Human remains of ancient settlements will be reburied and lost to science under a law that threatens research into the history of humans in Britain, a group of leading archaeologists(考古学家) says. In a letter addressed to the justice secretary, Ken Clarke, 40 archaeologists write of their “deep and widespread concern” about the issue. It centers on the law introduced by the Ministry of Justice in 2008 which requires all human remains unearthed in England and Wales to be reburied within two years, regardless of their age. The decision means scientists have too little time to study bones and other human remains of national and cultural significance.
“Your current requirement that all archaeologically unearthed human remains should be reburied, whether after a standard period of two years or further special extension, is contrary to basic principles of archaeological and scientific research and of museum practice,” they write.
The law applies to any pieces of bone uncovered at around 400 dig sites, including the remains of 60 or so bodies found at Stonehenge in 2008 that date back to 3,000 BC. Archaeologists have been granted a temporary extension to give them more time, but eventually the bones will have to be returned to the ground.
The arrangements may result in the waste of future discoveries at sites such as Happisburgh in Norfolk, where digging is continuing after the discovery of stone tools made by early humans 950,000 years ago. If human remains were found at Happisburgh, they would be the oldest in northern Europe and the first indication of what this species was. Under the current practice of the law those remains would have to be reburied and effectively destroyed.
Before 2008, guidelines allowed for the proper preservation and study of bones of sufficient age and historical interest, while the Burial Act 1857 applied to more recent remains. The Ministry of Justice assured archaeologists two years ago that the law was temporary, but has so far failed to revise it.
Mike Parker Pearson, an archaeologist at Sheffield University, said: “Archaeologists have been extremely patient because we were led to believe the ministry was sorting out this problem, but we feel that we cannot wait any longer.”
The ministry has no guidelines on where or how remains should be reburied, or on what records should be kept.
【小题1】According to the passage, scientists are unhappy with the law mainly because _______.
A.it is only a temporary measure on the human remains |
B.it is unreasonable and thus destructive to scientific research |
C.it was introduced by the government without their knowledge |
D.it is vague about where and how to rebury human remains |
A.Temporary extension of two years will guarantee scientists enough time. |
B.Human remains of the oldest species were dug out at Happisburgh. |
C.Human remains will have to be reburied despite the extension of time. |
D.Scientists have been warned that the law can hardly be changed. |
A.The Ministry of Justice did not intend it to protect human remains. |
B.The Burial Act 1857 only applied to remains uncovered before 1857. |
C.The law on human remains hasn’t changed in recent decades. |
D.The Ministry of Justice has not done enough about the law. |
A.New discoveries should be reburied, the government demands. |
B.Research time should be extended, scientists require. |
C.Law on human remains needs thorough discussion, authorities say. |
D.Law could bury ancient secrets for ever, archaeologists warn. |
【小题1】B
【小题2】C
【小题3】D
【小题4】D
解析试题分析:本文是一篇关于考古话题的议论文。英国法律规定出土的文物要重新埋入地下,考古学家们认为这对考古工作是有害的。
【小题1】归纳总结题。根据文章第二段和第四段可知考古学家们认为此项法律是不合理的,对考古工作也是有破坏性的,故选B。
【小题2】细节理解题。根据第三段第二句Archaeologists have been granted a temporary extension to give them more time, but eventually the bones will have to be returned to the ground.虽然时间延长了,但是这些人类的遗骸还是要被重新埋起来,可知C项正确;根据第三段第二句可知A项说法错误;由第四段可知B项说法错误;文章没有提到D项所叙说内容。
【小题3】判断推理题。由文章最后一段The ministry has no guidelines on where or how remains should be reburied, or on what records should be kept.可推出司法部还没有对法律做出明确的规定,D项说法正确;A项说法与文章内容相悖;由第五段可知B项中的副词only绝对化了,不正确;C项中的in recent decades说法有误。选D。
【小题4】主旨大意题。从文章第一段的句子:Human remains of ancient settlements will be reburied and lost to science under a law that threatens research into the history of humans in Britain, a group of leading archaeologists(考古学家) says. 可知法律要求出土的文物要重新被埋入地下,为此很多古代的秘密就不为人知了,故选D。
考点:考查新闻报道类短文
科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
After lunch,I walked back home. I was just to cross the street when I heard the sound of a coin dropping. It wasn’t much but,as I turned, my eyes caught the heads of several other people turning too. A woman had dropped what appeared to be a dime.
