Using modern technology, archaeologists (考古学家) have recently discovered about 200 Mayan artifacts (玛雅古器) in Mexico, which surprisingly, appear to have been untouched for up to 1,000 years. The artifacts were found inside a cave in ruins of the ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
The lead researcher on the project is Mexican archaeologist Guillermo de Anda. He called the cave a “scientific treasure”.
The findings included bone pieces and burnt offering materials. In addition, incense burners, vases, plates and other objects were discovered. Some items included the portrait of Tlaloc, the rain god of central Mexico.
The cave where the objects were found is so unique. It is part of a cave system known as Balamku. The cave is long, narrow and dark. It is about three kilometers east of the main pyramid of Kukulkan. It sits at the center of Chichen Itza which is the stone city described by the United Nations as “one of the greatest Mayan centers of the Yucatan Peninsula.”
The cave sits about 24 meters underground, with areas connected by passages. Some of the passages were so narrow that researchers had to climb in or pull themselves through. The team has so far explored about 460 meters of the cave, and is unsure how far it stretches. The team plans to continue exploring the cave. The found artifacts will not be removed, but studied inside.
The team accidentally found the artifacts while exploring Chichen Itza in an effort to learn more about its underground water system. The new discovery will help scientists better understand the history, culture, lives and beliefs of people who lived in Chichen Itza, especially in the boom years.
Archaeologists believe there may be another cave hidden under the pyramid of Kukulkan that could be connected to the latest find. “Let’s hope God will lead us there,” Guillermo de Anda said. “That is part of the reason why we are entering these sites to find a connection to the natural well under the Kukulkan.”
1.What’s amazing about the Mayan artifacts discovered in Mexico?
A.The long history and perfect state.
B.The digging time and location.
C.The current high price.
D.The variety of usage.
2.What is paragraph 4 mainly about?
A.The features of the cave. B.The findings in the cave.
C.The ancient cave system. D.The origin of Mayan centers.
3.What is the significance of the new discovery?
A.It can help scientists register cultural relics.
B.It can encourage archaeologists to form work beliefs.
C.It can help scientists further learn about Mayan civilization.
D.It can arouse the interest of Mexicans in archaeology.
4.What will archaeologists do next according to the last paragraph?
A.Dig wells under the Kukulkan.
B.Move the findings to another cave.
C.Find the cause of groundwater disappearance.
D.Try to find another cave under the pyramid of Kukulkan.
Back when the Mississippi River flowed wild, its ever-changing waters moved soil across the North American continent. It picked up sand and dirt in the north and brought it to the southern areas of what we now call the state of Louisiana. Thousands of years later, man-made barriers called levees (防洪堤) and flood-control systems control the powerful river. But Louisiana officials are making plans to use the Mississippi River’s ancient power to build new land as a way to ease the threat of rising seas.
Engineers hope to remake the destroyed low-lying lands by copying nature—digging into the levees and redirecting the water. The water holds a lot of small dirt sediments (沉淀物). The sediments can flow into coastal basins.
Some critics question whether the idea presents its own environmental risks. But if it does work, the project would rebuild an important protection against storm waves. It would also help the land provide new living areas for birds and fish that depend on wetlands.
Saltwater is destroying the coast. Pathways cut for oil and gas development, boat travel and logging have worsened the problem. The state estimates that it has lost about 518,000 hectares of land since 1932. If nothing is done, more than twice that much land could disappear over the next 50 years.
Experts and officials have discussed the idea of using the river to rebuild the coast for many years. But it was not until money became available from the 2010 BP oil spill that the plan began to really take shape. In 2010, an explosion killed 11 people on an oil rig (石油钻塔) off the Gulf Coast that energy company BP operated. Millions of gallons of oil then flowed into the water over the next three months.
One year later, the United States government ruled that BP was responsible for the accident,
The company was ordered to pay billions of dollars for the damage. Louisiana is putting much of its share of the money toward coastal restoration.
1.What advantage will the new land bring?
A.Preventing severe drought.
B.Creating habitats for animals.
C.Controlling the powerful river.
D.Increasing the northern farm land.
