考点13 书面表达概要写作-2021届高三《新题速递•英语》4月刊（适用于高考复习）

考点13 书面表达概要写作 Writing 1（2021·上海普陀区·高三二模） Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.  Chaco Great Houses As early as the 12th century A．D．, the settlements of Chaco Canyon in New Mexico in the American Southwest were notable for their “great houses,” massive stone buildings that contain hundreds of rooms and often stand three or four stories high. Archaeologists （考古学家） have been trying to determine how the buildings were used. While there is still no universally agreed upon explanation, there are three competing theories. One theory holds that the Chaco structures were purely residential, with each housing hundreds of people. Supporters of this theory have interpreted Chaco great houses as earlier versions of the architecture seen in more recent Southwest societies. In particular, the Chaco houses appear strikingly similar to the large, well-known “apartment buildings” at Taos, New Mexico, in which many people have been living for centuries. A second theory argues that the Chaco structures were used to store food supplies. One of the main crops of the Chaco people was grain maize（玉米）, which could be stored for long periods of time without spoiling and could serve as long-lasting supply of food. The supplies of maize had to be stored somewhere, and the size of the great houses would make them very suitable for the purpose. A third theory proposes that houses were used as ceremonial centers. Close to one house, called Pueblo Alto, archaeologists identified a pile of old material which revealed deposits containing a surprisingly large number of broken pots. This finding has been interpreted as evidence that people gathered at Pueblo Alto for special ceremonies. At the ceremonies, they ate festive meals and then threw away the pots in which the meals had been prepared or served. Such ceremonies have been documented for other Native American cultur