The tinkling sound of a coin dropping on pavement is an attention-getter.It Can be nothing more than a penny.Whatever the coin is,no one ignores the sound of it.It got me thinking about sounds again.We are surrounded by so many sounds that attract the most attention.
People in New York City seldom turn to look when a fire engine,a police car or an ambulance comes screaming along the street.When I’m in New York,I’m a New Yorker.I don’t turn either.Like the natives,I hardly hear a siren(警报)there.
However,at home in my little town in Connecticut,it’s different.The distant sound of a police car, all emergency vehicle or a fire siren brings me to my feet if I’m seated and brings me to the window if I’m in bed.It’s the quietest sounds that have most effect on us.not the loudest.In the middle of the night, I can hear a dripping tap a hundred yards away thigh three closed doors.I’ve been hearing little creaking noises and sounds which my imaginnation turns into footsteps in the middle of the night for twenty-five years in our house.How come I never hear those sounds in the daytime?
I’m quite clear in my mind what the good sounds are and what the bad sounds are,I’ve turned against whistling,for instance:I used to think of it as the mark of a happy worker but lately I’ve been associating the whistler with a nervous person making unconscious noises.The tapping,tapping,tapping of my typewriter as the keys hit the paper is a lovely sound to me.I often like the sound of what I write better than the looks of it.
【小题1】The sound of a coin dropping makes people________
A.think of money | B.look at each other |
C.pay attention to it | D.stop crossing the street |
A.he has got tired of it | B.it reminds him of tense people |
C.he used to be happier | D.he doesn’t like workers |
A.Tapping sound of his typewriter. | B.Clinking sound of keys |
C.Tinkling sound of a coin dropping. | D.Creaking sound of footsteps |
A.They make him feel al home. | B.He thinks they should be ignored |
C.He prefers silence to loud noises. | D.He believes they are part of our life |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Three Central Texas men were honored with the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Director’s Award in a Tuesday morning ceremony for their heroism in saving the victims of a serious twocar accident.
The accident occurred on March 25 when a vehicle lost control while traveling on rainsoaked State Highway 6 near Baylor Camp Road. It ran into an oncoming vehicle, leaving the occupants trapped inside as both vehicles burst into flames.
Bonge was the first on the scene and heard children screaming. He broke through a back window and pulled Mallory Smith, 10, and her sister, Megan Smith,9, from the wreckage.
The girls’ mother, Beckie Smith, was not with them at the time of the wreck, as they were traveling with their baby sitter, Lisa Bowbin.
Beckie Smith still remembers the sickening feeling she had upon receiving the call informing her of the wreck and the despair as she drove to the scene.
Bozeman and Clemmons arrived shortly after Bonge and helped rescue the other victims and attempted to put out the fires.
“I was nervous,” Bozeman said. “I don’t feel like I’m a hero. I was just doing what anyone should do in that situation. I hope someone would do the same for me.”
Everyone at the accident made it out alive, with the victims suffering from nonlifethreatening injuries. Mallory Smith broke both femurs(股骨), and Megan had neck and back injuries. Bowbin is still recovering from a broken pelvis(骨盆), ankle and foot.
The rescuers also were taken to the hospital and treated for cuts and smoke breathing, Bonge said.
In addition, Bozeman got to meet accident victim Anthony Russo in the hospital after the accident, where Russo presented him with a glass frame inscribed with “Thank you”, Bozeman said. Those involved in that fateful encounter on Highway 6 credited God blessing for bringing them together.
