1 . Recently according to a new research, humans have had a link to starches (含淀粉的食物) for up to 120,000 years — that’s more than 100,000 years longer than we’ve been able to plant them in the soil during the time of the ice Age’s drawing to an end. The research is part of an ongoing study into the history of Middle Stone Age communities.

An international team of scientists identified evidence of prehistoric starch consumption in the Klasies River Cave, in present-day South Africa. Analyzing small, ashy, undisturbed hearths(壁炉) inside the cave, the researchers found “pieces of burned starches” ranging from around 120,000 to 65,000 years old. It made them the oldest known examples of starches eaten by humans.

The findings do not come as a complete surprise — but rather as welcome confirmation of older theories that lacked the related evidence. The lead author Cynthia Larbey said that there had previously only been genetic biological evidence to suggest that humans had been eating starch for this long. This new evidence, however, takes us directly to the dinner table, and supports the previous assumption that humans’ digestion genes gradually evolved in order to fit into an increased digestion of starch.

Co-author Sarah Wurz said, “The starch remains show that these early humans living in the Klasies River Cave could battle against their tough environment and find suitable foods and perhaps medicines. And as much as we all still desire the tubers (块茎), these cave communities were gilling starches such as potatoes on their foot-long hearths. They knew how to balance their diets as well as they could, with fats from local fish and other animals.”

As early as the 1990s, some researchers started to study the hearths in the Klasies River Cave. Scientist Hilary Deacon first suggested that these hearths contained burned plants. At the time, the proper methods of examining the remains were not yet available. We now know human beings have always been searching for their desired things.

1. When did humans begin to farm starches?

A．After the Ice Age.	B．After the Middle Stone Age.
C．About 20,000 years ago.	D．About 100,000 years ago.

2. What was the previous assumption of starches?

A．Starch diet promoted food culture.	B．Starch diet shaped humans’ evolution.
C．Starches had a variety of functions.	D．Starches offered humans rich nutrition.

3. What can we learn about the early humans described by Sarah Wurz?

A．They were smart and tough.	B．They preferred plants to meat.
C．They were generally very healthy.	D．They got along with each other.

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

A．Great Civilization of South Africa	B．The Evolution of Foods in History
C．Starches--the Important Food of Today	D．Big Findings--the Starches in Ancient Times

2 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

No one has had a     1    (great) influence on Western civilizations than the ancient Greeks. The Greek civilization made advances in various fields that     2     (influence) the world so far.

In particular, we associate ancient Greek civilization     3     the capital city of Athens, the greatest symbol of     4     is the Acropolis. The Acropolis is a large, flat rock in the centre of Athens,     5     (rise) up high above the city. On top of the Acropolis, there are three main temples to Athena. It is one of the grandest historic     6     (site) in the world.

    7    , throughout history, the Acropolis hasn’t avoided damage. It has been damaged     8     (part) by natural forces, but the greatest of all has been caused by man. In 1687, an attack from Italy caused the gunpowder packed in Parthenon     9     (explode). In 1801, many of the best sculptures     10     (steal).

In a gesture to preserve history, the Greek government appointed a committee to undertake the repair work of the Acropolis to bring the Acropolis back to its former glory.

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Who built the first canal? Perhaps some people long ago, living in       1     dry country,discovered that they could dig ditches(沟壑)     2    (irrigate) their fields with the river water. And naturally in the days     3    boats were the most important means of transport, canals were the easiest means of reaching a place. Furthermore,a ditch     4     (join) two rivers proved efficient for boat travel.

Today, most countries in the world have canals. Even in the 2lst century, goods can be moved more     5    (convenient) by boat than by some other means of transport. Some canals, such as the Suez or the Panama,     6     (save) ships weeks of time by making their voyage a thousand miles     7    (short). Other canals permit boats to reach cities that     8    (situate) inland. Still other canals drain lands where there is too much water. Help farmers irrigate fields without enough water, and provide water power for     9     (factory) as well.

Most of the canals have a long history. Canals existed in Egypt thousands of years ago. And the Grand Canal of China was begun about 2,500 years ago. and took centuries to finish. During the seventeenth century, France built many canals that are still     10    use today.