Question

【题目】Researchers are trying to figure out exactly when and where a lizard got trapped in the sap(汁、液) of a tree. Over time, the tree sap turned into amber (琥珀), preserving the lizard’s mains, which a man discovered and donated to the Miller Museum of geology at Queen’s University. But the man didn’t report the amber’s age and where he got it.

“The man who donated it died, unfortunately,” said Ellen Handyside, an undergraduate student at Queen’s University. “We are really starting from scratch in determining its history Ellen Handyside is leading the research into the amber-surrounded lizard. She and her colleagues analyzed the chemical composition of the 4.7-inch -long piece of amber and learned some facts. “The amber wasn’t actually artificial,” she told Live Science, “and we found that it did match up quite well to an amber sample.”

The researchers analyzed the amber's carbon and hydrogen isotopes(同位素) and the results indicated that the amber was formed from the sap of a flowering tree. Moreover, the results suggested that the tree and the lizard, for that matter, lived in an area with a lot of rainfall and dated to the Neogene, a period that lasted from the end of the Paleogene Period 23.03 million years ago to the beginning of the present Quatemary Period. Next, the scientific team realized that the 2.7-inch-long lizard was likely a gecko(壁虎), according to a detailed, 3D, digital model of the animal’s body that the researchers created through X-ray microscopy scans.

“We looked at the skull ---the teeth are in place and the ear bones are there too. And we’ve even got some flesh, skin and its long toes,” Handyside said. “It’s fantastic!” She said she hoped that they could figure out how the creature fit into the gecko family tree. “When you think of a gecko, you think of short and fat toes and sticky pads. That isn’t what we’re looking at, but it’s more likely to live in trees. If it were a tree-living creature, then its death actually could make more sense,” Handyside said.

【1】What can probably be inferred about the amber?

A. It was obtained by a museum at a low price.

B. Its original owner knew nothing about it.

C. It was found to be a unique type of amber.

D. Its donor didn't say much about its history.

【2】What was found about the lizard through studying isotopes?

A. Its category.

B. Its shape.

C. Its living habit.

D. Its living surroundings.

【3】What can we learn from Handyside’s words?

A. The Lizard's death was caused by a gecko,

B. The lizard has fat and short toes.

C. The lizard is preserved very well.

D. The lizard belongs to the tree living creature.

【4】What does the author mainly tell us in this passage?

A. The discovery of a piece of natural amber.

B. The mystery about a piece of amber.

C. The research into a piece of amber.

D. The meaningful death of a lizard.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】D

【2】D

【3】C

【4】C

【解析】本文是一篇说明文。文章讲述的是研究者对一块琥珀的研究经过。

【1】细节理解题。根据第一段最后一句But the man didn’t report the amber’s age and where he got it. 琥珀的捐赠者并没有过多地谈论它的历史。故D项正确。

【2】细节理解题。根据第三段中The researchers analyzed the amber's carbon and hydrogen isotopes(同位素) and the results indicated that the amber was formed from the sap of a flowering tree. Moreover, the results suggested that the tree and the lizard, for that matter, lived in an area with a lot of rainfall and dated to the Neogene, a period that lasted from the end of the Paleogene Period 23.03 million years ago to the beginning of the present Quatemary Period. 通过研究同位素发现了蜥蜴周围的生活环境。故D项正确。

【3】推理判断题。根据最后一段中“We looked at the skull ---the teeth are in place and the ear bones are there too. And we’ve even got some flesh, skin and its long toes,” Handyside said. “It’s fantastic!”从Handyside的话里我们得知这只蜥蜴保存得很好。故C项正确。

【4】主旨大意题。根据第一段中Researchers are trying to figure out exactly when and where a lizard got trapped in the sap(汁、液) of a tree. Over time, the tree sap turned into amber (琥珀), preserving the lizard’s mains,本文叙述的是研究者对一块琥珀的研究经过。故C项正确。