Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 35 to 42.
The ruined temples of Angkor are perhaps one of the most impressive Seven Wonders of the World. Located in modern day Cambodia near Lake Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Asia, Angkor was the seat of power for the Khmer Empire for the ninth to the fifteenth century. The ruins of Angkor are documented as some of the most impressive ones in the world, rivaling the pyramids of Giza in Egypt. Why this mighty civilization died out is a question that archaeologists are now only beginning to ponder. The answer, it turns out, may be linked with the availability of fresh water.
One possible explanation for the downfall of the Khmer Empire has to do with the inhabitant’s irrigation system. The temples and palaces of Angkor were constructed around a series of artificial reservoirs and canals which were annually flooded to capacity by the Mekong River. Once filled, they were used to irrigate the surrounding paddies and farmland during the course of the year. Farmers were completely dependent on the water for their crucial rice crop. Without consistent irrigation, the farmers would have been unable to maintain functional crop production.
Scientists speculate that toward the end of the Khmer Empire the hydraulic system of the reservoirs and canals broke down. The construction of hundreds of sandstone temples and palaces required an enormous amount of physical labor. In addition, as the capital of Khmer Empire, Angkor contained upwards of one hundred thousand people who resided in and around Angkor. In order to feed so many people, the local farmers were driven to grow food more quickly and more efficiently. After centuries of continual use, the irrigation system was pushed beyond its capacity. Soil erosion, nutrient depletion, and loss of water led to decrease in the food supply. With the less food available, the people of Angkor slowly began to migrate to other parts of Cambodia, thus leaving the marvelous city of Angkor to be swallowed by the jungle. Therefore, it is speculated that the Khmer Empire may have fallen victim to its own decrepit infrastructure.
It can be inferred from the passage that the Khmer Empire______.
A. supplemented their diets with meat hunted in the nearby jungles
B. were intentionally starved by the farmers
C. lost their food source due to excess rainfall
D. depended upon rice as their main source of food
Đáp án D.
Dịch câu hỏi: Ta có thể suy từ đoạn văn là đế chế Khơ-me _____.
A. bổ sung chế độ ăn uống của họ với thịt được săn bắn trong các khu rừng gần đó
B. bị nông dân cố tình bỏ đói
C. mất nguồn thức ăn do lượng mưa quá mức
D. phụ thuộc vào gạo là nguồn thực phẩm chính của họ
Thông tin ở đoạn 2 nêu rằng: “Farmers were completely dependent on the water for their crucial rice crop” (Nông dân hoàn toàn lệ thuộc vào nước cung cấp cho vụ mùa lúa chủ yếu của họ.)