Located in Guanghan city of Southwest China’s Sichuan Province and covering an area of 12 square kilometers. Sanxingdui Site is the remains of the ancient Shu culture, which dates back
In fact, as a cultural site,, Sanxingdui had come into the notice of archaeologists in as early as the 1930s, and
After sleeping for 3,000 years, their awakening has shocked the world. When our eyes
2 . A new four-legged whale species was recently discovered by a team of researchers in Egypt. The fossil which was encased in a tomb of rock dates back to over 43 million years ago!
This ancient creature had four functional legs, so it could dwell on both land and in water. Ironically, Egypt’s Fayum Depression, the desert where the fossil was discovered, was an ocean millions of years ago.
Researchers believe this fossil is an example from an era when land animals were adapting to marine life. Modern whales evolved from deer-like land mammals over the course of millions of years, and this unique whale could travel across land and swim in the ocean.
The new species is named Phiomicetus Anubis because the whale’s skull resembles the Egyptian jackal-headed god of death, Anubis. Scientists have also been able to recover the whale’s partial skeleton. They inferred that the ancient whale was about three meters in length and weighed 1,300 pounds. The mammal had a long mouthful of teeth, which indicated that it fed on smaller mammals and other sea life.
After analyzing the remains at Mansoura University in the Nile River Delta, scientists supposed that P. Anubis is the oldest semi-aquatic whale species found in Africa. Although the fossil itself was discovered thirteen years ago, researchers just completed the analysis and made the exciting announcement of a new species. Other whale fossils with legs have been found before, but the P. Anubis is the earliest, of its kind found in Africa.
1. Where did the researchers find the fossil?| A．In the India Ocean. | B．On the Rock Islands. |
| C．In the Fayum Depression. | D．In the Nile River Delta. |
| A．Its weight. | B．Its length. | C．Its teeth. | D．Its legs. |
| A．The study of Phiomicetus Anubis is time-consuming. |
| B．The analysis of Phiomicetus Anubis has a long way to go. |
| C．Phiomicetus Anubis is the oldest mammal found in Africa. |
| D．Phiomicetus Anubis is the world’s largest semi-aquatic whale species. |
German and Kurdish researchers have discovered an ancient city by the Tigris River. The city
A team for rescue excavations was put together within days. They were
When it comes to ancient civilizations, most people think of the Greeks and Romans. It’s understandable as both
The Jiahu settlement is located in the central plain of ancient China,
The settlement’s end came around 5700 BCE when the nearby rivers overflowed and flooded the area. It is assumed that the Jiahu people left their home
Chinese cultural relic authorities on Thursday revealed some new discoveries from the mysterious Sanxingdui Ruins in Sichuan Province.
Meanwhile,
Totally; the archaeologists(考古学家)
6 . A child’s tooth discovered from a French cave has revealed the earliest evidence of humans—Homo sapiens (智人)—living in western Europe. The discovery of the molar from Grotte Mandrin in southern France, along with hundreds of stone tools dating back about 54.000 years ago, suggests that early humans lived in Europe about 10.000 years earlier than archaeologists had previously thought.
What’s more, the Homo sapiens’ tooth was sandwiched between layers of Neanderthal remains, showing that the two groups of humans coexisted in the region. These findings challenge the opinion that the arrival of Homo sapiens in Europe caused the extinction of Neanderthals, who lived in Europe and parts of Asia for about 300,000 years before disappearing.
“We’ve often thought that the arrival of modern humans in Europe led to the pretty rapid death of Neanderthals, but this new evidence suggests that both the appearance of modern humans in Europe and disappearance of Neanderthals is much more complex than that,” said study coauthor Chris stringer, a professor and research leader in human evolution at the Natural History Museum in London.
