1 . The Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre has recently “rediscovered” an ancient shark skeleton that has been sitting in the museum’s collection for nearly 50 years. Could this shark be a part of a newly discovered ancient shark species?
This fossil’s original discovery was in 1975 on a farm just west of Morden, Manitoba. The skeleton was brought into the museum and was forgotten within the ever-growing fossil collection. The skeleton was hidden in the collections room for over 40 years and the center just recently found the fossil in its storage around eight years ago.
Adolfo Cuertara, the director of the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre, explained that “It’s a very special shark for many reasons. It’s highly possible that we are talking about a new species.” Although the shark has not been given a scientific name yet, the museum has unofficially named the skeleton, “Dave”, in honor of the farmer on whose land the skeleton was found.
After the fossil rediscovery, Dave was exhibited at the fossil center museum. Dave is around 15 feet long and is one of the largest well-preserved shark skeletons in the entire world. Within the paleontology (古生物学) world, complete shark fossils are extremely rare due to their soft cartilage (软骨结构) which disintegrates as they age. Dave’s shark species are filter feeders with no teeth, who receive their nutrition by absorbing it out of the water. Cuertara emphasizes Dave’s uniqueness by explaining, “The shape of the jaws and the skull and the kind of structures that it has, because the preservation is really amazing, is telling us that it is probably going to be a new species. The problem is now we need scientific papers and scientific research and this paper is underway.”
The Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre is hopeful that more scientific research will provide more information on Dave’s ancient shark species. For now, Dave is currently on display at the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre and the museum has the exhibit up to date with their current information.
1. Where probably could you find this article?| A．Science textbook of college. |
| B．Advertising brochure of museum. |
| C．Discovery column of magazine. |
| D．Bulletin board of animal world. |
| A．Die away. | B．Break down. | C．Build up. | D．Lie down. |
| A．The structure of skull and jaw. |
| B．The preservation of jaw and the skull. |
| C．The uniqueness of no teeth structure. |
| D．The rare soft cartilage. |
| A．Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre displays Dave ancient shark species. |
| B．Dave’s shark species is a new species of ancient shark. |
| C．Canadian Museum rediscovers a new ancient shark species. |
| D．Dave’s shark skeleton is in honor of the farmer who rediscovered it. |
2 . Frozen in time, a 125-million-year-old mammal attacking a dinosaur. A 39-million-year-old whale, the heaviest animal that ever lived. The oldest known jellyfish, from 505 million years ago. Paleontology (古生物学) produces newsworthy discoveries.
Fossils (化石), moreover, provide direct evidence for the long history of life, allowing paleontologists to test hypotheses (假设) about evolution with data only they provide. They allow investigation of present and past life on Earth. Flows of biological diversity, appearances of new life forms and the extinctions of long existing ones, would go undiscovered without these efforts. But the headlines over exciting new fossils greatly underestimate the true importance of paleontology. Its real significance lies in how such discoveries brighten the grand history of life on Earth. From its beginnings, more than three billion years ago, to the present day, fossils record how life adapted or disappeared in the face of major environmental challenges.
Paleontologists provide us with a unique vantage on modern climate change. They play an essential role in interpreting ancient environments, in reconstructing ancient oceans, continents and climates. Fossils provide key limitation on the climate models that are essential for predicting future climate change. And the fossil record gives important insights into how life will respond to predicted future climate conditions, because these have occurred before in Earth’s history.
In addition, paleontology has provided a fundamental contribution to human thought: the reality of species extinction and thus of a world that has dramatically changed over time. In documenting the history of life, paleontologists recognized that many extinction episodes could occur suddenly, such as the event 66 million years ago that ended the dinosaurs. The search for the causes of past mass extinctions started pioneering studies from across the scientific spectrum (科学界), focusing on potential future threats to humanity.
Not only do paleontologists know what happens to life when things go bad, they also know how long it takes for ecosystems and biodiversity to recover from these disasters, which can take far longer than modern humans have existed.
Paleontologists thus provide a unique perspective on the nature and future long-term ecological impact of the current human-produced biodiversity crisis, the so-called Sixth Extinction, and therefore the importance of protecting modern biodiversity. The very concept of a Sixth Extinction would not exist without paleontologists documenting the first five.
