19.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 Argentine Andes,is no place for kids.The ancient Inca saw things differently though,some 500years ago,three children arrived at the slopes of the 22,000feet peak.The three had spent time at the 17,000feet 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 eight and 15years old-would be ceremonially sacrificed and buried beneath 5feet of broken rocks.They may 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 15bodies,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.Says Craig Morris,an expert at New York City's American Museum of Natural History:"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 were buried along with them:36gold and silver statues,small woven bags,pottery,a small camel figure and seashell necklaces.Reinhard says,"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) firstly.The Argentine 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.
67.From the first paragraph we learn thatB.
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
68.What do Craig Morris'words mean:"It is truly a fantastic discovery"?C
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.
69.Rehinhard's discovery shows thatD.
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
70.We can draw a conclusion from the text thatA.
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.Argentine military are also interested in archaeological activities.
分析 本文是一篇记叙文,主要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.考古学家发现古印加人曾经在山顶举行祭祀仪式,把孩子送到山顶祭祀,这些孩子在成人的护送下登山,有可能被活埋致死.考古学家在安第斯山区搜寻祭祀遗物方面有多项考古发现,其中有出土的遗体、陪葬物品等;这些有很大的考古价值,从中我们可以用来研究了解古印加人的生产、生活和文化等情况.
解答 67.B. 根据第一段"The ancient Inca saw things differently though,some 500years ago,three children arrived at the slopes of the 22,000feet peak.The three had spent time at the 17,000feet 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 eight and 15years old-would be ceremonially sacrificed and buried beneath 5feet of broken rocks.They may even have been buried alive."可知,古印加人把孩子送到山顶祭祀,古印加人曾经在山顶举行祭祀仪式.山顶的自然环境在过去和现并没有太大差别,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.D项是错的,因为文中提到了accompanied by a group of adults,说明他们是在成人的护送下登山的.故选B.
68.C.根据第二段提到Reinhard在安第斯山区搜寻祭祀遗物方面的多项考古发现,并引用其它考古学家的话说他最近的发现是"fantastic discovery".文章最后文中第二段对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.故选C.
69.D.根据第三段中"What makes it so fantastic is not just the bodies themselves,but also the wealth of works of art that were buried along with them:36gold and silver statues,small woven bags,pottery,a small camel figure and seashell necklaces."发现的陪葬品,尤其是那个"beautiful yellow,geometrically designed cover"可以看出古代印加人的工艺水平已经相当高了.遗体保存较好主要是由于冰雪的缘故,和印加人保存尸体的技术无关,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.
70.A.根据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.故选C.
点评 解答细节理解题时,一个常用的方法就是运用定位法,即根据题干和选项中的关键词从原文中找到相关的句子,与选项进行比较从而确定答案;推理判断题既要求学生透过文章表面文字信息推测文章隐含意思,又要求学生对作者的态度、意图及文章细节的发展作正确的推理判断,力求从作者的角度去考虑,不要固守自己的看法或观点.