Question

The largest－ever chariot pit(战车坑)of relics with carts and horse bones has been discovered in Henan Province. It may lead to the uncovering of chariot pit groups that could be a key to understanding Chinese civilizations that existed more than 2,000 years ago.

Experts said the relics are dated more than 300 years earlier than the famous warriors(武士)in Shanxi Province. What excited the experts were two other projects that located two huge pits with similar features.

“It is absolutely a miracle. These relics indicate that there could be a tomb group in this area, which is likely to be important for China's archaeological(考古学的)studies，”said Ma Juncai，a leading relic researcher in the province.

In ancient China，carts，sheep，spoons and so on were buried to ensure that dead people had a happy afterlife. The number and quality of the sacrifices indicated the social status of the dead The custom was carried into the Qin Dynasty. Emperor Qinshihuang's tomb，located near Xi'an，the capital of Shanxi Province，is accompanied by thousands of wood or clay figures of warriors and horses. The tomb is probably the most well－known.

The discovered pit measures 10.4 meters long,8.4 meters wide and 5 meters deep. It holds 20 carts in different sizes. The smallest one is 1.05 meters long and 1.3 meters wide.

Experts think that 40 horses are likely to be found as well. Careful plans need to be made to deal with the demanding uncovering.“The clay is very weak and a small misstep can destroy the whole project. That's why we need to take every step very carefully to protect these cherished cultural relics，”Ma said.

1. What's the passage mainly about?

A. The dead people's sacrifices in ancient China.

B. China's archaeological studies.

C. The discovery of a large chariot pit in Henan.

D. The history of Chinese civilizations.

2. According to Ma Juncai, the uncovering of the three pits is a miracle because ________.

A. it shows there may be a tomb group there

B. it's helpful in discovering Emperor Qinshihuang's tomb

C. the relics are dated such a long time ago

D. the relics are more than 300 years older than the ones in Shanxi

3. It can be inferred from Paragraph 4 that ________.

A. all dead people had sacrifices in ancient China

B. the discovered pit is the most well－known in the world

C. the discovered pit dates back to the Qin Dynasty

D. Emperor Qinshihuang wanted to maintain his power after death

4. Careful plans for the uncovering are needed because ________.

A. another 40 horses are likely to be found as well

B. the whole uncovering could be destroyed easily

C. experts are too busy to spare time for it

D. the government hasn't agreed to it

5. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The discovery has drawn the leading experts' attention.

B. A lot of cultural relics have been discovered in Henan.

C. 40 horses have been discovered together with the chariot pit.

D. The discovered carts in the chariot pit are similar in size.

Answer 1

1. 解析：选C。细节理解题。在第二、三段和最后一段分别提到了他写的关于中国的四本书：Far Eastern Front；Red Star over China；The other Side of the River；The Long Revolution。

2. 解析：选C。细节理解题。从第二段可知，他曾经在China Weekly Review和Yenching University工作过，Columbia University是他毕业的学校；从第三段第三句话可知，他也为Saturday Evening Post工作过。

3. 解析：选B。细节理解题。根据第四段可知，战后，斯诺回到了美国，但是他和朋友Agnes Smedley被Joseph McCarthy指控为共产主义分子，最后被迫离开了自己的国家。

4. 解析：选A。推理判断题。根据文意可知，斯诺来到中国工作，辗转中国南北，一生写了很多有关中国的书，死后，按其遗嘱，其骨灰的一半安葬在北大的未名湖畔——他曾经工作过的地方；在中国，他被称为“中国人民的朋友”，故答案选A。

5. 解析：选D。推理判断题。根据文意可知，斯诺长期在中国南北和亚洲其他地方奔走，为不同的报社做事，没有一份稳定的工作，一战结束后，又被迫离开自己的祖国去了瑞士，其人生可谓“hard”；而其一生著述颇丰，可谓“productive”；二十多岁就只身来到动荡的中国，足迹遍及大江南北，深入陕北采访红军领导人，在二战期间，成为为数极少的报道二战东线的美国记者，其人生可谓“adventurous”。