2 . Frozen in time, a 125-million-year-old mammal attacking a dinosaur. A 39-million-year-old whale, the heaviest animal that ever lived. The oldest known jellyfish, from 505 million years ago. Paleontology (古生物学) produces newsworthy discoveries.

Fossils (化石), moreover, provide direct evidence for the long history of life, allowing paleontologists to test hypotheses (假设) about evolution with data only they provide. They allow investigation of present and past life on Earth. Flows of biological diversity, appearances of new life forms and the extinctions of long existing ones, would go undiscovered without these efforts. But the headlines over exciting new fossils greatly underestimate the true importance of paleontology. Its real significance lies in how such discoveries brighten the grand history of life on Earth. From its beginnings, more than three billion years ago, to the present day, fossils record how life adapted or disappeared in the face of major environmental challenges.

Paleontologists provide us with a unique vantage on modern climate change. They play an essential role in interpreting ancient environments, in reconstructing ancient oceans, continents and climates. Fossils provide key limitation on the climate models that are essential for predicting future climate change. And the fossil record gives important insights into how life will respond to predicted future climate conditions, because these have occurred before in Earth’s history.

In addition, paleontology has provided a fundamental contribution to human thought: the reality of species extinction and thus of a world that has dramatically changed over time. In documenting the history of life, paleontologists recognized that many extinction episodes could occur suddenly, such as the event 66 million years ago that ended the dinosaurs. The search for the causes of past mass extinctions started pioneering studies from across the scientific spectrum (科学界), focusing on potential future threats to humanity.

Not only do paleontologists know what happens to life when things go bad, they also know how long it takes for ecosystems and biodiversity to recover from these disasters, which can take far longer than modern humans have existed.

Paleontologists thus provide a unique perspective on the nature and future long-term ecological impact of the current human-produced biodiversity crisis, the so-called Sixth Extinction, and therefore the importance of protecting modern biodiversity. The very concept of a Sixth Extinction would not exist without paleontologists documenting the first five.

Paleontologists know that understanding life’s past is critical to anticipating and adapting to life’s and humanity’s future. Paleontology is important because it brings its unique and critical perspective to current challenges in climate change, biodiversity loss and the environment. Paleontologists can predict the future because they know the past.

1. The first two paragraphs are written to _______.

A．describe an event	B．raise a question
C．present an opinion	D．make a comparison

2. What does the underlined word “vantage” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．A positive effect.	B．A valuable suggestion.
C．A quick decision.	D．A comprehensive view.

3. Which of the following would the author agree with?

A．Ecological recovery takes shorter than imagined.

B．Past lessons can help to predict the future threats.

C．Paleontologists can handle the biodiversity crisis.

D．Fossil studies focus on the causes of mass extinctions.

4. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Paleontology: A Pioneering Study

B．Paleontology: A History Recorder

C．Paleontology Tells More About Nature Than Humans

D．Paleontology Is Far More Than New Fossil Discoveries

3 . When the discovery of fossilized (化石的) footprints made in what’s now New Mexico was made public in 2021, it was an astonishing moment for archaeology (考古学), seemingly rewriting a chapter of the human story. Now new research is offering further evidence of their significance.

While they look like they could have been made yesterday, the footprints were pressed into mud 21,000 to 23,000 years ago, according to radiocarbon dating of the seeds of a water plant that were preserved above and below the fossils. This date dramatically pushed back the timeline of humans’ history in the Americas, the last land to be settled by prehistoric people. The 61 dated prints, which were discovered in the Tularosa Basin, near the edge of an ancient lake in White Sands National Park, were made at a time when many scientists think that massive ice sheets had stopped human passage into North America, indicating that humans arrived in the region even earlier.

However, some archaeologists questioned the age of the footprints established by those initial findings. They noted that water plants such as Ruppia cirrhosa — the one used in the 2021 study — can acquire carbon atoms from the water rather than the air, which can result in a misleadingly early date.

In a follow-up study published Thursday in the journal Science, researchers said they have produced two new lines of evidence to support their initial dates. “Even as the original work was being published, we were speeding up to test our results with multiple lines of evidence,” said Kathleen Springer, co-lead author on the new Science paper, in a news release. “We were confident in our original ages, as well as the strong evidence.”

When and how early humans first moved to the Americas has long been debated and remains poorly understood. Current estimates range from 13,000 years ago to more than 20,000 years ago. However, the earliest archaeological evidence for the region’s settlement is insufficient and often controversial, making the footprints especially important.

1. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．The purpose of the new research	B．The method of the dating
C．The significance of the footprints.	D．The efforts of the scientists

2. Why did some archaeologists question the age of the footprints?

A．It goes against the prior knowledge.

B．The prints seem to be made recently.

C．The previous research method is improper.

D．The then massive ice sheets are misleading.

3. What will the author probably talk about next?

A．The doubt about the age of the footprints.

B．The new evidence of the fossilized footprints.

C．An agreement between the two sides of the debate.

D．Early humans hardship of moving to the Americas.

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To explain the process of archaeological study.

B．To report the discovery of fossilized footprints.

C．To introduce a debate on the age of the footprints.

D．To present the progress of the footprint research.

4 .      New research confirms that human footprints found in New Mexico are probably the oldest direct evidence of human presence in the Americas, a finding that upends what many scientists knew about human habitation and migration (迁徙).

The footprints were discovered at the edge of an ancient lakebed in White Sands national park. According to the new paper published in the journal Science, they date back to between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago. Actually, the estimated age of the footprints was first reported in Science in 2021, but some researchers raised concerns about the dates. Questions focused on whether seeds of water plants used for the original dating may have absorbed ancient carbon from the lake — which could, in theory, throw off radiocarbon dating by thousands of years. But the new study presents two additional lines of evidence for the older date range. It uses two entirely different materials found at the site, ancient pollen (花粉) and stone grains.

       The reported age of the footprints challenges the once conventional wisdom that humans did not reach the Americas until a few thousand years before rising sea levels covered the Bering land bridge between Russia and Alaska, perhaps about 15, 000 years ago. “This is a subject that's always been controversial because it's so significant. It's about how we understand the last chapter of the peopling of the world,” said Thomas Urban, an archaeologist (考古学家) at Comell University, who was involved in the 2021 study but not the new one.
       Thomas Stafford, an independent archaeological geologist in New Mexico, who was not involved in the study, said he “was a bit suspicious before” but now is convinced. The new study isolated about 75, 000 grams of pure pollen from the same stone layer that contained the footprints. ‘Dating pollen is laborious but worthwhile,” said Kathleen Springer, a research geologist at the US Geological Survey and a co-author of the new paper.
     Ancient footprints of any kind can provide archaeologists with a quick look of a moment in time. While some archeological sites in the Americas point to similar date ranges — including necklaces carved from giant animal remains in Brazil — scientists still question whether such objects really indicate human presence. “White Sands is unique because there's no question these footprints were left by people,” said Jennifer Raff, a scientist at the University of Kansas, who was not involved in the study.
1. The underlined word “upends” (paragraph 1) is closest in meaning to “_______”.

A．comprises

B．connects

C．challenges

D．compares

2. According to the passage, what is special about the new research?

A．It shows the footprints were made by the Russians.

B．It offers more convincing lines of evidence for dating.

C．It confirms that the ancient humans enjoyed living by the lake.

D．It reveals the footprints are much younger than previously thought.

3. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that _____________.

A．necklaces are valuable objects for archaeologists to date animals

B．human footprints are often sure signs of human presence

C．ancient objects in Brazil are excluded from the study

D．White Sands is one important archaeological site

4. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

A．Scientists Discovers New Species of Humans in Americas

B．Humans Reached Americas 15, 000 Years Earlier Than Believed

C．American Archaeologists Unearthed Valuable Manmade Objects

D．New Research Confirms Early Human Presence in Americas

5 . A new exhibition in Paris aims to show how England in the middle ages was very much part of Europe’s dynamic art, architectural, trade and culture scene between AD1000 and AD1500.

Organizers said the event would discredit the “popular perception” – mainly across the Channel – that medieval England was “primitive and barbaric”, while France and parts of Europe enjoyed a gothic zenith.

James Robinson, the exhibition curator, said there had been a “reassessment” of England’s contribution to European art in the middle ages over the past half a century. “I’d like to blow apart the popular perception that the middle ages were all about pestilence(plague), the Black Death and religious repression, and demonstrate the artistic and technical excellence that was evident ,” he said. “When you look at the art works in this exhibition you will see some of the true masterpieces of the age.”

Unfortunately, while France and other European countries largely preserved their medieval treasures, England’s artistic heritage was “systematically and ruthlessly decimated” by the 16th -century Reformation and the revolution led by Oliver Cromwell in the 1640s. The English Reformation , after Henry VIII wrested the Church of England away from the authority of the Catholic church in Rome, saw the king’s chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, close down the monasteries, confiscating their riches and in many cases dismantling the buildings.“All things of value were spoiled, plucked away or utterly defaced…and it seemed every person was intent upon filching and spoiling what he could, ” wrote Michael Sherbrook, the 16th-century rector of Wickersley near Roche Abbey in South Yorkshire .

