New archaeological discoveries suggest that trade between Europe 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.
1.The word “coupled” in the first paragraph could best be replaced by .
A. combined B. contributed C. doubled D. produced
2.The silk thread found in the hair of an Egyptian mummy suggests that .
A. Egyptians had probably travelled to China to buy silk
B. new light can now be thrown on ancient trading practices
C. historical research often achieves fascinating results
D. trade along the Silk Road began earlier than once thought
3.Until recently historians mostly believed that trade along the Silk Road .
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
4.Historians have always considered Zhang Qian’s mission important because they believe .
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
Have you seen Jurassic Park? In this film, scientists use DNA kept for tens of millions of years to clone dinosaurs. They find trouble, however, when they realize that the cloned creatures are smarter and more dangerous than expected. That’s nothing more than a fiction.
But could we really clone endangered animals?
To date, the most successful attempt to do so was the cloning of a gaur, a rare ox-like animal from southeast Asia. Scientists used a cow to bring the cloned baby gaur, named Noah. Two days after birth, however, Noah died from a common bacterial infection. Other endangered species that may be cloned include the African bongo antelope (羚羊), the Sumatran tiger, the cheetah (猎豹), and the giant panda.
Next, could we really clone extinct animals?
In theory? Yes. To do this, you need a well-kept source of DNA from the extinct animals such as wool mammoth (毛象), Tasmanian tiger, or even dinosaur, and a closely related species, still living, which could serve as a surrogate mother.
In reality? Probably not. On the one hand, it’s not likely that extinct animals’ DNA could survive undamaged for such a long time. Cloning such extinct animals as wool mammoth, Tasmanian tiger, or dinosaur is much more difficult due to the lack of properly well-preserved DNA. On the other hand, for example, a gaur can have a cow as a surrogate mother, definitely not a monkey. But what about an extinct animal as unique as the panda? What species could possibly serve as a surrogate mother?
Cloning presents many exciting possibilities. However, even if extinct animals were brought back, they could not survive in today’s world. Not only do most extinct animals have no habitat to love in, but the other plants and animals they depended on for food may also be gone as well.
1. It can be learned from the text that ________.
A. the gaur is an extinct species
B. the gaur lives in Asia and is endangered
C. scientists have cloned the African bongo antelope
D. both the cheetah and the giant panda live in Asia
2.The underlined words “a surrogate mother” probably refer to a female who ______.
A. gives birth to a baby of its own B. cannot give birth to a baby
C. gives birth to a baby for another female D. provides DNA
3.The difficulty in cloning an extinct species is the lack of ______.
A. both the well-preserved DNA and a surrogate mother
B. both the habitat to live in and the well-preserved DNA
C. both the well-preserved DNA and plants to live on
D. both the habitat to live in and plants to live on
4.In the author’s opinion, it is possible that ______.
A. all the extinct species may be cloned
B. extinct species may be cloned and easily survive
C. a gaur can have a monkey as a surrogate mother
D. some extinct species may be cloned, but not survive
Welcome to Adventure land!
Everyone loves Adventure land! The Parks and Exhibitions were built for you to explore(探索), enjoy, and admire their wonders. Every visit will be an unforgettable experience. You will go away enriched, longing to come back. What are you going to do this time?
The Travel Pavilion
Explore places you have never been to before, and experience different ways of life. Visit the Amazon jungle(丛林)village, the Turkish market, the Thai floating market, the Berber mountain house and others. Talk to the people there who will tell you about their lives and things they make. You can try making a carpet, making nets, fishing…
The Future Tower
This exhibition shows how progress will touch our lives. It allows us to look into the future and explore the cities of the next century and the way we’ll be living then. Spend some time in our space station and climb into our simulator(模拟装置)for the Journey to Mars!
The Nature Park
This is not really one park but several.
In the Safari Park you can drive among African animals in one of our Range Cruisers: see lions, giraffes, elephants in the wild. Move on to the Ocean Park to watch the dolphins and whales. And then there is still the Aviary to see…
The Pyramid
This is the center of Adventure land. Run out of film, need some postcards and stamps? For all these things and many more, visit our underground shopping center. Come here for information and ideas too.
1.The Travel Pavilion is built to help visitors _______.
A. learn how to make things such as fishing nets
B. realize the importance of travelling
C. learn something about different places in the world
D. become familiar with mountain countries
2.If you are interested in knowing about what people’s life will be, you may visit _______.
A. the Safari Park B. the Travel Pavilion
C. the Future Tower D. the Pyramid
3.If you want to get a souvenir（纪念品）to take home, where will you most likely go?
