China is
The earliest written Chinese was
China’s present is connected with its past by written Chinese. People in modern times can read the classic works
2 . Although English is not as old as Chinese, it is spoken by many people around the world every day. English speakers are always creating new words, and we are often able to know where most words come from.
Sometimes, however, no one may really know where a word comes from. Did you ever think about why hamburgers (汉堡包) are called hamburgers, especially when they are not made with ham (火腿)? About a hundred years ago, some men went to America from Europe. They came from a big city in Germany called Hamburg. They did not speak good English, but they ate good food. When some Americans saw them eating round pieces of beef, they asked the Germans what it was. The Germans did not understand the question and answered, “We come from Hamburg.” One of these Americans owned a restaurant, and had an idea. He cooked some round pieces of beef like those which the men from Hamburg ate. Then he put each between two pieces of bread and started selling them. Such bread came to be called “hamburgers”. Today “hamburgers” are sold in many countries around the world.
Whether this story is true or not, it certainly is interesting. Knowing why any word has a certain meaning is interesting, too. This reason, for most English words, can be found in any large English dictionary.
1. About a hundred years ago, Hamburg was .A.An American city | B.a Chinese city |
C.the name of a village | D.a city in Germany |
A.beef, bread | B.only made with beef |
C.bread, potato | D.only made with bread |
A.Where all the new words come from |
B.Where those Germans came from |
C.The reason why an English word has a certain meaning |
D.The reason why English is spoken around the world |
A.China because it has a long history |
B.England because Germans don’t speak good English |
C.the round pieces of beef which those people from Hamburg were eating |
D.English speakers because they always create new words |
In Sarek National Park, I wake up to the sound of the wind buffeting the cloth of my tent.
For hundreds of years, the Sami lived off reindeer. With reindeer on the move, the Sami would pick
In the times of Queen Victoria people were exposed to cholera, a deadly disease. Neither its cause nor its cure
The Great Wall winds its way from west to east, across deserts, upon mountains, through valleys till at last it reaches the sea. It is one of the most famous places of interest in China and Chinese people are very proud of it. Every year a lot of people came to the Great wall to feel the
The Great Wall has
Today the Great Wall is a place of interest not only to the Chinese but also to people from all over the world. Many people know the famous Chinese saying: “He
The five interlocked Olympic rings have become fairly familiar at this point. But do you know what they mean and the story behind their
The 1912 Olympic Games, held in Sweden, were the first to include athletes from
Given what we know about colors and their many symbolic
7 . Fossils are well preserved remains, impressions, or traces (痕迹) of animals and plants that lived long ago. Paleontologists (古生物学家) divide fossils into two main groups. Some fossils, called body fossils, show the structure of the plant or the animal. They form directly from the remains of plants and animals. Other fossils, called trace fossils. They record signs of animal or plant activities, such as walking, feeding, scratching, or even resting.
Most animals and plants don’t become fossils after they die. They break down into little bits or may be eaten by other animals. But some remains get buried too fast, avoiding those things happening. An animal might die near a body of water and sink to the bottom, where its remains get covered in sediment (沉积物). As sediment builds up, mineral-rich water seeps into the remains, leaving minerals in the tiny spaces of the bones and even replacing the original bones. The new minerals react with those in the animal’s remains and then harden into fossils.
Most fossils are buried deep in the Earth. As the Earth’s surface changes, scientists can dig up new fossils and learn more about past life and the Earth’s history. In rock that formed before a certain time, roughly 2.8 million years ago, scientists will not find human fossils.
Fossils are our keys to understanding prehistoric life and the Earth’s history. By studying fossils, we learn about a great variety of plants and animals that lived in the past. We can know what they looked like, how and where they moved and what they ate. By comparing fossils from different time periods, we can track the evolution of a species, see how it adapted to changes in its environment, and understand more about the climate and environment where the fossils were buried.
1. What can we learn from paragraph 1?A.Fossils are remains of plants and animals. |
B.Trace fossils only tell us the activities of animals. |
C.Trace fossils form directly from the remains of creatures. |
D.Body fossils show almost the original structure of creatures. |
A.Where we can find fossils. | B.How animals and plants become fossils. |
C.Different fossils have different features. | D.Which methods are used to study fossils. |
A.Engages in. | B.Succeeds in. | C.Delights in. | D.Sinks in. |
A.Ridiculous. | B.Complex. | C.Significant. | D.Inspiring. |
8 . One of the most common beliefs among researchers is that humans first arrived in North America 16,000 years ago. According to a recent fossil discovery, that might not be true. The new finding suggests that humans might have arrived in North America far earlier.
