Easter Island’s large and mysterious stone statues（雕像） have made it world famous. These statues, whose likenesses look like humans with huge stone cylinders(柱状物) balancing on their heads like hats, have tourists coming from all over the world. The tourists come to see these works of ancient art carved by the early inhabitants of the island. They come to see the mystery that has puzzled historians for decades.
Easter Island is located in a remote part of the South Pacific Ocean about 2,300 miles west of Chile. Easter Island covers just 45 square miles and its Polynesian name is Rapa Nui.
On Easter Sunday 1722, a Dutch explorer named Jacob Roggeveen was the first European to see Easter Island. The early Polynesians carved the statues within the holes of the volcano using only stone tools. Then they moved these huge statues to various destinations throughout the island. These 600 statues range in height from 10 to 40 feet. Some of them weigh as much as 50 tons. How could the early Polynesians lift hundreds of heavy statues out of the volcano? How did they move them across the island to their various locations? All of these questions, as well as many others, remain unanswered.
The early islanders probably worshiped(崇拜) these eyeless giants until sometime around 1670. In 1680, a war broke out between two groups of islanders. The victors of the war and ancestors of the present inhabitants, broke down many of the statues. In most cases, they broke the necks of the statues.
Now 15 of the statues on Easter Island have been repaired to their original positions on their stone platforms. Even today, using modern tools and machinery, putting up such large statues and balancing cylinders on top of their heads presents a challenging task.
1. What do we know about Easter Island?| A．It is a big island of Chile. |
| B．It is located in North Pacific Ocean |
| C．It was named after a Dutch explorer |
| D．Its early inhabitants were Polynesians |
| A．why people built the statues |
| B．where people made the statues |
| C．how people transported the statues |
| D．how many statues there are on the island |
| A．Many statues were damaged |
| B．Another 15 statues were put up |
| C．People began to worship the statues |
| D．The islanders started a war against outsiders |
| A．entertain | B．advertise |
| C．inform | D．persuade |
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【推荐1】For the Spring Festival holiday, Huang Zihe and his troupe (剧团) visited various venues and performed with the Hainan Bayin, a traditional musical instrument native to south China's Hainan Province.
Hainan Bayin, or Hainan Eight Tunes, literally refers to the eight types of musical instruments made of materials cultivated in Hainan, such as coconut shells and Chinese rosewood. It also refers to the Bayin musical style created with the instrument. In Hainan, more than 500 Bayin musical scores (乐谱) exist, recording local people's daily life and the traditional Hainan culture. Bayin troupes usually perform at weddings, funerals and when offering sacrifices in northerm Hainan, and during the peak of Bayin's popularity, almost all villages had their own Bayin troupe.
Hainan Bayin enjoyed popularity for almost l ,000 years. However, in recent decades, the popularity gradually declined as people left their hometowns, fewer people listened and there are fewer musical creators.
As a professional musician, Huang spent decades in the industry. He retired and later settled in Australia. In 2008, Huang saw a news story that reported Bayin being listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in China and the terrible need for attention to be paid to the musical style due to a lack of professional teachers. Huang became anxious. He decided to come back to Hainan and became a volunteer in a local cultural station in the provincial capital Haikou.
“I realized that we lacked young people in this industry," he said. So Huang invited local students to the cultural station to learn Bayin. Under his wing, the students learned to perform and their performances were quite popular with the parents and teachers. In 2019, Huang took his Bayin troupe to Singapore and Malaysia. Their performances touched the hearts of many overseas Chinese who originally came from Hainan. “When they heard the familiar hometown tunes, they were overwhelmed," Huang said. “Some sobbed, and some cried out loud. "
Huang is keen on passing on Bayin among generations. He said, “Bayin is charming and unique. Passing it on is a beautiful thing. "
1. What can we learn about Hainan Bayin according to Paragraph 2?| A．It records modern Hainan culture. |
| B．It can be played on different occasions. |
| C．It is made of materials from nearby provinces. |
| D．Every villager in Hainan could perform it in the past. |
| A．There are fewer musical creators. |
| B．Bayin's popularity gradually declined. |
| C．Professional teachers of Bayin ran short. |
| D．Bayin failed to be listed as a cultural heritage. |
| A．The sleepiness overwhelmed him. |
| B．I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the landscape. |
| C．A large number of problems can overwhelm a person. |
| D．Sightseers may be overwhelmed by the crowds and noise. |
| A．He is committed. | B．He is creative. |
| C．He is cooperative. | D．He is well-educated. |
【推荐2】The animal kingdom lost a beloved friend when poachers（偷猎者）in Kenya killed the world famous elephant named Satao solely for his ivory（象牙）, experts say.
