【2011·江苏金沙中学模拟】 D

The people who built Stonehenge in Southern England thousands of years ago had wild parties, eating barbecued pigs and breaking pottery． This is according to recent work by archaeologists--history experts who investigate how human beings lived in the past．

Archaeologists digging near Stonehenge last year discovered the remains of a large prehistoric village where they think the builders of the mysterious stone circle used to live． The village is about 4,600 years old, the same age as Stonehenge and as old as the Pyramids in Egypt． It is less than two miles from the famous ancient landmark and lies inside a massive man-made circular dirt wall, or "henge", known as the Durrington Walls．

Remains found at the site included jewellry, stone arrowheads, tools made of deer antlers, wooden spears and huge amounts of animal bones and broken pottery'． "These finds suggest Stone Age people went to the village at special times of the year to feast and party", says Mike Parker-Pearson from Sheffield University in England．

He said many of the pig bones they found had been thrown away half-eaten． He also said the partygoers appeared to have shot some of the farm pigs with arrows,  possibly as a kind of sport before barbecuing them．

An ancient road which led from the village to the River Avon was also found． Here, the experts think, people came 'after their parties to throw dead relatives in the water so the bodies would be washed downstream to Stonehenge．

Parker-Pearson believes Stonehenge was like a cemetery where ancient Britons buried the dead and remembered their ancestors． "The theory is that Stonehenge is a kind of spirit home to the ancestors．"

The recent discovery of the village within the Durrington Walls shows that Stonehenge didn't stand alone but was part of a much bigger religious site, according to Parker-Pearson．. That small difference is enough that the fish can live at the freezing temperature of the ice-salt mixture.

The scientists’ next research job was clear: Find out what kind of stuff in the fish’s blood kept it from freezing. Their research led to some really mysterious stuff made up of a protein (蛋白质) never before seen in the blood of a fish. When this stuff was removed, the blood froze at seawater temperature. When it was put back, the blood again had its antifreeze character and a lowered freezing point.

49. Why have scientists waited so long to study the Antarctic cod?

A. Not enough scientists have been curious about the fish.  

B. Algae and tiny animals hide in the ocean floor.

C. The reason for the delay remains a secret.             

D. It is not easy to work in the Antarctic.

50. What is the main purpose of paragraph 3?

A. To describe the setting and the main topic of the article.

B. To catch the interest of the reader with simple, direct language.

C. To define important terms that will be used throughout the article.

D. To introduce the main characters and describe a problem that will be explored.

51. What keeps the Antarctic cod’s blood from freezing?

A. A protein in its blood.                         B. The layer of fat in its body.

C. A salt mixture in its blood.                   D. Ice crystals around its body.

52. What is the main purpose of this article?

A. To persuade readers to support scientific study of the Antarctic fish.

B. To entertain readers with a funny story about an unusual fish.

C. To explain how the Antarctic cod can live in freezing waters.

D. To describe what it is like to live in a freezing cold ocean.