1. Who first developed plastic on a large scale?
A.A Frenchman. | B.An Englishman. | C.An American |
A.They didn't wear out easily. |
B.They were easy to wash. |
C.They were comfortable. |
A.They were colorful. | B.They were cheap. | C.They were light in weight. |
A.The popularity of plastic. |
B.Different ways of using plastic. |
C.The harmful side of plastic. |
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 an
3 . In 1999, journalist Nicholas D. Kristof reported a surprising encounter on a tiny African island. Here, Kristof met a number of elderly men who told him that they were descendants of Chinese sailors many centuries ago. Their ancestors had traded with local Africans, who had given them giraffes to take back to China.
Six centuries ago, a large number of Chinese ships crossed the sea, then travelled west to East Africa.
However, the Chinese expedition never sought to establish colonial (殖民的) rule over these oceans by military force.
A.Zheng He’s great voyage started at the port of Nanjing. |
B.Seven times, the treasure fleets set sail for the unknown. |
C.Apart from the economic impact, there was more cultural print. |
D.The actual economic impact of the expedition was difficult to evaluate. |
E.Zheng He exchanged China’s products for foreign luxuries and daily products. |
F.Instead, it was intended to facilitate international and trade relationships with others. |
G.If it’s true, this remote village is evidence of an episode of maritime exploration in China. |
4 . Studying a subject that you feel pointless is never a fun or easy task. If you’re studying history, asking yourself the question “why is history important” is a very good first step. History is an essential part of human civilization. You will find something here that will arouse your interest, or get you thinking about the significance of history.
History grounds us in our roots. History is an important and interesting field of study, and learning the history of our home country can give us a deeper, more meaningful glimpse (一瞥) into our ancestral pasts, and how we got to where we are today. Many people feel like they need a sense of cultural belonging, which is something that studying your roots and being open-minded to the evolution (演变) of your culture can provide.
History enriches our experience. Reading history is an amazing experience because it enables us to reflect on the social and economic life of the people living long time ago. According to the experts, problems faced by people regardless of the past and present are the same. With the information about the ancestors, one can become more experienced in handling challenges of life.
History makes us more empathetic (具有共情能力的). Studying history can give us insight (洞察力) into why our culture does certain things, and how the past has shaped it into what we know now. It also provides a rather strong foundation for empathy across cultures. Fear and hate for others is usually caused by ignorance (无知). We’re scared of the things that we don’t understand. History has the potential to break down those boundaries by offering us insight into entire worlds that would otherwise be foreign to us.
History can inspire us to learn more. What’s fantastic about history is the way it broadens our horizons. It’s almost impossible to learn about one historical period without having dozens of questions about related concepts. Study the 19re century England, and you might catch a glimpse of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist. Look up Charles Dickens, and you might learn a thing or two about realism. Or maybe you end up switching your attention away from novels, and discover the history of romantic poets in England. It can go anywhere, and there is something in there for absolutely anybody.
The value of history cannot be underestimated. We don’t have to live in the past, but we can definitely do better by learning from it and using the lessons learnt to lead more meaningful lives.