“Whatever the circumstances, Tuesday’s ceremony provided a time to be grateful for those who put their lives on the line for the lives of complete strangers,” Beckie Smith said, “We’re calling it The Miracle on Highway 6.”
【小题1】 What’s the main idea of the passage?
A.Three persons were awarded for rescuing victims in a car accident. |
B.Three ordinary people were regarded as great heroes. |
C.Several victims were carried to safety from the burning cars. |
D.A car accident occurred on rainsoaked State Highway 6. |
A.Clemmons. | B.Anthony Russo. |
C.Bozeman. | D.Bonge. |
A.Kind. | B.Modest. |
C.Excited. | D.Smart. |
A.Luckily, no one received too serious injuries in the accident. |
B.All the victims received slight injuries in the accident. |
C.The rescuers were taken to the hospital to visit the victims. |
D.The injured will soon recover from their injuries. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Spanish explorers called them Las Encantadas, the Enchanted Isles, and Charles Darwin used his studies of the islands as the foundation for his theory of natural selection. The Galapagos are among the world's most important scientific treasures, a group of volcanic islands surrounded by deserted beaches and inhabited by unique varieties of giant tortoise, lizards, and birds.
Yet life on this United Nations world heritage site has turned sour. Battles have broken out between fishermen and conservationists. Ecuador, which owns the islands, has sent a naval patrol (海军巡逻队) to put down disturbances.
The controversial director of the Galapagos National Park—which controls 97 percent of Galapagos land and the reserve extending to 40 miles offshore—has been fired, while an air of uneasy tension hangs over the islands, as the islanders prepare for election when they pick their representatives in Ecuador’s national assembly.
“It’s a very tense situation,” said Leonor Stjepic, director of the London-based Galapagos Conservation Trust, which raises money to help projects on the islands. “We are watching it with concern.”
The violence has been triggered by an alarming growth in the islands’ population. Puerto Ayora, on Santa Cruz island, housed just 45 inhabitants in the 50s. Today there are more than 10,000, while the islands' total population is more than 19,000 and growing by 6 percent a year, despite recently introduced a law to limit waves of immigrants fleeing the poor areas of Ecuador for a life “in paradise (天堂)”. On top ofthis, more than 100,000 tourists visit the islands every year.
Such numbers have put the islands, special ecology under intense pressure. Conservationists backed by the Ecuador government, have replied by exercising strict controls to protect the islands* iguanas, blue-footed boobies, and giant tortoises.
These moves have angered many local people, however. They want to exploit (开发利用) the islands’ waters and catch its protected species of sharks, lobsters and sea cucumbers, which can fetch high prices in Japan and South Korea.
Angry fishermen surrounded the Charles Darwin research station on Santa Cruz last February, threatened to kill Lonesome George—the last surviving member of the Pinta Island species of the Galapagos giant tortoise.
The situation got improved after the Ecuador government made concessions (让步) by increasing fishing quotas (配额), which angered conservationists. “It is tragic, the short-term gain of a few fishermen versus the long-term survival of the Galapagos,” said John McCosker of the California Academy of Sciences. “They are killing the golden goose.”
Then, the Ecuador government appointed Fausto Cepeda as the national park's new director, a post that has become a political football for the mainland government. There have been nine directors in the past 18 months.
This appointment was particularly controversial, however. Cepeda was known to have close ties with the fishing industry, and the rangers (管理员),who run the national park and reserve, rebelled.
More than 300 staged a sit-in at the park’s headquarters and prevented Cepeda from taking up his post. A battle broke out, and at least two people suffered serious injuries. Eventually, Cepeda—with the fishermen’s help- entered the park. “I am in office, i am in control. And I am trying to lower the tension,” he announced.
The Ecuador government took no chances, and sent a patrol boat to maintain the peace. A few days later, Ecuador Environment Minister Fabian Valdivicso met representatives of rangers. After discussions, he told newspapers that he had decided to remove Cepeda from the post.
However, as the population continues to rise, the long-term pressures on the islands are serious and will not disappear that easily.
