Passage 2 Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
Stone tools, animal bones and an incised mammoth tusk found in Russia’s frigid far north have provided what archaeologists say is the first evidence that modern humans or Neanderthals lived in the Arctic more than 30,000 years ago, at least 15,000 years earlier than previously thought.
A team of Russian and Norwegian archaeologists, describing the discovery in today’s issue of the journal Nature, said the campsite, at Mamontovaya Kurya, on the Ura River at the Arctic Circle, was the “oldest documented evidence for human presence at this high latitude. ”Digging in the bed of an old river channel close to the Ural Mountains, the team uncovered 123 mammal bones, including horse, reindeer and wolf. “The most important find,” they said, was a four-foot mammoth tusk with grooves made by chopping with a sharp stone edge, “unequivocally the work of humans.” The tusk was carbon-dated at about 36,600 years old. Plant remains found among the artifacts were dated at 30,000 to 31,000 years.
Other archaeologists said the analysis appeared to be sound. But they cautioned that it was difficult, when dealing with riverbed deposits, to be sure that artifacts had not become jumbled out of their true place, , in the geologic layers. They questioned whether the discoverers could reliably conclude that the stone tools were in fact contemporary with the bones. But in a commentary accompanying the article, Dr. John A. J. Gowlett of the University of Liverpool in England wrote, “Although there are questions to be answered, the artifacts illustrate both the capacity of early humans to do the unexpected, and the value of archaeologists’ researching in unlikely areas.”
The discoverers said they could not determine from the few stone artifacts whether the site was occupied by Neanderthals, hominids who by then had a long history as hunters in Europe and western Asia, or some of the first anatomically modern humans to reach Europe.
In any case, other archaeologists said, the findings could be significant.
If these toolmakers were Neanderthals, the findings suggested that these human relatives, who became extinct after 30,000 years ago, were more capable and adaptable than they are generally given credit for. Living in the Arctic climate presumably required higher levels of technology and social organization.
If they were modern humans, then the surprise is that they had penetrated so far north in such a short time. There has been no firm evidence for modern humans in Europe before about 35,000 years ago. It had generally been thought that the northernmost part of Eurasia was not occupied by humans until the final stage of the last ice age, some 13,000 to 14,000 years ago, when the world’s climate began to moderate. Dr. Gowlett said the new findings indicated that the Arctic region of European Russia was extremely cold but relatively dry and ice-free more than 30,000 years ago.
26.What is the significance of the discovery? A) It shows that modern humans lived in the Arctic more than 3,000 years ago. B) It shows that Neanderthals lived in the Arctic more than 3,000 years ago. C) It shows the oldest documented evidence for human presence at such high latitude. D) It shows human could use tools 30,000 years ago.
27.Why the team believed that the four-foot mammoth tusk was the most important find? A) Because it was the longest tusk ever found. B) Because there were signs left by human’s tools on it. C) Because there were grooves on it. D) Because there are not any mammoth tusk all over the world.
28.When did the Neanderthals extinct? A) More than 30,000 years ago. B) After 30,000 years ago. C) Before about 35,000 years ago. D) Some 13,000 to 14,000 years ago.
29.Who were those toolmakers? A) Neanderthals. B) Modern humans. C) Archaeologists. D) Not determined.
30.What’s the weather like in the Arctic region of European Russia more than 30,000 years ago? A) Moderate temperature, relatively dry and ice-free. B) Extremely cold, relatively dry and ice-free. C) Extremely cold, plenty of raining and ice-free. D) Extremely cold, relatively dry and ice frosted.
Passage Two 短文大意：俄罗斯和挪威的考古学家在俄国极北部发现了石器，动物骨骼及一只带有石器凿痕的猛犸象长牙，这证明现代人类或尼安德特人曾在3万年前就已经生活在这一地区，比先前认定的提前了一万五千年。但有些考古学家虽然认为对这些发现的鉴定是正确的，但并不能证明这些石器与动物的骨殖属于同一年代。不管怎样，这些发现意义重大：如果制造这些石器的是尼安德特人，那么就证明他们比我们现在认为的要更为能干及适应环境；如果是现代人，那么在人类定居欧洲后，在如此短的时间内就能推进到极北地区，不能不说是非常令人惊讶的。 26. 【参考译文】发明的意义是？ 【试题分析】判断题。 【详细解答】正如考古学家们说的：the campsite,… was the oldest documented evidence for human presence at this high latitude.这个发现证明人类很早就在极北地出现了，这是它的重大意义所在，C项符合。A、B两项未有定论，D项则可由别的考古发现证明，并不是这一次发现的意义所在。 27. 【参考译文】为什么小组认为四只脚的猛犸象牙的发现是最重要的发现？ 【试题分析】判断题。 【详细解答】文中对这只four-foot mammoth tusk 的描述是…with grooves made by chopping with a sharp stone edge, “unequivocally the work of humans.”即在这只猛犸象牙上有石器砍削的痕迹，可以证明是当时人类用工具对象牙进行了加工，也就证明当时人类会使用工具了。所以这只象牙的重要性是它的证据作用，即B项。A、D项文不对题，C项未指出真正的原因。 28. 【参考译文】穴居人是何时灭绝的？ 【试题分析】细节题。 【详细解答】文中倒数第二段指出，Neanderthals, …who became extinct after 30,000 years ago,说明尼安德特人是在距今3万年前以后渐渐消亡的，B项数字正确。 29. 【参考译文】谁是工具的制造者？ 【试题分析】综合判断题。 【详细解答】纵观全文，考古学家对居住在此地的人种仍在争论，不能确定到底是尼安德特人还是现代人曾在此居住，所以D项正确。 30. 【参考译文】3万年前，俄罗斯欧洲地带的北极区的天气怎样？ 【试题分析】细节题。 【详细解答】文中最后有Dr. Gowlett said the new findings indicated that the Arctic region of European Russia was extremely cold but relatively dry and ice-free more than 30,000 years ago.说明30，000年前的俄罗斯欧洲部分是“奇冷无比，相对较干旱，不会冰冻”，因此B项符合。
, in the geologic layers. They questioned whether the discoverers could reliably conclude that the stone tools were in fact contemporary with the bones. But in a commentary accompanying the article, Dr. John A. J. Gowlett of the University of Liverpool in England wrote, “Although there are questions to be answered, the artifacts illustrate both the capacity of early humans to do the unexpected, and the value of archaeologists’ researching in unlikely areas.”