Paleontologists know that understanding life’s past is critical to anticipating and adapting to life’s and humanity’s future. Paleontology is important because it brings its unique and critical perspective to current challenges in climate change, biodiversity loss and the environment. Paleontologists can predict the future because they know the past.
1. The first two paragraphs are written to _______.| A．describe an event | B．raise a question |
| C．present an opinion | D．make a comparison |
| A．A positive effect. | B．A valuable suggestion. |
| C．A quick decision. | D．A comprehensive view. |
| A．Ecological recovery takes shorter than imagined. |
| B．Past lessons can help to predict the future threats. |
| C．Paleontologists can handle the biodiversity crisis. |
| D．Fossil studies focus on the causes of mass extinctions. |
| A．Paleontology: A Pioneering Study |
| B．Paleontology: A History Recorder |
| C．Paleontology Tells More About Nature Than Humans |
| D．Paleontology Is Far More Than New Fossil Discoveries |
3 . When the discovery of fossilized (化石的) footprints made in what’s now New Mexico was made public in 2021, it was an astonishing moment for archaeology (考古学), seemingly rewriting a chapter of the human story. Now new research is offering further evidence of their significance.
While they look like they could have been made yesterday, the footprints were pressed into mud 21,000 to 23,000 years ago, according to radiocarbon dating of the seeds of a water plant that were preserved above and below the fossils. This date dramatically pushed back the timeline of humans’ history in the Americas, the last land to be settled by prehistoric people. The 61 dated prints, which were discovered in the Tularosa Basin, near the edge of an ancient lake in White Sands National Park, were made at a time when many scientists think that massive ice sheets had stopped human passage into North America, indicating that humans arrived in the region even earlier.
However, some archaeologists questioned the age of the footprints established by those initial findings. They noted that water plants such as Ruppia cirrhosa — the one used in the 2021 study — can acquire carbon atoms from the water rather than the air, which can result in a misleadingly early date.
In a follow-up study published Thursday in the journal Science, researchers said they have produced two new lines of evidence to support their initial dates. “Even as the original work was being published, we were speeding up to test our results with multiple lines of evidence,” said Kathleen Springer, co-lead author on the new Science paper, in a news release. “We were confident in our original ages, as well as the strong evidence.”
When and how early humans first moved to the Americas has long been debated and remains poorly understood. Current estimates range from 13,000 years ago to more than 20,000 years ago. However, the earliest archaeological evidence for the region’s settlement is insufficient and often controversial, making the footprints especially important.
1. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．The purpose of the new research | B．The method of the dating |
| C．The significance of the footprints. | D．The efforts of the scientists |
| A．It goes against the prior knowledge. |
| B．The prints seem to be made recently. |
| C．The previous research method is improper. |
| D．The then massive ice sheets are misleading. |
| A．The doubt about the age of the footprints. |
| B．The new evidence of the fossilized footprints. |
| C．An agreement between the two sides of the debate. |
| D．Early humans hardship of moving to the Americas. |
| A．To explain the process of archaeological study. |
| B．To report the discovery of fossilized footprints. |
| C．To introduce a debate on the age of the footprints. |
| D．To present the progress of the footprint research. |
4 . More than 3,400 years after two ancient Egyptians were laid to rest, the jars of food left still smell sweet. A team of analytical chemists and archaeologists (考古学家) has analysed these smells to help identify the jars’ contents. The study shows how the exploration of smell can enrich our understanding of the past.
The 1906 discovery of the undisturbed tomb (墓穴) of Kha and Merit symbolized an important stage in Egyptology. The tomb remains the most complete non-royal ancient one ever found in Egypt, showing important information about how high-ranking individuals were treated after death.
Unusually for the time, the archaeologist who discovered the tomb resisted the temptation to open the sealed containers even after they were sent to the Egyptian Museum. The contents of many of these containers are still unknown, although there are some clues, says analytical chemist Ilaria Degano. “From taking with the museum keeper we knew there were some fruity smells in the display cases,” she says.