In 2013, a damaged mammoth (猛犸象) skull and other bones that looked “deliberately broken” were found. The damage to the bones suggested that humans were the ones who caused it to make tools. Carbon- dating analysis suggested the pieces are roughly 37 ,000 years old. This discovery could shift our understanding of humans ‘earliest existence in North America. These fossils suggest humans killed animals in the area much earlier than 16, 000 years ago.
Previous research led scientists to believe the first humans that settled in North America belonged to the Clovis culture. This was a group of people who left behind carefully made tools 16,000 years ago. However, carbon-dating analysis of the mammoth bones indicates that the site is around 36, 250 to 38, 900 years old. That means it’s the oldest known site left behind by ancient humans in North America.
“That’s not the only interesting thing about the discovery,” said Timothy Rowe, a professor at the University of Texas. “The similar findings supporting an earlier date for human arrival have been mostly ignored. This is because they have contradicted previous research.”
Now, however, he thinks there’s a good chance that researchers will find evidence of humans farther back in time.
The early humans shaped bones into sharp blades, which were used to take apart animals’ remains, according to Rowe. There are also signs that they cooked the animal bones over a fire to melt off the fat. “The real evidence that we have has to do with the breakage patterns, and how thorough they are. They must have used rocks or hammer stones to bust the skeleton apart... These people would use whatever they could,” Rowe told USA Today.
1. What can be learnt about the earliest humans in North America?A.They arrived there 16,000 years ago. | B.They caused mammoth to disappear. |
C.They belonged to the Clovis culture. | D.They could make tools with bones. |
A.They lack a good chance. | B.They fail to draw attention. |
C.They disagree with earlier research. | D.They aren’t studied scientifically. |
A.Inspiring. | B.Annoying. | C.Puzzling. | D.Embarrassing. |
A.The Earliest Humans’ Settling in North America |
B.Evidence of Earlier Humans’ Arrival in North America |
C.The Earliest Tool Makers in North America |
D.Research on Mammoths in North America |
9 . Here are some properties that the British royal family owns.
Buckingham Palace | The most famous palace for the British monarchy(君主), Buckingham Palace, is easily recognized. It was originally built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703 and acquired by King George Ⅲ in 1761 and has remained in the royal family ever since. This is where the family tends to greet visitors and crowds, and serves as the administrative offices of the monarch of the United Kingdom. It is valued at $4.9 billion. |
The Diamond Diadem(王冠) | This Diamond Diadem was made in 1820 for George Ⅳ, which was regularly worn by Queen Victoria after it was reset with jewels from the royal collection. Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ wore it in 1953. The jewelry experts estimated it to be worth around $ 6.9 million. |
Painting by Claude Monet | The royal family is known for its extensive art collection as well. This is “Study of Rocks; Creuse: ‘Le Bloc’” by Claude Monet (1840-1926). In 1949, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother purchased it for $2,300, and by the time of her death in 2002, it was worth about $17,000. The Monet painting hung in her main residence at Clarence House for several years, but is now on display at Buckingham Palace. |
Tower of London | It’s built in 1066. It’s not a working palace any more, but it used to be. The Tower of London, officially called His Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, now functions as a museum and is a protected World Heritage Site due to its extensive history. It’s also the single most valuable piece of property in the United Kingdom, estimated to be worth about $81 billion. |
A.It was built in memory of King George Ⅲ. |
B.All the British royal family lives there. |
C.It’s a working place of the British monarchy. |
D.The Diamond Diadem is on display there. |
A.It has the shortest history. |
B.Its value cannot be estimated by money. |
C.It was passed down by previous monarchs. |
D.It was Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother’s favorite. |
A.Buckingham Palace. | B.The Diamond Diadem. |
C.Painting by Claude Monet. | D.Tower of London. |
Chinese cultural relic authorities on Thursday revealed some new discoveries from the mysterious Sanxingdui Ruins in Sichuan Province.
Meanwhile,
Totally; the archaeologists(考古学家)