1 . Archaeologists in Mexico have discovered the remains of a lost Maya city hidden deep within the jungles of the Yucatán Peninsula.
The site, located in the Balamkú ecological reserve in the Mexican state of Campeche, contains numerous large pyramids that were built during the Classic Period of the Maya civilisation. The archaeologists named the location Ocomtún, meaning “stone column (石柱)” in Yucatec Maya language, in a nod to the many stone columns spreading around on the over 123-acre site.
The team found the city while mapping the Maya lowlands with billions of lasers shot from an aircraft flying overhead. This technique, known as light detection and ranging, is a noninvasive (非创伤的) way for researchers to understand the geography of human-made structures hidden beneath leaves. In this case, the technique revealed a Maya city with several pyramidal structures, with the tallest towering nearly 50 feet.
“The site serves as an important center at the regional level,” lead archaeologist Ivan Šprajc said in the statement, “and it is a breakthrough in Maya archeology.”
The Maya had numerous city sites spread across southern Mexico and Central America; the civilization reached its peak during the first millennium AD until it “collapsed” between 800 and 1000. In addition to finding the pyramids and columns, while on foot, the archaeologists discovered ceramics (陶瓷), three squares, a court used to play ball games and a complex comprising low and thin structures arranged almost in circles.
However, the archaeologists are still investigating how the Maya used some of the structures. “It is possible that they are markets or spaces designed for community events,” Šprajc said. “The most common ceramic types that we collected on the surface and in some test pits are from the Late Classic. However, the analysis of samples of this material will offer us more reliable data on the sequences of occupation.”
1. What can we learn from paragraph 2?A.There are many stone structures dotted on the site. |
B.The pyramids built by Egyptians used to be huge. |
C.The stone columns cover an area of nearly 124 acres. |
D.The site discovered used to be an ecological reserve. |
A.Frightening and puzzling. | B.Incredible and romantic. |
C.Complex and fictional. | D.Invaluable and significant. |
A.The Maya city was once a booming city. |
B.Some tall and thin structures lay on the squares. |
C.The ancient Mayas lived on ceramic manufacturing. |
D.The pyramids and columns were found quite by accident. |
A.The long-lost ancient civilization | B.Lost Maya city discovered in jungles |
C.Archaeologists’ new discoveries in Mexico | D.Human-made structures hidden beneath leaves |
2 . The story about horses in North America told in several written histories is in need of an update, according to a new study. After examining ancient remains of horses, researchers suggest indigenous(土著的) peoples had spread the animals through the American West by the first half of the 1600s—before they met Europeans.
The findings line up with oral histories from indigenous groups, which tell of interactions with horses before settlers arrived in their homelands. Meanwhile, written European texts from the 1700s and 1800s stated that horses only spread through the area after 1680.
Horses originated in the Americas around four million years ago, but by about 10,000 years ago, they had mostly disappeared from the record. Spanish settlers likely first brought horses back to the Americas in 1519. According to the new study, indigenous peoples then transported horses north along trade networks.
To find when the animals spread, researchers examined the remains of more than twenty horses discovered across the Western U.S. Rather than simply walking around the countryside on their own, the horses appear to have been part of Native American culture. Signs of teeth problems on one horse and growths on the bones of the head of another suggested people had put bridles(缰绳) on the animals. Certain chemical elements in the animals’ teeth suggested they ate maize, an indigenous plant. And another horse had a previously broken facial bone that had fully recovered, meaning it might have received medical treatment.
Researchers compared the ancient horses’ DNA with that of modern horses and found that the centuries-old horses had largely Spanish origins. Together, the findings suggest horses spread “from Spanish settlements in the American Southwest to the northern Rockies and central Great Plains by the first half of the 17th century.”
The findings also highlight the importance of indigenous oral traditions in understanding history. “Our cultures have been so misunderstood for so long,” says co-author Yvette Collin. “Too often history has been told around us, without us.”
