LONDON—Archaeologists have discovered a smaller prehistoric(史前) site near Britain’s famous circle of standing stones at Stonehenge.

Researchers have named the site “Bluehenge” after the color of the 27 Welsh stones that were laid to make up a path. The stones have disappeared, but the path of holes remains.

The new circle, unearthed over the summer by researchers from Sheffield University, represents an important find, researchers said Saturday. The site is about a mile away from Stonehenge.

Bluehenge, about 80 miles southwest of London, is believed to date back to about the time Stonehenge was built, about 5,000 years ago.

Mike Parker Pearson of Sheffield University said he believed the path and stonehenge itself were linked to rituals(儀式) of life and death.

Mike Parker suggested that the ancient funerary rituals began at a different circle site known as “Wood-henge”, which represented the world of the living. The bodies of the dead were then brought down the River Avon to Bluehenge, which represented death, and were finally carried along a ceremonial route known as the Avenue to Stonehenge.

Bournemouth University Professor Tim Darvill, an expert on Stonehenge, told Britain’s Dail Mail that Bluehenge “adds to the richness” of the ancient site’s story.

“This henge is very important because it forms part of the picture of ceremonial monuments in the area and puts Stonehenge into context,” Darvill was quoted(引述) as saying. “It’s no longer Stonehenge standing alone, but it has to be seen in context with the landscape.”

1.How many henges are mentioned in this passage?

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

2.Who believed the Stonehenge is related to ancient ritual of death?

A．Archaeologists from London             B．Welsh researchers

C．Mike Parker Pearson               D．Professor Tim Darvill

3.What does the underlined sentence “It’s no longer Stonehenge standing alone, but it has to be seen in context with the landscape.” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Stonehenge has noting to do with Bluehenge

B．Woodhenge represented the world of living in ancient times.

C．Bluehenge represented death

D．Stonehenge, Woodhenge and Bluehenge should be studied together

4.From the passage we can learn that ______.

A．researchers have named the site “Bluehenge,” because they have found blue huge stones there

B．funerary rituals were carried out along the path starting from Woodhenge, River Avon to Bluehenge, finally Stonehenge.

C．Bluehenge is 1 mile away from London

D．Bluehenge dates back to 2000 BC

 

Once upon a time, on an isolated island in the Java sea, lived short people who dominated(支配, 占優(yōu)勢) the food chain. Standing no more than three and a half feet tall, these human ancestors hunted giant rats, lumbering lizards（笨拙的蜥蜴), and miniature elephants.  

   It sounds a bit like a fairy tale, but it's true. Unearthed relics on the island uncovered the remains of a race of tiny human ancestors. Homo floresiensis, as the newly discovered species has been named, apparently could date back to 13,000 years ago. This means they have a lot in common with modern humans.

  So how and why did these people get so small? Scientists suspect that it's due to the fact that this race lived on an isolated island with limited resources. Take the miniature elephants for example. When elephants first came to the island either by swimming or by some kind of natural land raft, they were probably close to full size. But since there wasn't much to eat, over time smaller elephants lived longer and better. The smaller the elephant was, the less it had to eat to stay strong and healthy.

  Scientists call this the "island role", and it can apply to humans as well as animals. Given the island's sparse(稀少) food supply, it makes sense that the early humans living there would have evolved (進化) a body size requiring less food to survive. So bigger isn't always better.

In the floresiensis, at least, getting smaller was the way to go.

1.According to the passage, the fact Homo floresiensis are very small is based on________.

A. the islanders in the Java Sea B. the human ancestors

C. the unearthed relics      D. a newspaper report

2. The underlined word "miniature" in the first paragraph most probably means______.

A. tiny       B. active    C. rare       D. wild

3.People on the island got so small because____________.

A. they did not have enough food to eat.

B. they gradually developed for lack of food.

C. they shared less food with elephants.

D. they remained alive as the elephants.

4. What might be the most suitable title of the passage?

A. The history of short people

B. Short people from a fairy tale

C. The proofs on short people

D. Short people on an isolated island

5.According to the passage, getting smaller can make people and animals ____

A. run quickly   B. live longer     C. live weaker   D. run slowly

 

I was told that although these old buildings____ the Ming Dynasty,  they remained in good condition. 

