The Discovery of Liangzhu Culture
Three archaeological diggings were carried out in the suburbs of Hangzhou from December 1936 to March 1937, where loads of black ceramics (陶瓷) and stoneware were brought to light. Inspired by these relics, an archaeology lover named Shi Xingeng, who came from West Lake Museum in Hangzhou, wrote several detailed reports on the digging. However, he had to put his work aside when China started to fall into Japan’s military aggression. Shi joined the resistance movement against Japanese invasion and died of disease in 1939. What passed away along with him during the war were many of Liangzhu’s precious relics.
Fortunately, Shi’s reports were finally published in Shanghai in 1938, which caught considerable attention of archaeological circles. In 1959, the name Liangzhu Culture was given to the independent regional culture by archaeologist Xia Nai. It represented an earlier civilization that had remained unknown to historians. The culture, as the radiocarbon dating applied to the relics proved, existed between 3,300 and 2,200 B.C.
It is commonly believed that the earliest known Chinese written language dates back to more than 3,000 year ago, when oracle bone script appeared in Shang Dynasty. But Liangzhu Culture might provide evidence of a written language that appeared in China at least 1,000 years eelier.
In 2007, Liangzhu Ancient City was reported to be discovered in Hangzhou, where archaeological diggings revealed a large and early walled city in Chinese history. There were man-made hills and streams in the city area, which were very likely part of the early designed urban landscape. To protect the urban space which was formed by waterways and entrances both inside and outside the city, a flood control system was connected to the river networks and 11 dams. In the fields outside the wall, archaeologists discovered rains of the residences, tombs, workshops, and docks with wooden boats.
1. What can we learn about Liangzhu Culture?| A．It was well preserved. | B．It was named by Shi Xingeng. |
| C．Many of its relics were lost during the war. | D．It was discovered in 1959. |
| A．It proved that Chins has a long history. |
| B．It unearthed a great number of relics. |
| C．It showed the professionalism of Chinese archaeology. |
| D．It might prove the existence of an earlier Chinese written language |
| A．It was a well-designed city. | B．It showed the rules left by flood. |
| C．There were no hills or streams in the city. | D．It was the largest city in Chinese history. |
| A．A chemical paper. | B．A cultural website. |
| C．A math textbook. | D．A medical report. |
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Loulan, an ancient city in the Lop Nur, was first “discovered” by Swedish explorer Sven Hedin in 1900. The finding of Loulan brought about new and unexpected fame for the ancient history of the Central Asia and thus began the exploration of the Taklamakan Desert.
The City of Loulan is known both in China and throughout the world as the Middle Kingdom’s ‘Pompeii’ in the desert and one of the cradles of the civilization. It wasn’t hard to imagine how excited Sven Hedin must have been when he was awarded the Victoria Medal by the Royal Geography Association. From that point forward, the mysterious covering of Loulan was gradually lowered and was no more a silent unknown hero but became an immediate worldwide sensation (引起轰动的事). Adventurers from America, Britain, Japan and Sweden, including Huntington, Stein, Otani Kozui and Bergman set foot here for several times. In the 1930s, Chinese archaeologist Huang Wenbi came here for the first time and made a survey of this area, which was found even then in terrible conditions due to uncontrolled digging with many wonderful cultural historic relics taken away to distant foreign lands.
In 1979, a group of tombs called Sun Tombs, known for their unique and attractive burial forms, were unearthed in the Gumugou Graveyard, the public graveyard of the Lop Nur citizens in the Bronze Age. In early 1980s, in the Tiebanhe River Delta area of the lower reaches of the Peafowl River in Lop Nur, a female mummy dating back some 3,800 years was unearthed and was considered by the Japanese as the “Loulan Beauty”. This set off a wave of current exploration of the Silk Road.
The archaeological unearthing being currently conducted in the Xiaohe (Small River) Graveyard is now the focus of the world’s most important academic event. The Xiaohe Graveyard, 175km west of the City of Loulan, is located in the lower reaches of the Peafowl River in the Lop Nur. When the Graveyard was found, it is said that there were some 1,000 coffins. It is large in scale with sand dunes(沙丘) as high as eight metres, on which about 140 wooden stakes(树桩) in various shapes were closely arranged. These burial customs are, to say the least, unusual… with the unearthed relics dated back to China’s most ancient days.
