Archaeology (考古学) originated from man's desire to uncover buried wealth.Today, it has developed into a discipline, leading to an unprecedented era of discovery that influenced the understanding of our species’ rich diversity, as well as our common humanity.
As far back as the last king of Babylon, more than 2,500 years ago, rulers and the rich loved collecting antiques,reflecting the beauty and glory of previous times. Roman emperors transported Egyptian pillars across the Mediterranean to their capital. During the Renaissance Venetians erected (竖立) many monuments in memory of the Ancient Civilization. Throughout the 18th century,on both sides of the Atlantic, ancient sites were frequently dug out. However, few of these diggers were dedicated scholars. More often than not, they were diplomats or wealthy businessmen intimately tied to colonial expansion. It was not until the mid-twentieth century that the educated professionals realized that the most valuable materials lay not in the gold retrieved(重新获取), but in the data locked within broken pottery and discarded bones.
New methods of recording fine layers of soil provided new ways to reconstruct day-to-day life. Starting in the 1950s, measuring the radioactive decay of organic matter enabled researchers to date artifacts (人工制品). Nowadays, archeology is done much less in the fields than in the lab Revolutionary technology in DNA analysis,satellite images and X-ray fluorescence (荧光)allow scientists to probe sites and artifacts without putting a spade into soil or cutting a sample from a valued museum object.
Nowadays, however, the destructed ancient sites across the Middle East and Central Asia are all the more terrible because impoverished (贫穷的) villagers have little resources to protect them Threats to the heritage come from terrorists, as well as buyers and sellers of the artifacts.Even peace and prosperity may pose dangers, when new construction destroys ancient remains.
Nevertheless,the increasing number of professional researchers is revitalizing the field.In addition,archaeologists are now working more closely with their colleagues in other disciplines They are charting global change through the ages with climatologists,collaborating with chemists to trace the ancient spread of drugs,and investigating more precise dating methods with physicists.
The task of archaeologists is not to find buried treasure but to resurrect (使复活) the long dead, turning them back into individuals who, like us, struggled and loved, created and destroyed and who,in the end, left behind something of themselves.
1. Why did the rich in Babylon gohect ancient antiques?
| A．To improve taste |
| B．To accumulate wealth. |
| C．To understand themselves. |
| D．To reflect ancient glory. |
| A．By listing examples. |
| B．By offering statistics. |
| C．By raising assumptions. |
| D．By making comparisons. |
| A．Professional archaeologists. |
| B．Ambitious colonialists. |
| C．Dealers of the antiques. |
| D．Poor local villagers. |
| A．A research paper. |
| B．A travel brochure. |
| C．A history textbook. |
| D．A science magazine. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Crying is often associated with emotions like anger, frustration, or sadness.
Tears contain enzymes, lipids, electrolytes, and metabolites. But emotional tears might also include other proteins and hormones (荷尔蒙). It is assumed that release of stress hormones may help regulate the body’s physical and emotional homeostasis (体内平衡).
Crying in any scene could also be our way of showing weakness as human beings.
Yet other scientists suggest that all types of crying come from feelings of frustration and them coming on. When you cry, it feels like you are releasing some of these emotions. Similarly, helplessness.
| A．When we cry, we signal to others to sympathize us. |
| B．In a word, crying may calm you and regulate your mood. |
| C．It has been proven to be beneficial to the mental well-being. |
| D．Happy crying is a common occurrence, and it’s perfectly normal. |
| E．Crying almost feels unavoidable when experiencing a strong emotion. |
| F．When you think of happiness, you almost certainly don’t think of tears. |
| G．An early theory suggested that this happened as a result of depressed feelings. |
【推荐2】It is a known fact that colors have an impact on our health. We use colors to describe our well-being. We could be “in the pink of health”. However, we could be “off-color” or we may be “feeling blue”.
Research has found that colors can affect how we feel emotionally. If you go to a room that is painted just black, it can lead to depression. Experts have warned that we should avoid decorating any room entirely in black. A room that is painted totally white is also depressing as white is associated with totally clean environments like hospitals and bathrooms.
Research into the physiological effects of color has shown our spirit is lifted by warm colors. Red, orange, and yellow are the colors that make you feel warm. People just feel stimulated and better. Cool colors like blue and green are relaxing and calming.