1. What needs to be updated according to the new study?A.When horses showed up in the Americas. | B.Who introduced horses to North America. |
C.When Native Americans first met Europeans. | D.Who spread horses through the American West. |
A.They played a role in natives’ life. | B.They were born with tooth disease. |
C.They were badly treated by natives. | D.They had hardly any Spanish origins. |
A.They spread easily. | B.They are of great significance. |
C.They pass down traditions. | D.They unite indigenous groups. |
A.Written texts explain human-horse interactions. |
B.Oral histories help us understand Indigenous cultures. |
C.New research rewrites the history of American horses. |
D.Archaeological remains are the key to learning about the past. |
3 . The Masai(马赛人) are continually trying to keep their own ways in an increasingly modern world. They live along the border of Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa, moving their homes from time to time to follow their cattle, the source of their livelihood. They rely on their cattle in many parts of their life. They like drinking the cows’ milk.
They don’t kill their cattle for food. But if a cow is killed, the parts of its body are used to make containers, shoes, clothin, ropes, bed coverings and so on. Not all of the men have cows. The more cattle a man owns, the richer he is considered to be. A man who owns 50 or fewer cattle is considered poor. Rich men have a thousand or more. The cattle, though owned by the man, are considered to belong to the man’s entire family. The family names the cattle and can recognize each animal’s special voice.
The Masai men have become known as warriors(勇士), protecting their cattle against other wild animals. They wear their red long hair. Most women often take care of their children, cook food, clean clothes and make clothing at home. They also make necklaces dresses and headdresses. A few women can also become authorities once they are powerful enough. They speak a language called Maa.
The houses of Masai made from sticks and grass, which are held together with a mixture of mud, are not very firm or safe. These plain houses with some basic supplies are built in a circle and make up a Masai village. They are not meant to last long since the migration(迁徙) of the cow population means that the Masai move as well. In the meantime, in order to prevent animals from entering, they also form a wall of branches. The whole setup is to protect the cattle, which sleep at night in the middle of the village. They seem to live a natural and self-sufficient life but lack modern civilisation.
1. What do we know about the Masai?A.They don’t move in their lives. |
B.They each have their own cows. |
C.They don’t kill their cattle at all. |
D.They are heavily dependent on cattle. |
A.Designers. | B.Authorities. |
C.Housewives. | D.Warriors. |
A.Modern. | B.Lasting | C.Simple. | D.Safe. |
A.Africans: Living a Moving life |
B.Africans: Brave People in the World |
C.The Masai: Rich People in East Africa |
D.The Masai: Maintaining a Traditional Lifestyle |
4 . A waterworks maintenance team discovered a possible one-of-a-kind Roman road in a field in Worcestershire that may date back 2,000 years.
If asked to name a place where you might make a once-in-a-lifetime archaeological (考古的) discovery, your mind may go to the pyramids of Egypt or the peaks of the Andes...not a field in Worcestershire. But a field in Worcestershire is exactly where workmen recently discovered what is thought to be a Roman road up to 2,000 years old!
The road was discovered during routine (常规的) waterworks maintenance by Severn Trent. Archaeological experts from Wychavon District Council were called to the scene and immediately recognised the find’s significance.
Wychavon District Council’s archaeology officer Aidan Smyth said, “When I first saw it, it took my breath away. If proven to be from the first century AD, it would be beyond rare.”
Experts say it is constructed in a traditional Roman technique, with similar roads only being found in Rome and Pompeii. Ruts (车辙) in the stones show that it was used by carts for a long time. A team from Historic England is expected to investigate further to determine the exact origin of the structure.
This is actually not the first significant historical discovery in Worcestershire. A number of possible forts have been suggested in Worcestershire since the 1950s, and Worcestershire is thought to possibly have been the site for the Roman town of Vertis.
It is too early to say without 100 per cent certainty that the road is Roman, but even if it is a road in the Middle Ages, it will still be a nationally significant discovery. If it is indeed a first-century Roman road, then it is the only one of its kind in Britain.
1. Why does the author mention the pyramids of Egypt?A.To make a comparison with the Andes. |
B.To identify the importance of pyramids. |
C.To show the find in Worcestershire is rare. |
D.To prove the archaeological discovery is true. |
A.Long expected archaeology news. |
B.The result of a careful exploration. |
C.The effort of world archaeologists. |
D.An unexpected result of a repair service. |
A.Excited. | B.Confused. | C.Annoyed. | D.Satisfied. |
A.A once-in-a-lifetime archaeological literature. |
B.An unfortunate waterworks maintenance team. |
C.A nationally significant event in ancient Rome. |
D.A possible Roman road discovered in a field in Britain. |
5 . A seven-word sentence was discovered on a 3,700-year-old comb (梳子),which is likely the oldest known sentence written in letters,according to a new study. The sentence is in Canaanite (迦南语),which is the source (来源) of later letter systems in European languages.
