文章大意:这是一篇记叙文。本文主要讲述了达尔文的一封亲笔信失而复得,现收藏于美国史密森学会档案馆。20世纪70年代中期,这封信疑似被一位实习生偷走,经过FBI和档案馆工作人员的努力,多年后,这一珍贵的历史资料又被找了回来。
A letter written by Charles Darwin in 1875 has been returned to the Smithsonian Institution Archives(档案馆) by the FBI after being stolen twice.
“We realized in the mid-1970s that it was missing,” says Effie Kapsalis, head of the Archives. “It was noted as missing and likely taken by an intern (实习生), from what the FBI is telling us. Word got out that it was missing when someone asked to see the letter for research purposes,” and the intern put the letter back. “The intern likely took the letter again once nobody was watching it.”
Decades passed. Finally, the FBI received a clue that the stolen letter was located very close to Washington, D.C. Their art crime team got back the letter but were unable to accuse the suspect because the time of limitations had ended. The FBI worked closely with the Archives to determine that the letter was both genuine and exactly belonged to Smithsonian.
The letter was written by Darwin to thank an American geologist, Dr. Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden, for sending him copies of his research into the geology of the area that would become Yellowstone National Park.
The letter is in fairly good condition, in spite of being out of the care of trained museum staff for so long. “It was luckily in good shape,” says Kapsalis, “and we just have to do some minor things in order to be able to unfold it. It has some glue on it that has colored it slightly, but nothing that will prevent us from using it. One of our goals is to get items of high research value or interest to the public online.”
It would be difficult to steal things like the letter. “Archiving practices have changed greatly since the 1970s,” says Kapsalis, “and we keep our high value objects in a safe that I can’t even reach.”
7. What happened to Darwin’s letter in the 1970s?
A.It was got back by the FBI. | B.It was stolen more than once. |
C.It was bought by the archives. | D.It was put in the archives for research purpose. |
8. What did the FBI do after getting back the letter?
A.They proved its real identity. | B.They kept it in a safe. |
C.They helped repair the letter. | D.They accused the suspect but failed. |
9. What will the Archives do with the letter according to Kapsalis?
A.Display it in the Archives. |
B.Turn it into an item of interest. |
C.Carry out a major repair. |
D.Make it available on line. |
10. What can we learn from the passage?
A.People grow more interested in art objects |
B.Strict safety measures are taken in Archives. |
C.The value of museum objects has been increased. |
D.The letter helped Ferdinand do research into geology. |