1. Which of following statements shows the correct position of the City of Loulan?| A．It lies in the Tiebanhe River Delta |
| B．It lies in the lower reaches of the Peafowl River |
| C．It lies south of the Gumugou Graveyard. |
| D．It lies 175 km east of the Xiaohe Graveyard. |
| A．A city as world famous as the Middle Kingdom’s “Pompeii”. |
| B．A buried city in the desert with great historical value. |
| C．A buried city to be unearthed like the Italian city “Pompeii”. |
| D．A city visited by many archaeologists all over the world like “Pompeii”. |
| A．it was a Chinese archaeologist that first discovered the City of Loulan |
| B．it is of the greatest importance and value to be unearthing the Xiaohe Graveyard |
| C．foreign adventurers did much damage to the exploration and relics of the City of Loulan |
| D．one after another important discovery about Loulan was made, causing worldwide sensation |
Stealing salt was considered a major crime (罪行) during some periods of history. In the eighteenth century, for example, if a person was caught stealing salt, he could be put in prison and his ears could be cut off.
In the Roman Empire, one of the most important roads was the one that carried salt from the salt mines to Rome. Guards were stationed along the route to protect against salt thieves, and they received their pay in salt, thus bringing the English word, salary. Any guard who fell asleep while on duty was thought to be “not worth his salt”, and as a result he would get a little less salt on his next payday. The expression, “not worth his salt”, is still used today in English.
In the modern world salt has many uses beyond the dining table. It is used in making glass and airplane parts, in the growing of crops, and in the killing of weeds (杂草). It is also used to make water soft, to melt (融化) ice on roads and highways, to make soap, and to fix colors in cloth.
Salt can be got in various ways besides being taken from mines underground. Salt water from the ocean, salt water lakes or small seas can be used to make salt. Yet, no matter where it comes from, salt will continue to play an important role in the lives of people everywhere.
1. According to the text, salt can be used in the following EXCEPT _____.
| A．keeping dead bodies |
| B．punishing thieves |
| C．protecting crops |
| D．making industrial products |
| A．protect the city of Rome |
| B．watch people carrying salt |
| C．prevent thieves from stealing salt |
| D．carry salt from the mines to Rome |
| A．fails to do his work well |
| B．should not be paid in salt |
| C．doesn’t want to work at all |
| D．should use less salt |
| A．how salt was found and got |
| B．salt is important in people’s life |
| C．salt was difficult to get in the past |
| D．what salt brings to the English language |
【推荐3】The first TV was made by John Baird in 1925. It had one color. It could only show 30 lines. This was just enough room for a face. It didn’t work well, but it was a start.
By the end of the 1930s, TVs were working well. America got its first taste at the 1939 Worlds Fair.
By 1948 there were 4 big TV networks in America. They aired their shows from 8 to 11 each night. Local shows were aired at other times.
Color TVs came out in 1953.
Now most TVs are high-def (高清). This means that they have many lines on them.
| A．This makes the image clearer. |
| B．They cost too much money for most. |
| C．A big TV factory was opened in 1927. |
| D．The first TV station was set up in 1928. |
| E．People watch news and shows on them. |
| F．This was one of the biggest events ever. |
| G．Most of the time, nothing was shown at all. |
【推荐1】Danelien van Aalst at the University of Groningen and her co-workers have done research on how relative age (相对年龄) affects popularity among 14 to 15-year-olds.
Researchers surveyed more than 13,000 teenagers in England, Sweden and the Netherlands on who they thought was the most popular in their class. Then the researchers gave each student in their classroom a popularity score linked to their birth month as well as their age position in their class. They discovered this: the older the student was, the more likely he or she was to be considered popular.
“A child enters school before or after a certain cut-off date and that determines how old or young you are relative to your year group,” says van Aalst. “We found that if you’re born right after the cut-off date, which makes you one of the oldest members of your class, you’re going to be popular.”
They found that the same effect also applied at the year-group level. Here, it was the children who were the oldest relative to all of their peers in the year group-rather than just those in their own class-that were the most popular.