Among the exhibits at the Paris exhibition that opens on Friday are rare treasures that escaped the 16th- and 17th -century pillage and destruction, including the Gloucester Candlestick, the Becket Casket, the Clare Chasuble, the Luck of Edenhall and the Syon Cope. Marie Lavandier, the president of France’s National Monuments Centre, said:“The exhibition highlights the extraordinary richness of the artistic exchanges that united England with continental Europe. At this moment when we are interrogating ourselves about our relationship with Europe, what the exhibition is also demonstrating is that we have always been closely tied to it in terms of commerce and diplomatic relationships.”

1. What’s the popular perception of England in the middle ages?

A．England was the centre of the medieval culture

B．England enjoyed the top level in gothic art

C．England lagged far behind France and other parts of Europe in art

D．England had the advanced and first-rate architecture then

2. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “decimated” in paragraph 4?

A．refreshed

B．replicated

C．promoted

D．undermined

3. From Michael Sherbrook’s comment we can learn that__________

A．Destructions were plotted by France and other European countries

B．Artistic treasures suffered huge loss under the Church of England

C．He was totally astonished about what happened

D．The Catholic church should be responsible for the whole event

4. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．The chaos medieval age of England

B．The Paris exhibition dispels myth of “primitive” England in middle ages

C．How to enjoy a new exhibition in Paris

D．An introduction to artistic exchanges in England

6 . In 1968 a grave dating from about 1100 was uncovered near Hattula, in Finland, Little remained of the occupant’s skeleton, but the inhumation included two swords and a knife. Such grave goods would normally suggest said occupant was a man. The skeleton was, ______ also decorated with brooches (胸针) and woollen clothing of types more usually worn at the time by women. This ______ guess that the burial was actually of a powerful woman, possibly a local ruler in her own right rather than just the wife of a male king.

This would be noteworthy enough. But a re-examination of the remains, just published in the European Journal of Archaeology by Ulla Moilanen of the University of Turku and Elina Salmela of the University of Helsinki, suggests the truth may be yet more ______. Ms. Moilanen and Dr Salmela suspect that the individual ______ may have had outward characteristics of both a man and a woman.

In 1968 working out the ______ of a skeleton in an ancient grave was tricky. After years of deterioration, the bones of men and women look pretty much ______. But that was before the use of DNA became possible. So Ms. Moilanen and Dr Salmela thought it worth trying again.

Most people have two sex chromosomes (染色体): XX in women and XY in men. Find DNA from a Y-chromosome in a skeleton and the chances are the body was ______. And, looking at a fragment of femur brought to her by Ms. Moilanen, who is the archaeologist in the ______, Dr. Salmela, who is the geneticist, did indeed find such DNA. But not much of it. That led her to wonder about contamination (污染), but also to consider whether the individual in the grave had had a(n) ______ X-chromosome that was swamping the signal from the Y.

Having an abnormal number of sex chromosomes is rare, but not vanishingly so. The particular ______ XXY leads to what is known as Klinefelter’s syndrome. To determine the occupant’s karyotype (染色体组型) from the tiny amount of DNA available, Dr. Salmela drew ______ with living people. The grave delivered 8,329 pieces, so she used a computer to draw samples of similar size from the genomes of living people with various karyotypes, including XXY, and also from mixtures of both sexes, to ______ contamination. She then compared these with the DNA from the grave and ______ it was 99.75% probable the individual concerned had indeed had Klinefelter’s syndrome.

While Dr Salmela was working all this out, Ms. Moilanen and her team had another look at the grave. They confirmed that it was a ______ burial. For instance, they found evidence of fine furs, probably from foxes. Clearly, this was a well-respected human being, but what led to that ______ in a world then dominated by male values is a matter of puzzle. Perhaps the person came from a family powerful enough for such things not to matter.

1.

A．therefore

B．what’s more

C．nevertheless

D．for instance

2.

A．intensified

B．confirmed

C．dismissed

D．encouraged

3.

A．complicated

B．engaging

C．unpleasant

D．frightening

4.

A．in question

B．at large

C．by comparison

D．with doubt

5.

A．composition

B．age

C．sex

D．origin

6.

A．distinct

B．unidentified

C．alike

D．broken

7.

