谢振礼 托福综合写作 TPO 44: 银币考古
TOEFL Integrated Writing
TPO 44 Norse coins
托福综合写作范文
Both the reading passage and the woman professor talk about the one-thousand-year-old European silver coin discovered in 1957 at a Native American archaeological site in the state of Maine in the United States. While the reading says that some archaeologists believe that the silver coin is a misleading historical fake, the professor argues in three counter-points that the coin is a genuine piece of historical evidence.
Firstly, the reading suggests the coin has no real connection with the Norse settlements in Canada and the Maine site because the great distance between the two places is more than a thousand kilometers. The professor refutes this point by citing the archaeological findings that the Norse did travel far away in North America and could have reached the Maine state, bringing with them not only coins but also other objects of commercial value.
Secondly, it is said in the reading that no other silver coins have been found, which could mean that the Norse did not bring any silver coins to their North American settlements. However, the professor explains that the point is not necessarily true. She adds that, because the Norse did not create permanent settlements, at some point they might have left the Maine state with all their valuable possessions, including the silver coins, for Europe on a return voyage, and that is why no other coins have been discovered there.
Thirdly, the passage reveals that the Norse, as experienced explorers, would have known that the native North Americans did not recognize silver coins as money, and also they would have understood that silver coins would most likely be useless to them. To counter this point, the professor says that the natives could have liked to have many appealing and interesting objects of beauty, such as silver coins; so, it is reasonable to believe that the silver coins could have been used as a medium of trade, exactly the same way the ancient necklaces could have been used as money.