So, don’t wait.
| A．But they can also express sadness. |
| B．Sometimes, you may catch us “in a black mood”. |
| C．Doctors often use these colors to relieve tension and stress. |
| D．Look at your room and the clothes you wear and the food you eat. |
| E．Many people mistakenly believe that all white paints are pretty much the same. |
| F．It can make the room feel a bit cold and clinical, and the mood of the person will be low. |
| G．Nutritionists and medical researchers emphasize that we should take in a rainbow of colors. |
【推荐3】We see art everywhere around us. In parks, city squares, shopping streets and public buildings, we find modern art objects on display. Classical art, such as valuable paintings and precioussculptures, usually ends up as the collections of museums, companies or rich people.
Both art and architecture have a history of ages. All forms and ways of expressing the beautiful things have been explored. In the case of architecture, many buildings designed in the past have proven beautiful and served their purposes. Governments and companies could save millions of dollars by copying the architecture of buildings from the past. There are still many designs for buildings made by famous architects that were never realized. Besides, some people find modern architecture ugly. So why should we make aninvestmentin architecture for designing new buildings?
The same holds for modern art, both paintings and statues. Many storerooms contain enough art to decorate all public buildings and other public places. There is no need to create more art, and as with modern architecture, many people find new art difficult to understand or appreciate.
Given these facts, why are architects and artists asked to create new artworks? The answers have to do with the function of art in society today. First of all, the function of art is to decorate things. Artworks make our living environment more beautiful. Another function of art is enriching real life. Art helps people to learn to think creatively. In art things are not always what they seem to be. Very often you can hardly tell what the funny art objects are. People need such creative moments. Finally, art is often seen as a way to instruct the audience. Statues of heroes from the past remind us of our history. Paintings and other art objects can also help us realize what goals we should set for ourselves.
Because ideas about social change and every period of time have their own tastes, there is always a need for new art. We can still appreciate the beautiful artworks made in the past, but they are often too valuable to be placed in public buildings. Besides, they also often need special protection.
1. According to the passage, who owns collections of ancient statues and paintings?| A．Parks or city squares. |
| B．Shopping streets or public buildings. |
| C．Museums, companies or rich people. |
| D．Some historic sites. |
| A．To explain why some people find modern art ugly. |
| B．To introduce the necessity of new art. |
| C．To show the benefits of copying designs from the past. |
| D．To prove both art and architecture have a long history. |
| A．Because they need long-lasting restoring. |
| B．Because more people prefer modern art. |
| C．Because of the changes and difference in taste. |
| D．Because of their value and need for protection. |
| A．The functions of art in society today. |
| B．The functions of architecture. |
| C．The reason why art is difficult. |
| D．The reason why art is precious. |
【推荐1】If you want to learn the culture of a city or a country, museums should definitely be added to your must-visit lists. We highlight some of the world’s most fascinating museums for you to explore to help you have a better understanding of native culture.
Design Museum Holon
Design Museum Holon is the first museum in Israel devoted to design. After being established, the museum opened on 3 March 2010, It is in the eastern part of the new culture area of Holon, The museum was noted by travel magazine Conde Nast Traveler as one of the new world wonders.
Bildmuseet
The museum was founded in 1981 by Umea University and it exhibits Swedish and international art, visual (视觉的) culture, design and architecture. In connection with the exhibitions program, it also arranges lectures, screenings, concerts, performances and workshops. In spring 2012, the museum moved into new places on the Umea Arts Campus.
Stedelijk Muscum Breda
Stedelijk Museum Breda is a historic museum in Breda, in the south of the Netherlands. It is housed in one of Breda’s oldest buildings. In its former life, it was a guesthouse for pilgrims (朝圣者) in 1246 as well as a hospital in the 16th century and an old men’s house in the 17th century.
The Palace Museum
The Palace Museum was built by the third Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Emperor Yong Le. The palace was built between 1406 and 1420, but was burnt down, rebuilt and renovated (翻新) countless times, so most of the architecture you can see today dates from the 1700’s and onward. It is now a major tourist attraction in China.