A．female

B．old

C．young

D．male

8.

A．cooperation

B．authority

C．institute

D．adventure

9.

A．restored

B．extra

C．missing

D．dominant

10.

A．requirement

B．interest

C．combination

D．emphasis

11.

A．inspirations

B．lessons

C．inferences

D．comparisons

12.

A．eliminate

B．monitor

C．imitate

D．generate

13.

A．rejected

B．concluded

C．recalled

D．confessed

14.

A．high-status

B．secret

C．religious

D．peaceful

15.

A．conclusion

B．evidence

C．respect

D．solution

7 . Scholars have long debated how and when the Renaissance began. One thing, however, that most scholars agree upon is the significance of this historical period as an evolutionary movement toward individualism in art and thought. Although there is no historical agreement on the exact time order of events leading to the Renaissance, many historians agree that visionaries of the fifteenth century had a sense of belonging to a movement far greater than themselves and so far-reaching as to supersede the artistic and literary forms of the classical era. This phenomenon produced the Renaissance, a period when art, literature, language, and philosophy found new and extraordinary interpretations in the hands of the Humanists. Humanists believed in the importance of the humanities or “human letters”. Eventually, intellectuals of this period became aware of man’s inner potential.

The fourteenth century Italian poet Petrarch characterized the early stage of this movement as the New Age. In fact, it was his term, “Rinascita”, which comes from the Latin “renasci”, to be reborn, that eventually led to the term Renaissance that we use today.

Petrarch believed that the end of classical antiquity and the beginning of a thousand years of darkness, which he characterized as “the Dark Ages”, came with the destruction of the Roman Empire by invasions in 476 A.D. The awakening from this period was a time of rebirth, which he distinguished as the New Age. Petrarch’s view limited the Rinascita to the comeback of Latin and Greek classics from antiquity based on translations of ancient text. Most significant was his belief that the pagans (异教徒) of antiquity were much inspired by the pursuit of arts and literature in an effort to reach the highest potential of perfection on earth. This belief led to a new sense of individualism and enlightenment that characterized the age of the Renaissance as one that was against the old beliefs that man’s earthly life was merely a function of the social order. From the fourteenth century through the early seventeenth century, this new individualism grew steadily in Western European culture with a motivation fed by man’s desire to define and evaluate the essential values between men of antiquity and the emerging modern man.

Not only did artists and writers turn to classical culture for inspiration, they set new goals. They explored the relationship between ancient cultures and their own cultures, and by doing so, they discovered a new vision of human life, of man as a glorious creature capable of developing his mind and body to reach his fullest potential toward perfection.

1. The word “supersede” (in paragraph 1) most probably means ________.

A．keep pace with	B．make full use of
C．give rise to	D．take the place of

2. Which of the following shows the correct time order (from far to near) of the three periods?

A．the Dark Ages, the Renaissance, the Roman Empire

B．the Renaissance, the Roman Empire, the Dark Ages

C．the Roman Empire, the Dark Ages, the Renaissance

D．the Dark Ages, the Roman Empire, the Renaissance

3. Why is Petrarch mentioned in the passage?

A．He coined the term “Renaissance”, which has been in use for over 700 years.

B．His belief in personal perfection was the fundamental idea of the Renaissance.

C．His prediction of the comeback of Latin and Greek classics inspired many artists.

D．He translated ancient texts to Latin and Greek, leading to the start of the Renaissance.

4. What can be concluded about artists and writers during period of the Renaissance?

A．They failed to realize their own fullest potential.

B．They developed their own cultures from ancient ones.

C．They went beyond the classics with a new individualism.

D．They did nothing more than recapture the glory of the ancients.

8 . 选词填空

A. venturing	B. quoted	C. interview	D. sponsor	E. historical	F. launch
G. relatively	H. professional	I. traced	J. facilities	K. regularly

Jiading--Centuries of History, Decades of Change

A book entitled “Jiading–Centuries of History, Decades of Change” by American writer Kate Baker has recently been published in Shanghai. New book launch was held last week at the Old China Hand Style, a major    1    of a series of walking guide books called “Beyond the Concession: Six Walks in Shanghai’s Other Districts.” And Baker’s “Jiading” runs the fourth among the six.

From a foreign point of view, the book has    2    the history of Jiading District back between the year Tang Dynasty(618-907) and the Song Dynasty(960-1279), when Jiading had been “a leading economic and intellectual influence in the region long before Shanghai became a major trading port,” as Bakeris     3    in her book.

