1、【 精品教育资源文库 】 Unit 5 Meeting your ancestors 单元加餐练 . 阅读理解 A Just in time for National Popcorn Day, a new study shows that people in whats now Peru were eating the snack about 2,000 years earlier than we thought. Coastal peoples were preparing corn based foods up to 6,700 years ago, according to analy
2、sis of remains of the ancient corn recently discovered at the Paredones and Huaca Prieta archaeological sites on Perus northern coast. Previously, evidence of corn as a food about 5,000 years ago had mostly come from what are called microfossils microscopic remains that do not offer information on t
3、he size and shape of the corncobs (玉米棒 ). But the newly found corn remains revealed a lot, via radiocarbon dating and other tests. The people who lived in Paredones and Huaca Prieta probably cooked corn in several ways: Wrapping a corncob and resting it on coals, roasting a corncob directly over a f
4、lame, or cooking a corncob in an earthen oven. In this culture, corn was a delicious food or a minor supplement to the dietarchaeological evidence shows they did not eat it in large amounts. Corn was first grown in Mexico about 9,000 years ago from a wild grass called teosinte, according to Piperno,
5、 whose research has been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. A few thousand years later, corn was brought to South America, where farmers bred the plant crop into hundreds of varieties. Indeed, what surprised Piperno most about the new research was the diversity
6、 of corn from corncob shapes to kernel (玉 米粒 ) colors discovered in the newfound remains. “Farmers like to experiment and grow cool things ， ” she said. 篇章导读：本文是一篇说明文。一项新的考古研究发现人类在距今约 6， 700 年前已开始食用玉米，比之前所认为的时间提前了约两千年。 1 What would be the best title for the passage? A Ancient popcorn was eaten about
7、 2,000 years earlier than thought in Peru B A new discovery revealed the mystery about corn C How was corn cooked in ancient Peru and South America? D National Popcorn Day and the new found corn remains in Peru 答案： A 标题判断题。由文章主旨段第一段并纵观全文可知，文章讲的是新的研究发现，人类开始食用玉 米的时间比我们认为的还要早大约 2,000 年，故选 A。 2 From the
8、 passage we can learn that microfossils of corn _ . A showed that people began cooking corn about 5,000 years ago B offered detailed information on the size of the ancient corncobs 【 精品教育资源文库 】 C showed the specific shape of the ancient corncobs D were analyzed by scientists via radiocarbon dating
9、答案： A 细节理解题。根据第三段第一句话中的 “Previously, evidence of corn as a food about 5,000 years ago had mostly come from what are called microfossils”可知，玉米微化石显示人们在大约 5,000 年前已开始以玉米为食物。 3 What can we know about the newly found corn remains? A They revealed people in Paredones and Huaca Prieta never roasted a cornc
10、ob directly over a flame. B They revealed people in Paredones and Huaca Prieta lived mainly on cornbased foods. C They showed us how ancient farmers bred corn from a wild grass. D They offered more information on ancient corn than microfossils of corn. 答案： D 推理判断题。根据第三段第一句话中的 “. microscopic remains
11、that do not offer information on the size and shape of the corncobs” 和第二句话 “But the newly found corn remains revealed a lot .” 可知，新发现的玉米遗迹能够比玉米微化石提供更多的关于古代玉米的信息。 4 What can we know from the last paragraph? A Remains of ancient corn were found in different places of the world. B Various kinds of corn
12、 were discovered in the new found corn remains. C Ancient corncob shapes and kernel colors are quite different from those of today. D Piperno likes to experiment and grow cool things. 答案： B 推理判断题。根据最后一段第一句中的 “what surprised Piperno most about the new research was the diversity of corn from corncob s
13、hapes to kernel (玉米粒 ) colors discovered in the newfound remains” 可知 B 项正确。 B The ancient Maya mastered the art of ceramic (制陶艺术 ) in a manner which virtually no other culture did. The Vase of the Seven Gods, made in the area of Naranjo, an ancient city of the 【 精品教育资源文库 】 Maya civilization in the
14、present day Petn, Guatemala, shows the fine way Maya handled clay. Like all art of Maya, this vase exhibits highly religious symbols. Furthermore, the artists name is carved along the bottom of this piece in the form of a small white rabbit. Ceramics also served as reminders of ancestors and gods. T
15、he Flour De Lis Vase is a fine example of this. The water lilies are not only symbols of new birth and life giving qualities, but a constant reminder of purity. On this vase, the water lilies are white, which is undoubtedly a sign of purity. The black background shows the sea, in which the lilies fl
16、oat. Furthermore, ceramics served practical functions in the Maya culture. Vases, which are quite commonly seen today, were used primarily to hold liquid chocolate and cocoa. Bowls were used to hold various maize (玉米 ) products. Maize was seen as the imaginary body of the Maize God and the ancient M
17、aya thought that as one ate the maize or the body of God from the bowl, they actually became God. Plates were merely used for any object. Finally, Maya used depictions on ceramics to resurrect (使复活 ) family members and honor gods. Because they believe that they would come back to life with their nam
18、es spoken or their figures drawn, the carvings and paintings on these ceramics played a vital role in Maya spirituality. Clearly, ceramics served a key function in ancient Maya society from dinner plates to acts of God. 篇章导读：本文为说明文，介绍了古老的玛雅文化和古代玛雅人高超的制陶艺术。 5 What do we know from the passage? A The a
19、rt of ceramic of the ancient Maya was instructed by gods. B The Vase of the Seven Gods was made by the people of Guatemala. C The art of ceramic of the ancient Maya was the best in the world at that time. D Naranjo is a well known city of Guatemala at present. 答案： C 细节理解题 。根据第一段内容可知，古老的玛雅文化中的制陶艺术是当时
20、其他文化所没有掌握的。因而在当时它也是最好的，故选 C。 6 Which of the following is a characteristic of the art of Maya? A Seven gods are carved on a vase. B A vase exhibits highly religious symbols. C The artists name is carved on the top of a vase. D There is a big white rabbit on a vase. 答案： B 推理判断题。根据第二段第二句 “Like all art
21、of Maya, this vase exhibits highly religious symbols.” 可知，像所有玛雅艺术品一样，带有七个神明的花瓶展示了高度宗教化的符号，故答案为 B。 7 The ancient Maya used the Flour De Lis Vase to _ . 【 精品教育资源文库 】 A remind them of their ancestors and gods B hold water and grain or cook food C show the importance of new birth and life D express peo
22、ples pure friendship and love 答案： A 细节理解题。根据第三段第一、二句 “Ceramics also served as reminders of ancestors and gods. The Flour De Lis Vase is a fine example of this.” 可知，古玛雅人以此来祭祀祖先和神明，故答案为 A。 8 The Maya carved names and figures of family members on ceramics to_ . A honor their family members B be remembe
23、red by their children C draw the attention of the shoppers D wish they would come back to life 答案： D 细节理解 题。根据第五段第二句中的 “Because they believe that they would come back to life with their names spoken or their figures drawn” 可知，他们希望以此方式让家人复活，故答案为 D。 . 七选五 Urbanization Until relatively recently, the vast majority of human beings lived and died without ever seeing a city. The first city was probably founded no more than 5,500 years ago. _1_ In fact, nearly everyone lived on farms or in tiny rural (乡村的 ) villages. It was not until the 20th
