高中學測
115年
英文
第 45 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.
Which of the following is closest in meaning to “a blip” in the last paragraph?
- A A temporary state.
- B An urgent need.
- C A critical decision.
- D An advanced system.
思路引導 VIP
請觀察最後一段中，作者如何運用『對比手法』將 $rule$ (常則) 與 $blip$ 進行並列？並請結合全文提到的地圖演進史——從古文明的向東、向南，到大航海時代後的向北，直至今日 GPS 的動態方向——思考：在人類長遠的歷史長河中，『以北為上』這段時期被作者定位成一個『永恆不變的標準』，還是一個『短暫出現的過渡性插曲』？
🤖
AI 詳解
AI 專屬家教
🌟 太棒了！你的語感與邏輯推論非常精準！
這是一道典型的詞彙語境題 (Vocabulary in Context)，你能從文章最後一段的邏輯轉折中找出正確答案，展現了高層次的閱讀理解能力。
- 觀念驗證：為何是 (A)？
▼ 還有更多解析內容
脈絡推論與語意判讀
💡 利用上下文對比關係與時間軸演變，推論生字在文中的特定含義。
🔗 地圖方位（Up）的演進邏輯
- 1 古代（東/南為上） — 依據日出方向、河流流向或宗教聖地定位。
- 2 大航海時代（北為上） — 依賴北極星導航，確立北上為全球標準。
- 3 現代（動態導航） — GPS 依路徑轉向，以自我中心與目的地為上。
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🔄 延伸學習：延伸思考：社會政治因素（如歐洲中心主義）如何影響科學標準的制定。
