Question

A strange army of giants stands around the edges of a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. Or at least that's how it might appear. The figures lining Easter Island are actually huge stones carved to look like hulking(笨重的) human figures. The statues have “guarded” these coasts for centuries. But not even the islanders are sure how they got there. Join scientific detectives as they investigate this historical mystery.

The Mystery

Nearly a thousand giant stone figures stand side by side on Easter Island, now a part of Chile. Called moai (MOH-eye) by the locals, the statues can weigh more than 80 tons—about as much as ten whales—and some stand as tall as a three-story building.

Scientists think islanders began creating the moai some 800 years ago to honor their ancestors. In land, scientists found a volcanic crater and dug out ancient tools there used to carve figures from the volcanic rock. But the crater(火山口) is far from where most of the statues now stand. And scientists know the people didn't have wheels or animals to move the rock giants.

So how did the stone figures travel as far as 11 miles from the crater to the island's coasts? Some ideas are pretty wild—people have suggested that the moai walked by themselves, or even that space aliens beamed down to lend a hand. Scientists struggled to Easter Island to find out the truth.

The Detectives

"Heave-ho!" cry a group of scientists as they pull on ropes tied to a huge statue. The investigators are seeking clues about the moai in one of Easter Island's green valleys. Wondering if the islanders could have transported the statues upright with just rope and muscle power, they wrapped three strong ropes around the forehead of a ten-foot-tall moai copy. With several people pulling each rope, they're able to rock the 10,000-pound figure side to side, moving it forward with every tug(拖拽). "The statue's shape makes this movement fairly easy," team leader Carl Lipo says.

In the past, researchers have tried other moving methods. One group tied rope to the top and base of an actual moai and attempted to drag it forward with twisting motions. Another team laid a real 13-foot moai onto a giant log and pulled the log forward. All the experiments shared one result: The investigators got serious pain!

The Evidence

Although various scientific sleuths (侦查) found ways to move the moai, researchers still don't agree on what really happened. Some of these techniques might have only worked over short distances and on flat land. Others would have damaged the moai.

Many people think the statues were laid horizontally on wooden sleds which were dragged with rope across log tracks. "This would have been the safest way to move the moai," archaeologist Jo Anne Van Tilburg says. "It explains why hardly any are damaged."

But the truth may never be revealed.(Experts are pretty sure, though, that aliens weren't involved.)After all, the islanders stopped making the statues at least 300 years ago, later hundreds of islanders left the island or caught deadly diseases brought by explorers. Many of the moai's secrets disappeared with them. Today the only remaining witnesses to the events are the moai themselves. And the lips of these stone-faced giants are sealed.

1.How many possible ways of moving the rock giants are mentioned in the passage?

A. Three.B. Four.C. Five.D. Six.

2.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A.The moai was created by the islanders 800 years ago to wish for good luck.

B.Some of the rock giants were damaged while being moved to where they are now.

C.All the witnesses to the secrets of the moai were infected with deadly diseases and died.

D.The statues were made of volcanic rocks with some handmade tools by the locals.

3.The underlined word "horizontally" in the last but one paragraph probably means ________.

A. temporarily on the ground

B. parallel to the ground

C. steadily on the ground

D. vertical to the ground

4.What is the best title of this passage?

A.Investigation Under Way.

B.Mystery of the Stone Giants.

C.Ways of Moving the Stone Giants.

D.The Unrevealed Truth.

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.B

4.B

【解析】

试题分析：本文介绍了位于太平洋一个遥远岛屿的巨石雕像之谜。

1. 细节理解题。根据第四段中people have suggested that the moai walked by themselves, or even that space aliens beamed down to lend a hand.（靠自己行走，或者甚至外星人发送来帮忙。）Many people think the statues were laid horizontally on wooden sleds which were dragged with rope across log tracks.（许多人认为雕像被放置在木制的雪橇。）以及第五段中With several people pulling each rope, they're able to rock the 10,000-pound figure side to side, moving it forward with every tug(拖拽).（几个人拉绳子，他们能够移动10,000磅的石头）。可知，共提到4种方法。

2. 细节理解题。根据第三段第二句In land, scientists found a volcanic crater and dug out ancient tools there used to carve figures from the volcanic rock.可知，科学家们发现了一个火山坑，并在那里挖到了在火山岩石上用来雕刻人物的古代工具，故可以肯定这些雕像是人类做的。故选D。

3. 词义猜测题。根据Many people think the statues were laid horizontally on wooden sleds which were dragged with rope across log tracks.（许多人认为雕像被放置在木制的雪橇），根据常识可知雪橇要平放在地上，故选B。

4. 主旨大意题。根据第一段A strange army of giants stands around the edges of a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. （一支奇怪的巨人军队站在太平洋一个遥远的岛屿的边缘上。）Or at least that's how it might appear.（或者至少那就是它可能怎样出现。）Join scientific detectives as they investigate this historical mystery. （加入科学侦探，因为他们调查这一历史奥秘。）可知，B项适合作文章题目。

【名师点睛】

猜测词义题。事实上，阅读材料中的每个词与它前后的词语或句子甚至段落都有联系。我们可以利用语境（各种已知信息）推测、判断某些生词的词义。做这种类型的题，要根据词、词组、句子所在的语境来判断其意义。我们要特别注意熟词生义，切不可脱离语境想当然。在句子或段落中，我们可以利用熟悉的词语，根据语言环境所表示的关系推断生词词义。比如第61小题B词义猜测题。根据Many people think the statues were laid horizontally on wooden sleds which were dragged with rope across log tracks.（许多人认为雕像被放置在木制的雪橇。），根据常识可知雪橇要平放在地上，故选B。

考点：考查历史文物类阅读