An ancient Egyptian mummy returned home 150 years after being stolen by a Canadian doctor.??

   The mummy is believed to be Ramses Ⅰ,the founder of the 19th Dynasty of ancient Egypt.It was stolen in the 19th century,at the time when many explorers from Europe and America wanted to find the mummified bodies of Pharaohs(法老).They had heard stories of the Pharaohs being buried with treasures of great artistic, scientific and financial value.?

   But when King Tut was discovered in 1922 in Egypt they realized the Pharaohs might have been buried with something else as well—curses(咒语).?

   As soon as Englishman Howard Carter found King Tut's tomb,strange things started to happen.On the night of the discovery,Carter's canary(金丝雀) was killed by a snake.It was the same kind of snake found on a symbol worn by the Pharaohs on their foreheads. A few months later,Lord Carnarvon,the man who paid for Carter's trip,died suddenly in Cairo of unknown causes.By 1935,no fewer than 21 people connected with the discovery of the tomb had died. ?

   After much argument over whether the curse of King Tut really existed,four years ago German scientist Gotthard Kramer tried to find it out for certain.He discovered that bacteria(细菌) on the mummy could have been responsible for the deaths.“When this bacteria enters the body through the nose,mouth or eyes,”Kramer said,“it can result in illness or even death,particularly to those with bad health.”?

   But perhaps the power of the curse is in the minds of those who believe it.Carter,the man who actually opened the tomb,lived to 66 before dying of natural causes.“All sensible people should dismiss(不予理会) these curse ideas as rubbish,”he said. ?

1. When was King Tut discovered?

A. In the 19th century.?

B. 150 years ago.?

C. In 1922.?

D. In 1935.

2. The 19th century was a time when________.

A. people from America and Europe tried to get mummified bodies of Pharaohs

B. many mummified bodies of Pharaohs were destroyed?

C. scientists began to find out the truth of mummified bodies of Pharaohs?

D. the body of King Tut was discovered

3. Many people realized the Pharaohs might have been buried with curses, because________ .

A. all the people connected with the discovery of the tomb had died?

B. many strange things took place after the discovery of the tomb?

C. supernatural power began to control humans?

D. Lord Carnarvon died suddenly in Cairo

4. Gotthard Kramer's research about the mummy showed________ .?

A. he was only interested in the study of bacteria?

B. bacteria was the cause of the deaths of many people?

C. he was the pioneer of bacteria?

D. he was thought highly of for his contributions

5.“All sensible people should dismiss these curse ideas as rubbish” means “________”.?  

A. Paying no attention to curse ideas is not correct?

B. People shouldn't think about curse ideas, as they don't exist?

C. Not all people believe the existence of curse ideas?

D. If you want to know more about curse ideas, you should dismiss them

  

It’s the place where smart people make smart machines work even smarter. But for the people who work in it, Silicon Valley (硅谷) is more than just a high technology hothouse. It’s also in the heart of sunny California, a great place to start a family and raise kids. What could be better?

But something is happening to the children. Up until the age of two they develop normally. Their proud parents watch and smile as they take their first steps and speak their first words. But then everything seems to go backwards. The children become locked into their own small world, unable to communicate at all.

They call it the “curse of Silicon Valley,” but the medical name for the condition is autism(孤独症). It used to be thought that autism was a mental illness. Now doctors are sure that it is a disease transmitted genetically (遗传). It seems that the people leading the communications revolution are having children who cannot communicate at all.

But even the parents have trouble communicating. Asperger’s Syndrome (综合症) is connected with autism. People who have it are highly intelligent and often brilliant with numbers or systems but have no social skills, which makes Asperger’s sufferers into excellent computer professionals. Unfortunately, many of the children of two Asperger’s parents in Silicon Valley seem to be developing serious autism.

There is little anyone can do. And there is no cure in sight. Some argue that no cure should be found.“It may be that autistics are essentially (本质上) different from normal people, but that these differences make them valuable for the evolution (进化) of the human race,” says Dr Kirk Wilhelm of the University of California.“To remove the genes (基因) for autism could be terrible.

It seems that the children of Silicon Valley are paying the price of genius.

A person who has autism usually _____.

       A.has difficulty in speaking       B.loses communication skills

       C.has difficulty in working D.hates people around

Which of the following best explains “curse of Silicon Valley”?

       A.The children are brought up in Silicon Valley.

       B.Autism is just a result of working in Silicon Valley.

       C.The children suffer from autism due to their parents in Silicon Valley.

       D.Autism makes the children in Silicon Valley unable to communicate.

Some people think that no cure of autism should be found because ______.

       A.autism cannot be cured    B.autism isn’t a disease

       C.harm will be done to the children   D.autism is necessary in some way

What does the writer seem to feel about the children of Silicon Valley?

       A.It’s a pity that they cannot have a normal life.

       B.They are the pride of the human race.

       C.They are sure to have a bright future.

       D.It’s likely that they will have a normal life.

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