The comb was first discovered in 2016 in Israeli. However,it wasn’t until 2021 that a researcher from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem first noticed the words when checking the photo of the comb. The researchers were not able to directly date the comb. They believed it dated from around 1700 BC based on comparison of the letters with those on pottery (陶器) with a known age.
Garfinkel,a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem,said,“The Canaanites invented the letters. Nowadays every person in the world can read and write using the letter system. This is really one of the most important achievements of humankind. When you are writing in English,you’re really using Canaanite.”
Small groups of Canaanite letters discovered on broken pieces of pottery before did not leave much room for further research on the lives of the Canaanites. But this find of a sentence written in the first letter-based language opens up the debate about the history during the ancient time period.
Garfinkel said,“The sentence was found on an ivory comb in the ancient city’s palace and temple area,which could suggest that only wealthy men were able to read and write.” The earliest writing system started around 5,000 years ago,which relied on hundreds of pictographs (象形文字) to represent words,ideas and sounds. Canaanites were the first to use letters in their writing system. “It shows that even in the most ancient times there were full sentences,which further suggests that Canaanites stood out among the early civilizations in their use of the written word.”
1. What do we know about Canaanite?A.It has a history of 3,700 years. | B.It is the oldest known language. |
C.Its sentences are in many languages. | D.Its letters are still in use at present. |
A.It was discovered on some pottery. | B.It was identified on a comb in 2016. |
C.It was recognized when dating the comb. | D.It was recognized on a photo of the comb. |
A.The influence of Canaanite letters. |
B.The rules of using Canaanite letters. |
C.The problem in identifying the Canaanite sentence. |
D.The explanation of the discovered Canaanite sentence. |
A.Useless. | B.Meaningful. | C.Confusing. | D.Unacceptable. |
6 . A new four-legged whale species was recently discovered by a team of researchers in Egypt. The fossil which was encased in a tomb of rock dates back to over 43 million years ago!
This ancient creature had four functional legs, so it could dwell on both land and in water. Ironically, Egypt’s Fayum Depression, the desert where the fossil was discovered, was an ocean millions of years ago.
Researchers believe this fossil is an example from an era when land animals were adapting to marine life. Modern whales evolved from deer-like land mammals (哺乳动物) over the course of millions of years, and this unique whale could travel across land and swim in the ocean.
The new species is named Phiomicetus Anubis because the whale’s skull (颅骨) resembles the Egyptian jackal-headed god of death, Anubis. Scientists have also been able to recover the whale’s partial skeleton (骨骼). They inferred that the ancient whale was about three meters in length and weighed 1,300 pounds. The mammal had a long mouthful of teeth, which indicated that it fed on smaller mammals and other sea life.
After analyzing the remains at Mansoura University in the Nile River Delta, scientists supposed that P. Anubis is the oldest semi-aquatic whale species found in Africa. Although the fossil itself was discovered thirteen years ago, researchers just completed the analysis and made the exciting announcement of a new species. Other whale fossils with legs have been found before, but the P. Anubis is the earliest, of its kind found in Africa.
1. Where did the researchers find the fossil?A.In the India Ocean. | B.On the Rock Islands. |
C.In the Fayum Depression. | D.In the Nile River Delta. |
A.Its weight. | B.Its length. | C.Its teeth. | D.Its legs. |
A.The study of Phiomicetus Anubis is time-consuming. |
B.The analysis of Phiomicetus Anubis has a long way to go. |
C.Phiomicetus Anubis is the oldest mammal found in Africa. |
D.Phiomicetus Anubis is the world’s largest semi-aquatic whale species. |
A.A whale that could travel across land |
B.A new species that was named by Anubis |
C.An announcement that made the world excited |
D.A modern creature that evolved from deer-like land mammals |
7 . May 18th is International Museum Day. Let’s take a look at some of the strangest museums around the world.
