高中學測
115年
英文
第 43 題
📖 題組：
Have you ever wondered why north comes at the top of a map? Well, north may seem a natural choice for the top spot today, but that wasn’t always the case. Documents from ancient times indicate that many maps in early ages were pointing to the east, where the sun rose. In ancient India, for example, maps were most likely oriented to the east. Though there is no physical evidence to support this, the word dakshina “south” in Indian languages also means “right,” suggesting that ancient Indians were oriented toward the east, and therefore south was on their right-hand side. Ample evidences from the Old Testament also suggest that east was at the top of maps in pre-Biblical and Biblical eras, a reason why east is still referred to as the “Orient” today. In the oldest surviving maps, south is at the top, and north points down. Early Egyptian maps showed south on top, most likely because the Nile, vital to Egyptian livelihood, originated in the south. As rivers were believed to flow downward, “up” was therefore south. Map makers in Arabia also drew maps with south on top since the earliest Muslims lived north of Mecca, and a south-oriented map would show the followers looking up toward their holy city. The preference for north arose during the European age of exploration. At the time, sailors relied on the North Star to find their way across the Mediterranean and later the Atlantic. By the 16th century, when Europe’s search for trading routes was at its peak, maps became Eurocentric, with north on top. The expansion of European imperialism in the following centuries further established the “north up” practice as the standard. Today, map orientation is taking on a new perspective. In perhaps our most common interaction with maps—the use of GPS systems on our phones and in our cars, directions have ceased to be as important. The layouts are dynamic, oriented toward our travel path. So, perhaps the north-on-top practice is less a rule and more a blip. After centuries of technological advancements, it seems we’ve ended up right where we began in ancient times: with ourselves in the middle, and our destinations at the top.
Have you ever wondered why north comes at the top of a map? Well, north may seem a natural choice for the top spot today, but that wasn’t always the case. Documents from ancient times indicate that many maps in early ages were pointing to the east, where the sun rose. In ancient India, for example, maps were most likely oriented to the east. Though there is no physical evidence to support this, the word dakshina “south” in Indian languages also means “right,” suggesting that ancient Indians were oriented toward the east, and therefore south was on their right-hand side. Ample evidences from the Old Testament also suggest that east was at the top of maps in pre-Biblical and Biblical eras, a reason why east is still referred to as the “Orient” today. In the oldest surviving maps, south is at the top, and north points down. Early Egyptian maps showed south on top, most likely because the Nile, vital to Egyptian livelihood, originated in the south. As rivers were believed to flow downward, “up” was therefore south. Map makers in Arabia also drew maps with south on top since the earliest Muslims lived north of Mecca, and a south-oriented map would show the followers looking up toward their holy city. The preference for north arose during the European age of exploration. At the time, sailors relied on the North Star to find their way across the Mediterranean and later the Atlantic. By the 16th century, when Europe’s search for trading routes was at its peak, maps became Eurocentric, with north on top. The expansion of European imperialism in the following centuries further established the “north up” practice as the standard. Today, map orientation is taking on a new perspective. In perhaps our most common interaction with maps—the use of GPS systems on our phones and in our cars, directions have ceased to be as important. The layouts are dynamic, oriented toward our travel path. So, perhaps the north-on-top practice is less a rule and more a blip. After centuries of technological advancements, it seems we’ve ended up right where we began in ancient times: with ourselves in the middle, and our destinations at the top.
What is the passage mainly about?
- A Why east is referred to as the “Orient.”
- B How maps differ from GPS in function.
- C How map orientation evolved over time.
- D Why maps were important during the age of exploration.
思路引導 VIP
請檢視本文的論證框架：作者如何透過時間發展的軌跡，將古文明對於方位的感知、大航海時代的實務需求，以及現代科技的革新連結起來？其背後所欲探究的核心議題，與地圖方位基準（map orientation）在歷史進程中的『歷時性（diachronic）』變化有何關聯？
🤖
AI 詳解
AI 專屬家教
🌟 嘖，不錯嘛。
終於搞懂一題像樣的了。這題答對，證明你不是完全沒救，至少還看得出文章的宏觀結構，沒傻到只抓字面上的枝微末節。主旨歸納？嗯，算是初階水平達標啦。
🔍 觀念驗證
▼ 還有更多解析內容