“We have to balance its special environment with the needs of local people. In that sense, it is a microcosm (缩影) for all the other threatened parts of the world. So getting it right here is going to be a very, very important trick to pull off,” said Stjepic.
【小题1】What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 5 refer to?
A.The island’s swelling population. |
B.The law to limit waves of immigrants. |
C.A life in paradise. |
D.The tourists’ visiting the islands every year. |
A.He based his theory on his studies there. |
B.He built the Charles Darwin research center there. |
C.He advocated the balance between ecology and people there. |
D.He found the last surviving giant tortoise there. |
A.The dismissal of the previous director of the Galapagos National Park. |
B.The exploitation of the islands. |
C.The government's support of Galapagos Conservation Trust. |
D.Cepeda’s close tie with the fishing industry. |
A.the projects of Galapagos Conservation Trust on the islands are profitable |
B.conservationists get angry when fishermen are killing a goose |
C.politicians from the mainland government play football on the islands |
D.the government is trying to ease the tension |
A.The government did not seize opportunities. |
B.The government made no compromises. |
C.The government did not run risks. |
D.The government shrank from responsibilities. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
A Smashing tradition: MIT Students Drop Piano
One of the highlights of the school year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology only lasts a few seconds but has a big influence. Residents of an MIT dormitory dropped an upright piano from their roof on 26th April to celebrate the last day students can drop classes without having them appear on their college report.
About 200 onlookers watched as the piano crashed into a second piano, a baby grand, positioned on the ground six stories below for a better smash. People scrambled (争先恐后) for souvenir pieces-keys, hammers, strings and splinters. The tradition began in 1972 at the Baker House dormitory and has been observed irregularly until 2006 when it became an annual event.
Crafton Family Comes Back Home after 7 Years at Sea
While most of us will love to go on a vacation for a week or two on a small private sailboat, without doubt, spending seven precious years on sea is something most of us will never imagine or dare to do. However, that is what an American family has done. Tom Crafton and Kathy Crafton along with their three children have traveled across the world on their 43-foot sailboat named Nueva Vida. Over the past seven years the family had sailed 30,000 miles and visited more than 20 different countries. The family has recently come back to their homeland.
_____________________________________________
Living in the limelight(聚光灯)can be difficult but as these splendid pictures show for one bear the tourist train never stops. This arctic animal loves nothing more than an audience and will even climb out of his snowy bed to give the crowd a wave. The funny poses(姿态) of the friendly polar bear were caught on camera by Swedish photographer, Hams Strand.
【小题1】Which of the following is true about the first incident?
A.The typical style of celebration has been kept alive every year since1972. |
B.Another small piano on the ground is meant to hold the falling one. |
C.The students dropped the piano in celebration of their graduation. |
D.The tradition became an annual event for MIT students several years ago. |
A.unusual | B.strange | C.common | D.doubtful |
A.The Limelight Makes Polar Bear Live Hard |
B.Splendid Pictures of Polar Bear Attract Tourists |
C.The Tourist Train Would Stop without Polar Bear |
D.Polar Bear Says Hello to Tourists with a Friendly Wave |
A.a novel | B.a magazine | C.a diary | D.a report |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
LaMar Baylor, an American performer in the Broadway musical, spends most of his time in New York City.But since 2011, he has also spent weeks in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.There, he teaches dance to boys who live on the street.His teaching is part of an effort by the Rebecca Davis Dance Company.The project helps young people learn more about dance and learn how to behave in a classroom environment.
Rebecca Davis and LaMar Baylor teach ballet to street children in Kigali, Rwanda.The children have lost all of their families.Some have been in prison; others have sold their bodies for sex.Dance classes provide the children with structured learning and self-expression that they've never had before.
Rebecca Davis is the founder and director of the dance company.She got the idea for the project after visiting Rwanda in 2008.There she met a large number of street children who were dancing, and she thought that dance could be used to get them off the street and into a safe place.She believes that learning to dance is a step toward education.She says children can take classes in information and technology after they have learned to attend classes and follow directions.