Baker first landed in Shanghai in 2011 with her husband, an engineer with Ford, who was sent to work in Shanghai to prepare for the    4    of the Lincoln brand in China. “I and my husband have been traveling around the world in the past 20 years,” Baker said at a(n)    5    with Shanghai Daily. “Wherever I go, I would jump into the local history and culture quickly and deeply.”

Having taken a 15-month online course of Chinese with Harvard’s “ChinaX”, Baker started    6    out on her own. An occasional excursion into the north west of Shanghai, she “discovered” and fell in love with Jiading. Since then, she has visited Jiading    7    , bringing family, friends, and tour groups. At the end of 2013, the Jiading Tourism Bureau officially invited Baker to write a book on Jiading.

With up-to-date facts, useful information and    8    pictures, Baker’s “Jiading” is a well researched guide about interesting areas less than one hour from Shanghai. There are chapters on celebrating the seasonal and agricultural festivals that are unique to the region; stories of    9    figures living in Jiading; changes to the Nanxiang Old Town; tours to numerous gardens, museums and temples; and the development of outdoor recreational activities in Jiading’s Anting Town, such as the F1 car racing, horse riding and golf.

With good public    10    and enough green space, Baker sees Jiading a high growth district of Shanghai, which offers a quality of lifestyle and tourism. “I see a better-planned and forward-thinking of the district government. And I sincerely thank the people of Jiading who welcomed me to their community and trusted me with their narrative,” Baker says.

9 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

English spelling is ridiculous. Sew and new don’t rhyme. Kernel and colonel     1    . The English spelling system, if you can even call it a system, is full of this kind of thing. Most people     2    (raise) with whatever language learn to read and write it to a very high level of accuracy.

Admittedly, for a non-native speaker, precise mastery usually involves a great deal of confusion and frustration. Part of the problem is that English spelling looks deceptively similar to other languages that use the same alphabet but in a much     3    (consistent) way.

English began its return as a written language in the 14th century. Over generations, it had crept back in among the nobility, as well as the clergy,     4     French and Latin were still the languages of educated and official pursuits.

Some spellings got entrenched this way, by     5    (print) over and over again in widely distributed texts, very early on. The word ghost, which had been spelled and pronounced in Old English, took on the ‘gh’ spelling     6     the influence of Flemish-trained compositors. It was such a commonly encountered word in English text, particularly in the phrase holy ghost and other translations of Latin,     7     it just began to look more common.

Other spellings     8    (arise), and were then cemented through the power exerted by the visual shape of similar words. The existence of ‘would’ and ‘should’, for example, brought about the spelling of ‘could’. There was no explicit intention     9    (make) them look the same, but the frequency of their appearance nudged (推动) them toward ending up that way.

Had the Norman invasion not interrupted the literary tradition of Old English, we might have ended up with a similar situation — old English would have continued to be the basis of the writing tradition that would have later been set into type. Instead, we had     10     number of parts moving and changing independently from each other.

10 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. polluted       B. consideration       C. undergoing       D. alternatives       E. account F. power       G. gathered       H. locally       I. present       J. readily       K. available

The course of human history has seen several changes in the forms of energy. Human inventions have dramatically increased the average amount of energy     1     for use per person. The first step toward the developing of more efficient fuels was taken when people discovered that they could use vegetable oils and animal fats instead of     2     or cut wood. Charcoal gave off a more intensive heat than wood and was more easily obtainable than organic fats. The Greeks first began to use coal for metal smelting in the 4th century, but it didn’t come into extensive use until the Industrial Revolution.

In the 1700s, more energy used in the United States and other nations     3     industrialization came from renewable sources such as wood, water streams and wind etc. These were     4     obtainable supplies. By mid-1800, 91 percent of all commercial energy consumed in the United States and European countries was obtained from wood. However, at the beginning of the 20^th century, coal became a major energy source and replaced wood. Although in most regions and climate zones wood was more     5     accessible than coal, the latter represents a more concentrated source of energy. In 1910, natural gas and oil firmly replaced coal as the main source of fuel because they burned more cleanly and     6     less. Unlike coal, oil could be refined to manufacture liquid fuels for vehicles, a very important     7     in the early 1900s, when the automobile arrived on the scene.

Nowadays, fuels such as oil and natural gas provide over 82 percent of commercial and industrial energy to     8     the world economic growth. Other forms of energy derived from nuclear fission and solar power     9     for 18 percent. However, with the petroleum prices rising and the limitations in fossil fuels, energy     10     will eventually become more attractive to reduce the dependency on oil and natural gas.