题目内容
________ culture differs from country to country ________ affects people's understanding of different customs．
A．It is what; that
B．That; what
C．It is that; that
D．What; /
目标测试系列答案New archaeological discoveries suggest that trade between E
urope and Asia along the Silk Road probably began in some form many centuries earlier than once thought. The findings, coupled with a widening range of scientific and historical research could add a fascinating new page to the epic (史诗) of the Silk Road.
The most surprising discovery is pieces of silk found in the hair of an Egyptian mummy from about 1000 BC, long before regular traffic on the Silk Road and at least one thousand years before silk was previously thought to be used in Egypt. Other research may extend human activity along this route back even further, perhaps a million years to the migration of human ancestors into eastern Asia.
The official origin of East-West trade along the road is usually placed in the late 2nd century BC when an agent of the Chinese Emperor Wu-di returned from a dangerous secret mission（使命）across the desert into the remote high country of Central Asia. The agent, Zhang Qian, travelled as far as Afghanistan and brought back knowledge of even more distant lands such as Persia, Syria and a place known as Lijien, perhaps Rome. Historians have called this one of the most important journeys in ancient times. His journey opened the way for what have been thought to be the first indirect contacts between the ancient world’s two superpowers, China and Rome. Chinese silk, first traded to central Asian tribes for war horses and to the Parthian for acrobats and ostrich eggs, was soon finding its way through a network of merchants to the luxury (奢侈品) markets in Rome.
But the new discoveries show that Chinese silk was apparently present in the West long before the Han emperor started organized trade over the Silk Road. The research could change thinking about the early history of world trade and provide insights into the mystery of just how and when Europe and the Mediterranean lands first became aware of the glorious culture at the other end of Eurasia.
【小题1】The word “coupled” in the first paragraph could best be replaced by .
| A．combined | B．contributed | C．doubled | D．produced |
| A．Egyptians had probably travelled to China to buy silk |
B．new light can now be thrown on ancient trading pr actices |
| C．historical research often achieves fascinating results |
| D．trade along the Silk Road began earlier than once thought |
| A．began a million years ago |
| B．primarily benefited the Egyptians |
| C．originated in the 2nd century BC |
| D．extended human migration into eastern Asia |
| A．he discovered the Silk Road |
| B．he helped establish East-West trade |
| C．he travelled as far as Afghanistan |
| D．he brought back knowledge of Rome to the emperor |
Three armed robbers stole two Pablo Picasso prints from an art museum in downtown Sao
Paulo on Thursday, which was the city’s second high-profile art theft in less than a year. The bandits also took two oil paintings by well-know Brazilian artists Emiliano Di Cavalcanti and Lasar Segall, said Carla Regina, a spokeswoman for the Pinacoteca do Estado museum.
The Picasso prints stolen were "The Painter and the Model" from 1963 and "Minotaur, Drinker and Women" from 1933, according to a statement from the Sao Paulo Secretary of State for Culture, which oversees the museum. The prints and paintings have a combined value of $612,000, the statement and a museum official said.
About noon, three armed men paid the $2.45 entrance fee and immediately went to the second-floor gallery where the works were being exhibited, bypassing more valuable pieces, authorities said. "This indicates to us that they probably received an order" to take those specific works, Youssef Abou Chain, head of Sao Paulo's organized crime unit, told reporters at a news conference. The assailants overpowered three unarmed museum guards and grabbed the works, officials said. The robbery took about 10 minutes and the museum was nearly empty at the time. The assailants took the pieces — frames and all — out of the museum in two bags. The institution has no metal detectors.
In December, Picasso's "Portrait of Suzanne Bloch" and "O Lavrador de Cafe" by Candido Portinari, an influential Brazilian artist, were stolen from the Sao Paulo Museum of Art by three men who used a crowbar（铁撬棍）and car jack to force open one of the museum's steel doors. The framed paintings were found Jan. 8, covered in plastic and leaning against a wall in a house on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, South America's largest city. One of the suspects in that robbery — a former TV chef — turned himself over to police in January, who already had two suspects in custody（监禁）.
【小题1】What did the armed men steal on Thursday?
| A．Two prints by Pablo Picasso |
| B．Two oil painting by Brazilian artists |
| C．Two prints by Pablo Picasso and two oil paintings by two Brazilian artists. |
| D．Two prints by two Brazilian artists and two oil paintings by Picasso Pablo. |
| A．Because they didn't know that the other pieces were worth more. |
| B．Probably because they had received an order for the prints that they took. |
| C．Because they didn't have enough time. |
| D．Because they were in such a hurry that they couldn’t get them all. |
| A．A lot. The museum was crowded. |
| B．Not too many. It was almost empty. |
| C．There were a lot of people outside the museum. |
| D．Only three of them. |
| A．In December, "Portrait of Suzanne Bloch" and "O Lavrador de Cafe" painted by Candido Portinari were stolen. |
| B．There are steel doors and no detectors in Sao Paulo Museum of Art. |
| C．Three robbers defeated three armed museum guards and took away the works on Thursday. |
| D．Three suspects in the first high-profile art theft in less than a year were arrested. |