2 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What is the main topic of the talk?

A．Details of ancient history.

B．Stories of 20th-century explorers.

C．Development of modern technology.

2. How does the speaker describe Percy Fawcett?

A．Energetic.

B．Mysterious.

C．Crazy.

3. When did Percy Fawcett start exploring?

A．Around 1850．

B．Around 1900．

C．Around 1950.

4. Who wrote The Lost World?

A．Percy Fawcett.

B．Joao da Silva Guimaraes.

C．Arthur Conan Doyle.

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

The Liangzhu Culture,     1     can date back thousands of years, was the last Neolithic jade (新石器时代玉器) culture in the Taihu Basin of the Yangtze River Delta. From many of the unearthed Liangzhu relic sites so far, relevant experts     2     (conclude) that the ancient culture boasted advanced rice agriculture and handicraft industry.

    3     (cover) an area of more than 30 square kilometers, the Liangzhu relic site first    4     (discover) in 1936 is in reality a general name for some sites found in Liangzhu, Pingyao and Anxi, three places in Yuhang District, East China’s Zhejiang Province. The archaeological     5     (significant) of the Liangzhu relic site has gained worldwide attention. British archaeologist Colin Renfrew visited it several years ago and thought     6     importance of findings in China’s Neolithic Period was greatly underestimated.

The Liangzhu Culture is     7     (good) known as a jade culture than others. More than 40 various     8     (type) of jade containers have been unearthed. Do you dream     9    experiencing more of the Liangzhu Culture up close? Consider visiting the Liangzhu New Town, a scenic spot which offers many places for tourists     10     (learn) about the Liangzhu Culture and relax as well.

5 . Archaeologists in Mexico have discovered the remains of a lost Maya city hidden deep within the jungles of the Yucatán Peninsula.

The site, located in the Balamkú ecological reserve in the Mexican state of Campeche, contains numerous large pyramids that were built during the Classic Period of the Maya civilisation. The archaeologists named the location Ocomtún, meaning “stone column (石柱)” in Yucatec Maya language, in a nod to the many stone columns spreading around on the over 123-acre site.

The team found the city while mapping the Maya lowlands with billions of lasers shot from an aircraft flying overhead. This technique, known as light detection and ranging, is a noninvasive (非创伤的) way for researchers to understand the geography of human-made structures hidden beneath leaves. In this case, the technique revealed a Maya city with several pyramidal structures, with the tallest towering nearly 50 feet.

“The site serves as an important center at the regional level,” lead archaeologist Ivan Šprajc said in the statement, “and it is a breakthrough in Maya archeology.”

The Maya had numerous city sites spread across southern Mexico and Central America; the civilization reached its peak during the first millennium AD until it “collapsed” between 800 and 1000. In addition to finding the pyramids and columns, while on foot, the archaeologists discovered ceramics (陶瓷), three squares, a court used to play ball games and a complex comprising low and thin structures arranged almost in circles.

However, the archaeologists are still investigating how the Maya used some of the structures. “It is possible that they are markets or spaces designed for community events,” Šprajc said. “The most common ceramic types that we collected on the surface and in some test pits are from the Late Classic. However, the analysis of samples of this material will offer us more reliable data on the sequences of occupation.”

1. What can we learn from paragraph 2?

A．There are many stone structures dotted on the site.

B．The pyramids built by Egyptians used to be huge.

C．The stone columns cover an area of nearly 124 acres.

D．The site discovered used to be an ecological reserve.

2. What did Šprajc think of the site?

A．Frightening and puzzling.	B．Incredible and romantic.
C．Complex and fictional.	D．Invaluable and significant.

3. What can we infer from paragraph 5?

A．The Maya city was once a booming city.

B．Some tall and thin structures lay on the squares.

C．The ancient Mayas lived on ceramic manufacturing.

D．The pyramids and columns were found quite by accident.

4. Which would be the best title for the text?

A．The long-lost ancient civilization	B．Lost Maya city discovered in jungles
C．Archaeologists’ new discoveries in Mexico	D．Human-made structures hidden beneath leaves

6 . The story about horses in North America told in several written histories is in need of an update, according to a new study. After examining ancient remains of horses, researchers suggest indigenous(土著的) peoples had spread the animals through the American West by the first half of the 1600s—before they met Europeans.

