1. When did people first celebrate books?
| A．In 1922. | B．In 1926. | C．In 1930. |
| A．Once a month. | B．Once a year. | C．Once every two years. |
| A．Alexandria. | B．New Delhi. | C．Madrid. |
2 . 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 |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
3 . 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 |
| 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. |
| 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 |
| 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 |
4 . 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 |
| A．refreshed | B．replicated | C．promoted | D．undermined |
| 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 |
| 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 |
In China, the use and cultivation (种植) of green tea goes back thousands of years. While there is no precise way to know
Legend assigns the discovery of tea to mythological emperor Shennong, who is said
6 . A previously hidden corridor buried deep in the 4500-year-old Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt has been mapped in detail for the first time-and researchers have also taken a glimpse inside using tiny camera called endoscopic camera (内窥镜照相机).
The corridor was first discovered in 2016,but researchers didn’t want to damage the monument to gain access. The pyramid is the only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world still standing, and was, for millennia, the world’s tallest human-made structure at 146 metres. It was built around 2560 BC during the reign of the pharaoh (法老) Khufu.
Using a technique called cosmic-ray muon radiography (宇宙射线μ子成像), an international team of researchers was able to certify that the corridor was 9metres long, with across section of about 2 metres by 2 metres.
Cosmic-ray muon radiography tracks the level of muons (μ介子) passing through the pyramid. In the technique, researchers use muon detectors which are placed at various points around the monument. Muons are partially absorbed by the stone used to build the pyramids, which means the method allows researchers to identify cavities (洞) inside the structure.
This approach has been used to map the internal structures of pyramids since 1971,when it was first used at Giza. Using their precise map of the corridor, the researchers identified an opportunity.
“We knew the cavity was there, but of course it’s totally different when you see it,“ says Procureur. “We felt strange when we saw this.” Still, Procureur was glad of one thing. “It’s a controversial opinion, but I’m relieved the cavity was empty. I wouldn’t have liked to participate in opening a tomb.”
1. Why didn’t the researchers want to damage the monument to gain access to the corridor?| A．Because it is the world’s tallest structure. |
| B．Because it is the largest pyramid in the world. |
| C．Because it was built around 2560 AD during the reign of the pharaoh Khufu. |
| D．Because it is the only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world still standing. |
| A．Confirm. | B．Imagine. | C．Approach. | D．Reach. |
| A．It was first used at Giza in 1917. |
| B．It tracks the size of muons passing through the pyramid. |
| C．It has been used to map the external structures of pyramids. |
| D．It allows researchers to identify cavities inside the structure. |
| A．There was nothing in the cavity. |
| B．The corridor was the same as previously thought. |
| C．Procureur was interested in participating in opening a tomb. |
| D．The cavity used to be the tomb of the pharaoh Khufu. |
7 . A rich burial was unearthed by archaeologists at La Almoloya, southeastern Spain that is the cradle of the El Argar civilization, which lived in the region during the Bronze Age.
La Almoloya was a primary center of politics and wealth in the El Argar territory, and although the discovery was made in 2014, experts are now taking a closer look at the sociological and political context of the unearthed treasure.
The remains of a woman, along with a man who may have been her husband, were discovered in the forested hills of the area. Radiocarbon dating suggests the burial happened around 1700 BC. The pair were found with 30 objects containing precious metals and semi-precious stones, including the silver diadem (王冠), which encircled the skull (颅骨) of the woman.
Experts believe that the man in the grave was probably a warrior; wear and tear on his bones indicate he spent a lot of time on horseback, and his skull had deep scars from a facial injury, while gold plugs through his earlobes indicated he was someone of distinction.
The woman, named the “Princess of La Almoloya”, was buried a short time after the man, with vast quantities of jewellery: bracelets, earlobe plugs and rings, to name a few. The grave goods of the woman were worth tens of thousands of dollars in today’s money.
“We have two ways of interpreting this,” says archaeologist Roberto Risch of the Autonomous University of Barcelona. “Either you say, it’s just the wife of the king; or you say, no, she’s a political personality by herself.”
Risch is a co-author of a study that was recently published about the important findings, that noted the building under which the grave was found was of equal importance—a building specifically dedicated to governing purposes in Western Europe. A wide hall was excavated (挖掘), with high ceilings, a raised platform, and a capacity for more than 50 people to sit on benches that lined the walls. “It’s a building where people could be sitting listening to each other, or to someone explaining something,” says Risch, “There is no evidence of food and no clear-cut religious artefacts, so it doesn’t look like a home or a temple.”
The discovery at La Almoloya shed new light on the politics and gender relations in one of the first urban societies of the West. Previous findings have revealed that women were considered adults at a much younger age than boys were. Excavated grave goods have highlighted that girls as young as six were buried with knives and tools, but boys would be in their teens by the time they would be buried alongside such objects.
Additionally, the graves of some women from EI Argar were reopened generations later to bury other men and women, an unusual practice that experts believe would have been a very high honor. “What exactly their political power was, we don’t know,” Risch adds. “But this burial at La Almoloya questions the role of women in [Bronze Age] politics... it questions a lot of conventional wisdom.”
