Zhoukoudian is a small village situated about 50 kilometers to the southwest of Beijing. In the 1920s, archaeologists discovered some prehistoric human bones there which changed people’s view of China’s history. They came from an unknown species of man and were the first evidence of human life in China thousands of years ago. The remains were three teeth!
In 1929, a plete skull was also discovered. Eventually, archaeologists found almost 200 items, including six skulls and more than 150 teeth. These discoveries proved the existence of a human species who lived in the area between 700,000 and 200,000 years ago. Four sites where Beijing Man and his relatives lived were discovered on the northern face of Longgushan. They lived in the caves in the area.
However, the life span of Beijing Man was short. About 70% of the people probably died before the age of 14. Fewer than 5% lived to the age of 50. Ashes were found alongside the fossils which showed they had used fire for cooking food and also for light, warmth, and protection against wild animals. This is the earliest evidence of the use of fire anywhere in the world. They also made tools of bones and stones. Unfortunately, when Japan invaded China in 1937, excavations (发掘) at the Beijing Man Site stopped and most of the fossils disappeared, including a Beijing Man skull. After the People’s Republic of China was established in 1949, the work started again.
Zhoukoudian was listed as a World Heritage Site in December 1987. It has not only given us important information about prehistoric Asian societies, but also provided amazing evidence about the process of evolution. Today, parts of the caves have been badly affected by rain. Some areas are almost pletely covered in weeds, causing serious damage. Pollution from the nearby factories has also led to the problem. This is a very serious matter and the Chinese Academy of Sciences is trying to raise public awareness of protecting it.
【小题1】Archaeologists . A．thought that the findings in Zhoukoudian are the first evidence of human life in AsiaB．thought that the findings in Zhoukoudian wouldn’t change the history of ChinaC．discovered some prehistoric human bones in ZhoukoudianD．thought that Zhoukoudian was a beautiful village【小题2】Beijing Man used fire to do all of the following things EXCEPT .A．light in the darkB．keep warmC．scare wild animals awayD．make tools【小题3】What’s the main idea of the last paragraph?A．Zhoukoudian is a World Heritage Site.B．Zhoukoudian is in great need of protection.C．The digging of Zhoukoudian is still under way.D．Zhoukoudian plays an important part in the study of prehistoric societies.C
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(答案→)C
解析：本文讲述了发现北京人头骨所带来的深远意义以及周口店北京人遗址目前的状况，以此来呼吁大家保护文化遗产。
【小题1】细节题。根据文章第二句话，可知答案为c. A项错在不是the first evidence. B项考古学家认为周口店发现的北京人骨头改变人们对中国历的看法。 D项错在周口店是一个很小的村庄，不是一个美丽的村庄。
【小题2】细节题。根据文章第三段第三句话可知答案为D。
【小题3】主旨大意题。根据最后一段提到周口店北京人遗址受到各种破坏，可知周口店需要保护。