The findings line up with oral histories from indigenous groups, which tell of interactions with horses before settlers arrived in their homelands. Meanwhile, written European texts from the 1700s and 1800s stated that horses only spread through the area after 1680.

Horses originated in the Americas around four million years ago, but by about 10,000 years ago, they had mostly disappeared from the record. Spanish settlers likely first brought horses back to the Americas in 1519. According to the new study, indigenous peoples then transported horses north along trade networks.

To find when the animals spread, researchers examined the remains of more than twenty horses discovered across the Western U.S. Rather than simply walking around the countryside on their own, the horses appear to have been part of Native American culture. Signs of teeth problems on one horse and growths on the bones of the head of another suggested people had put bridles(缰绳) on the animals. Certain chemical elements in the animals’ teeth suggested they ate maize, an indigenous plant. And another horse had a previously broken facial bone that had fully recovered, meaning it might have received medical treatment.

Researchers compared the ancient horses’ DNA with that of modern horses and found that the centuries-old horses had largely Spanish origins. Together, the findings suggest horses spread “from Spanish settlements in the American Southwest to the northern Rockies and central Great Plains by the first half of the 17th century.”

The findings also highlight the importance of indigenous oral traditions in understanding history. “Our cultures have been so misunderstood for so long,” says co-author Yvette Collin. “Too often history has been told around us, without us.”

1. What needs to be updated according to the new study?

A．When horses showed up in the Americas.	B．Who introduced horses to North America.
C．When Native Americans first met Europeans.	D．Who spread horses through the American West.

2. What did researchers find out about ancient horses from the remains?

A．They played a role in natives’ life.	B．They were born with tooth disease.
C．They were badly treated by natives.	D．They had hardly any Spanish origins.

3. What does Collin think of oral histories?

A．They spread easily.	B．They are of great significance.
C．They pass down traditions.	D．They unite indigenous groups.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Written texts explain human-horse interactions.

B．Oral histories help us understand Indigenous cultures.

C．New research rewrites the history of American horses.

D．Archaeological remains are the key to learning about the past.

7 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Archaeologists unearthed a relics site     1    (date) back to the late period of the Xia Dynasty in north China’s Shanxi Province, according to the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology.     2    (locate) along the lower reaches of the Fenhe River, the site in Jishan County of Yuncheng City covers     3     areas of about 100,000 to 150,000 square meters.

Authorities worked     4    (dig) at the site in both 202l and 2022. From April to August in 2021, archaeologists     5    (lucky) discovered two pottery kilns (陶瓷窑) and many pits (填). From October to November in 2022, the staff found a large pit and a kiln in the west of the pit. The pit has a     6    (long) of about 23.5 meters from east to west, a width of about 7 meters from north to south, and a height of 2 to 4 meters.

Cui Junjun, one of the     7    (leader) of the archaeological project, said that the unearthed relics included china, stone and bone tools, etc. In addition     8     artificial products, a lot of animal and plant remains     9    (discover), and 250,000 carbonized plant seeds, most of     10     were millet (系类) seeds, were also found in a special way.

8 . A waterworks maintenance team discovered a possible one-of-a-kind Roman road in a field in Worcestershire that may date back 2,000 years.

If asked to name a place where you might make a once-in-a-lifetime archaeological (考古的) discovery, your mind may go to the pyramids of Egypt or the peaks of the Andes...not a field in Worcestershire. But a field in Worcestershire is exactly where workmen recently discovered what is thought to be a Roman road up to 2,000 years old！

The road was discovered during routine (常规的) waterworks maintenance by Severn Trent. Archaeological experts from Wychavon District Council were called to the scene and immediately recognised the find’s significance.

Wychavon District Council’s archaeology officer Aidan Smyth said, “When I first saw it, it took my breath away. If proven to be from the first century AD, it would be beyond rare.”

Experts say it is constructed in a traditional Roman technique, with similar roads only being found in Rome and Pompeii. Ruts (车辙) in the stones show that it was used by carts for a long time. A team from Historic England is expected to investigate further to determine the exact origin of the structure.

This is actually not the first significant historical discovery in Worcestershire. A number of possible forts have been suggested in Worcestershire since the 1950s, and Worcestershire is thought to possibly have been the site for the Roman town of Vertis.