1. Which museum has the shortest history?| A．Design Museum Holon. | B．Bildmuseet. |
| C．Stedelijk Museum Breda. | D．The Palace Museum. |
| A．It was repaired many times. | B．It is the oldest building in China. |
| C．It arranges various activities. | D．It was highly praised by a travel magazine. |
| A．Lifestyle. | B．Business. | C．Education. | D．Culture. |
【推荐2】Conservators and restorers have made continuous innovations in science and technology applications over the past few years in China to show cultural relics in a new light, literally, and help traditional culture shine with a greater vitality. With modern technology and equipment preserving the true colors of cultural heritage, now people can better appreciate history.
A 3D-printed copy of a green-faced Terracotta Warrior from the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) at the Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum (Xi’an) recently attracted a large and appreciative audience at an exhibition in Chongqing, Southwest China.
The exhibition, Crafts First: Technology and Equipment for Cultural Relics Preservation, kicked off on Sept 27 and showcases technologies and equipment used in the prevention of damage, protection, research and management, as well as the use of cultural relics. It is said to be the first of its kind in the country. The exhibition will last three months.
The original Terracotta Warrior, on which the copy on show is based, was unearthed from pit No 2 in the Qinshihuang Mausoleum. It is the only one with a green face and is highly valuable for archaeological research, according to deputy curator (馆长) of the museum Zhou Ping.
Zhou said that to showcase the green-faced Terracotta Warrior — half-kneeling and painted in green and red — to the public, the museum came up with the idea of promoting a copy by using achievements in archaeology, materials science, arts and crafts, as well as new digitalization technology, such as spectrum analysis, high-definition scanning and 3D printing.
“I feel very proud that all the technologies and equipment are domestically developed,” said the curator. “I hope more and more high-tech enterprises are attracted to the field of cultural relics, which we believe is a real blue ocean market.”
1. What is true about the 3D-printed copy?| A．It was unearthed from pit No 2. |
| B．It is a craftwork of multiple fields. |
| C．It is valuable due to its green face. |
| D．It is a well-preserved cultural relic. |
| A．It has ended on Sept 27. |
| B．It shows many copies of relics. |
| C．It is a brand new kind of exhibition. |
| D．It attracts a large audience from Xi’an. |
【推荐3】Earth is home to around 7 ， 000 languages ， around half of which are expected to disappear by 2100．
Languages disappear for many reasons． Sometimes younger generations stop learning a language because parents want children to fit in．
The United Nations ranks endangered languages according to their risk level．For example ， a " critically endangered " language is one that even grandparents don ' t speak often． New York ' s Onondaga language is an example with only 50 speakers left． An " extinct" language has no speakers． It is gone forever． Alaska 's Eyak language is one example．
The Endangered Language Alliance wants to save languages from disappearing．
| A．The last person who spoke it died in 2008． |
| B．Why should we save endangered languages |
| C．Various animals and plants benefit our environment． |
| D．With just 5 speakers left ， it is absolutely endangered． |
| E．Can a language with zero native speakers come back to life |
| F．Sometimes societies force minorities to give up their language． |
| G．The non﹣profit group finds native speakers and records their stories． |
Naturally stuntmen are well paid for their work, but they lead dangerous lives. They often get seriously injured, and sometimes killed. A Norwegian stuntman, for example, skied over the edge of a cliff (悬崖) a thousand feet high. His parachute failed to open, and he was killed. In spite of all the risks, this is no longer a profession for men only. Men no longer dress up as women when actresses have to perform some dangerous action. For nowadays there are stuntgirls too.
1. Stuntmen are those who ______.
| A．often dress up as actors |
| B．prefer to lead dangerous lives |
| C．often perform seemingly dangerous actions |
| D．often fight each other for their lives |
| A．playing their dirty tricks |
| B．selling their special skills |
| C．jumping out of high windows |
| D．jumping from fast moving trains |
| A．Strength. | B．Speed. |
| C．Exactness. | D．Carefulness. |
| A．Sometimes an accident can occur to a stuntman. |
| B．The percentage of serious accidents is high. |
| C．Parachutes must be of good quality. |
| D．The cliff is too high. |
【推荐2】A new study suggests that identical(同卵的) twins are not exactly the same genetically. Scientists in Iceland examined DNA from 387 pairs of identical twins, their parents, children, husbands or wives. The examinations led the team to find “early mutations that separate identical twins,” lead researcher and geneticist Kari Stefansson said.
