B
A burial site at 22, 000 feet is giving scientists the best look at horrible Incan sacrificial ceremonies. By modern standards, the dangerous peak of Mount Llullaillaco, in the Argentina Andes, is no place for kids. The ancient Inca saw things differently though, some 500 years ago, three children arrived at the slopes of the 22, 000 feet peak. The three had spent time at the 17, 000 feet level, taking part in some ceremonies that can only be guessed at. Then, accompanied by a group of adults, they moved steadily upward. They would not return. Once at the peak, the children—two girls and a boy, between 8 and 15 years old—would be ceremonially sacrificed and buried beneath 5 feet of broken rocks. They might even have been buried alive.
And there the story might have ended but for the tireless efforts of Johan Reinhard, an independent archaeologist(考古学家)funded by the National Geographic Society. Reinhard’s specialty is climbing up the Andes in search of sacrificial remains; he had already located 15 bodies, including the famed ice maid he found in 1995. But these three, whose discovery he announced last week, are by far the most impressive. They were frozen solid within hours of their burial. Two of the bodies are almost perfectly preserved; the third was damaged by lightning. The children’s inside organs are not only undamaged but also still contain blood. Craig Morris, an expert at New York City’s American Museum of Natural History, said, “It is truly a fantastic discovery. ”
What makes it so fantastic is not just the bodies themselves, but also the wealth of works of art that was buried along with them: 36 gold and silver statues, small woven bags, pottery, a small camel figure and seashell necklaces. Reinhard said, “One of the girls has a beautiful yellow, geometrically designed cover laid over her. ”Her head wears a feather and a golden mask. Some of the bodies were surrounded with food wrapped in camel skin, which indicates that the children came from the Incan social leadership—not surprising, since only people of high status would have been considered worthy of sacrifice. Little is known about the sacrificial ceremony itself; these objects, along with others found at the lower camp, should tell archaeologists plenty.
The preserved bodies, meanwhile, will give scientists a look at Incan physiology(生理学)firstly. The Argentina military took them away to the nearby town of Salta. There, experts will analyze their organs for information about their diet and their DNA to try and establish their relationship to other racial groups. Reinhard will head back into the mountains. There is no telling how many more bodies remain to be found.
【文章大意】本文讲述了安第斯山区的最新考古发现以及这一发现的重大意义。
5. From the first paragraph we learn that ________ .
A. the peak of Mount Llullaillaco was not dangerous in the past
B. ancient Incans used to hold sacrificial ceremonies on top of the mountain
C. burying children alive was a common practice in ancient Incan society
D. the three children made the mountain climbing by themselves
【解析】选B。推理判断题。第一段描述了古印加人把孩子送到山顶祭祀的事情, 由此可见古印加人曾经在山顶举行祭祀仪式, 故B项正确。山顶的自然环境在过去和现在并没有太大差别, 因此A项是错误的。对于这些孩子的死亡方式用了might一词表示猜测, 所以C项不对。文中提到了accompanied by a group of adults, 说明他们是在成人的护送下登山的, 故D项错误。
6. What do Craig Morris’ words “It is truly a fantastic discovery” mean?
A. Johan Reinhard works with the National Geographic Society.
B. Archaeological discoveries depend on the independent work of archaeologists.
C. The Andes is a treasure for archaeologists in search of sacrificial remains.
D. Andean archaeology focuses on unearthing human bodies.
【解析】选C。推理判断题。根据文章第二段可知Reinhard在安第斯山区搜寻祭祀遗物方面的多项考古发现, 并引用其他考古学家的话说他最近的发现是“fantastic discovery”。文中第二段对Reinhard的身份说明中指出他是一个受国家地理协会资助的独立考古学家, 因此A是错误的。独立考古学家的工作很重要, 但不等于考古发现就依赖他们, 所以B也是错误的。安第斯山的考古活动有很多方面的内容, 遗体出土只是其中一项, 文中也讲到陪葬物品的考古价值, 所以D也不对。
7. Reinhard’s discovery shows that ________ .
A. ancient Incans were masters of body-preservation
B. the children suffered a lot before they were buried
C. Incan children from rich families were often made sacrifices
D. ancient Incans had grasped a high level of craftsmanship
【解析】选D。细节理解题。根据文章第三段One of the girls has a beautiful yellow, geometrically designed cover laid over her. 可知古代印加人的工艺水平已经相当高了。文中并没有提及遗体保存较好确定是和印加人保存尸体的技术有关, A是错误的。文中并没有提到这些孩子们在死前的情况, 所以B不能成立。文中讲到从陪葬品可以看出孩子们来自上层社会, 但不等于“富有家庭的孩子经常成为祭物”, 所以C项不对。
8. We can draw a conclusion from the text that ________ .
A. Johan Reinhard’s discovery will throw light on the study of ancient Incans
B. Reinhard will find a lot more bodies in the future
C. experts can now describe the sacrificial ceremony in detail
D. Argentina military are also interested in archaeological activities
【解析】选A。推理判断题。文中第二段最末引用其他科学家的话说这次发现“fantastic”, 在第三段最末又说所发现的物品也将让考古学家对祭祀仪式有更多的了解。最后一段也介绍了科学家们将对这次发现展开研究工作, 由此可见, 这次发现可以促进对古印加人的研究工作。
【技法导练】
浓缩主题, 确定标题
确定文章标题要把握两点: (1)要在阅读原文的基础上, 仔细考虑这句话或短语与文章主题是否有密切的联系; 再看它对文章的概括性或覆盖面如何; 要注意题目是过大还是过小; (2)要恰当地选好标题, 还需要了解标题的写作格式。一般来说, 标题的写作方式是: 以话题为核心, 将控制性概念的词按一定的语法浓缩为概括主题句句意或中心思想的词组。
以阅读理解A为例:
中心句 Trying to recover from a devastating economic crisis, Spain is considering moving the country’s clock back by one hour. 话题 time 控制性概念 Spain; moving the country’s clock back by one hour 标题 _________________________ 答案：Time for Spain to turn back