It’s the first time archaeologists have found evidence of alternating (交替) groups of Homo sapiens and Neanderthals living in the same place, and they took turns rapidly, even abruptly, at least twice, according to the study that published in the journal science Advances on Wednesday. Previously, the arrival of early humans in Europe was dated to between 43,000 and 45,000 years ago, according to remains found in Italy and Bulgaria—not long before the last surviving Neanderthal remains dating back 40,000 to 42,000 years ago were found. Humans and Neanderthals, who we know from genetic analysis encountered one another and had babies, resulting in Neanderthal traces in our DNA, overlapped (重叠) for a much longer period in Europe, this study suggests.
1. What does the underlined word “molar” mean?| A．Cave. | B．Tooth. | C．stone. | D．Human. |
| A．Neanderthals could date back to 300,000 years ago. |
| B．Neanderthals once lived in Europe and Africa. |
| C．Homo sapiens and Neanderthals once lived together. |
| D．Homo sapiens led to the disappearance of Neanderthals. |
| A．People should analyze the loss of Neanderthals carefully. |
| B．Modern humans in Europe led to the death of Neanderthals. |
| C．Homo sapiens in Europe made Neanderthals extinct. |
| D．The new evidence shows the process of human evolution. |
| A．They lived in the same place at the same time. |
| B．They treated each other as the enemies. |
| C．They had some sort of complicated relations. |
| D．They lived in Italy and Bulgaria 40,000 to 42,000 years ago. |
7 . In the late 1930s, a collection of 14 gold Roman coins, known as the Chapipi treasure, was also found in the same woodlands. The researchers believe that local people may have buried their coins to keep them safe during a period of intense political instability in the region. The most recent coin in the newly-discovered Grado collection dates to A.D. 430, which was after the Suebi — a group of Germanic people originally from modern-day Germany and the Czech Republic — pushed the Romans out of Spain in A.D. 409, according to El Pais.
What does the underlined word “them” refer to in Paragraph 4?
| A．The Romans. | B．The coins. | C．The woodlands. | D．The researchers. |
8 . While most people don’t think much about garbage, trash (垃圾) is beloved by archaeologist (考古学家). A favorite site for study is a midden (贝丘), an old trash or garbage heap (堆). A midden might contain damaged stone or metal items, which tell us about the weapons and tools people used. Softer materials such as wood, cloth, leather, and baskets are sometimes preserved. They may tell us what people wore, how they carried things, or the kind of toys used by children. Historic household trash heaps often contain broken pottery pieces and even traces of the food they once held.
Most people no longer keep a trash heap by the kitchen door. Instead, garbage is hauled off to landfills (垃圾填埋池). These landfills can still attract archaeologists. The Garbage Project collected information from landfills from 1987 to 1995. Student archaeologists measured tons of garbage from 15 landfills across the United States and Canada. This garbology, the study of garbage, research led to a better understanding of how people have changed what they consume during this period of time. The findings also led to a better awareness of how quickly various items rot. This helped with city planning for garbage disposal and recycling efforts.
Some found objects that may clearly be of archaeological interest, such as arrowheads and spear points. It is typically against the law to collect these on public lands, so they should be left in place. If you take a photo and note the location, you can notify the state archaeologist or the government branch that is in charge of the land, such as the National Park Service or the Bureau of Land Management.
Everyone is responsible for protecting archaeological resources, which is a concept known as “archaeological stewardship.” Sometimes this even means protecting old garbage.
1. Why is old trash important according to archaeologists?| A．It can teach us about the past. |
| B．It might help us locate metal mines. |
| C．It can contribute to modern material industry. |
| D．It might encourage us to protect our environment. |
| A．They conducted a study on modern trash. |
| B．They recycled waste from some landfills. |
| C．They offered some creative city planning ideas. |
| D．They compared ancient trash heaps with modern landfills. |
| A．Donate it to public collections. |
| B．Take it to proper authorities. |
| C．Leave it in a safe place. |
| D．Mark the place of it. |
| A．Past or Future? | B．Trash or Treasure? |
| C．Protection of Damage? | D．Problem or Resource? |
9 . A hungry badger (獾) searching for food seems to have uncovered what turned out to be hundreds of Roman coins in a Spanish cave, according to a new study.
