Anthropologists are scientists that study people who often lived hundreds or even thousands of years ago.Items those men, women, and children left behind when they died-everything from clothing to jewellry and tools-tell anthropologists a lot.And sometimes even their words survive.
Experts believe that a discovery in Mexico is the oldest example of writing ever found in the Americas.The people who created it probably lived 3,000 years ago, long before Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World.
Workers digging in a rock mine happened to notice a stone block with marks carved onto its surface.They found the large piece of stone near the city of Cascajal, Mexico, which was once the capital of an ancient people called the Ohnec.
“There are signs on the block that seem to show objects used by the Olmec during their religious ceremonies,”says Dr.Stephen Houston, of Brown University in the USA.
“There is a sign that looks very similar to a knife and another that looks like the chair of a King,”he explains.
Houston, an expert on the writing systems of ancient cultures, says the discovery is exciting because“it makes clear that the Olmec could read and write.It is like hearing voices from the past.”
But experts don't know exactly what the writing says.Finding other examples of Olmec writing could help decipher the puzzle.
“We could have whole sets of ancient writing which will basically make ancient people speak to us directly,”says Houston.“There are many puzzles to be solved, and this is just one of them.”
(1)
According to the passage, what items do scientists often use to learn more about the past?
[ ]
A.
Clothing and jewelry.
B.
Books and stones.
C.
Knives and chairs.
D.
People and animals.
(2)
What is important about the stone block mentioned in the passage?
[ ]
A.
It proves that people lived in this part of the world more than 3,000 years ago.
B.
It allows scientists to translate the ancient language used in this area.
C.
It is evidence of the oldest form of writing ever found in the Americas.
D.
It shows the people of the area have a written language.
(3)
Why are scientists interested in ancient languages?
[ ]
A.
It can allow them to better understand ancient societies.
B.
So they can speak directly with ancient people.
C.
It will help learn about the origins of modern languages.
D.
They can learn stories told during that time.
(4)
Which is probably the best title for the passage'!
[ ]
A.
World's First Book
B.
Oldest Writing in the New World
C.
What Does It Say?
D.
New Language Discovered
(5)
The underlined expression“decipher the puzzle”(paragraph 6)most probably means ________
As we grow up, we gradually develop a set of our own values or beliefs.These are influenced by society, our family, the education we receive and so on.Once this value system is set up, it’s not easy to change later in life.Financial experts say that every one also has their own belief of how to manage their money.According to our different values, experts put us in three categories.They are:the ant, the cricket and the snail.
◆The ant-works first
Just like ants who work heart and soul in summer in order to store food for winter, these people don’t care about enjoying the moment.They work very hard and save money they earn so that they can enjoy life when they get old and retire.The ant loves to save but they could make more out of their money if they were willing to invest in some funds and stocks(股票)with low risk.
◆The cricket-fun first?
The cricket wants to enjoy everything now and doesn’t think too much about the future.They even borrow money when they really want something.Many young people now belong to this group.These people have little savings.When they get old, they might have problems.They should learn to save and buy insurance(保险).
◆The snail-lives under pressure?
The snail refers to people who make life difficult for themselves.They take big long-term loans(贷款)from the bank in order to buy things such as luxury houses.They are happy to take big loans even though they are not sure they can afford it.This can cause problems in the future.They should plan more carefully.
(1)
One’s values may ________.
[ ]
A.
be his ways of managing money
B.
be his beliefs about society
C.
determine his family and education
D.
influence his behavior
(2)
Mr.Smith always enjoys spending a weekend with his friends, fishing, hunting and playing cards.Moreover, he spends money in a very luxurious way.So, ________.
[ ]
A.
Mr.Smith belongs to the ant type
B.
Mr.Smith belongs to the cricket type
C.
Mr.Smith belongs to the snail type
D.
it’s hard to tell which kind of person Mr.Smith is
(3)
The writer of the passage seems to be in favor of ________.
[ ]
A.
the ant
B.
the cricket
C.
the snail
D.
none of them
(4)
According to the passage, the most suitable title would be ________.
