2 . If you want to tell the history of the whole world, a history that does not privilege one part of humanity, you cannot do it through texts alone, because only some of the world has ever had texts, while most of the world, for most of the time, has not. Writing is one of humanity’s later achievements, and until fairly recently even many literate (有文字的) societies recorded their concerns not only in writing but in things.

Ideally a history would bring together texts and objects, and some chapters of this book are able to do just that, but in many cases we simply can’t. The clearest example of this between literate and non-literate history is perhaps the first conflict, at Botany Bay, between Captain Cook’s voyage and the Australian Aboriginals. From the English side, we have scientific reports and the captain’s record of that terrible day. From the Australian side, we have only a wooden shield (盾) dropped by a man in flight after his first experience of gunshot. If we want to reconstruct what was actually going on that day, the shield must be questioned and interpreted as deeply and strictly as the written reports.

In addition to the problem of miscomprehension from both sides, there are victories accidentally or deliberately twisted, especially when only the victors know how to write. Those who are on the losing side often have only their things to tell their stories. The Caribbean Taino, the Australian Aboriginals, the African people of Benin and the Incas, all of whom appear in this book, can speak to us now of their past achievements most powerfully through the objects they made: a history told through things gives them back a voice. When we consider contact (联系) between literate and non-literate societies such as these, all our first-hand accounts are necessarily twisted, only one half of a dialogue. If we are to find the other half of that conversation, we have to read not just the texts, but the objects.

What does the underlined word “conversation” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Problem.

B．History.

C．Voice.

D．Society.

3 . For the past five years, Paula Smith, a historian of science, has devoted herself to re-creating long-forgotten techniques. While doing research for her new book, she came across a 16th-century French manuscript (手稿) consisting of nearly 1,000 sets of instructions, covering subjects from tool making to finding the best sand.

The author’s intention remains as mysterious (神秘) as his name; he may have been simply taking notes for his own records. But Smith was struck mainly by the fact that she didn’t truly grasp any of the skills the author described. “You simply can’t get an understanding of that handwork by reading about it,” she says.

Though Smith did get her hands on the best sand, doing things the old-fashioned way isn’t just about playing around with French mud. Reconstructing the work of the craftsmen (工匠) who lived centuries ago can reveal how they viewed the world, what objects filled their homes, and what went on in the workshops that produced them. It can even help solve present-day problems: In 2015, scientists discovered that a 10th-century English medicine for eve problems could kill a drug-resistant virus.

The work has also brought insights for museums, Smith says. One must know how an object was made in order to preserve it. What’s more, reconstructions might be the only way to know what treasures looked like before time wore them down. Scholars have seen this idea in practice with ancient Greek and Roman statues. These sculptures were painted a rainbow of striking colours. We can’t appreciate these kinds of details without seeing works of art as they originally appeared-something Smith believes you can do only when you have a road map.

Smith has put the manuscript’s ideas into practice. Her final goal is to link the worlds of art and science back together: She believes that bringing the old recipes to life can help develop a kind of learning that highlights experimentation, teamwork, and problem solving.

Back when science — then called “the new philosophy” — took shape, academics looked to craftsmen for help in understanding the natural world. Microscopes and telescopes were invented by way of artistic tinkering (修补), as craftsmen experimented with glass to better bend light.

“If we can rediscover the values of hands-on experience and craftwork,” Smith says, “we can marry the best of our modern insights with the handiness of our ancestors.”

According to Smith, the reconstruction work is done mainly to ________.

A．restore old workshops

B．understand the craftsmen

C．improve visual effects

D．inspire the philosophers

5 . A rare 765-year-old gold coin found on farm land in Devon in south-west England is expected to sell for up to half a million pounds at auction. It is believed that the coin was made more than 750 years ago, during the rule of the English King Henry III. It is one of only eight known to exist.

Featuring a picture of King Henry III on one side and a cross and roses on the other, the coin is around 2.5 centimetres across. It was made with gold that came from north Africa. It was found in September last year by a detectorist (someone who looks for items buried underground using a metal detector) in Hemyock village. The detectorist had no idea how rare the coin was until he posted a photo of it on social media, where it was spotted by a history expert.

The finder, who doesn’t want to be named, was told to take the coin to the British Museum, where it was confirmed that the coin was very rare. According to the law, the finder is allowed to keep it because it’s a single coin and not part of a bigger haul but he has decided to sell it. He told the BBC, “The coin was found in an unappealing field and could quite easily have never been recovered. Now it is protected for future generations to enjoy.”

The coin is especially valuable because it was one of England’s first gold coins. The country’s coins were made of silver until King Henry III, who ruled from 1216 until his death in 1272, introduced gold ones with his picture on them.

Professor David Carpenter at King’s College London, has traced the coin back to a man called John de Hidon, who was the lord of Hemyock Manor. Carpenter thinks the coin may have fallen out of someone’s pocket—either de Hidon himself or one of his staff.

The correct order of the events that happened is____________.
①The value of the coin was confirmed.
②A coin was unearthed in the field.
③The coin was on display at the British Museum.
④The coin was intended for sale.
⑤The coin caught the attention of a history expert.

A．①③②④	B．②⑤①④
C．②①⑤④③	D．④②①③⑤