TF阅读真题第866篇The Royal Palace of Foumban

The Royal Palace of Foumban

 

The royal palace of Foumban, built from 1912 to 1922， is an architectural marvel and a mystery at the center of the former African kingdom of Bamum. Built from brick, its architectural style was unprecedented among indigenous buildings in the Grassfields (the prairies of western Cameroon)when it was constructed. Scholars seeking to write the history of the Grassfields continue to puzzle over the influences that led King Njoya (ca. 1885 to 1933) to conceive of such a structure.

Their task is made more difficult because no writing systems were in wide use in the region until the late 1920s. Few written documents illuminate the history of the area, and historians have been required to look to other sources, such as art and architecture. Palace complexes, which can be found in almost every kingdom in the Grassfields, required a great amount of effort, material, and labor to build, and so can provide important historical information. Their design and construction reflect deliberate choices in style, the use of materials, and the incorporation of decorative elements that can provide a window into past events and developments. The use of glass beads from centra Europe to decorate the walls of the throne room of the royal palace in the kingdom of Bali, not far from Foumban, shows that the kings of Bali were able to acquire rare and expensive materials from abroad. This fact alone, of course, does not resolve whether the beads were obtained by trade, as a gift, or by conquering another kingdom that possessed them. Such questions can only be answered, if at all, by assessing additional evidence.

In the case of the Foumban palace, many architectural historians believe King Njoya modeled his building on the 1905 stone mansion of the German colonial governor, Jesko von Puttkamer (1855-1917). The governor’s mansion is in the town of Buea, only a hundred miles or so away from Foumban, and King Njoya visited Buea in 1908 to meet with a later German governor, Theodor Seitz (1863-1949). The trip to Buea was the king’s only lengthy visit outside the Bamum kingdom before the Foumban palace was built, and it is likely the visit had a strong effect on the young monarch. During his stay in Buea, it is certain the king saw the governor’s mansion, and he might have even stayed in it. In many respects the two buildings appear similar. Both are multistory structures, with symmetrical windows and turrets. They are made of similar materials and both buildings were originally covered with lime-based plaster to create a uniform and smooth exterior surface.

These building materials differentiate the Foumban palace sharply from other Grassfields palace complexes and even the palace complex built in the 1860s by King Njoya’s father, King Nsangu, which burned in the first years of the twentieth century. The palace in the neighboring kingdom of Bandjoun is an example of typical Grassfields palace architecture. Though much larger and more complex than the houses of ordinary people, it was not built with brick but exclusively with less durable vegetable materials such as the immense ribs and leaves of raphia palm trees and the tall grasses from which the Grassfields take their name  

More recent scholarship has cast doubt on how much Njoya drew on the Buea mansion when planning his own palace. Some scholars have pointed out that even before 1908， European missionaries in the Bamum Kingdom and elsewhere in the Grassfields had built churches and homes using brick and stone, suggesting a closer source of inspiration for the Foumban palace than Buea. Other scholars have suggested that Njoya’s inspiration should not be sought exclusively in European architecture in Africa, but rather in other African indigenous architectural traditions. They argue that the Foumban palace bears a closer relationship to palaces in the kingdoms beyond the Grassfields in northern Cameroon and Nigeria. These palaces were also made of brick, and they possess architectural elements, such as arcades and vast, pillared rooms much like the central throne room of the Foumban palace. Although King Njoya never visited these northern palaces himself, his ambassadors did. They brought back a number of cultural innovations from their trips north, such as the use of horses in warfare, that were eagerly adopted by King Njoya and his court.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

All of the following statements about the”glass beads from central Europe”are true EXCEPT:

Negative Factual Information Questions否定事实信息题

AThey decorated the walls of a palace close toFoumban.

BThey were a rare and expensive form of decoration.

CThey are described in written documents about the art and architecture of palace complexes.

DIt is not known exactly how they were acquired.

 

2

Their task is made more difficult because no writing systems were in wide use in the region until the late 1920s. Few written documents illuminate the history of the area, and historians have been required to look to other sources, such as art and architecture. Palace complexes, which can be found in almost every kingdom in the Grassfields, required a great amount of effort, material, and labor to build, and so can provide important historical information. Their design and construction reflect deliberate choices in style, the use of materials, and the incorporation of decorative elements that can provide a window into past events and developments. The use of glass beads from centra Europe to decorate the walls of the throne room of the royal palace in the kingdom of Bali, not far from Foumban, shows that the kings of Bali were able to acquire rare and expensive materials from abroad. This fact alone, of course, does not resolve whether the beads were obtained by trade, as a gift, or by conquering another kingdom that possessed them. Such questions can only be answered, if at all, by assessing additional evidence.

