3 . Born into poverty on 21 May 1799, Mary Anning had to work hard from a young age. Her parents had 10 children, of whom only two survived childhood --- Mary and her elder brother Joseph. Mary’s own survival was said by her parents to be a wonder. At the age of 15 months, a sudden rainstorm hit the shelter, where Mary, her babysitter, and two children stayed. A lightning strike killed them all except Mary.
She didn’t have formal education and was only taught to read at a Sunday school. Raised in the seaside holiday village of Lyme Regis in Dorset, Mary and Joseph made a living by selling fossils to holidaymakers at their father’s waterfront booth.
Her life changed in 1811 when Joseph noticed bones mixed together with rock. Unknown to them, this was the first ever discovery of an ichthyosaurus ( 鱼 龙 ), a marine lizard from the Triassic period. Anning noted down every find she made, and after failing to find any new fossils for over a year, in 1821 she made her next discovery, digging up three more ichthyosaur skeletons. This was followed two years later by an even more impressive find --- a complete plesiosaur(蛇颈龙). This was so extraordinary that many leading scientists declared it a counterfeit, unwilling to believe that an uneducated 24-year-old could find such remarkable remains. Additionally, society at the time was highly religious and many rejected these discoveries as they conflicted with the teachings of the Bible.
Despite the setback, Anning continued to make more shocking revelations. Anning also dug up fossilized shit, which made experts know the diets of prehistoric creatures. But her biggest find of all was the first complete skeleton of a pterosaur in 1828.
All of Mary Anning’s discoveries helped influence the study of paleontology(古生物学) as scientists began to take an increased interest in fossilized animals and plants. Her work also encouraged people to question the history of the Earth in more detail and encouraged girls and those from poor backgrounds by proving that they could succeed in scientific study, a profession mainly controlled by wealthy upper-class men.
1. What can we learn about Mary Anning from the first two paragraphs?
| A．It was not easy for her to survive. |
| B．She didn’t experience the lightning strike. |
| C．She didn’t get basic knowledge about science. |
| D．It was impossible for her to find a job outside. |
2. What does the underlined word “counterfeit” in Paragraph 3 mean?
| A．Something not needed. |
| B．Something not valuable. |
| C．Something not authentic. |
| D．Something not beneficial. |
3. Anning’s findings of fossilized shit helped ________.
| A．her get international fame |
| B．make her become more professional |
| C．experts better understand prehistoric creatures |
| D．convince the leading scientists of her discovery |
4. The last paragraph mainly wants to show ________.
| A．the process of her findings |
| B．the significance of her discoveries |
| C．the discoveries of fossilized animals |
| D．the background of her scientific study |