All three countries showed roughly the same pattern (模式). However, at the classroom level, it was in the Netherlands that the pattern was the strongest. This is partly because the country has a system of grade retention - when students don’t meet their academic requirements, their teachers will hold them back a year, which means they then become the oldest in their class and often the most popular.
This relative age effect has also been shown in other areas. “Relative age has earlier been proved to affect school performance-relatively older children do better in school,” says Herman van de Werfhorst at the University of Amsterdam. Similarly, previous research has shown that older children tend to be better at sports than younger students in the same year group.
1. How did the researchers know who the popular students were?| A．By recording students’ performance. | B．By studying earlier research results. |
| C．By collecting answers from students. | D．By comparing the ages of students. |
| A．Popularity. | B．Relative age. | C．The survey data. | D．The cut-off date. |
| A．Their teachers would be happy to have them in the class. |
| B．It would be difficult for them to pass the exams in Netherlands. |
| C．They might gain more popularity than others in the same year group. |
| D．They might be the most popular among the peers of the three countries. |
| A．The older a child gets, the wiser he or she will be. |
| B．Many students want to be held back to be popular. |
| C．Older children are likely to perform better in school. |
| D．Older children are often more popular than their younger peers. |
【推荐2】Scientists have long known that a crow (乌鸦) native to New Caledonia is able to use tools. The birds use them to remove food from deep holes. Now, American researchers have discovered a second species of crow with the same ability. They reported on their experiments with Alala crows, which are from the Hawaiian Islands.
In the experiment, the researchers placed pieces of food in holes inside the wood. The holes were too deep for the crows to reach with their beaks (鸟喙). But, by using small pieces of wood held in their beaks, Alala crows quickly got the food. They used small objects as tools, sometimes changing them by shortening too-long sticks. They also made tools from plant materials.
“The crows use their beaks as people use fingers. Tool use is rare in the animal kingdom.” Said Chritian Rutz of University of St. Andrews. “Current evidence strongly suggests that tool use is part of the species’ natural behavioral pattern. These birds had no special training in the study, yet most of them were skilled at handling stick tools.”
Bird experts claim finding out that the crows use tools is important discovery. “It makes us rethink how to look at the whole tool-use idea now and encourages us to go out and look for things that we may have ignored before.”
All the Alala crows left in the world live in Hawaii. There were less than 20 Alalas left in the late 1990s when scientists decided to bring them into a protected area. Now, it is reported that there are over 100 birds living there. Scientists plan to release a small number of the birds back into the wild later.
1. What can Alala crows do according to the study?| A．Storing food in the wood. |
| B．Making holes in the wood. |
| C．Processing tools as needed. |
| D．Working together to get food. |
| A．Alala crows’ beaks look like people’s hands. |
| B．Using stick tools is not easy for Alala crows. |
| C．Using tools comes naturally to Alala crows. |
| D．Alala crows won’t use tools without being trained. |
| A．Set some of them free in nature. | B．Increase the population of them. |
| C．Move all of them out of Hawaii. | D．Build more protected areas for them. |
| A．A novel. | B．A business report. |
| C．A research plan. | D．A science magazine. |
【推荐3】Did you know roughly one third of food for human consumption goes to waste? Most of it is fresh fruits and vegetables that go bad. The produce dries out or goes bad, which has led scientists to develop ways of coating or sealing the food to keep it fresher for longer. Now research at Rice University reveals there might be a better way.
Scientists discovered that dipping produce like strawberries and bananas into an egg-based was his remarkably good for preserving it. The coating is extremely thick, and made from a mixture of powdered egg whites and yolks(70%), and some wood-sourced cellulose(纤维素) to act as a barrier preventing water loss.
What the scientists found was that the egg-based wash made a significant difference in helping produce stay fresh over a two-week observation period. The appearance of the coated fruits and vegetables didn’t change much, while the uncoated produce ripened and even rotted within the same timeframe. The egg-based coating, as it turned out, reduced each fruit’s chance to get exposed to oxygen.
The non-poisonous coating was found to be flexible and tests showed that it was just as tough as other products， including synthetic films(合成膜), used in produce packaging. For anyone with an egg allergy, the coating can be removed by thorough washing in water and is tasteless.
The scientists hope this could be a breakthrough in the fight against food waste. “Reducing food shortages in ways that are not related to genetic modification, uneatable coatings or chemical additives is important for better sustainable living,” said materials scientist and study author Pulickel Ajayan.