Satao was considered by some to be the largest and oldest elephant left in Africa. His tusks having grown long enough to reach the ground. Wandering around Kenya’s Tsavo National Park, he was easily recognizable（可辨认的）by staff and visitors. Sadly, despite conservation efforts, he was killed on May 30, his body identified by park staff on June 2. His head was severely damaged and there were two holes left where his great tusks had
“There is no doubt that Satao is dead, killed by an ivory poacher’s poisoned arrow to feed the seemingly greedy demand for ivory in far off countries,” wrote Richard Moller of The Tsavo Trust. “A great life lost so that someone far away can have a trinket（饰品）.
Satao isn’t the first elephant—and far from the last—to pay the ivory price. Just last month, Mountain Bull, another Kenyan elephant, was killed by poachers.
Kenya Wildlife Service（KWS）says 97 elephants and 20 rhinos have been killed this year, but others say the real numbers are much higher.
The national park in which Satao lived is roughly 386 square miles—a massive land for already thinly-stretched resources to cover. Reports indicate that Satao had started to migrate towards the park’s border-areas known by conservationists（野生保护人士）to be highly active for poaching.
In the late 1960s, more than 275,000 elephants lived in Kenya. Now, that number has dropped to around 38,000, and continues to fall fast.
“If Satao’s death can cause the focus on what’s actually happening here in terms of poaching, then he won’t have died in vain,” said nature documentarian Mark Decble, according to The Dodo.
1. What is the main idea of the passage?| A．Satao is the largest and oldest elephant. |
| B．Many wild animals are killed in Kenya every year. |
| C．Elephant Satao was killed for his tusks. |
| D．Satao’s tusks are worth so much money. |
| A．He had a pair of remarkable tusks. |
| B．He was the most popular animal in the park. |
| C．He used to be the largest elephant in the world. |
| D．He tried to escape from Kenya’s Tsavo National Park. |
| A．he was just at his last gasp | B．he was barely recognizable |
| C．he was bleeding seriously | D．his trunk（象鼻）was cut away |
| A．Unconcerned. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Indifferent. | D．Pitying, |
【推荐3】Before war and time destroy more of our important cultural sites, we need to save them in 3-D digital libraries. Across 163 different countries, 1,000 natural and cultural historic places make up our most precious human heritage, which UNESCO calls World Heritage Sites.
We lose a little of that heritage every day. War, climate change and pollution have a bad effect, as do wind and rain. The $4 million a year that UNESCO spends on preservation is not nearly enough to take care of even the four dozen sites considered at approaching risk of being lost forever. Now there’s a better choice. New digital-conservation technologies let us hold on to them, at least virtually(虚拟的), through 3-D scanning, modeling and digital storage. Such projects can be accomplished through cooperation between governments, universities, industry and non-profit organizations.
To make a 3-D model, a laser(激光) scanner bounces light off an object and records the results. To reproduce every corner and opening, the scanner collects overlapping(重叠的) images from all possible angles. A computer then sews them together into one large surface image and draws lines from one point to another to create a wire-frame model. High-resolution digital cameras add color and texture. When fully put together, the models can be viewed, printed or operated.
These scans do more than preserve a memory in a database. With highly accurate measurements, archaeologists(考古学家) can find hidden passages or reveal ancient engineering tricks. School kids can explore places they might otherwise never see. And when a site is destroyed, the scans can even be used to reconstruct what was there. That has already happened for one World Heritage Site, the Kasubi Tombs in Uganda. Built of wood in 1882, they were destroyed by fire in 2010 and rebuilt in 2014, based in large part on 3-D models made in 2009. More than 100 World Heritage Sites have been already preserved as 3-D models, and conservationists are racing to record as many more as possible.
1. How does the author show the necessity for 3-D digital libraries in the first two paragraphs?| A．By listing the threats to our human heritage. |
| B．By introducing some damaged historical sites. |
| C．By quoting some experts’ views on heritage protection. |
| D．By explaining UNESCO’s research on World Heritage Sites. |
| A．The function of a laser scanner. | B．The reflection of light off an object. |
| C．The process of making a 3-D model. | D．The development of 3-D digital technology. |
| A．It is metal-framed. | B．It is still in its original condition. |
| C．It was once destroyed in an earthquake. | D．It was reconstructed thanks to 3-D models. |
| A．Never ignore the destructive power of war. |
| B．Take action to reduce pollution in historic places. |
| C．Take advantage of 3-D technology to keep history. |
| D．Invest more money to preserve World Heritage Sites. |
【推荐1】These days, many gyms require clients to wear masks or face coverings. The good news: research suggests they don’t actually hold up your performance.
Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan gathered a group of 7 men and 7 women, ranging from slightly inactive to excellent cyclists and tested the effects of wearing a three-layer cloth face mask, a surgical mask, and no mask on their exercise performance.
The study participants started with a brief warm-up on a fixed bike, then took a progressive intensity exercise test, during which it was vital for them to keep the same pedal rate while the resistance was continually increased until exhaustion (疲惫不堪). Something like the heart rate was recorded every 30 seconds.