[ ]
A.
Spending Nature
B.
What Comes First
C.
How to Understand Your Values
D.
Work and Fun
阅读理解
As we grow up, we gradually develop a set of our own values or beliefs.These are influenced by society, our family, the education we receive and so on.Once this value system is set up, it’s not easy to change later in life.Financial experts say that every one also has their own belief of how to manage their money.According to our different values, experts put us in three categories.They are:the ant, the cricket and the snail.
◆The ant-works first
Just like ants who work heart and soul in summer in order to store food for winter, these people don’t care about enjoying the moment.They work very hard and save money they earn so that they can enjoy life when they get old and retire.The ant loves to save but they could make more out of their money if they were willing to invest in some funds and stocks(股票)with low risk.
◆The cricket-fun first
The cricket wants to enjoy everything now and doesn’t think too much about the future.They even borrow money when they really want something.Many young people now belong to this group.These people have little savings.When they get old, they might have problems.They should learn to save and buy insurance(保险).
◆The snail-lives under pressure
The snail refers to people who make life difficult for themselves.They take big long-term loans(贷款)from the bank in order to buy things such as luxury houses.They are happy to take big loans even though they are not sure they can afford it.This can cause problems in the future.They should plan more carefully.
(1)
One’s values may ________.
[ ]
A.
be his ways of managing money
B.
be his beliefs about society
C.
determine his family and education
D.
influence his behavior
(2)
Mr.Smith always enjoys spending a weekend with his friends, fishing, hunting and playing cards.Moreover, he spends money in a very luxurious way.So, ________.
[ ]
A.
Mr.Smith belongs to the ant type
B.
Mr.Smith belongs to the cricket type
C.
Mr.Smith belongs to the snail type
D.
it’s hard to tell which kind of person Mr.Smith is
(3)
The writer of the passage seems to be in favor of ________.
[ ]
A.
the ant
B.
the cricket
C.
the snail
D.
none of them
(4)
According to the passage, the most suitable title would be ________.
[ ]
A.
Spending Nature
B.
What Comes First
C.
How to Understand Your Values
D.
Work and Fun
阅读理解
As we grow up, we gradually develop a set of our own values or beliefs.These are influenced by society, our family, the education we receive and so on.Once this value system is set up, it's not easy to change later in life.Financial experts say that every one also has their own belief of how to manage their money.According to our different values, experts put us in three categories.They are:the ant, the cricket and the snail.
The ant-works first
Just like ants who work heart and soul in summer in order to store food for winter, these people don't care about enjoying the moment.They work very hard and save money they earn so that they can enjoy life when they get old and retire.The ant loves to save but they could make more out of their money if they were willing to invest in some funds and stocks(股票)with low risk.
The cricket-fun first
The cricket wants to enjoy everything now and doesn't think too much about the future.They even borrow money when they really want something.Many young people now belong to this group.These people have little savings.When they get old, they might have problems.They should learn to save and buy insurance(保险).
The snail-lives under pressure
The snail refers to people who make life difficult for themselves.They take big long-term loans(贷款)from the bank in order to buy things such as luxury houses.They are happy to take big loans even though they are not sure they can afford it.This can cause problems in the future.They should plan more carefully.
(1)
One’s values may _________.
[ ]
A.
be his ways of managing money
B.
be his beliefs about society
C.
determine his family and education
D.
influence his behavior
(2)
Mr.Smith always enjoys spending a weekend with his friends, fishing, hunting and playing cards.Moreover, he spends money in a very luxurious way.So, _________.
[ ]
A.
Mr.Smith belongs to the ant type
B.
Mr.Smith belongs to the cricket type
C.
Mr.Smith belongs to the snail type
D.
it’s hard to tell which kind of person Mr.Smith is
(3)
The writer of the passage seems to be in favor of _________.
[ ]
A.
the ant
B.
the cricket
C.
the snail
D.
none of them
(4)
According to the passage, the most suitable title would be _________.