1. The woman discovered at La Almoloya ________.| A．proved to be a princess during the Bronze Age |
| B．was buried long after her husband’s death |
| C．lived in an ancient society called El Argar |
| D．was holding a silver diadem when unearthed |
| A．he had gold plugs through his earlobes | B．he was buried next to the woman |
| C．he was buried with knives and tools | D．he had injuries and scars on his bones |
| A．have been used for political meetings | B．have served some religious purposes |
| C．be the first temple built in Western Europe | D．be specially dedicated to food trading |
| A．Women were buried with more riches than men in the Bronze Age. |
| B．The role of women in Bronze Age politics had been overestimated. |
| C．Women may have been powerful rulers in the El Argar civilization. |
| D．Women were considered adults at a much younger age than boys. |
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
9 . Exhibition of the week
Charles II : Art & Power
Queen’s Gallery, London SW1 (0303-123 7300, www.royalcollection.org.uk), Until 13 May.
Charles II had the misfortune to be in a time “loaded with a rare tonnage of national botheration”, said Waldemar Januszczak in The Sunday Times. His father Charles, of course, “paid the price for his royalty” when he died in 1649. Arguably Charles II, who regained the throne (王位) in 1660, occupied “an even hotter seat”. He was well aware that he might suffer the same fate as his father. Yet, as this “uplifting” new exhibition at the Queen’s Gallery reveals, Charles was a “brilliant operator who played his moves like a chess grand-master” — and who used art to glorify the monarchy (君主制) and to justify his rule. The exhibition bring together a wealth of paintings, drawings and furniture he inherited or collected over the course of his “remarkably successful reign (统治)”. The result is a “grand” celebration of “a king who brought gaiety back to his nation”.
Art certainly played a “vital” role in establishing the Restoration, said Laura Cumming in the Observer. Prints in the exhibition show Charles “effortlessly” calming a horse or offering his “healing touch to the sick”. The Shropshire oak in which he famously hid from the Round-heads after the Battle of Worcester can be seen again and again. Most “striking” of all is John Michael Wright’s painting, which is so big that the viewer is “just about on kissing level with the royal feet”. But the show has an inherent flaw, said Nancy Durrant in the Times. On climbing up to the throne, Charles found that most of his father’s vast art collection had been sold off by Oliver Cromwell, and he set about securing its return. While this ambitious initiative was “effective” in England, it worked less well in recovering the masterpieces that were sold overseas — and their absence is disappointing once you learn what was lost.
Nevertheless Charles added some marvelous art to the Royal collection, said Jonathan Jones in the Guardian. There are many fine British works in this show — notably Peter Lely’s painting of a royal mistress, Louise de Kerouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth. However, the “drop-dead highlights” of Charles’s collection come from abroad: they include Lorenzo Lotto’s “intensely atmospheric” 1527 portrait of Andrea Odoni, and the hundreds of “amazing” drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, four of which are on show here. What an “absorbing” exhibition this is.
1. According to the passage, Charles II ________.| A．suffered the same fate as his father, Charles I |
| B．ruled the nation in an incomparably fierce way |
| C．was one of the greatest chess players in history |
| D．started his reign while the nation was in trouble |
| A．Charles II brought most of his father’s vast art collections abroad |
| B．visitors will feel disappointed to see what is on show in the exhibition |
| C．Oliver Cromwell wasn’t able to recover the masterpieces he once sold |
| D．the exhibition fails to include some masterpieces sold overseas in history |
| A．It is most famous for its local collections. |
| B．It shows how art was used to restore the nation. |
| C．It excludes what Charles II collected in his reign. |
| D．It includes hundreds of drawings by Leonardo da Vinci. |
10 . Pottery (制陶) may be the oldest artwork of human beings. As far back to more than 8,000 years ago, people began mixing clay (黏土) and water then baking it until it held its shape. People attached the word “pottery” to their discovery. For a more convenient and better life, ancient people used it to create various containers and tools to cook, to store things, and to hold cuisine or water as dishes.
As time passed, the technique became mature. Different kinds of pottery appeared in different times and regions. Yangshao Culture, 5,000-7,000 years ago to today, developed a technique for painted ceramic wares (陶器). Qujialing Culture and Longshan Culture, about 4,000 years ago, were known for their black ceramic wares. During the Shang Dynasty (16th - 11th century BC) bronze containers grew into a status symbol; common people, though, sill used traditional clay ceramic wares. From the Warring States Period through the Han Dynasty, the art and culture of pottery boomed. The Terra Cotta Warrior (兵马俑), discovered in Xi’an, are the finest representatives of artworks of that time.
A representative example of pottery is the tricolor glazed (上过釉的) pottery of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), known as Tangsancai in Chinese. The pottery appeared to be light yellow, reddish brown, or light green but the most popular were yellow, brown and green. The sculpture of figures, animals or daily appliances was amazingly combined with the characteristics of Tang art—graceful and lively. Preferred by many foreigners to the region, such pottery had been transported worldwide.
Another choice pottery that won great reputation for hundreds of years is purple clay pottery. It is well-known for its mild color, concentrated structure, high intensity and fine particles (微粒). As early as the Song Dynasty (960-1279), people found purple-clay teapots to look much more graceful than those of other materials. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, tea developed as a simple and tasteful art. Modern people still take delight in this classic fashion artwork.
1. Why was pottery originally used?| A．To add more to farm took. | B．To mart private properties. |
| C．To hold food and water. | D．To enhance the quality of life. |
| A．Around 6,000 years ago. | B．From the Warring States Period. |
| C．During the Shang Dynasty. | D．Throughout the Han Dynasty. |
| A．It combined pottery with typical Tang art. | B．It represented common people’s daily life. |
| C．It adopted the most popular three colors. | D．It was well-received by all foreigners. |
| A．introduce pottery-related information | B．display fine examples of ancient pottery |
| C．explain why pottery was created | D．explore the colors applied to pottery |
