A
In the world of Chinese archaeology (考古学), a sign of a dig's importance is the sight of Zhou Mingsheng at work. A field technician who has worked at archaeological sites all around China. Master Zhou is credited with the gentlest touch in his profession. Born into a farming family, he is a “nationallevel craftsman” with a talent for using simple tools to get relics that would crumble in other hands, says his current boss, Wang Xu, director of an archaeological site at Shuanghuaishu, a Neolithic (新石器时代的) settlement near the Yellow River in the central province of Henan.
It is not beauty that attracts visitors to Shuanghuaishu. At 5，300 years old, the settlement is the work of a culture too simple to have left behind many buried treasures. The single most precious find, to date, is a fingerlength sculpture of a silkworm. Nor is the setting lovely: an area surrounded by deafening insects, between a highway and two power stations. Rather, the site's importance is historical. For since the birth of Chinese archaeology in the 1920s, it has been inseparable from claims that China has the oldest unbroken civilisation on Earth.
Leading archaeologists say that the site has the right combination of location, age and distinctive cultural elements to be the capital of an early Chinese kingdom. That would make it a bridge between China's written history and the era of the Yellow Emperor, who is said to rule over these central plains almost 5，000 years ago, though many foreign scholars doubt his existence. Chinese media call the site proof of China's 5，000 years of history.
Foreigners complain about a lack of written records, Mr Wang notes. Perhaps they are missing symbols that will one day be understood, for instance in patterned pottery. Outsiders “can't keep using Western standards to apply to Chinese ruins，” he argues.
【语篇解读】本文是一篇说明文。文章介绍了河南双槐树新石器时代遗址，它可以为中华五千年文明的存在提供证据。
1. What does the underlined word “crumble” in Paragraph 1 mean?
A. Result. B. Break.
C. Wait. D. Shine.
B 词义猜测题。根据画线词上一句“Master Zhou is credited with the gentlest touch in his profession.”并结合其前的 relics一词可知，这些历史遗物在别人的手里可能会被弄碎。理解crumble的关键是 gentlest一词，该词体现了周明生对遗物的小心呵护，生怕损坏它们。故选B。
2. Why does Shuanghuaishu attract visitors?
A. It is of great historical significance.
B. It has various precious treasures.
C. It has appealing scenery.
D. It is easily accessible.
A 细节理解题。根据第二段最后两句可知，这个地方不是因为自然美景，也不是因为可爱，之所以吸引游客是因其重要的历史意义。故选A。
3. What is Mr Wang's attitude towards foreigners' view?
A. Ambiguous. B. Tolerant.
C. Disapproving. D. Sympathetic.
C 观点态度题。根据最后一段的内容可知，王先生认为西方人一直在用西方的标准来评判中国的文化遗址，所以他不赞成国外人士的观点。故选C。
4. What might be the best title for the text?
A. Chinese History Amazes the World
B. Chinese Archaeology Catches on
C. China Follows Its Tradition
D. China Digs Its Past
D 标题归纳题。第一段以一位实地技术人员考古的场景引出双槐树遗址，紧接着第二段介绍该遗址的魅力所在。D项中的Digs一词一语双关，既生动形象地描绘出考古工作的主要特点，也表明了中国对其古文明的不断挖掘探索；Its Past指双槐树遗址的挖掘为五千年文明的存在提供了证据。D项最适合作文章的标题。故选D。
