passage holds the hypothesis that carved stone balls were used as part of a primitive system of weights and measures because they are uniform in size. According to the lecturer, however, the carved stone balls are uniform in size but this cannot prove that they were used as a primitive weighing system. This is because the stones balls were made of stones of different density, such as sandstone and green stone, which means that even though two balls are of the same size, they can still be different in weights. Consequently, it is impossible that the carved stones
were used as weighting system.
Thirdly, the passage points out that the carved stones served a social purpose to mark a person's important social status instead of a practical or utilitarian one. Nevertheless, in the
lecture, it is suggested that it cannot be used as social symbol due to two facts. First, some stones have simple patterns and designs, too simple to be social markers. Besides, people who had vital position at that time were always buried with possession which can represent their social positions, but no carved stone balls are found in any of these graves, thus the carved stone balls were not symbols of social status.。