1. People can get a sense of cultural belonging by studying history and _______.A.thinking about the meaning of it |
B.accepting the development of culture |
C.analyzing how they get to the present state |
D.reflecting on their social and economic life |
A.It is difficult to get rid of cultural barriers. |
B.People are willing to accept foreign cultures. |
C.Cultural conflicts in history are difficult to ignore. |
D.History helps us improve our cross-cultural awareness. |
A.How to Build Cultural Identity | B.Why Studying History Matters |
C.Know the Past, Know the Present | D.History: a Way to Broaden Horizons |
5 . History’s first empire rose out of a hot, dry landscape, without rainfall for crops, without trees or stones for building. In spite of all this, its people built the world’s first cities, with monumental architecture and large populations — and they built them
Sumer
But Sumerians were the first to take the
The Sumerians created the first
But by the third millennium (千年) BCE, Sumer was no longer the
Afterward, Sumer disappeared back into the desert dirt, not to be
A.permanently | B.quickly | C.patiently | D.entirely |
A.occupied | B.destroyed | C.lost | D.attacked |
A.separate | B.interrupt | C.redirect | D.freeze |
A.dry | B.royal | C.awesome | D.rich |
A.wearing down | B.springing up | C.rising up | D.breaking down |
A.next | B.last | C.slow | D.same |
A.equipment | B.basins | C.walls | D.bricks |
A.emperors | B.universities | C.cities | D.palaces |
A.law | B.school | C.construction | D.labour |
A.society | B.childhood | C.community | D.parenthood |
A.invented | B.dismissed | C.learned | D.preserved |
A.only | B.safe | C.weak | D.reliable |
A.region | B.center | C.river | D.farm |
A.strengthened | B.saved | C.surrounded | D.overturned |
A.rebuilt | B.relocated | C.rediscovered | D.reunited |
The problem with
So we set out to find out
The Norman knights were also expanding into Sicily and mainland Italy, while the migration of Seljuk Turks from Central Asia was about to threaten the Byzantine Empire,
But my
Frances Wood, a former head of the Chinese section at the British Library
Chang Yu Wine Company, the largest and oldest wine producer in China,
Bishi initially imported 2000 vines (葡萄藤) from America, which were
In 1905, Changyu completed
Devoted to continuous trial and
Later, using Cabernet Gernischt as the main material, Changyu produced a red wine with a totally different flavor.
Today ChangYu Wine Company, with its wine well received both at home and abroad, is moving ahead for a better future.
8 . Born in Wales in 1950, Martin Lockley was a pioneer in the study of the dinosaur tracks and footprints preserved in rocks around the world. His work helped his fellow paleontologists (古生物学家) understand what the footprints can tell us about dinosaurs and the world that they lived in.
The footprints and tracks left behind by dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals are called trace fossils (痕迹化石). They can offer clues to how quickly an animal walked or ran and even what their skin may have looked like. Compared with the body fossils of bones and teeth, trace fossils contain evidence of the interactions that the animals had with their environment and can describe what the physical environment may have looked like. They offer a more reliable way to imagine the speed of a dinosaur than analyzing the bones.
Lockley’s mother and father were nature lovers. Lockley loved to observe nature. His father inspired him to “just go out and observe and trust your observations”, which proved important in Lockley’s launching his future career in dinosaur research. He took that advice with him to Gunnison, southwest of Denver, the United States. While North America is home to some of the largest number of fossil footprints in the world, Lockley’s work with prints and his father’s words took him far and wide. He explored fossil and track sites in China, South Korea, Spain and the United Kingdom.
In addition to finding the tracks, Lockley devoted time and energy to preserving these important parts of the fossil record. This includes guiding the politics needed to create UNESCO world heritage sites so that future generations wouldn’t lose out on these precious relics of the past.
1. What can we know about trace fossils?A.They can reflect the then environment. |
B.They are mainly left by some larger animals. |
C.They can be easier to preserve than teeth fossils. |
D.They are as accurate as bone fossils in analyzing animals’ speed. |
A.His family’s tradition. |
B.His father’s encouragement. |
C.His love for dinosaurs and their footprints. |
D.His desire to find the largest dinosaur track site. |
A.He explored places of interest around the world. |
B.He guided fellow paleontologists in their work. |
C.He conserved and promoted dinosaur track sites. |
D.He educated the next generation of track hunters. |
A.Dangerous. | B.Time-consuming. | C.Far-reaching. | D.Demanding. |
Laba Festival, also simply
Since it’s in the last month, the festival implies
Legend has it
Later, Zhu Yuanzhang came into power. When he thought of the delicious taste of the porridge, he ordered his servants to use a variety of food
In the beginning, western people use letters of the alphabet (字母表)
By 1400 BC, the Chinese writing system had become more complex.
People