Degano and her colleagues placed various artefacts (人工制品) inside plastic bags for several days to collect some of the chemical substances they released. Then the team used a special machine to identify the components of the smells from each artefact. They found some chemicals associated with dried fish, and some chemicals common in fruits. The findings will feed into a larger project to reanalyse the tomb’s contents and produce a more comprehensive picture of burial customs for non-royals that existed when Kha and Merit died, about 70 years before Tutankhamun became the Egyptian ruler.
Aside from showing more about past civilizations, ancient smells could make museum visits more inviting. Usually, people admire exhibits with their eyes in museums. “Smell is a relatively unexplored gateway to the collective past for museum visitors,” says Cecilia Bembibre at University College London. “It has the potent alto allow us to experience the in a more emotional, personal way, through our nose.”
1. What can we describe the 1906 discovery of Kha and Merit’ tomb as?| A．A landmark in Egyptology. | B．A turning point in human history. |
| C．A breakthrough in archaeology. | D．A mirror of ancient non-royal life. |
| A．Pressure. | B．Ambition. | C．Desire. | D．Tendency. |
| A．protect them from harm | B．gather their smells |
| C．test the special machine | D．back up a larger project |
| A．They bring them back to the past. |
| B．They give them emotional support. |
| C．They change their view on civilizations. |
| D．They add to their experience. |
5 . New research confirms that human footprints found in New Mexico are probably the oldest direct evidence of human presence in the Americas, a finding that upends what many scientists knew about human habitation and migration (迁徙).
The footprints were discovered at the edge of an ancient lakebed in White Sands national park. According to the new paper published in the journal Science, they date back to between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago. Actually, the estimated age of the footprints was first reported in Science in 2021, but some researchers raised concerns about the dates. Questions focused on whether seeds of water plants used for the original dating may have absorbed ancient carbon from the lake — which could, in theory, throw off radiocarbon dating by thousands of years. But the new study presents two additional lines of evidence for the older date range. It uses two entirely different materials found at the site, ancient pollen (花粉) and stone grains.
The reported age of the footprints challenges the once conventional wisdom that humans did not reach the Americas until a few thousand years before rising sea levels covered the Bering land bridge between Russia and Alaska, perhaps about 15, 000 years ago. “This is a subject that's always been controversial because it's so significant. It's about how we understand the last chapter of the peopling of the world,” said Thomas Urban, an archaeologist (考古学家) at Comell University, who was involved in the 2021 study but not the new one.
Thomas Stafford, an independent archaeological geologist in New Mexico, who was not involved in the study, said he “was a bit suspicious before” but now is convinced. The new study isolated about 75, 000 grams of pure pollen from the same stone layer that contained the footprints. ‘Dating pollen is laborious but worthwhile,” said Kathleen Springer, a research geologist at the US Geological Survey and a co-author of the new paper.
Ancient footprints of any kind can provide archaeologists with a quick look of a moment in time. While some archeological sites in the Americas point to similar date ranges — including necklaces carved from giant animal remains in Brazil — scientists still question whether such objects really indicate human presence. “White Sands is unique because there's no question these footprints were left by people,” said Jennifer Raff, a scientist at the University of Kansas, who was not involved in the study.
