1 . Lisa St. Coeur Cormier, a high school science teacher in Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada, found a tree root. When she took a closer look, she found the shape was very strange. She realized it wasn’t a tree root though it shared the same color. She felt it was hard to break and noticed an impression of bones of what looked like some kind of animal.
Cormier sent a photo of the find to Laura MacNeil who used her knowledge in this field to confirm that what Cormier had seen really was a fossil (化石). MacNeil runs tours of sites where prehistoric fossils have been found and also helps people identify fossils. She visited the site of Cormier’s find to take more photos of it.
MacNeil contacted John Calder, a scientist, who examined the fossil and led a team of scientists to study it. John Calder said it could be as much as 300 million years old. He said it’s probably from a reptile (爬行动物) of some kind — likely one that is unknown to scientists. Scientists spent 5.5 hours carefully digging out the fossil from the ground so they could study it more in-depth and find out exactly what kind of animal it is. That research could take a year or more.
“This is an important discovery here on Prince Edward Island. It is the second of the only two articulated skeletons (关节相连的骨头) found on PEI,” Laura MacNeil said. “This creature lived about 300 million years ago. This find tells us there is a great possibility for future scientifically important fossils that could be discovered on PEI. It will lead to more researchers paying a visit.”
1. How might Cormier feel when looking at the root carefully?| A．Satisfied. | B．Surprised. | C．Concerned. | D．Proud. |
| A．The scientists will have a detailed study on the fossil. |
| B．The scientists have identified the species of the fossil. |
| C．The scientists will keep the fossil under the ground. |
| D．The scientists discovered the first articulated skeleton. |
| A．Its long history. | B．Its wide popularity. |
| C．Its scientific value. | D．Its economic importance. |
| A．A scientist’s research on fossils | B．PEI is attracting more researchers |
| C．Cormier’s unforgettable tour in PEI | D．A science teacher discovered a fossil |
2 . The city of Pompeii is a partially buried Roman towncity near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania. Along with Herculaneum, Pompeii was partially destroyed and buried under 4 m to 6 m of ash in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
By the 1st century AD, Pompeii was one of a number of towns located near the base of the volcano, Mount Vesuvius. The area had a large population which grew prosperous(繁荣的) from the region’s agricultural fertility(丰产). Many of Pompeii’s neighboring communities also suffered damage or destruction during the 79 AD eruption. The eruption occurred on August 24.
A study of the eruption products and victims indicated that at Vesuvius and surrounding towns heat was the main cause of death of people, previously believed to have died by ash suffocation(窒息). The results of the study, published in 2010, show that exposure to at least 250 ℃ hot surges at a distance of 10 kilometres from the vent(出口) was sufficient to cause instant death, even if people were sheltered within buildings.
In 1748, a farmer called Andre and his brother dug a cupboard made of metal. To their surprise, there are a lot of dissolved jewelry and ancient money in it.
This news took air. The farmers were thinking of the legend of disappeared Pompeii that ancestors told them. So, many archaeologists, historians, and even treasure hunters swarmed(蜂拥) there. In 1876, Italy government agreed with experts to dig the Pompeii out. Through a hundred years’ working, they dug the Pompeii out completely.
The historian Vanya said, “What a horrifying scene! Many people died when they are dormant(休眠的), and some people died behind the door of home. They were raising their hands and breathing ...”
Compared with nature, human seems small and weak. We don’t have enough power to compete with nature, so we should respect nature and protect the environment to lessen disasters.
1. What did the people of Pompeii depend on for a living?| A．Industry. | B．Agriculture. |
| C．Hunting. | D．Business. |
| A．Ash suffocation. | B．Lack of shelters. |
| C．Extreme heat. | D．Starvation. |
| A．Spread. | B．Disappeared. |
| C．Increased. | D．Reduced. |
| A．To compete with nature. | B．To fight against disasters. |
| C．To protect our surroundings. | D．To research on nature. |
3 . Two thousand years ago, the ancient Roman city of Caesarea had the largest harbor on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It was a wonder of engineering for its time. Then disaster struck. Written records say a huge wave destroyed the harbor. What kind of wave caused it? Did it ally happen? No one had ever found the evidence of the wave... until now.
Dr Goodman is part of a team of scientists studying samples at Caesarea to figure out what happened in the past. A sample is taken by striking a tube into the seafloor. When the tube is pulled up, it contains sediments (沉淀物) that have collected on the seafloor for hundreds or thousands of years. Looking down through the mixture of sand, stones and other sediments is like looking back in time.
That’s what Dr. Goodman was doing when she found something astonishing. It was a layer (层) of shells — all came from the time the harbor was destroyed. Dr. Goodman knew this shell layer had a story to tell.
Usually, shells are part of the mixture of sediments collected on the seafloor. A shell layer is as thin as your finger. Yet Dr. Goodman was staring at a layer nearly 1 meter thick! Almost all the shells were broken.
The thick layer of broken shells meant a sudden, powerful event swept these shells into the area. The broken shells were evidence that a huge wave really did destroy the harbor. Dr. Goodman could even tell the direction of the wave from the way the shells lined up.
Here’s what Dr. Goodman thinks happened. First, an earthquake struck north of Caesarea along the coast. Energy from the movement of rock during the earthquake caused a tsunami. This huge wave raced across the sand and kicked up shells along the way and broke them into pieces. Finally, the wave crashed into the harbor and destroyed it.
Dr. Goodman plans to gather evidence for other ancient tsunamis along the Mediterranean coast. This will help her predict what areas are likely to be struck by future tsunamis. Then people can avoid building in these areas.