The word “assessing” in the passage is closest in meaning to

Vocabulary Questions词汇题

Afinding

Bproviding

Cdiscussing

Devaluating

 

3

Their task is made more difficult because no writing systems were in wide use in the region until the late 1920s. Few written documents illuminate the history of the area, and historians have been required to look to other sources, such as art and architecture. Palace complexes, which can be found in almost every kingdom in the Grassfields, required a great amount of effort, material, and labor to build, and so can provide important historical information. Their design and construction reflect deliberate choices in style, the use of materials, and the incorporation of decorative elements that can provide a window into past events and developments. The use of glass beads from centra Europe to decorate the walls of the throne room of the royal palace in the kingdom of Bali, not far from Foumban, shows that the kings of Bali were able to acquire rare and expensive materials from abroad. This fact alone, of course, does not resolve whether the beads were obtained by trade, as a gift, or by conquering another kingdom that possessed them. Such questions can only be answered, if at all, by assessing additional evidence.

According to paragraph 2, which of the following is the largest source of information about the early history of the Grasslands kingdoms?

Factual Information Questions事实信息题

AThe information recorded in written documents

BThe study of writing systems being used

CThe history of trade and conquest in the region

DThe design and construction of palace complexes

 

4

In the case of the Foumban palace, many architectural historians believe King Njoya modeled his building on the 1905 stone mansion of the German colonial governor, Jesko von Puttkamer (1855-1917). The governor’s mansion is in the town of Buea, only a hundred miles or so away from Foumban, and King Njoya visited Buea in 1908 to meet with a later German governor, Theodor Seitz (1863-1949). The trip to Buea was the king’s only lengthy visit outside the Bamum kingdom before the Foumban palace was built, and it is likely the visit had a strong effect on the young monarch. During his stay in Buea, it is certain the king saw the governor’s mansion, and he might have even stayed in it. In many respects the two buildings appear similar. Both are multistory structures, with symmetrical windows and turrets. They are made of similar materials and both buildings were originally covered with lime-based plaster to create a uniform and smooth exterior surface.

According to paragraph 3, all of the following about King Njoya’s visit to Buea are known with confidence EXCEPT

Negative Factual Information Questions否定事实信息题

Awhich year he visited

Bwhom the king went to meet

Cwhether he stayed for a relatively long period of time

Dwhether the king stayed in the governor’s mansion during the visit

 

5

These building materials differentiate the Foumban palace sharply from other Grassfields palace complexes and even the palace complex built in the 1860s by King Njoya’s father, King Nsangu, which burned in the first years of the twentieth century. The palace in the neighboring kingdom of Bandjoun is an example of typical Grassfields palace architecture. Though much larger and more complex than the houses of ordinary people, it was not built with brick but exclusively with less durable vegetable materials such as the immense ribs and leaves of raphia palm trees and the tall grasses from which the Grassfields take their name  

Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

Sentence Simplification Questions句子简化题

AThe palace was larger and more complex than the houses of ordinary people in the Grassfields

BThe palace was not built with brick but only with less durable vegetable materials.

CLess durable vegetable materials were used in building the houses of ordinary people

DRaphia palm ribs and leaves and tall grasses are less durable building materials than brick.

 

6

These building materials differentiate the Foumban palace sharply from other Grassfields palace complexes and even the palace complex built in the 1860s by King Njoya’s father, King Nsangu, which burned in the first years of the twentieth century. The palace in the neighboring kingdom of Bandjoun is an example of typical Grassfields palace architecture. Though much larger and more complex than the houses of ordinary people, it was not built with brick but exclusively with less durable vegetable materials such as the immense ribs and leaves of raphia palm trees and the tall grasses from which the Grassfields take their name  

According to paragraph 4, which of the following is true about the palace complex built by King Nsangu?

Factual Information Questions事实信息题

AIt was not built from the same types of materials as the Foumban palace

BIt was not built in the Grassfields.

CIt burned in the 1860s.

DIt was a more typical example of Grassfields architecture than the palace in the neighboring kingdom of Bandjoun was

 

7

More recent scholarship has cast doubt on how much Njoya drew on the Buea mansion when planning his own palace. Some scholars have pointed out that even before 1908， European missionaries in the Bamum Kingdom and elsewhere in the Grassfields had built churches and homes using brick and stone, suggesting a closer source of inspiration for the Foumban palace than Buea. Other scholars have suggested that Njoya’s inspiration should not be sought exclusively in European architecture in Africa, but rather in other African indigenous architectural traditions. They argue that the Foumban palace bears a closer relationship to palaces in the kingdoms beyond the Grassfields in northern Cameroon and Nigeria. These palaces were also made of brick, and they possess architectural elements, such as arcades and vast, pillared rooms much like the central throne room of the Foumban palace. Although King Njoya never visited these northern palaces himself, his ambassadors did. They brought back a number of cultural innovations from their trips north, such as the use of horses in warfare, that were eagerly adopted by King Njoya and his court.