The results suggested that wearing a mask had no effect on performance or muscle oxygen levels. Since there was no difference in time to exhaustion between conditions, the highest power reached at the end of each test was similar in mask and no-mask conditions for all participants, Professor Chilibeck explained. Researchers also did not see any effects of the masks during exercise on blood oxygen levels, which wouldn’t decrease if breathing was not affected.
And while droplet (飞沫) spread was not measured, all masks used were tested in a previous study in which they were shown to effectively minimize droplet spread, according to Chilibeck. Though the participants represented a wide range of fitness levels, it’s important to note that these tests were conducted on a very small sample size, and more research is needed on larger populations to draw sweeping conclusions about the general population.
1. How did the researchers draw the conclusion?| A．By doing medical tests. | B．By conducting an experiment. |
| C．By observing normal cyclists. | D．By making brief analysis. |
| A．Your heart rate may keep stable. | B．You might produce less droplet. |
| C．You will feel more tired than before. | D．Your blood oxygen levels will drop. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Favorable. |
| C．Objective. | D．Disapproving. |
| A．Why Should We Train with Masks? |
| B．Can We Train While Wearing Masks? |
| C．Do Masks Affect Our Performance? |
| D．Why Don’t Masks Worsen Our Performance? |
【推荐2】For its critics, the arrival of the London Underground marked the moment the capital got into a messy state. The idea of an underground train had first been formed in the 1840s and one of the leading advocates was Londoner Charles Pearson, but work did not begin on what became the Metropolitan Railway until 1860.
What critics called “the Drain” was not universally popular. Some warned that the tunnels (隧道) would fall apart under the weight of the houses above; others thought an underground railway so terrible that criminals should be forced to take round trips. And the construction work angered the locals. “London would lose its charm forever with this ugly project,” one said.
But by January 1863, the first trains were ready to roll. On Friday 9 January, a special train packed with politicians made the first journey—though the Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, refused to join then, explaining that at 78, he wanted to spend as much time above ground as possible. All went well, and the next day, Saturday 10 January, it opened to the public.
To general astonishment, the capital’s new Underground proved a great success. On that first day alone, 38,000 people walked deep down into the earth to ride between Farringdon Street and Bishop’s Road, Paddington. The carriages were divided into three classes and lit by gas; as one pleasantly surprised passenger put it, they were “so large that a man who is six feet tall may stand up straight with his hat on”.
“For the first time in the history of the world,” said The Daily News, “men can travel in pleasant carriages, and with great comfort, lower down than gas pipes and water pipes.”
1. What did Charles Pearson do?| A．He designed the Metropolitan Railway. |
| B．He showed his dissatisfaction with London. |
| C．He built a part of the London Underground. |
| D．He supported building the London Underground. |
| A．Criminals did most of the construction work. |
| B．It provided single trips instead of return trips. |
| C．It was too new to be readily accepted by the public. |
| D．Lots of accidents happened in tunnels universally. |
| A．It was smooth. | B．It was lots of fun. |
| C．It was quite frightening. | D．It was totally disorganized. |
| A．Its height was exactly six feet. |
| B．Its lights were powered by electricity. |
| C．Its floors had lots of gas pipes and water pipes. |
| D．Its carriages were more comfortable than expected. |
【推荐3】Many people believe that language belongs to human beings. However, cats have developed a language not for each other, but for the human beings who have them as pets.
When communicating with each other, cats "talk" with a system of signals. Their tails, rather than any kind of “speech", act as an important way to express themselves. They also touch each other to express their feelings. With other cats, they will use their voice only to express pain. Unbelievably, all of that changes when a human walks into the room. Cats use many different kinds of vocal （声音的）expressions when they communicate with a person. Since these vocal expressions are not used to communicate with other cats, it seems that cats have developed this "language" to communicate with their human owners.
This fact is shown more clearly when researchers are watching rooms that have only one cat and those with several cats. And when there is only one cat in the room, it is usually very vocal, since the only creature around with whom the cat can communicate is its owner. Cats with other cats, though, are much quieter. If they want to have a conversation, they only need go to other cats and communicate in their natural way.
Since cats have learned to meow（ 喵喵叫） for the only purpose of communicating with human owners, their owners should take the time to learn what their different meows mean. If an owner knows, to name just a few examples, which meow means the cat is hungry, which means the cat .wants to be petted, and which means the cat wants to have a little "conversation" , the relationship between cats and owners will be closer.
1. If a cat, together with other cats, finds its body hurts, it may express it with its _______.| A．tail | B．eyes |
| C．head | D．voice |
| A．Stop making any noise. | B．Use their tails to show love. |
| C．Begin .to use vocal expressions. | D．Stop communicating with each other. |
| A．Communicate more with cats. | B．Learn to meow in different ways. |
| C．Encourage cats to talk with each other. | D．Teach cats to understand human language. |
| A．The language of cats. | B．Advice on keeping pets. |
| C．Pets* different expressions. | D．Communication among cats. |