Archaeologists (考古学家) first discovered several coins laying on the ground at the entrance to a small cave in the woodlands outside Grado in northern Spain in April 2021. The researchers suspect that the coins were unearthed by a badger from a nearby den (兽窝) after a heavy snow which made it harder for animals to find food. The hungry badger probably got into the cave looking for food but came across the coins instead.
After fully exploring the cave, researchers collected 209 coins dating to between the third and fifth centuries A.D. “To date, this is the largest amount of Roman coins found in n cave in northern Spain,” the researchers wrote in their paper. They described the discovery as an “exceptional find”.
In the late 1930s, a collection of 14 gold Roman coins, known as the Chapipi treasure, was also found in the same woodlands. The researchers believe that local people may have buried their coins to keep them safe during a period of intense political instability in the region. The most recent coin in the newly-discovered Grado collection dates to A.D. 430, which was after the Suebi—a group of Germanic people originally from modern-day Germany and the Czech Republic—pushed the Romans out of Spain in A.D. 409, according to El Pais.
The researchers suspect that the newly-discovered coins are part of a vaster treasure and will return to the cave for further exploration to look for more coins and evidence that the cave may also have been the home of displaced Roman people. “We want to know if it was a one-off hiding place, or if there was a group of humans living there,” lead researcher Alfonso Fanjul Peraza told El Pais.
1. Where did the researchers find the first few coins in 2021?| A．Near a Spanish cave. | B．On a Spanish playground. |
| C．At the entrance to a woodland. | D．In a badger’s den. |
| A．It’s dangerous. | B．It’s timely. | C．It’s meaningless. | D．It’s unusual. |
| A．The Romans. | B．The coins. | C．The woodlands. | D．The researchers. |
| A．More information may be revealed by the coins. |
| B．The ancient Roman people had a unique lifestyle. |
| C．The researchers doubt the former guess of the coins. |
| D．The researchers will return the coins to the Roman people. |
10 . Scientists have uncovered a fast-food eatery (餐馆) in the ancient Roman town of Pompeii. The remains help with the understanding of foods of Pompeii’s citizens.
About 80 such fast-food eateries have been found at Pompeii. But the latest find means this is the first time such a hot-food-drink eatery—known as a thermopolium—has been completely unearthed. Pompeii was destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Part of the fast-food counter was dug up in 2019 during work to shore up Pompeii’s ruins.
Since then, archaeologists (考古学家) have kept digging, uncovering a multi-sided-counter, with typical wide holes on its top, not unlike these for soup containers put into modern-day salad bars. The front of the counter included works of art showing ducks and chickens. The images brightened the eatery and also likely advertised food. Another image of a dog with a rope around its neck may remind people to keep pets tied up.
Early studies confirm “how the painted works represent, at least in part, the foods and drinks effectively sold inside”, said Valeria Amoretti, an anthropologist at Pompeii. Amoretti noted small pieces of duck bones were found in a food container. Remains of goats, pigs, and fish were also found. At the bottom of a wine container were remains of ground fava beans.
Massimo Osanna added, “We know what they were eating that day.” He was talking about the day of Pompeii’s destruction. The food remains are examples of “what’s popular with the common folk”. He added that wealthy Romans did not eat at such street-food businesses. Successful restaurant owners know that a good location is important for business. Osanna noted that right outside the eatery was a small square with a fountain. Another thermopolium was nearby.
1. What can we know about the fast-food eatery?| A．It was the only thermopolium at Pompeii. | B．It was dug up by accident at the beginning. |
| C．It once was one of the most popular eateries. | D．It was the first hot-food-drink eatery unearthed. |
| A．They helped to beautify the countertop area. | B．The volcanic eruption damaged the counter. |
| C．They were used to hold containers for hot food. | D．Food could be stored for a longer time with them. |
| A．Reminders. | B．Decorations. | C．Records. | D．Advertisements. |
| A．The eatery reveals the locals’ dining preference. | B．Ancient Romans liked eating at eateries. |
| C．Street-food business was rare in ancient Rome. | D．Food of Pompeii’s citizens was similar to today’s. |
