1 . Archaeologists in Egypt have unearthed a Sphinx statue (狮身人面像) with a smiley face near the Hathor Temple, one of the country’s best preserved ancient sites. The smiling Sphinx is much smaller than the famous Sphinx in Giza, which is 20 metres high. The stone work of art, believed to be a stylized representation of an ancient Roman emperor, was found inside a two-level tomb near the temple in southern Egypt.
Next to the beautifully and accurately carved Sphinx, researchers had found a Roman stone written in hieroglyph (象形文字). Once fully translated, the stone may unveil the identity of the sculpted ruler, who could be Emperor Claudius.
The smiling Sphinx is among a series of discoveries announced over the past few months. The country has uncovered major archaeological discoveries in recent months, primarily in the Saqqara cemetery (墓地) south of Cairo as well as in Giza, home to the only surviving structure of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Recently, Egypt announced the discovery of a hidden nine-metre passage inside the Great Pyramid of Giza, which may lead to the actual burial room of pharaoh (法老) Khufu, or Cheops. Further south, in Luxor, archaeologists had discovered a 1,800-year-old complete residential city from the Roman times.
Hathor Temple, about 500 kilometres south of the capital Cairo, was home to the Dendera Zodiac, a heavenly map which has been displayed at the Louvre in Paris for more than a century. Since Frenchman Sebastien Louis Saulnier took it out of the temple in 1922, Egypt has been attempting to get it back.
Some experts see such announcements as having more political and economic weight than scientific, as Egypt is counting on tourism to revive its vital tourism industry in a severe economic crisis. The government aims to draw in 30 million tourists a year by 2028.
1. What do we know about the smiling Sphinx?| A．Its owner was confirmed as an ancient Roman ruler. |
| B．It has been the best-preserved Sphinx till now. |
| C．It is as high as 20 metres like the Sphinx of Giza. |
| D．It was discovered close to the Hathor Temple. |
| A．Reveal. |
| B．Seek. |
| C．Deny. |
| D．Maintain. |
| A．The diversity of cultural relics in Egypt. |
| B．The discoveries made recently in Egypt. |
| C．The status of the Great Pyramid of Giza. |
| D．The new discovery about pharaoh Khufu. |
| A．Scientific progress. |
| B．Political position. |
| C．Economic advance. |
| D．Cultural exchange. |
2 . Underwater explorers have discovered an ancient shipwreck (沉船) in the ruins of a long-lost sunken Egyptian city Heracleion, off the coast of Alexandria in Egypt. Researchers have proved the ship to be over 2,000 years old among the ruins.
Although Heracleion was once an important economic center, it was destroyed by the forces of nature, sinking (下沉) rapidly in the water. The remains of the city’s houses, temples, and markets have lain ten meters deep in the Abu Qir Bay, east of present-day Alexandria, As a result，underwater explorers regularly make exciting discoveries there. Among them, statues and stone tablets with words made it possible to figure out the city’s name: Heracleion.
Researchers explained that the ship was 25 meters long. The discovery of the shipwreck was fascinating because ships from that period in history were very seldom. The underwater research showed that the ship was struck by several big stones from the nearby temple, making the ship at the bottom of the sea. Dr. Mustafa Waziri, Secretary-General of the Higher Archaeology Council, said the ship was in the canal (运河) which flowed along the side of the Temple of Amun. An earthquake struck the city, making the temple destroyed and the ship sink.
While the shipwreck discovery was exciting, underwater explorers discovered the remains of a Greek cemetery (墓地) dating back to the 4th century BC during the underwater exploration. Researchers explained that the discovery shows the Greek traders lived in the city. They built their own temples near the temple of Amun, and the remains of both have been found together and in good condition in the sunken city some 7 miles off the coast of Egypt. It is worth noting that the city of Heracleion had been the largest port-city in Egypt across the Nile Delta, before the city of Alexandria was founded in 331 BC．Several earthquakes destroyed it.
1. Why did the city Heracleion disappear?| A．It was destroyed by the Greek traders. |
| B．It was hit and covered by a big flood. |
| C．It was unimportant and was deserted. |
| D．It was ruined and sank into the sea. |
| A．Its own length. | B．A terrible earthquake. |
| C．Carrying too many stones. | D．The building of a temple. |
| A．The Greek cemetery was destroyed. |
| B．Greek traders built the temple of Amun. |
| C．Heracleion was probably a trade center. |
| D．Greek has a longer history than Egypt. |
| A．Environment.. | B．History | C．Sport. | D．Education. |
1. What was the umbrella first used for?
| A．Keeping off the rainwater. |
| B．Showing the power of the police. |
| C．Protecting people against the sunlight. |
| A．The English. | B．The Greeks. | C．The French. |
| A．The weight. | B．The style. | C．The price. |
| A．The history of the umbrella. |
| B．The popularity of the umbrella. |
| C．The importance of the umbrella. |
On March 31, the Eiffel Tower, one of the world’s most visited and recognizable places of interest, celebrated the 130- year anniversary (周年纪念日) of its opening.