1. The underlined word “upends” (paragraph 1) is closest in meaning to “_______”.
| A．comprises | B．connects | C．challenges | D．compares |
| A．It shows the footprints were made by the Russians. |
| B．It offers more convincing lines of evidence for dating. |
| C．It confirms that the ancient humans enjoyed living by the lake. |
| D．It reveals the footprints are much younger than previously thought. |
| A．necklaces are valuable objects for archaeologists to date animals |
| B．human footprints are often sure signs of human presence |
| C．ancient objects in Brazil are excluded from the study |
| D．White Sands is one important archaeological site |
| A．Scientists Discovers New Species of Humans in Americas |
| B．Humans Reached Americas 15, 000 Years Earlier Than Believed |
| C．American Archaeologists Unearthed Valuable Manmade Objects |
| D．New Research Confirms Early Human Presence in Americas |
6 . In 1968 a grave dating from about 1100 was uncovered near Hattula, in Finland, Little remained of the occupant’s skeleton, but the inhumation included two swords and a knife. Such grave goods would normally suggest said occupant was a man. The skeleton was,
This would be noteworthy enough. But a re-examination of the remains, just published in the European Journal of Archaeology by Ulla Moilanen of the University of Turku and Elina Salmela of the University of Helsinki, suggests the truth may be yet more
In 1968 working out the
Most people have two sex chromosomes (染色体): XX in women and XY in men. Find DNA from a Y-chromosome in a skeleton and the chances are the body was
Having an abnormal number of sex chromosomes is rare, but not vanishingly so. The particular
While Dr Salmela was working all this out, Ms. Moilanen and her team had another look at the grave. They confirmed that it was a
| A．therefore | B．what’s more | C．nevertheless | D．for instance |
| A．intensified | B．confirmed | C．dismissed | D．encouraged |
| A．complicated | B．engaging | C．unpleasant | D．frightening |
| A．in question | B．at large | C．by comparison | D．with doubt |
| A．composition | B．age | C．sex | D．origin |
| A．distinct | B．unidentified | C．alike | D．broken |
| A．female | B．old | C．young | D．male |
| A．cooperation | B．authority | C．institute | D．adventure |
| A．restored | B．extra | C．missing | D．dominant |
| A．requirement | B．interest | C．combination | D．emphasis |
| A．inspirations | B．lessons | C．inferences | D．comparisons |
| A．eliminate | B．monitor | C．imitate | D．generate |
| A．rejected | B．concluded | C．recalled | D．confessed |
| A．high-status | B．secret | C．religious | D．peaceful |
| A．conclusion | B．evidence | C．respect | D．solution |
7 . In Central America, scientists have made some recent discoveries about the ancient Maya people. These findings show that the Maya developed their civilization centuries earlier than experts thought. While Europe was still in the midst of the Dark Ages, these Maya had charted the heavens, evolved the only true writing system native to the Americas and were masters of mathematics and calendar. Without advantage of metal tools, beasts of burden or even the wheel, they were able to construct vast cities. Their legacy in stone, which has survived in an impressive fashion at places, lives on as do the seven million descendants (后嗣) of the classic Maya civilization.
Scientists have made some recent discoveries about the ancient Maya people. Experts call the time between the year 250 and the year 1900 the Classic Maya Period. It was a period of great civilization. Until now, scientists think that earlier Maya people were simple farmers. The discoveries show that they used writing, drew pictures and built complex structures. Three separate teams made the discoveries in the rainforest of Guatemala (危地马拉).
Scientists have found some things they say are more than 2000 years old. For example, a team found two masks inside the main pyramid in a city. These masks are three meters tall. They are cut in the image of a sun god. The Maya used the pyramid as a temple. The masks may have been a part of ceremonies led by a king.
At Waka, scientists found the burial place of a woman they think was a Maya queen. They believe she ruled more than 1,200 years ago. Her bones were lying on a stone table. Many jewels surrounded her remains. The team also found pieces of green stone that appeared to be the remains of the kind of war helmet worn by rulers. Scientists say the discovery will help them understand how Maya women shared power with men. Not many burial places of important royal women have been found. Also in northern Guatemala, scientists found a stone showing an 8th-century king playing a game of ball with visiting rulers. It is the third such stone found at the city of Cancuen. They also found large pieces of stone with writing and pictures of leaders. A Guatemalan expert called it one of the greatest masterpieces of Maya art ever discovered in Guatemala.
1. How is the text organized?| A．Supporting examples—Argument—Explanation. |
| B．Opinion—Discussion—Important description |
| C．Main idea—Conclusion—Supporting examples |
| D．Introduction—Supporting examples—Comparison |
| A．Maya people lived a simple life in Guatemala in the midst of the Dark Ages |
| B．The Maya developed their civilization centuries earlier than experts thought |
| C．Maya people succeeded in their legacy from generation to generation |
| D．The classic Maya civilization that their ancestors created is attractive |
| A．Two masks inside the main pyramid in a city |
| B．A burial place of a woman |
| C．A stone showing an 8th-century king |
| D．Large pieces of stone with writing and pictures of leaders |
| A．Earlier Development of Maya | B．The Greatest Discovery |
| C．A Research on Maya | D．A Scientific Adventure |
8 . A Chinese coin found in a Hampshire field suggests that medieval (中世纪) trade between England and the Far East was more extensive than previously thought, a historian has said.