1. What can be learned about the Caesarea harbor?| A．It was the largest in the world. |
| B．It was destroyed by a tsunami. |
| C．It is a mystery whether it existed. |
| D．It is studied by many engineers now. |
| A．By studying underwater. | B．By analyzing the mixture. |
| C．By digging for ancient shells. | D．By collecting sediments in a tube. |
| A．The direction of the wave. | B．The diversity of sediments. |
| C．The way the shells lined up. | D．The thick layer of broken shells. |
| A．Shells Tell the Story | B．Scientists Predict Disasters |
| C．Underwater Clues for Future | D．Sea Exploration of Mediterranean |
4 . The famous Sanxingdui (三星堆) Ruins site, dating back at least 4,600 years, is located in the city of Guanghan in Sichuan province, about 60 kilometers from Chengdu, the provincial capital. It is believed to be relics of the Shu Kingdom, which survived for over 2, 000 years.
The site was accidentally discovered by a farmer in the late1920s. From November 2019 to May 2020, Chinese archaeologists (考古学家) discovered six new sacrificial pits (祭祀坑) at the Sanxingdui Ruins, namely Pit No.3 to Pit No.8. After months of continuous digging at that time, more than 500 important treasures dating back to around 3,000 years were discovered. So far, archaeologists have discovered masses of important cultural items from six of the pits, including pieces of gold masks, gold foil, bronze masks, bronze trees and large numbers of ivories. The rest of the newly discovered pits are still being dug up.
“Surprisingly, we have found some never-heard-of-before bronze items,” said Lei Yu, from the Sichuan Archaeology Research Institute. “For instance, some large and well-made bronze items have strange-looking dragon or cow designs on them.”
In another major discovery, relics of silk products were found for the first time at Sanxingdui, which shows “the ancient Shu Kingdom was one of the important starts of silk in ancient China”, according to Tang Fei, head of the digging team.
The Sanxingdui Ruins site is regarded as one of the world's greatest archaeological findings of the 20th century, attracting millions of visitors from home and abroad now.
1. Who first discovered the Sanxingdui Ruins site?| A．A farmer | B．Archaeologists | C．Lei Yu | D．Tang Fei |
| A．There are only six sacrificial pits. |
| B．Totally there are 500 treasures discovered. |
| C．All the pits in Sanxingdui Ruins have been dug up. |
| D．Sanxingdui Ruins site has a history of at least 4, 600 years. |
| A．Chinese civilization was widely influential. |
| B．Ancient Shu Kingdom was also the home of silk. |
| C．Chinese silk has a much longer history than known. |
| D．Shu Kingdom belonged to China since ancient times. |
| A．The Origin of Shu Culture. | B．Tourism at Sanxingdui Ruins. |
| C．A Discovery of Silk Products. | D．New Discoveries at Sanxingdui Ruins. |
Archaeologists unearthed a relics site
Authorities worked
Cui Junjun, one of the
On the north bank of Fuxian Lake in Chengjiang County, Yunnan Province sits a straw-hat-shaped mountain
Scientists have obtained a large number of research results on Chengjiang Fossil Site. The reason why Chengjiang fauna (动物群) is
Up to now, more than 20 phyla and more than 280 species
The UNESCO evaluation says the Chengjiang Fossil Site is one of the
7 . 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. |
8 . How far back does your family tree go? A hundred years? A thousand years? What about 6 to 7 million years?
An ancient skull (颅骨) found in Africa suggests that the human family might be that old. Discovered in 2001 in the desert of Chad, the skull was nicknamed Toumai by scientists. Toumai is a rare find. The skull is nearly complete and it even includes a few teeth. The Toumai skull is estimated to be between 6 and 7 million years old. Scientists are debating whether the skull is linked to humans.
The finding is not without controversy. Some scientists think that Toumai is the oldest known hominid (人科), or primitive human ancestor, ever found. Others say Toumai is an ape. Most hominids that scientists are aware of lived millions of years after Toumai. The most famous one is called Lucy. She lived in Ethiopia about 3.5 million years ago. While Lucy’s face looked like the face of a chimpanzee, Toumai’s skull has both human and ape-like features. Because Toumai’s skull looks different from other hominid skulls, some scientists think Toumai represents a whole new species.
Scientists were surprised to find a human-like face on a skull as old as Toumai’s. They thought hominids turned into humans step by step overtime. Scientists marked those changes on a timeline starting with a chimpanzee-like ancestor and ending with modern humans. Toumai’s human-like face and chimp-sized brain suggest that the development of hominids was not so simple. There may not be a direct line leading from Toumai to Lucy to us. Instead, the timeline might be like a tree with lots of branches. Different species in different places could have evolved human-like features at different times.
Scientists aren’t sure where exactly Toumai belongs on our family tree. Toumai could be like a great-great grandfather or just a distant cousin. Toumai could also be one of many types of hominids who wandered Earth millions of years ago.
1. What can be inferred about the skull found in Africa?| A．It is connected with humans. | B．It was named after a scientist. |
| C．It may be the oldest chimpanzee. | D．It is almost complete and unusual. |
| A．Promotion. | B．Cooperation. | C．Argument. | D．Prospect. |
| A．They evolved in various ways. | B．They developed like a tree with branches. |
| C．They followed a direct line from Lucy to us. | D．They had similar features in different places. |
| A．Toumai is probably the primitive human ancestor. |
| B．A skull has an ape-like face and a human-like brain. |
| C．How does Toumai skull fit into the human family tree? |
| D．How did a species evolve human-like features overtime? |
Have you heard of Lake Titicaca? It is the largest lake in South America in terms of water volume and surface area,
The life of the ancient people who once lived around the lake and whose culture was thought to be highly
“The scientists have not yet had the opportunity
The research team has so far this year made more than 200 dives into water 30 meters deep. During these dives, they have been recording
10 . 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. |
| 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. |
| A．Excited. | B．Confused. | C．Annoyed. | D．Satisfied. |
| 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. |