What’s great about this discovery is that it fights food waste in more than one way: even the coating was made from eggs that would otherwise have been thrown away because they weren’t fit for consumption. The researchers said roughly 200 million of US produced eggs go to waste annually. So if this were scaled up, it could be a win-win situation all around.
1. How does the egg-based wash help keep food fresh?| A．By making its coating less thick. | B．By limiting its oxygen exposure. |
| C．By removing its cellulose slowly. | D．By improving its absorbent ability. |
| A．To stress the seriousness of food shortage. | B．To show the significance of the discovery. |
| C．To offer the method of cutting food waste. | D．To give brief description of the research. |
| A．Optimistic. | B．Doubtful. | C．Cautious. | D．In different. |
| A．How to use eggs creatively. | B．A breakthrough in technology. |
| C．How to recycle food waste. | D．A new way to preserve food. |
【推荐1】There comes a time when the old must give way to the new, and it is not possible to preserve everything from our past as we move towards the future. Finding and keeping the right balance between progress and the protection of cultural sites can be a big challenge.
Big challenges, however, can sometimes lead to great solutions. In the 1950s, the Egyptian government wanted to build a new dam across the Nile in order to control floods, produce electricity, and supply water to more farmers in the area. But the proposal led to protests. Water from the dam would likely damage a number of temples and destroy cultural relics that were an important part of Egypt’s cultural heritage. After listening to different voices, the government turned to the United Nations for help in 1959.
A committee was established to limit damage to the Egyptian buildings and prevent the loss of cultural relics. The group asked for contributions from different departments and raised funds within the international community. Experts investigated the issue, conducted several tests, and then made a proposal for how the buildings could be saved. Finally, a document was signed, and the work began in 1960.
The project brought together governments and environmentalists from around the world. Temples and other cultural sites were taken down piece by piece, and then moved and put back together again in a place where they were safe from the water. In 1961, German engineers moved the first temple. Over the next 20 years, thousands of engineers and workers rescue d 22 temples and countless cultural relics. Fifty countries donated nearly $80 million to the project. When the project ended in 1980, it was considered a great success. Not only had the countries found a path to the future that did not run over the relics of the past, but they had also learnt that it was possible for countries to work together to build a better tomorrow.
The spirit of the Aswan Dam project is still alive today. If a problem seems too difficult for a single nation, the global community can sometimes provide a solution.
1. What was the major concern regarding the construction of the new dam?| A．The damage to local farms. |
| B．The high cost of the construction. |
| C．The disapproval of local communities. |
| D．The potential harm to cultural remains. |
| A．By rebuilding similar cultural sites. |
| B．By building fences around them. |
| C．By taking them down into pieces. |
| D．By removing and piecing them together again. |
| A．International cooperation is not necessary for large-scale projects. |
| B．It is possible to achieve progress without sacrificing cultural heritage. |
| C．The opinions of experts should be ignored in favor of popular opinion. |
| D．Countries should always prioritize their own interests over global concerns. |
| A．Trial and error. | B．Adequate investment. |
| C．Global cooperation. | D．Careful investigation. |
China is universally acknowledged as the birthplace of kites. Kites originated in the Spring and Autumn Period over 2,000 years ago. Legend has it that the wooden bird made by the ancient philosopher Mozi was the earliest kite. Later, his disciple Lu Ban made some improvement on the wooden kite by using bamboo as the material. The creation gradually evolved into current multi-line kites.
Folklorists hold that ancient people invented kites to be in memory of dead family members and friends. That’s why they would fly kites on the Qingming Festival, a day ancient people believed the gate of hell would throw open, to send their greetings to their loved ones who passed away via the kite. In the Tang and Song Dynasties, due to the booming of paper making industry, people began to make kites with paper. In the late Tang Dynasty, some people added musical strings to kites. When the wind blew, the kites gave out sounds like the guzheng (an ancient Chinese music instrument), hence the name of “Feng Zheng” (literally meaning “Zheng in the wind”). In the Song Dynasty, flying kites became a popular outdoor activity, with lots of poems and paintings portraying kite-flying scenes.