2.What can cause the coast to disappear faster?
A.Energy changes.
B.Destroyed levees.
C.Man-made disasters.
D.Man-made water protection systems.
3.What made the plan of rebuilding the coast land come into effect?
A.The restoration of an oil rig.
B.The payment of compensation by BP.
C.The strong demand from oil companies.
D.The special support from some local critics.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.Use Nature Power to Stop Soil Losing
B.Let the River Go Back to Its Original State
C.Fight Coastal Destruction by Copying Nature
D.Remove the Man-Made Barriers from the River
I feel ashamed to admit this, but in much of my past life, I pretended I knew what was going on when I didn’t, for fear of being “caught out”. In the school cafeteria, when people talked about TV shows, which I didn’t have the channels for, or on MSN Messenger, when I read unfamiliar song lyrics my friends had shared, I felt upset and I’d pretend to be calm and recognize what they were talking about, like everyone else.
I did this, as I didn’t want to be seen not to understand some things that people, I respected were good at. I thought that if I didn’t know what was going on, it betrayed a moral failing and exposed me as a boy who was deeply uncool and actually, a bit stupid.
And so I nodded along silently. I prayed I wouldn’t be found out what I really was, or I would feel embarrassed. I would follow up each incident with some diligent homework on the subject, trying to disguise myself. Unsurprisingly, it all became far too much and recently I’ve found myself overwhelmed by the number of things I didn’t know about. From politics to pop culture—even Micro Electro Mechanical Systems. I just felt exhausted by it all.
And so I made a decision. I decided to stop nodding frequently at the pub while crazily searching the relative information under the table. Instead, now I’m embracing saying what is really true when I don’t know what the other person is talking about. Instead of hurrying to make up some funny opinion about a show I’ve never seen, I’ll say something like: “I’ve heard of that show but I haven’t watched it yet” Saying “I don’t know” is such a simple thing. I’m sorry that it took me so long to start saying that. I’ve changed my attitude towards something I don’t know in life. I’ll never get caught in an embarrassing lie again.
1.What does the author tell us in paragraph 1?
A.His fear of making mistakes. B.The ways to make friends in the past.
C.School activities he and his friends loved. D.His sense of shame about lying in the past.
2.How did the author feel when he didn’t know about the topic m conversation?
A.Confused. B.Anxious and awkward.
C.Unconcerned. D.Calm and relaxed
3.What does the underlined word “disguise” in paragraph 3 probably mean?
A.Hide. B.Beat.
C.Expose. D.Fool.
4.What’s the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A.To show disadvantages of being ignored.
B.To show some embarrassing learning experiences.
C.To tell us what to do with the case of being “caught out”.
D.To tell us how saying “I don’t know” changed his life attitude.
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1.What can the “Facial” experience gift help you do?
A.Build up your muscles. B.Have a new look.
C.Relax your body completely. D.Reduce blood pressure.
2.Who may prefer the experience gift “Massage”?
A.Artists who want to meditate in nature.
B.Elderly women who want to live longer.
C.Businessmen who want to get rid of pressure.
D.Actresses who want to have a fresh appearance.
3.Which of the following can best improve mental health?
A.Facial. B.Massage.
C.Personal training session. D.Private meditation session.
假设你是红星中学高三学生李华。请给你同班的美国留学生 Peter 写一封电子邮件， 邀请他周末到学校对面刚开业的文化中心去做义工，内容包括:
1. 目的和意义；
2. 时间、地点和内容；
3. 请求回复。注意:
1.词数 100 词左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10 处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；2.只允许修改 10 处，多者(从第 11 处起)不计分。
In order to keep the Chinese traditional culture alive, we held the Chinese Character Dictation Competition in our school on last Saturday. Lucky , I was selected to take part in an activity on behalf of my classmates. Some of my classmates helped me review many Chinese characters when aren't commonly used today, while others reminded me of unfamiliar one whenever they were free. My head teacher also encouraged us to try my best. During the competition, I manage to answer all the questions giving by the judges because I had made great efforts for it. When I got the first place, I came to realize that it was my classmates' kind help or my head teacher's encouragement which contributed to my success.