It was only supposed to exist for 20
Designed by French Gustav Eiffel, the tower was meant
Tourists have a choice when they climb the tower. They can either walk 1, 665 steps to the top
5 . The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896.There are nine sports: cycling, tennis, gymnastics, swimming, athletics, weightlifting, rowing, wrestling and shooting. Sailing was also to have taken place, but had to be cancelled (取消) because of bad weather at sea.
In the first Olympics there were no real team sports. Then, slowly, a few team sports joined the program. Football and hockey were the first team sports introduced into the Olympics in London in 1908.Then in 1936, at the Berlin Olympics, the Germans brought in handball and the Americans had basketball accepted as an Olympic sport.
It often happens that the country that introduces a new sport into the Olympics then goes on to win the gold medals. In 1904, at the Olympics in St. Louis, the Americans introduced boxing and won all seven events. Five horse riding events were introduced into the 1912 Stockholm (斯德哥尔摩) Olympics, and Swedish riders won four of them. And in 1964, at the Tokyo Olympics, two sports which are popular in Japan were introduced: judo (柔道) and volleyball. The Japanese won all three gold medals in the judo, and also won the first women’s volleyball competition. Some new sports have recently been added to the Olympics. In Los Angeles, in 1984, baseball was introduced and became an Olympic sport. In Seoul (汉城), Korea in 1988, table tennis was introduced for the first time, and tennis returned as an Olympic sport. Unlike tennis, some sports, such as golf and rugby (橄榄球), have been tried in the Olympics but have never returned.
1. The text is mainly about ________.| A．the ancient Olympic Games | B．the modern Olympic Games |
| C．the ancient and modern Olympic Games | D．how many events are in the Olympic Games |
| A．1908, London | B．1936, Berlin |
| C．1904, St. Louis | D．1988, Seoul |
| A．Basketball. | B．Football. |
| C．horse-riding. | D．Baseball. |
| A．The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens. |
| B．At the time when the first modern Olympic Games were held, there were not so many sports as there are today. |
| C．The Olympic Games are held every four years. |
| D．The country which introduces a new sport into the Olympics usually cannot get the gold medal for that event. |
6 . People have been acting like people---in other words, they’ve been making tools, creating ceremonies, and sharing food—for a long time. That’s the conclusion of a recent study from South Africa’s southern coast.
There, in a cave lying above the sea, researchers from Arizona State University have found evidence that humans were behaving in surprisingly complex ways as early as 164,000 years ago. Our species, Homo sapiens, appeared an estimated 200,000 years ago.
The cave held three important clues about the behavior of these Stone Age people.
First, the researchers found the remains of all kinds of shellfish. The people who lived in the cave probably collected these creatures from rocky shores and tide pools and brought them to the cave to eat.
The researchers propose the early Africans moved to the South African coast between 195,000 and 130,000 years ago. Around that time, the climate inland turned relatively cold and dry. Therefore, there were fewer plants and animals to eat away from the coast.
When these ancient people moved to the coast, they probably experienced a major cultural shift, the researchers suspect. That’s because observations of modern hunter-gatherer societies suggest that men are more likely to hunt for big animals when people live inland. On the coast, women play a more important role in providing food by gathering plants and shellfish.
As for the second clue, the researchers unearthed 57 pieces of reddish pigment(颜料). The researchers think that the cave habitants used the paint for coloring their bodies or for other ceremonies. Symbolic behavior is a clearly human feature.
Finally, the search discovered over 1,800 stone tools, including well-crafted blades(刀片). These blades came in various sizes. The smallest were just less than a half-inch wide. Ancient people may have attached these blades to the end of a stick to make spears or other tools.
1. Why did the early Africans move to the south African coast according to the text?| A．To avoid cold and dry weather |
| B．To look for enough food to eat |
| C．To seek the cultural development |
| D．To collect more shellfish to make tools |
| A．Introduced | B．Produced |
| C．Used | D．Found |
| A．might make tools with kinds of blades |
| B．could hunt for fish in the sea by ship |
| C．made a living mainly by eating shellfish |
| D．knew how to use to colors for painting houses |
| A．The finding of the Stone Age tools |
| B．New features of the Stone Age cave |
| C．The behavior of the Stone Age people |
| D．Human behavior’s development |