Boys who have done best in the classes win scholarships and are sent to the Sunrise Boarding School.About 30 boys have won this kind of financial aid.
As for LaMar Baylor, he knows from his own experience how dance can lead to a better life.He is from Camden, New Jersey.Camden has sometimes been called America's poorest and most dangerous city.He now thanks dancing for saving his life.
The Rwanda program is the largest one set up by the Rebecca Davis Dance Company, and Ms.Davis has also set up dance programs in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Guinea.About 2,000 children in the three countries have taken part in the project since it was begun in 2010.
【小题1】The dance project aims to____.
A.give the street children parental care |
B.provide scholarship for the street children |
C.help the street children receive some education |
D.keep the street children in good health |
A.All of them can be sent to the Sunrise Boarding School. |
B.It may be hard for them to adapt to classroom rules at first. |
C.They only take classes in dancing. |
D.Many of them have been in prison. |
A.they all benefit from dancing |
B.they borrowed money from the project |
C.they learn to express themselves in dance class |
D.they were homeless at one time |
A.the dance project was started in Guinea |
B.the Rwanda program is the first program by Rebecca Davis |
C.the Rwanda program has attracted about 2,000 children |
D.the dance project gains popularity and grows quickly |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Most students, when asked about their ideal graduation gift, would probably reply, “A car”, or “Money for a deposit on a house”. Cai Kaiyuan, 21, made a different choice. As a graduation gift to himself, he decided to work as a volunteer teacher in a remote village in Tibet.
Cai, a senior majoring in electrical engineering at Huan Railway Professional Technology College, originally planned to cycle from Sichuan to Tibet. During his journey, Cai’s idea for a different graduation gift to himself began to take shape. “I did not know beforehand what the journey would mean to me. I just want to gain a unique experience and have pleasure in appreciating the view there,” he said.
It turned out cycling on a plateau was extremely challenging. And it has kept changing his outlook on life. Cai’s fingers even became frostbitten while cycling up a 5008-meter-high mountain, where temperatures often dropped to 18 below zero. At night, the ice covered the road and he fell off his bike three times. The lack of oxygen made him feel dizzy and weak. “At the most serious moment, I felt that my life was on the line,” said Cai.
However, he also gained something unexpected. At Ya’an, a city in Sichuan, he met a group of tourists who are also university students. A girl called Wu Ling told him that she planned to work as a teacher in a primary school in Tibet after her journey. He was impressed by the idea as she looked slender and weak.
It was not until he reached a family-run hotel in Shigatse that Cai’s spirits began to rise. The hotel manager’s two daughters enjoyed talking with him. The kids asked about his experiences on his trip, and showed him the beautiful local lakes. “They told me that they always liked to talk to guests, as they wanted to improve their Mandarin,” he said, “Their parents and many locals can only speak Tibetan.”
Cai was touched by the girls’ story. Their situation is tough and the local people have little chance to learn Mandarin because the schools are short of teachers. “I want to do something to improve the situation for kids like them,” said Cai. His parents finally gave their agreement and his teachers also supported him.
【小题1】According to the passage, Cai Kaiyuan’s graduation gift to himself is _________.
A.to have money for a deposit on a house |
B.to travel by cycling from Sichuan to Tibet |
C.to own a new car and marry a slender girl |
D.to work as a volunteer teacher in Tibetan school |
A.unique and pleasant | B.challenging but rewarding |
C.relaxing but unexpected | D.freezing cold and boring |
A.in a dilemma | B.making a phone call |
C.at risk | D.very painful |
A.tell us about an unusual graduation gift |
B.introduce a dangerous journey to us |
C.give advice on how to travel to Tibet |
D.encourage us to be a teacher in Tibet |
A.He met Wu Ling and was impressed by her plan. |
B.His parents and teachers persuaded him to go to Tibet. |
C.He was moved by the kid’s desire to improve their Mandarin. |
D.A lack of teachers makes the local people have little chance to learn. |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
The pound new Library of Birmingham(LoB)will be the most visible sign of the way the city is accepting the digitalization(数字化)of everyday life.