In ancient times, apart from being an entertainment article, a kite could also be used for military purposes, such as distance measuring, information transmitting and dangerous spot crossing etc. In 190 BC, when the war between Chu and Han was underway, the Han general Han Xin used a kite to measure the length of the tunnel under the Weiyang Palace when he launched an attack against the palace. And during the Battle of Gaixia, when Xiang Yu’s troops were surrounded by Liu Bang’s troops, Han Xin ordered the making of a cowhide kite, with a bamboo flute attached to it. When the kite was flown in the wind, the Han army sang some Chu songs with the flute, breaking up the Chu army’s morale. The Han army won the battle in the end. This was the origin of the Chinese idiom “Simian Chuge” (literally meaning “Chu songs all around”, it’s a phrase that means “under attack from all directions”).
Today, Weifang City of Shandong Province is widely regarded as “the world’s capital of kites”. The most famous kites of Weifang are Longting (Dragon Pavilion) and Julong (Giant Dragon) kites. In Kaifeng, there’s an age-old custom still popular today. On the Qingming Festival, people fly kites as high and far as possible and cut the line on purpose, allowing the kites to drift in the sky with the wind. This is a symbol of letting go the unhappiness and sadness accumulated in the previous year, which is believed to keep illnesses at bay during the whole year. In addition, a kite is a carrier of hope. If a fish is drawn on a swallow-shaped kite, it has a hidden meaning of “the wish of surplus every year”, because the word “fish” has the same pronunciation as that of “surplus” in Chinese. If bats, peaches, pine trees and cranes are painted on a kite, it means fortune, wealth and longevity.
1. According to the text who invented the first kite?2. What was the kite used for in ancient times?
3. Why would the ancient people fly kites on the Qingming Festival?
4. Explain the Chinese idiom “Simian Chuge” in English.
5. Why do people fly kites as high and far as possible and cut the line deliberately?
【推荐3】Along the rocky Algerian coast, just east of where the bulky shape of Mount Chenoua slides into the Mediterranean, the sea and indifference may finally do what the Vandals did not. There, for more than 2,500 years, has stood Tipasa. It is considered as one of the most important archaeological sites in North Africa.
Tipasa fell into ruin in the sixth century. Both its main complex on the coast and an inland monumental tomb were all but forgotten in the olive trees and thin pines. Most of the ancient city, in fact, remains buried beneath sediment (沉积物) up to 12 feet thick. For the last few decades, however, what’s left of Tipasa’s past has been increasingly surrounded by the expanding modern town of Tipasa from three sides. And to the north, the waves lap ever closer.
“What’s special about Tipasa, a UNESCO–recognized World Heritage Site since 1982, is the charm of its landscape, the shared presence of history and archaeology, culture, nature, and architecture. It’s the spirit of the place,” said Lynda Aoudia Benali who has studied Tipasa and the ongoing challenges from both rapid urbanization and insufficient Site management.
Now, Tipasa is entering a new chapter, perhaps its last: It’s become a symbol of an entire continent’s heritage in crisis. Recently, a team reported the results of hard work mapping how sea level rise is affecting nearly 300 World Heritage Sites around Africa’s roughly 20,000 miles of coastline. About 20 percent of the sites examined, including Tipasa, are already at higher risk from flooding and erosion (腐蚀). By 2050 that figure is expected to more than twice.
The Site’s 2lst-century problems have only increased in the last two decades. UNESCO has repeatedly threatened to remove the site of World Heritage status. As recently as 2021, the organization noted a lot of problems at Tipasa, such as modern construction, including a proposed port, which threatened the site’s integrity.
1. What can we know about Tipasa?| A．It was built one thousand years ago. |
| B．It is the most important archeological site in Africa. |
| C．It is considered as a well-known tourist attraction. |
| D．It suffered complete damage in the sixth century. |
| A．Tipasa has its unique characteristics. |
| B．Tipasa has experienced quick development. |
| C．Tipasa became a World Heritage Site in the 1990s. |
| D．Tipasa has been paid much attention to for its management. |
| A．The overdevelopment. | B．The abundant tourists. |
| C．The natural disasters. | D．The severe pollution. |
| A．Its modern construction will be completely stopped. |
| B．Its problems have been solved. |
| C．Its effects of climate change will be avoided. |
| D．Its World Heritage status is under threat. |
