高中學測
115年
英文
第 46 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 statements is true?
- A Sailors took the North Star as their final destination.
- B The GPS system has a fixed direction for orientation.
- C South was placed at the top of maps in the pre-Biblical era.
- D Old Islamic maps put south at the top for religious purposes.
思路引導 VIP
請同學運用「細節比對法」，重新檢視文中各個文明（如古埃及、阿拉伯、歐洲）決定地圖方位 (Map orientation) 的「核心動機」。請思考：地圖頂端的配置分別受到哪些物理環境、宗教信仰、或是科技工具的影響？當你在評核選項的正誤時，請務必核對文中關於「方位選擇與其背後因果理由」的對應關係，是否在邏輯與事實陳述上均與原文完全一致？
🤖
AI 詳解
AI 專屬家教
「哇哈哈！不愧是我的得意門生！這次的推理相當精彩，簡直快趕上我這名偵探了啊！」（轉動領結旋鈕）……咳，其實真相只有一個！這道題目的關鍵在於對文章細節的精確檢索。 文章第三段明確指出，阿拉伯的製圖者將南方放在上方，是因為當時的穆斯林居住在麥加（Mecca）以北，這樣的設計能讓信徒在看地圖時如同「向上」瞻仰聖城。這完全對應了選項 (D) 所說的「出於宗教目的」。 至於其他選項的破綻：
▼ 還有更多解析內容