[ ]
A.
Spending Nature
B.
What Comes First
C.
How to Understand Your Values
D.
Work and Fun
阅读理解
Desert ants on their expeditions for food use clues to lead themselves in the homeward direction, but with few landmarks in the poor land, scientists have wondered how the insects always take the most direct route and know exactly how far to march.
The new study shows that counting their steps is an important part of the scheme.
Over the years, scientists have proposed several theories for how ants find their way home.One is that they do it like honeybees and remember visual clues, but experiments showed ants can travel in the dark.Another theory is that because ants run at a steady pace, they could time how long it took them to get to and from.Other studies have shown that once ants find a good source of food, they teach other ants how to find it.
The ant “pedometer” technique was first proposed in 1904, but it remained untested until now.Scientists trained desert ants to walk along a straight path from their nest entrance to a feeder 30 feet away.If the nest or feeder was moved, the ants would break from their straight path after reaching the expected spot and search for their goal.
Try that on stilts.They glued stilt-like extentions to the legs of some ants to lengthen stride.The researchers shortened other ants' stride length by cutting off the ants' feet and lower legs, reducing their legs to stumps.
The ants on stilts took the right number of steps, but because of their increased stride length, marched past their goal.Stump-legged ants, meanwhile, fell short of the goal.After getting used to their new legs, the ants were able to adjust their pedometer.
(1)
What is the passage mainly about?
[ ]
A.
Ants' marching depends on counting their steps
B.
Desert ants know how to look for food
C.
The secret for ants' marching is known to all
D.
Ants know how far their food is
(2)
Apart from counting their steps, how can ants find their way?
[ ]
A.
By smelling
B.
By communicating
C.
By hearing
D.
By recognizing wind
(3)
About the ant pedometer, we know that ________.
[ ]
A.
the technique is a recent discovery
B.
ants always walk along a straight path
C.
ants often change their nest to keep the pedometer
D.
the pedometer needs changing depending on new situations
(4)
According to the passage, the “stump-legged ants”________.
[ ]
A.
have longer legs than ones on stilts
B.
have longer legs than the common ones
C.
need more steps to reach their goal
D.
can arrive at their goal as usual
阅读理解
As we grow up, we gradually develop a set of our own values or beliefs.These are influenced by society, our family, the education we receive and so on.Once this value system is set up, it's not easy to change later in life.Financial experts say that every one also has their own belief of how to manage their money.According to our different values, experts put us in three categories.They are:the ant, the cricket and the snail.
◆The ant-works first
Just like ants who work heart and soul in summer in order to store food for winter, these people don't care about enjoying the moment.They work very hard and save money they earn so that they can enjoy life when they get old and retire.The ant loves to save but they could make more out of their money if they were willing to invest in some funds and stocks(股票)with low risk.
◆The cricket-fun first
The cricket wants to enjoy everything now and doesn't think too much about the future.They even borrow money when they really want something.Many young people now belong to this group.These people have little savings.When they get old, they might have problems.They should learn to save and buy insurance(保险).
◆The snail-lives under pressure
The snail refers to people who make life difficult for themselves.They take big long-term loans(贷款)from the bank in order to buy things such as luxury houses.They are happy to take big loans even though they are not sure they can afford it.This can cause problems in the future.They should plan more carefully.
(1)
One's values may ________.
[ ]
A.
be his ways of managing money
B.
be his beliefs about society
C.
determine his family and education
D.
influence his behavior
(2)
Mr.Smith always enjoys spending a weekend with his friends, fishing, hunting and playing cards.Moreover, he spends money in a very luxurious way.So, ________.
[ ]
A.
Mr.Smith belongs to the ant type
B.
Mr.Smith belongs to the cricket type
C.
Mr.Smith belongs to the snail type
D.
it's hard to tell which kind of person Mr.Smith is
(3)
The writer of the passage seems to be in favor of ________.
[ ]
A.
the ant
B.
the cricket
C.
the snail
D.
none of them
(4)
According to the passage, the most suitable title would be ________.