Mutations are small changes in DNA that can happen when a cell divides in an attempt to copy itself. These small changes can influence a person’s physical appearance or control a person’s ability to fight a disease.
The newly-discovered mutations show that identical twins do have genetic differences. On average, identical twins have 5.2 of these early genetic differences, the researchers found. These differences represent a small part of each twin’s genetic material. But they could influence why one twin is taller or why one is at greater risk for some cancers than the other.
In the past, many researchers believed physical differences seen in identical twins were related mostly to environmental influences, such as nutrition or lifestyle behaviors.
Jan Dumanski is a geneticist at Sweden’s Uppsala University. He was not involved in the study. He praised the findings as “a clear and important contribution” to medical research. “The implication is that we have to be very careful when we are using twins as a model” for examining the influences of genetics or the environment, Dumanski said.
A 2008 paper in The American Journal of Human Genetics found some genetic differences between identical twins. The new study, however, goes beyond earlier work by including the DNA of parents, children, husbands and wives of identical twins. Studying family members permitted the researchers to examine when genetic mutations happened in two different kinds of cells: those present in only one individual and those passed on to the person’s children.
Stefansson said his team found twins where a mutation is present in all cells of the body of one twin, but not in the other twin at all. However, “sometimes the second twin may show the mutation in some cells, but not all cells,” he added.
1. What is a function of mutations?| A．Change people’s DNA. |
| B．Help a cell to copy itself. |
| C．Influence people’s physical appearance. |
| D．Increase people’s ability to fight diseases. |
| A．To check when the mutations happened. |
| B．To identify the results of former research. |
| C．To find out where the mutations happened. |
| D．To examine the influence of the environment. |
| A．Cautious. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Concerned. | D．Positive. |
| A．A Breakthrough in Identical Twins Study |
| B．Identical Twins: Not Genetically Exact Copies |
| C．Genetic Differences Caused by Family Members |
| D．DNA Decides the Difference between Identical Twins |
【推荐3】Online classes began to be popularized just a few decades ago. They are advertised as a way for adults to finish their education and students to learn the material at their own pace—it is far more suitable for people with busy schedules.
But after being enrolled in an online course last fall semester, I came to realize online classes were merely a means to fulfil course requirements.
First of all, students lack the desire to learn, and they simply complete their assignments to receive credit for a passing grade rather than genuinely engage with the course material.
As online courses tend to have more than 100 students, most of the assignments are short and simple. They are not designed for students to interact with the material in depth but designed to be graded easily to accommodate such a large number of students.
Perhaps the biggest disadvantage of taking an online class is the absence of face-to-face interaction between the teacher and their students. Live sessions are infrequent and are often scheduled during the middle of the day when students have to attend other classes or work. The office hours of the professor may also be during inconvenient times for many students as well. Most interaction with the professor has to be through email which is often impersonal. It is nearly impossible for students to build a relationship with their professor.
There is also little interaction among students. It can be harder for students to create study groups and form relationships with their peers.
Online classes also require either a computer or laptop and a reliable Internet connection. Not all students have access to these types of resources, whether it is for financial or other reasons, and some students can be put at a disadvantage. Offering online classes certainly helps students who would otherwise not be able to attend classroom sessions. However, they fail to provide a true education with an emphasis on convenience rather than critical thinking. We need restructure online classes in which students can have a learning experience that will actually provide quality education.
1. What can we infer about students enrolled in online classes?| A．They are unmotivated to learn, |
| B．They can access course materials easily. |
| C．They rarely fulfil the course requirements. |
| D．They can learn at their own pace. |
| A．They are meant to facilitate interaction. |
| B．They are made convenient to mark. |
| C．They are given to accommodate students` needs. |
| D．They are based on easily accessible material. |
| A．They make professors’ offices much less accessible. |
| B．They are frequently scheduled at irregular times. |
| C．They provide little chance for students to build relationships with each other. |
| D．They tend to increase professors’ burden of replying students’ emails. |
| A．Teachers will worry about poor Internet connections. |
| B．Most students may get critical thinking skills from it. |
| C．Schools with limited resources will be at a disadvantage. |
| D．Some students may have difficulty attending them. |
