A
(2020·南昌市一模)The remains of an ancient ape (猿) found in a Bavarian clay site recently caught people's eye.According to scientists，they may renew people's opinion on when humans' ancestors began standing upright.
An international team of researchers said the fossilized skeleton of a male ape that lived in the humid forests of what is now southern Germany bore a striking resemblance (相似之处) to modern human bones.In a paper published by the journal Nature，they concluded that the previously unknown species — named Danuvius guggenmosi — could walk on two legs but also climb like an ape.
The findings “raise fundamental questions about our previous understanding of the evolution of the great apes and humans，” said Madelaine Boehme，who led the research.
The question of when apes could walk on two legs has fascinated scientists since Charles Darwin first argued that they were the ancestors of humans.Previous fossil records of apes with an upright move — found in Crete and Kenya — dated only as far back as 6 million years.These apes are called Toumai.
Boehme，along with researchers from Bulgaria，Canada and the United States，examined more than 15,000 bones recovered from the archaeological remains.Among the remains they were able to piece together primate (灵长目动物) fossils belonging to four individuals that lived 11.62 million years ago.The most complete，an adult male，likely stood about 1 meter tall，weighed 31 kilograms and looked similar to modernday bonobos，a species of the chimpanzee.
Like humans，Danuvius had an Sshaped backbone to hold its body upright while standing.Unlike humans，though，it had a powerful big toe that would have allowed it to grab branches with its foot easily.
Fred Spoor，a paleontologist at the Natural History Museum in London，called the fossil finds “fantastic” but said they would likely be denied or suspected by others，not least because they could challenge many existing ideas about evolution.
【语篇解读】 本文主要介绍了科学家新发现的古猿遗骨的相关情况，并指出这可能会刷新人们关于何时人类的祖先开始直立的观点。
1．Where did the scientists find the bones?
A．Germany. B．Bulgaria.
C．Kenya. D．Brazil.
A [细节理解题。根据第二段中的“the fossilized skeleton of a male ape that lived in the humid forests of what is now southern Germany”可知，科学家在德国发现了古猿遗骨，故选A。]
2．What can we infer about Danuvius?
A．It could make Sshaped tools.
B．It was a species of the chimpanzee.
C．It lived in Crete and Kenya.
D．It existed much earlier than Toumai.
D [推理判断题。根据第四段中的“Previous fossil records of apes with an upright move—found in Crete and Kenya—dated only as far back as 6 million years.These apes are called Toumai”和第五段中的“Among the remains they were able to piece together primate(灵长目动物)fossils belonging to four individuals that lived 11.62 million years ago”可推知，Danuvius生活的时期比Toumai早得多，故选D。]
3．How does Spoor feel about the finding?
A．It offers further support for the theory of evolution.
B．It may cause much debate.
C．It is a fantastic finding.
D．It denies the previous ideas.
B [推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“they would likely be denied or suspected by others”可推知，Spoor认为这项发现可能会引起很多争议，故选B。]
4．Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A．The Secrets Revealed from Fossils
B．Legend of Humans' Ancestors
C．Findings Against the Theory of Evolution
D．The Oldest Example of Upright Ape Found in a Bavarian Clay Site
D [标题归纳题。本文主要介绍了一项考古发现，通读全文内容可知，第一段概括了全文的主要内容，由此可知，D项最适合作本篇文章的标题。]