Paragraph 5 supports which of the following statements about churches and homes built by European missionaries in the Bamum kingdom?

Factual Information Questions事实信息题

AThe builders of these structures borrowed many of the architectural elements used in building the mansion at Buea

BThe materials these buildings were constructed from differed from the materials used in building the Buea mansion.

CThe construction of these buildings was influenced by indigenous African architectural traditions.

DThese buildings may have provided Njoya with ideas for the construction of the Foumban palace.

 

8

More recent scholarship has cast doubt on how much Njoya drew on the Buea mansion when planning his own palace. Some scholars have pointed out that even before 1908， European missionaries in the Bamum Kingdom and elsewhere in the Grassfields had built churches and homes using brick and stone, suggesting a closer source of inspiration for the Foumban palace than Buea. Other scholars have suggested that Njoya’s inspiration should not be sought exclusively in European architecture in Africa, but rather in other African indigenous architectural traditions. They argue that the Foumban palace bears a closer relationship to palaces in the kingdoms beyond the Grassfields in northern Cameroon and Nigeria. These palaces were also made of brick, and they possess architectural elements, such as arcades and vast, pillared rooms much like the central throne room of the Foumban palace. Although King Njoya never visited these northern palaces himself, his ambassadors did. They brought back a number of cultural innovations from their trips north, such as the use of horses in warfare, that were eagerly adopted by King Njoya and his court.

In paragraph 5, why does the author discuss the adoption of horses in warfare by King Njoya and his court?

Factual Information Questions事实信息题

ATo present additional support for the idea that the Foumban palace could have been inspired by palaces in northern Cameroon and Nigeria

BTo provide an example of a European idea that King Njoya adopted

CTo show that the cultural influence of northern Cameroon and Nigeria on the Grassfields kingdoms was not limited to architecture

DTo highlight some of the most important cultural innovations of northern Cameroon and Nigeria

 

9

More recent scholarship has cast doubt on how much Njoya drew on the Buea mansion when planning his own palace. Some scholars have pointed out that even before 1908， European missionaries in the Bamum Kingdom and elsewhere in the Grassfields had built churches and homes using brick and stone, suggesting a closer source of inspiration for the Foumban palace than Buea. Other scholars have suggested that Njoya’s inspiration should not be sought exclusively in European architecture in Africa, but rather in other African indigenous architectural traditions. [■]They argue that the Foumban palace bears a closer relationship to palaces in the kingdoms beyond the Grassfields in northern Cameroon and Nigeria. [■]These palaces were also made of brick, and they possess architectural elements, such as arcades and vast, pillared rooms much like the central throne room of the Foumban palace. [■]Although King Njoya never visited these northern palaces himself, his ambassadors did. [■]They brought back a number of cultural innovations from their trips north, such as the use of horses in warfare, that were eagerly adopted by King Njoya and his court.

Look at the four squaresthat indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage

 

These architectural similarities do not by themselves prove actual influence, but there is also evidence of direct contact

Insert Text Questions句子插入题

Where would the sentence best fit？Click on a square  sentence to the passage.

 

10

Scholars have sought to establish what model inspired King Njoya to build the Foumban palace in Cameroon’s Grassfields.

Prose Summary Questions概要小结题

Select 3 answers

ANiova built the Foumban palace to replace the one built by his father,which had been destroyed by fire, and this accounts for his decision to use brick and stone instead of plant materials

BOne possible model is a German governor’s mansion in a nearby town, which is similar in materials and style and must have been seen by the king on a visit he made before the Foumban palace was built.

COther possible models include palaces that were visited by the king’s ambassadors and European-built brick and stone churches and homes in the Grassfields.

DThe Foumban palace, built from brick instead of less durable plan materials, differs sharply in terms of both building materials and architectural style from all other Grassfields palace complexes

EThe most important similarity between the Foumban palace and the German colonial governor’s mansion is that both buildings are covered with lime-based plaster to create a smooth exterior surface.

FThe Foumban palace was most probably inspired by architecture from northern Cameroon and Nigeria because the king was more likely to be influenced by African traditions than by European models.