Giant Shoe Museum
Located in the famous Pike Place Market of Seattle, the Giant Shoe Museum is a single exhibit wall located on the outside of the Old Seattle Paperworks store and brings a lot of business to the shop as a result. A variety of giant shoes include a size 37 shoe worn by the world’s tallest man, a real clown shoe and the world’s largest collection of giant shoes.
Washington Banana Museum
Ann Mitchell Lovell really loves bananas. In fact, she loves them enough to not only run the Washington Banana Museum, which features almost 4,000 items related to the world’s best-selling fruit, but to also upload photos of her favorite items from the museum online so those who can’t make it to the physical location can still enjoy the virtual Banana Museum.
Roswell UFO Museum
Visitors can ask as many questions as possible about the Roswell incident of 1947, and know about what was spotted in the sky that fateful night. Exhibits include information on the event, crop circles, other UFO sightings, Area 51, and so on. Regardless of your personal opinion about UFOs, there’s no denying that the museum has been quite successful. Since it opened its doors in 1992, it has outgrown two different locations, and now occupies an old movie theater.
Beijing Tap Water Museum
One of the key ingredients you need to make ramen is water, so when you’re done with weird (怪异的) museums in Japan, maybe you should head to China to learn more about tap water, specifically the history of the first water plant in Beijing. Here you can study over 300 items to better familiarize yourself with the 100-year-old history of tap water in China. The best thing about this museum is that any of its drinking fountains can provide you with an enduring souvenir of your trip.
1. Why was Washington Banana Museum set up?A.Out of protection of the species. | B.To attract more people to enjoy the fruit. |
C.Out of the founder’s love for bananas. | D.To share more interesting photos of bananas. |
A.Share their opinions of UFO. | B.Know some details about a historic event. |
C.Discuss the possibility of seeing a UFO. | D.Have a view of different shoes worldwide. |
A.Giant Shoe Museum | B.Washington Banana Museum |
C.Roswell UFO Museum | D.Beijing Tap Water Museum |
8 . An individual from an unknown hominid (原始人类) species walked across a field of wet, volcanic ash in what is now East Africa around 3.66 million years ago, leaving behind a handful of footprints.
Those five ancient footprints, largely ignored since they were partly unearthed at Tanzania’s Laetoli site in 1976, show features of upright walking by a hominid, a new study finds. Researchers had previously considered them hard to classify, possibly produced by a young bear that took a few steps while standing. But the latest analysis refutes that suggestion.
McNutt, DeSilva, who started the new investigation as a Dartmouth College graduate student, and their colleagues fully dug out and cleaned the five Laetoli footprints in June 2019. Then they measured, photographed and 3-D scanned the ancient tracks. McNutt’s group focused on two footprints that were particularly well-preserved. Foot shapes, sizes, and walking characteristics of the Laetoli individual differed in various ways from those of other hominid individuals at the same site. The prints also didn’t match those from modern black bears and modern chimps (黑猩猩) walking upright.
The Laetoli individual possessed a wider, more chimplike foot than humans, the researchers say. Its big toe stuck out slightly from the second toe (脚趾), but not to the degree observed in chimps. On one step, the Laetoli individual’s left leg crossed in front of the right leg, leaving a left footprint directly in front of the previous track. People may cross-step in this way when trying to regain balance. And bears and chimps assume a relatively wide standing due to knee and other bone arrangements that prevent them from walking like the Laetoli individual and probably from cross-stepping, the scientists say.
Given that only two of the ancient footprints are complete enough to analyze thoroughly, the possibility that a chimp other than a hominid made the Laetoli footprints can’t be ruled out, says William Harcourt-Smith, a scientist at Lehman College. But evidence of cross-stepping is enough to prove that it was a hominid track maker, he says.
1. What does the underlined word “refutes” in Paragraph 2 mean?A.Objects to. | B.Supports. | C.Puts forward. | D.Criticizes. |
A.They are less chimplike. | B.They have toes sticking out. |
C.They show a wider standing. | D.They get features of cross-stepping. |
A.Challenging. | B.Convincing. |
C.Confusing. | D.Conflicting. |
A.To share a new discovery. | B.To describe a major event. |
C.To settle a huge disagreement. | D.To introduce an unknown species. |