Set to open in 2013, the £188 m LoB is already beginning to tale shape next to the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, with which it will share some equipment.
As digital media(媒介)is important to its idea. the project is already providing chances for some of the many small new local companies working at the new technologies.
Brian Gambles, the LoB project director, says it is about giving people the right tools for learning, “The aim is to mix the physical with the digital. Providing 24-hour services which can be used through many different ways. It is important to enable us to reach more people, more effectively.”
The digital library will, he says, be as important as the physical one, allowing the distant use of the services, making sure that it is never closed to the public.
Even before the LoB is complete, the public has been able to go online to visit the Virtual(虚拟的)LoB, designed by Baden, the Birmingham virtual worlds specialists. Not only have the public been able to learn about LoB, but the virtual one has also enabled those working on the LoB to understand the building and how it will work before it even opens.
Two other small Birmingham-based digital companies are working on the LoB projects. Substrat, a digital design company, is developing what it calls “enlarge reality” project. It is about the use of an exciting smart phone, an important part of the LoB which is in the early stages of development is an online library of figures of the city being built by a digital content company in Cahoots, in which users will be encouraged to add to and comment on the material.
Gambles says: “Technology will enable us to make the library’s content and services open to citizens as sever before.”
【小题1】The underline part “its idea” in Paragraph 3 refers to the idea of____.
A.the equipment | B.the project |
C.the digital media | D. the physical library |
A.get a general idea of the LoB |
B.meet many world-famous experts |
C.learn how to put up a library building |
D.understand how the specialists work on the project |
a. It offers better learning tools b. It reaches users in different ways c. It provides users with smart phone d. It allows users to enrich its material e. It gives non-stop physical and digital services |
A.a put book | B.a library guide |
C.a handbook | D.a newspaper report |
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
Students from Florida International University in. Miami walked on water Thursday for a class assignment. To do it, they wore aquatic (水上的)shoes they designed and created.
Alex Quinones was the first to make it to the other side of a 175-foot lake on campus in record time - just over a minute. Quinones, who wore oversized boat-like shoes, also won last year and will receive $ 500. Students had to wear the aquatic shoes and make it across the lake in order to earn an '6A" on the assignment for Architecture Professor Jaime Canaves, Materials and Methods Construction Class. "It's traditional in a school of architecture to do boats out of cardboard for a boat race. I thought our students were a little bit more special than that, " Canaves said. "We decided to do the walk on water event to take it to the next level. "
A total of 79 students competed in the race this year in 41 teams. Only 10 teams failed to cross the lake. Others who fell got back up and made it to the end. The race is open to all students and anyone in the community. The youngest person to ever participate was a 9-year-old girl who competed in place of her mother, while the oldest was a 67-year-old female.
A large crowd on campus joined Canaves as he cheered on the racers. He shouted encouraging words, but also laughed as some unsteadily made their way to the end.
"A part of this is for them to have more understanding of designing and make it work better, " he said. It is also a lesson in life for the students.
"Anything, including walking on water, is possible, if you do the research,test it and go through the design process seriously.
【小题1】Which statement about Alex 'Quinones is ture ?
A.He finished the race in less than a minute. |
B.He won the race with the help of 2 boats. |
C.He failed the race last year. |
D.He set a new record this year. |
A.To go across the lake to school. |
B.To test their balance on the water. |
C.To pass Professor Canaves’ class. |
D.To win the prize money of $ 500. |
A.The students who fell into the water had to quit. |
B.More than 20 teams failed to cross the lake. |
C.The students kept silent when the other racers competed. |
D.The youngest competitor competed instead of her mother. |
A.understand designing better | B.achieve almost everything |
C.work together and unite as one | D.walk on the surface of water |
A.To advertise a student' s program. |
B.To report an interesting assignment. |
C.To introduce a creative professor. |
D.To encourage special events on campus. |
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