The coin of the Northern Song dynasty dates from 1008-1016, but is of a type that remained in wide use in China for several hundred years.
It is the second Chinese coin found in a medieval context in England and experts said that its discovery added weight to the idea that the two coins were genuine medieval losses and not dropped by modern collectors.
The coin was found by a detectorist near Petersfield and about 20 miles from the only other Chinese work of art from medieval England: a piece of blue and white porcelain (瓷器) from a small cup or bowl, which could be placed in Winchester in the 14th century.
Caitlin Green, a historian at the University of Cambridge, suggested in a blog that the coin might have been brought to England at about the same time as the porcelain.
She said the finds of this coin and another Northern Song dynasty coin of 1066-77, unearthed in Cheshire, suggest the Winchester porcelain may have been part of the objects from the Far East in the 14th century rather than a one-off. This was centuries before imports of Chinese goods became widespread in the 1600s, but about the same time as Chinese pottery is known to have been owned by royals in France and Italy.
The history of Chinese goods in Britain goes back further, however, with rich Roman Britons known to have bought Chinese silk.
Dr Green said that goods from China would have reached England over several stages by way of the Middle East and Italy.
1. What can be learned about the two Chinese coins mentioned in the passage?| A．They were unearthed at the same site. |
| B．They were believed to have arrived at England in the 1300s. |
| C．They were found to have been owned by royals in France and Italy. |
| D．They were dropped by modern collectors. |
| A．something that doesn’t happen regularly |
| B．something that doesn’t happen only once |
| C．something that happens on a small scale |
| D．something that happens unexpected |
| A．Chinese coin hints at vast medieval trade route |
| B．Coins and white porcelain trace back to ancient China |
| C．Chinese silk points at a lasting England-China relationship |
| D．History of Chinese goods in Britain has been redefined |
9 . A previously hidden corridor buried deep in the 4500-year-old Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt has been mapped in detail for the first time-and researchers have also taken a glimpse inside using tiny camera called endoscopic camera (内窥镜照相机).
The corridor was first discovered in 2016,but researchers didn’t want to damage the monument to gain access. The pyramid is the only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world still standing, and was, for millennia, the world’s tallest human-made structure at 146 metres. It was built around 2560 BC during the reign of the pharaoh (法老) Khufu.
Using a technique called cosmic-ray muon radiography (宇宙射线μ子成像), an international team of researchers was able to certify that the corridor was 9metres long, with across section of about 2 metres by 2 metres.
Cosmic-ray muon radiography tracks the level of muons (μ介子) passing through the pyramid. In the technique, researchers use muon detectors which are placed at various points around the monument. Muons are partially absorbed by the stone used to build the pyramids, which means the method allows researchers to identify cavities (洞) inside the structure.
This approach has been used to map the internal structures of pyramids since 1971,when it was first used at Giza. Using their precise map of the corridor, the researchers identified an opportunity.
“We knew the cavity was there, but of course it’s totally different when you see it,“ says Procureur. “We felt strange when we saw this.” Still, Procureur was glad of one thing. “It’s a controversial opinion, but I’m relieved the cavity was empty. I wouldn’t have liked to participate in opening a tomb.”
1. Why didn’t the researchers want to damage the monument to gain access to the corridor?| A．Because it is the world’s tallest structure. |
| B．Because it is the largest pyramid in the world. |
| C．Because it was built around 2560 AD during the reign of the pharaoh Khufu. |
| D．Because it is the only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world still standing. |
| A．Confirm. | B．Imagine. | C．Approach. | D．Reach. |
| A．It was first used at Giza in 1917. |
| B．It tracks the size of muons passing through the pyramid. |
| C．It has been used to map the external structures of pyramids. |
| D．It allows researchers to identify cavities inside the structure. |
| A．There was nothing in the cavity. |
| B．The corridor was the same as previously thought. |
| C．Procureur was interested in participating in opening a tomb. |
| D．The cavity used to be the tomb of the pharaoh Khufu. |
| A．In Anhui Province. | B．In Shanxi Province. |
| C．In Shandong Province. | D．In Hubei Province. |
| A．When he was building a house. |
| B．When he was digging a tomb in the fields. |
| C．When he was digging a channel to place pipes for tap water. |
| D．When he was cleaning his yard. |
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
