1 . Some 30, 000 years ago, artists who lived in caves in Europe painted pictures of the animals around them.The paintings were highly realistic. Some even showed movement．The artwork is considered the oldest group of human cave drawings that have ever been discovered. The drawings were created tens of thousands of years ago before human history was written. They were preserved because the cave was closed off for more or less 23,000 years．
Fast forward to December 18, 1994, a group of French cave scientists were exploring caves in southern France. Jean-Marie Chauvet, who led the group then, described the process of discovering the cave paintings.“At that time I was in the front, Eliette just walked behind me, Christian behind．Eliette said she saw two marks made with red ochre and she said, ‘They came here.’ And at this very moment everything began. The drawings and everything were linked to the parietal art. That is where it started.” Cave art expert Jean Clottes reviewed the paintings．“I was amazed at the number of paintings there and their quality.”
The Chauvet Cave has been named after the explorer who first entered it. However, its environment and drawings are too fragile to be visited by human beings. So the cave is closed, and only people there for scientific purposes can go inside and see the artwork.
However, French authorities asked experts to create an exact copy of the cave, called the Pont d’Arc Cavern. The copy cost more than 59 million dollars to build．Pascal Terrasse is the president of the cave. He says everyone will be able to experience the thrill of looking at drawings made by the first humans in Europe. He says the place is magic because it is done so well.
1. Who is the first scientist to enter the cave?| A．Christian. | B．Eliette. |
| C．Jean Clottes. | D．Jean-Marie Chauvet. |
| A．Elegant and abstract. | B．Vivid and superior. |
| C．Complicated and creative. | D．Delicate and colourful. |
| A．It was closed off for some 30, 000 years. |
| B．It’s the origin of modern parietal art. |
| C．The artwork is very easy to damage. |
| D．No one is given access to it now. |
| A．To show admiration for early artists in Europe. |
| B．To arouse visitors’ awareness of protecting art. |
| C．To offer visitors chances to enjoy the artwork. |
| D．To collect money for preserving the cave. |
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