Small discoveries in Indonesia are causing a stir in the science world. Researchers have unearthed(挖掘) tiny bones that they believe belong to an entire new human species. If that's true, it will change how we think about our ancestors.

      Clues that the little people may have lived long ago were first revealed last year in the scientific journal Nature. Scientists said that they had found the bones of a three-foot-tall female on the island of Flores, in Indonesia. When they looked more closely, they saw that the nearly complete skeleton(骨骼) belonged to a full-grown adult Researchers named her Hobbit, after the tiny heroes of the Lord of the Rings books.

      Now the team is saying it has unearthed even more pieces of the puzzle, including a jawbone and parts of arms, legs and hands from several individuals, as well as stone tools. They reported their find in Nature this month. “The new evidence makes it very clear that these people are a new species, distinct from modern humans,” Peter Brown, a scientist on the team, said. They named these ancient humans Homo floresiensis.

      Brown says that these little people lived as recently as 12,000 years ago. If Homo floresiensis was a different species from modern humans, that would make our family tree bigger than we knew. It means, says Brown, that “until recently, a relative shared the planet with us.”

      Many scientists think a new species is unlikely. Some argue that the bones must have belonged to modern humans whose small size was the result of a genetic problem.

      Daniel E. Lieberman, a scientist at Harvard University, thinks that the debate over the discovery is healthy. He believes that the questions and arguments raised by critics will help us learn more about these unusual skeletons. “Disagreement is an important part of the scientific process,” Lieberman said. “As far as I'm concerned, the story's only just begun.”

51. Researchers name the skeleton Hobbit because ________.

A. it is a figure described in the Lord of the Rings

    B. it resembles the tiny heroes in a set of books

    C. it proves to be a full-grown adult

    D. it belongs to an ancient human species        

52. Small discoveries in Indonesia are important because ________.

    A. they are revealed in the scientific journal Nature

    B. they are made by Peter Brown, a famous scientist

    C, they are about ancestors of modem humans

    D. they might provide new evidence for human study

53. According to Daniel E. Lieberman ________.

    A. Homo floresiensis doesn't exist

    B. Disagreement leads to further research

    C. The investigation hasn't begun yet

    D. Our family tree is bigger than we knew

54. What's the author's purpose of writing this passage?

    A. To inform the reader of a discovery of some human skeletons and its scientific possibility.

    B. To encourage the related scientists to make further research into human species.

    C. To conform the existence of some new human species.

    D. To sing the praises of the scientists for their devotion to scientific discoveries.

55. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

    A. Comparison between Different Peoples.

    B. Arguments over Human Origin.

    C. Discovery of a Possible New Human Species.

    D. History of Indonesian People.

The head of the World Health Organization (WTO) yesterday warned of worsening health in the country's vast rural areas while praising the government for its commitment on improving healthcare in the countryside.  

“The health indicators have failed to improve in pace with economic indicators.”          said Margared Chan when addressing a conference on rural primary healthcare in China.  

“The health gap between rural and urban areas has grown even wider and health in parts of rural China is  deteriorating(恶化),”she said, adding medical costs are rising faster than the growth of per capital income in rural areas.  

She said she appreciated the government's efforts and plans to build a medical system for all people. Saying “when fair and accessible public health services become the clear targets of a country's public health policy, people's health will improve.”  

The WTO chief said she noticed that the tasks on improving people's well-being in the report by Party chief Hu Jintao at the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China included a basic medical insurance system for urban dwellers and a cooperative medical care system in rural areas.  

She said recent WTO research has found that diseases are the source of poverty for 30 to 50 percent of the rural population of 737 million.  

A growing number of rural people, especially the aged, are suffering from various diseases; however, few have access to decent healthcare, she told the conference.  

Chan criticized the practice of allowing healthcare services to be commercialized in rural areas, warning it will cause the patients more suffering.  

The government has pledged to provide its population with basic medical care by 2020.  

It's expanding medical care through the Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme, a plan under which subscribers(受捐者) are provided with 50 yuan($6.4) per person―20 yuan ($2.6) each from the central and local governments and 10 yuan ($1.3) from the individual.  

Vice-Minister of Health Chen Xiaohong said nearly 85 percent of the country's rural area, or 2,429 counties, are participating in the plan.  

64. What can we infer from the passage?  

A. Healthcare developed more slowly than economics.  

B. Economics developed more slowly than healthcare.  

C. The health indicators failed to improve economics.  

D. Healthcare improved as much as economics.  

65. Which of the following statements is WRONG?  

A. Diseases are the source of poverty for the rural population  

B. About 200 million of the rural population are poor because of diseases.  

C. The government has taken some measures to improve the rural healthcare.  

D. The local governments will give 20 Yuan to each rural person  

66. What is Margaret Chan’s attitude towards The Rural Cooperative medical Scheme ?  

A. doubtful           B. disappointed          C. satisfied          D. anxious  

67. Which of the following can be chosen as the best title for this passage?  

A. Healthcare in Rural Area Faces Challenges  

B. The Head of the WTO----Margaret Chan  

C. The Comparison of Rural and Urban Healthcare  

D. The Importance of the Rural Healthcare  

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网