It is too early to say without 100 per cent certainty that the road is Roman, but even if it is a road in the Middle Ages, it will still be a nationally significant discovery. If it is indeed a first-century Roman road, then it is the only one of its kind in Britain.

1. Why does the author mention the pyramids of Egypt?

A．To make a comparison with the Andes.

B．To identify the importance of pyramids.

C．To show the find in Worcestershire is rare.

D．To prove the archaeological discovery is true.

2. What can the road discovery be described as?

A．Long expected archaeology news.

B．The result of a careful exploration.

C．The effort of world archaeologists.

D．An unexpected result of a repair service.

3. How does Aidan Smyth sound when called to the scene?

A．Excited.

B．Confused.

C．Annoyed.

D．Satisfied.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．A once-in-a-lifetime archaeological literature.

B．An unfortunate waterworks maintenance team.

C．A nationally significant event in ancient Rome.

D．A possible Roman road discovered in a field in Britain.

9 . A seven-word sentence was discovered on a 3,700-year-old comb (梳子),which is likely the oldest known sentence written in letters,according to a new study. The sentence is in Canaanite (迦南语),which is the source (来源) of later letter systems in European languages.

The comb was first discovered in 2016 in Israeli. However,it wasn’t until 2021 that a researcher from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem first noticed the words when checking the photo of the comb. The researchers were not able to directly date the comb. They believed it dated from around 1700 BC based on comparison of the letters with those on pottery (陶器) with a known age.

Garfinkel,a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem,said,“The Canaanites invented the letters. Nowadays every person in the world can read and write using the letter system. This is really one of the most important achievements of humankind. When you are writing in English,you’re really using Canaanite.”

Small groups of Canaanite letters discovered on broken pieces of pottery before did not leave much room for further research on the lives of the Canaanites. But this find of a sentence written in the first letter-based language opens up the debate about the history during the ancient time period.

Garfinkel said,“The sentence was found on an ivory comb in the ancient city’s palace and temple area,which could suggest that only wealthy men were able to read and write.” The earliest writing system started around 5,000 years ago,which relied on hundreds of pictographs (象形文字) to represent words,ideas and sounds. Canaanites were the first to use letters in their writing system. “It shows that even in the most ancient times there were full sentences,which further suggests that Canaanites stood out among the early civilizations in their use of the written word.”

1. What do we know about Canaanite?

A．It has a history of 3,700 years.	B．It is the oldest known language.
C．Its sentences are in many languages.	D．Its letters are still in use at present.

2. How was the complete sentence in Canaanite found?

A．It was discovered on some pottery.	B．It was identified on a comb in 2016.
C．It was recognized when dating the comb.	D．It was recognized on a photo of the comb.

3. What does paragraph 3 mainly focus on?

A．The influence of Canaanite letters.

B．The rules of using Canaanite letters.

C．The problem in identifying the Canaanite sentence.

D．The explanation of the discovered Canaanite sentence.

4. What does Garfinkel think of the new discovery in the last paragraph?

A．Useless.

B．Meaningful.

C．Confusing.

D．Unacceptable.

10 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适合的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Last October, three fossilized dinosaur eggs,     1     date back to the early and mid-late Cretaceous period, were found in Wuning County Jiangxi Province. The     2       (authority) said they would put them on display.

An excavator driver found several fossils and fragments (碎片) while     3     (work) on a construction project on October 5 in Wuning County and it was     4     (immediate) reported to the local government, according to Wuning County Museum.

“We received a call which claimed they had found something similar to dinosaur egg fossils and we instantly went to     5     site,” an employee Zhang from Wuning County Museum told the Global Times on Thursday.

She went there     6       the professional team and saw the egg fossils attached to a rock. The three fossils are nearly round and can be seen clearly. Two of     7     (they) are well preserved, and one egg’s shell has peeled off, according to Zhang.

“After professional research by experts, the egg fossils     8     (confirm) as dinosaur egg fossils. They are now with the museum and     9     (far) research has been carried out,” said Zhang.

In recent years, Chinese scientists     10     (discover) from studies of dinosaur egg fossils that a sustained decline in dinosaur diversity happened in the late Cretaceous period.