A. The Pyramid. B. The Future Tower.
C. The Nature Park. D. The Travel Pavilion.
Zoe Chambers was a successful PR (Public Relations) consultant (顾问) and life was going well—she had a great job, a beautiful flat and a busy social life in London. Then one evening in June last year, she received a text message telling her she was out of work. “The first two weeks were the most difficult to live through,” she said. “After everything I’d done for the company, they dismissed me by text! I was so angry and I just didn’t feel like looking for another job. I hated everything about the city and my life.”
Then, Zoe received an invitation from an old school friend, Kathy, to come and stay. Kathy and her husband, Huw, had just bought a farm in northwest Wales. Zoë jumped at the chance to spend a weekend away from London, and now, ten months later, she is still on the farm.
“The moment I arrived at Kathy’s farm, I loved it and I knew I wanted to stay,”said Zoe.“Everything about my past life suddenly seemed meaningless.”
Zoe has been working on the farm since October of last year and says she has no regrets. “It’s a hard life, physically very tiring,” she says.“In London I was stressed and often mentally exhausted. But this is a good, healthy tiredness. Here, all I need to put me in a good mood is a hot bath and one of Kathy’s wonderful dinners.”
Zoe says she has never felt bored on the farm. Every day brings a new experience. Kathy has been teaching her how to ride a horse and she has learnt to drive a tractor. Since Christmas, she has been helping with the lambing—watching a lamb being born is unbelievable, she says,“It’s one of the most moving experiences I’ve ever had. I could never go back to city life now.”
1. When she worked as a PR consultant in London, Zoë thought she lived a life.
A. meaningless B. tough C. boring D. satisfying
2. The most important reason why Zoe went to visit Kathy’s farm is that .
A. Kathy persuaded her to do so B. Zoe lost her job as a PR consultant
C. Zoe got tired of the city life D. Zoe loved Wales more than London
3. How does Zoe feel about the country life according to the passage?
A. Physically tiring but rewarding. B. Romantic and peaceful.
C. Mentally exhausting but healthy. D. Tiresome and troublesome
4. Which of the following is closest to the main idea of the passage?
A.A friend in need is a friend indeed. B. A misfortune may turn out a blessing.
C. Kill two birds with one stone. D. Where there is a will, there is a way.
A new book about Chinese-style tough parenting has caused debate in the US．Amy Chua, the author of Battle Hymn （颂歌）of the Tiger Mother, is a Chinese-American professor at Yale Law School, also a mother of two．
The 36 methods she used with her daughters would seem 37 to Westerners．In school her daughters weren't allowed to have grades 38 than As．They had to 39 playing the piano or violin even for hours a day．
There has been wide criticism (批评) of Chua's book in the US．"It's a(n) 40 way of parenting," said a professor at New York University, "standards of parenting need to be 41 ．Children need parents to 42 them, not to force them to do things they're probably not interested in．”
Now the criticism seems to have 43 to China．Sun Yunxiao, an expert from the China Youth and Children Research Center spoke to The Beijing News about his 44 . He argued Chua's method of 45 would limit children from developing their full 46 ．"Some Chinese parents do focus too much on test scores and good degrees," Sun said, "What gets sacrificed (放弃) along the way is their kids’ 47 to develop fully and to enjoy life．"
48 critics(批评家)might have sympathy for kids who experience this parenting style, some teenagers quite 49 it．"I think anyone can do well if they work hard enough,” said a 17-year-old boy, "A 50 mother is there to help her kids work hard．"
Others think that Chua has a（n） 51 in setting challenging goals for kids．"It's important for children,” said an American professor, " 52 speaking , kids need to be 53 sometimes．If you urge kids to do well, they are good at it, and they 54 from it．It's good to have high 55 ．”
1.A．rough B．reasonable C．vivid D．strict
2.A．unnecessary B．uncomfortable C．uninteresting D．unimaginable
3.A．higher B．fewer C．less D．lower
4.A．drill B．practise C．exercise D．experience
5.A．skilful B．extreme C．excellent D．merciful
6.A．practical B．high C．convenient D．low
7.A．replace B．love C．force D．guide
8.A．spread B．belonged C．turned D．referred
9.A．concern B．delight C．caution D.regulation
10.A．caring B．fond C．supporting D．parenting
11.A．goal B．potential C．achievement D．possibility
12.A．strength B．power C．force D．ability
13.A．Why B．Because C．While D．What
14.A．resist B． state C．object D．appreciate
15.A．lion B．monkey C．tiger D．sheep
16.A．angle B．point C．opinion D．view
17.A．Honestly B．Positively C．Hopefully D．Finally
18.A．pushed B．picked C．lifted D．dragged
19.A．count B．work C．help D．benefit
20.A．levels B．expectations C.marks D．results
-- We don’t think we’ll be able to go mountain-climbing tomorrow.
—______ the weather turns out fine?
A. How come B. How about C. What if D. Why not
