1 . My name is Arianna Traviglia and I’m a senior cultural and heritage researcher at the Centre for Cultural Heritage Technology at the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa, Italy.
As head of the team, I encourage the development of new technologies to maintain and protect important archaeological (考古学的) findings. Right now, I am working in the field of Pompeii, an ancient Roman city which was destroyed and buried under 13 to 20 feet of ash and small rocks during a volcanic eruption in 79 AD. With the help of a robot, I try to carefully reconstruct (重建) the city’s 2,000-year-old broken frescoes (壁画). The project is called RePAIR.
There are thousands of fresco pieces in Pompeii, and it was nearly impossible for a human to reconstruct all the irregular pieces into big, meaningful paintings in the past. Technology now allows us to do it-the robot we use is running by artificial intelligence (AI). As it examines a piece, it searches a database for a match, and then sends the data back to its hands to fit matching pieces together, saving a lot of hours. Its soft human-like arms and hands allow it to hold and examine the easily broken pieces without damaging them. The technology is likely to allow many museums around the world to reconstruct large-scale broken frescoes or similar objects in the future.
In RePAIR, I’m studying the hyperspectral (高光谱的) images of the fresco pieces in storage and comparing them with the paintings on the walls of the House of the Painters at Work, part of a building in Pompeii. By comparing the resemblances in the images, we will be able to work out whether the broken pieces were from the same wall.
I studied history and archaeology in college. Archaeology helps us understand where we come from, and technology enriches that exploration. I’m glad I’m a translator of the two worlds. My mind runs wild when I think about the exciting Roman life that we are still missing because Pompeii’s frescoes were damaged and haven’t been reconstructed.
1. What is the author mainly responsible for now?| A．Repairing the damaged archaeological findings. | B．Designing robots used for archaeology. |
| C．Discovering ancient cities hidden beneath the ground. | D．Reporting on recent studies of historical ruins. |
| A．It may cause further damage to artworks. | B．It takes more time to the examine the artworks. |
| C．It doesn’t need human operators. | D．It has already been widely used in museums. |
| A．Mistakes. | B．Similarities. | C．Damages. | D．Documents. |
| A．Dangerous. | B．Meaningful. | C．Relaxing. | D．Successful. |
2 . Football has found its way to the most remote corners of the globe, becoming one of the hottest topics of the day
Cuju became popular during the Warring States Period.
During the Han Dynasty, the popularity of Cuju gradually spread from the army to the royal courts and upper classes. Football matches were often held inside the Imperial Palace. A type of court called “ju cheng” was built especially for Cuju matches.
The sport was improved during the Tang Dynasty. First of all, the feather-stuffed ball was replaced by an air filled ball with a two layered hull(外壳)
The popularity of the sport exploded during the Song Dynasty due to social and economic development, extending to every class in society. At that time, professional Cuju players were quite popular, and the sport began to take on a commercial edge. Cuju organizations were set up in large cities called Qi Yun She or Yuan She-now known as the earliest professional Cuju club——whose members were either Cuju lovers or professional performers.
| A．Also, two different types of goal posts showed up. |
| B．Both adults and children played Cuju in everyday life. |
| C．Cuju began its decline during the Ming Dynasty due to neglect. |
| D．Back then, it was used to strengthen the fighting power of soldiers. |
| E．Meanwhile, Cuju games were standardized as rules were established. |
| F．About 2,500 years ago in China there was a similar game called “Cuju”. |
| G．Dating back to over 2,000 years ago, it has changed and developed over time. |
Paper money, much more convenient than metal coins,
4 . 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 |
| A．A positive effect. | B．A valuable suggestion. |
| C．A quick decision. | D．A comprehensive view. |
| 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. |
| 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 |
5 . We usually think of archaeology as lots of painstaking work by brave explorers. But today, long-hidden cities are being revealed (显露) from the air, where modern archaeologists use laser pulses (激光脉冲) to discover the sign of ancient life buried below thick surface.
Lidar, short for “light detection and ranging”, needs directing rapid laser pulses at the ground from an airplane. Software catches the time and wavelength of the pulses reflected from the surface and connects it with GPS and other data to produce a precise 3D map of the landscape below.