A.  are dated back to        B.  dated back to

C.  date back to              D.  have been dated back to

 

根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從短文后的選項中選出能填入空白處的最佳選項。選項中有兩項為多余選項。

       What is a yawn（哈欠） and why do people yawn? A yawn is often associated with a person being tired．     People yawn for many reasons including stress, boredom, emotion and overwork．

      Have you noticed that yawning seems to be contagious （會傳染的）? If one person yawns, this appears to cause another person to yawn．Researchers have found that 40-60% of people who see a picture of someone yawning will yawn themselves． 

      Some people think that yawning is rude and suggests that you are bored or uninterested．Maybe a yawn is a signal to a group that it’s time to go to sleep, or if someone yawns when they're bored, it may be a sign to change the topic of conversation．   Animals of all types yawn．If you have a dog or cat, you've probably seen your pet yawn several times．Even some birds yawn such as cockatiel parrots, Adelie penguins and Emperor penguins．

      Some of the scientific explanations of why we yawn claim it is caused by physical needs．One likely explana??tion is that the yawning reflex happens when our blood needs more oxygen．The deep breath helps supply the levels of oxygen in our blood．  It is also thought that the same chemicals in our brain that affect our moods and emotions cause us to yawn．

       Superstitions about yawning have been around for hundreds of years and can date back to the ancient Greeks．A common superstition says that a person must cover his or her mouth when yawning so that the soul does not escape through the mouth．   Today most people do not believe these superstitions and know that a yawn is a physical reflex．

       A．Did you yawn while reading this article?

       B．Yawning is not limited to humans．

       C．It will make you lose interest in your work．

       D．But this is not always the cause for a yawn．

       E．Even reading the word YAWN can make people yawn．

       F．However, it doesn't mean that you need rest or relax??ation．

       G．Other people believe that yawning is a sign that danger is near．

       H．Another common theory is that a yawn helps regulate our body temperature．

完形填空 （共20小題；每小題1.5分，滿分30分）

My wife called, "Will you come here and make your darling daughter eat her food?" I rushed to the scene. My only daughter, Sindu,  36   frightened. In front of her was a bowl filled with  rice. She   37   disliked rice.

    “Sindu, why don’t you take a few   38   of this? Just for  Dad’s sake. If you don’t, your mom will shout at me. ” Sindu softened a bit and   39   her tears with the back of her hands.  "OK. Dad. I will eat. But, you should…" Sindu hesitated. " Dad, if I eat the rice, will you give me  40  I ask for?" " Oh, sure. " She  41   eating the whole quantity. After the ordeal was  through, Sindu came to me, " Dad, I want to have my   42  shaved off this Sunday!"

      " Darling, we will be sad   43   you with a clean - shaven  head." "Dad, you saw how difficult it was for me to eat the  rice. " Sindu was in tears. "   44   you promised to give me  whatever I ask for. " It was   45   for me to call the shots . "Our promise must be  46 . "

      With her head clean - shaven, Sindu had a round face. On  Monday morning, I dropped her at her   47    Just then, a boy  shouted, "Sindu, please wait for me!" 48   struck me was the  hairless head of that boy.

      "Sir, your daughter Sindu is great   49 !" a lady said to  me. ."That boy who is walking along with your daughter is my son  Harish. He is   50   from leukemia(白血病)?He lost all his  hair due to the side   51   of the chemotherapy ( 化療). He refused to  52   to school for fear of being laughed at. Sindu visited him last week'" But, I   53   imagined she would sacrifice  her lovely hair for the sake of  54  "My little angel, you are teaching me 55 selfless real love is!" I wept.

1. A. looked      B. Proved          C. sounded          D. turned

2.A. properly     B. likely           C. formerly          D. particularly

3. A. bowls       B. mouthfuls        C. rices             D. pieces

4.A. cleaned      B. burst            C. wiped           D. crashed

5. A. however     B. whenever        C. wherever        D. whatever

6.A. enjoyed      B. finished         C. practiced        D. liked

7.A. hair         B. face            C. ear             D. hand

8.A. comparing    B. looking         C. seeing          D. watching

9.A. So          B. And            C. If              D. Though

10. A. chance       B. good           C. choice          D. time

11.A. made        B. carried          C. kept            D. broken

12.A. room        B. school          C. house           D. desk

13.A. That         B. This           C. It               D. What

14.A. in fact        B. for example     C. indeed          D. really

15.A. suffering      B. separating      C. judging         D. affecting

16.A. illnesses       B. effects        C. health           D. medicine

17. A. come back     B. turn back      C. pay back         D. date back

18.A. such          B. even          C. ever            D. never

19.A. your daughter   B. my son         C. me           D. you

20.A. how           B. Whether       C. where          D. when