A
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The Nazca Lines are a series of large ancient geoglyphs (地画) in the Nazca Desert, in southern Peru． It is ranging from geometric patterns to drawings of different animals and stylized humanlike forms． The ancient lines can only be truly taken in from high in the air, leaving generations puzzled as to how these precise works could have been completed long before the documented invention of human flight．
The Lines were first spotted when commercial airlines began flying across the Peruvian desert in the 1920s． Who built them and what was their purpose? Are they roads, star pointers, maybe even a gigantic map? If the people who lived here 2,000 years ago had only a simple technology, how did they manage to construct such precise figures? Did they have a plan? These markings are like a vast puzzle．
The Nazca Lines are the most outstanding group of geoglyphs in the world． There are also huge geoglyphs in Egypt, Malta, the United States (Mississippi and California), Chile, Holivia and in other countries． But the Nazca geoglyphs, because of their numbers, characteristics, dimensions and cultural continuity as they were made and remade throughout a certain history period, form the most impressive archeological (考古学的) group．
The Nazca plain is unique for its ability to preserve the markings upon it, due to the combination of the climate (one of the driest on Earth, with only twenty minutes of rainfall per year) and the flat, stony ground which minimizes the effect of the wind at ground level． With no dust or sand to cover the plain and little rain or wind to erode (腐蚀) it, lines drawn here tend to stay drawn． These factors, combined with the existence of lightercolored subsoil beneath the desert surface, provide a vast writing pad that is suited to the artist who wants to leave his mark eternal．
1．What can we know about the Nazca Lines from the first two paragraphs?
A．They are built as a big map．
B．They are formed by nature．
C．They are ancient lines in caves．
D．They are huge markings in a desert．
答案：D 细节理解题。根据第一段第一句“The Nazca Lines are a series of large ancient geoglyphs (地画) in the Nazca Desert, in southern Peru．”及下文对The Nazca Lines图案和发现过程的具体介绍可知，the Nazca Lines是出现在秘鲁南部Nazca沙漠的大型古代地画，故选D。
2．How many factors make the Nazca Lines the most impressive?
A．One． B．Two． C．Three． D．Four．
答案：D 细节理解题。根据第三段最后一句中的“because of their numbers, characteristics, dimensions and cultural continuity ．．．, form the most impressive”可知，四个因素使得这些地画给人留下极为深刻的印象，故选D。
3．Why are the Nazca Lines well preserved?
A．Because of the wind at ground level．
B．Because of the existence of soft soil．
C．Because of the climate and geography．
D．Because of the thick sand on the top．
答案：C 推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“The Nazca plain is unique for its ability to preserve the markings upon it, due to the combination of the climate (one of the driest on Earth, with only twenty minutes of rainfall per year) and the flat, stony ground which minimizes the effect of the wind at ground level．”可知，因为这里干燥少雨的气候和平坦多石的地形使地画能很好地保留下来，故选C。
4．What does the underlined word “eternal” probably mean?
A．Nonstop． B．Everlasting．
C．Reallife． D．Highend．
答案：B 词义猜测题。最后一句指这些因素，加上沙漠表面下浅色底土的存在，给想要永久留下印记的艺术家提供了一个巨大的书写板。eternal “永恒的”，和everlasting同义，故选B。