In recent years, lidar exposed an ancient city in western Mexico called Angamuco. The discovery of this long-lost Mexican metropolis (大都) is especially meaningful.
“To think that this large city existed in the heartland of Mexico for all this time and nobody knew it was there is kind of amazing,” says Chris Fisher, an archaeologist at Colorado State University who led the expedition.
The city extended over ten square miles. “That is a huge area with a lot of people,” says Fisher. “You are talking about 40. 000 building foundations, which is about the same number of building foundations that are on the island of Manhattan.” Archaeologists were surprised when they saw Angamuco’s city plan. The monuments (纪念碑) were largely concentrated in eight zones around the edges rather than being located in one large center.
Archacologists discovered signs of the buried city in 2007 and attempted to explore it using a traditional way. But the team soon realized that it would take at least ten years to outline the whole metropolis. In 2011, they began using lidar to map nearly 14 square miles. Researchers now believe that more than 100. 000 people lived in Angamuco from about AD 1000 to AD 1350. That makes it the biggest city in western Mexico at the time or at least the biggest city we know about so far.
“Everywhere you point the lidar instrument, you find something new.” says Fisher. “Right now. every textbook has to be rewritten. and two years from now. they’re going to have to be rewritten again.”
1. Where is the text probably taken from?| A．A textbook | B．A magazine | C．A guidebook | D．A diary. |
| A．By producing a precise 3D landscape. | B．By connecting laser pulses with software |
| C．By catching images of the ground surface | D．By detecting the ground with laser pulses. |
| A．It existed in Mexico for a short time. | B．It covered an area as large as Manhattan. |
| C．It had monuments located in the city center. | D．It was a metropolis with a large population. |
| A．Lidar uses light waves to peel back the layers of time. |
| B．A Mexico city is unearthed and presented to the world. |
| C．Laser pulses show fascinating facts about modern cities. |
| D．Archacologists uncover ancient cities to rewrite textbooks. |
As the world’s longest man-made canal, the Grand Canal is a vast waterway system in the north-eastern and central-eastern plains of China,
The Grand Canal is a magnificent hydraulic (水利) project in human history.
The Grand Canal represents the
The term Xuan paper first appeared in On Famous Paintings through the Ages, a book
The traditional craft of making Xuan paper is
The flow of ink, both guided and resisted by water, determines the output of Chinese art, and Xuan paper outshines others with its excellent ability
Unlike other forms of paper, Xuan paper is very resistant to damage brought by time.
8 . The olive (橄榄) tree probably first grew in southern Asia. And then it spread to Mediterranean countries about 6,000 years ago. Since then, it has been important in Mediterranean people’s lives.
The olive tree grows in rocky places and it doesn’t need much water. Its fruit can be made into olive oil. People have used olive oil to cook dishes for centuries. But they haven’t only used it for cooking. Some ancient cultures believed that it was useful as medicine. In modern times, people still use olive oil both for its taste and its health advantages.
Olive oil has also been an important product in the business and culture of Mediterranean countries. In ancient Greece, for example, anyone who cut down an olive tree was heavily punished. Winners at the Olympic Games wore wreaths (花环). They were made of olive branches (树枝). Sometimes winners were also given a prize of olive oil. People from Greece built ships so that they could use olive oil for trade. But it was the Romans who grew the olive tree in the rest of southern Europe and northern Africa.
Today, olive oil is still a very valuable product, and many different kinds of olive oil are sold in countries all over the world.
1. Where did the olive tree probably first grow?| A．In Asia. | B．In Africa. | C．In Europe. | D．In America. |
| A．People started to cook with it recently. | B．It is made from olive branches. |
| C．People used it to build ships in Greece. | D．It can be good for health. |
| A．wore wreaths | B．were heavily punished |
| C．got a prize of olive oil | D．were regarded as heroes |
| A．the method of cooking | B．the trade of Greece |
| C．the history of the Olympic Games | D．the story of olive oil |
There is so much more to learn
18th Birthday in China
In China many people celebrate their 18th birthday as an important one because that suggests coming of age, which is
In ancient China, the coming-of-age ceremony was an important ritual for a child that was going to set foot
After the ceremony, they were considered adults and
Section B
