Question

A strange army of giants stands around the edges of a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. Or at least that's how it might appear. The figures lining Easter Island are actually huge stones carved to look like hulking(笨重的) human figures. The statues have “guarded” these coasts for centuries. But not even the islanders are sure how they got there. Join scientific detectives as they investigate this historical mystery.

The Mystery

Nearly a thousand giant stone figures stand side by side on Easter Island, now a part of Chile. Called moai (MOH-eye) by the locals, the statues can weigh more than 80 tons—about as much as ten whales—and some stand as tall as a three-story building.

Scientists think islanders began creating the moai some 800 years ago to honor their ancestors. In land, scientists found a volcanic crater and dug out ancient tools there used to carve figures from the volcanic rock. But the crater(火山口) is far from where most of the statues now stand. And scientists know the people didn't have wheels or animals to move the rock giants.

So how did the stone figures travel as far as 11 miles from the crater to the island's coasts? Some ideas are pretty wild—people have suggested that the moai walked by themselves, or even that space aliens beamed down to lend a hand. Scientists struggled to Easter Island to find out the truth.

The Detectives

"Heave-ho!" cry a group of scientists as they pull on ropes tied to a huge statue. The investigators are seeking clues about the moai in one of Easter Island's green valleys. Wondering if the islanders could have transported the statues upright with just rope and muscle power, they wrapped three strong ropes around the forehead of a ten-foot-tall moai copy. With several people pulling each rope, they're able to rock the 10,000-pound figure side to side, moving it forward with every tug(拖拽). "The statue's shape makes this movement fairly easy," team leader Carl Lipo says.

In the past, researchers have tried other moving methods. One group tied rope to the top and base of an actual moai and attempted to drag it forward with twisting motions. Another team laid a real 13-foot moai onto a giant log and pulled the log forward. All the experiments shared one result: The investigators got serious pain!

The Evidence

Although various scientific sleuths (侦查) found ways to move the moai, researchers still don't agree on what really happened. Some of these techniques might have only worked over short distances and on flat land. Others would have damaged the moai.

Many people think the statues were laid horizontally on wooden sleds which were dragged with rope across log tracks. "This would have been the safest way to move the moai," archaeologist Jo Anne Van Tilburg says. "It explains why hardly any are damaged."

But the truth may never be revealed.(Experts are pretty sure, though, that aliens weren't involved.)After all, the islanders stopped making the statues at least 300 years ago, later hundreds of islanders left the island or caught deadly diseases brought by explorers. Many of the moai's secrets disappeared with them. Today the only remaining witnesses to the events are the moai themselves. And the lips of these stone-faced giants are sealed.

1.How many possible ways of moving the rock giants are mentioned in the passage?

A. Three.B. Four.C. Five.D. Six.

2.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A.The moai was created by the islanders 800 years ago to wish for good luck.

B.Some of the rock giants were damaged while being moved to where they are now.

C.All the witnesses to the secrets of the moai were infected with deadly diseases and died.

D.The statues were made of volcanic rocks with some handmade tools by the locals.

3.The underlined word "horizontally" in the last but one paragraph probably means ________.

A. temporarily on the ground

B. parallel to the ground

C. steadily on the ground

D. vertical to the ground

4.What is the best title of this passage?

A.Investigation Under Way.

B.Mystery of the Stone Giants.

C.Ways of Moving the Stone Giants.

D.The Unrevealed Truth.

Answer 1