2. 外语
  3. Read the following article and answer questions 19-25. For questions 19-25, choose the correct answer A, B, C or D. Mark

Read the following article and answer questions 19-25. For questions 19-25, choose the correct answer A, B, C or D. Mark

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问题     Read the following article and answer questions 19-25.
    For questions 19-25, choose the correct answer A, B, C or D.
    Mark your answer on the Answer Sheet.
    Digging up the past isn’t always the exhilarating experience people commonly perceive it to be. Contrary to the popular image, and one partly forwarded in the movie realm, archaeologists are not the swashbuckling adventurers who risk life and limb to uncover the mythical and magical remnants of the past—and save the world in the process. In reality, archaeological work is a time consuming task and the process of unearthing a site slow and often tedious. Conditions on an excavation site are far from ideal. Exposed to the elements for long hours, drenched in the rain, steeped in the mud, or scorched by the sun and choking on dust, archaeologists patiently sift through the sands of time for evidence of civilizations gone by. While the excavations themselves don’t always produce earth-shattering results or draw the widespread attention they so justly deserve, rare discoveries automatically become part of history. But, from time to time, less momentous finds yield unexpected surprises.
    A recent archeological find at a site in Essex of what appears to be a Celtic surgeon’s toolkit — including scalpels, retractors and probes - was pretty exciting, even compared to many "major finds" heralded in the media over the years.
    This one was particularly significant, demonstrating a stronger link to our past than people might think. Far from the perception of Celts as creative but warlike people, the find Shows there were keen scientific minds at work and emphasises how much modem society has in common with them.
    Finds like this are extremely rare but encourage the idea that when we dig we are looking for something in particular. Visitors to excavation sites are often disappointed when we haven’t found anything "exciting" — they don’t realize that many of us will never come across such a find in an entire lifetime of digging. My own "treasure" count in eleven years of digging is one small Roman gold earring found by someone else on a site where I was working.
    What we’re actually digging for is to record the whole sequence of human activity on a site. This involves methodical recording of hundreds of layers of soil and remains of buildings long disused and buried under the debris of later occupation. It’s the sequence of events which is significant here, and not any single episode.
    Many people are also unaware that modem professional archaeology is highly competitive and very much part of the construction industry, as well as being an academic discipline. When land is to be developed, the local government archeological officer will undertake or commission an assessment of the site to decide whether the proposed development threatens to destroy any archaeological remains. If it does, they will compile a specification for excavation work to be done to recover as much information as possible about the site. Then, archaeological units operating in a given area will tender for work on the basis of these specs. As the organisation developing the site must foot the bill for this work, they usually go for the lowest tender rather than the quality and experience of the units involved.
    The legislation and guidelines which protect what is termed the "archaeological resource" emphasise protecting archaeology in the ground—using appropriately designed foundations, for example, or only digging if there’s no other option. While this would seem good for archaeology, the decreasing numbers of sites available for excavation will be more keenly fought over, and with units cutting costs wherever possible it seems unavoidable that the quality of their work will suffer.
    The life of the Celtic surgeon is significant in its own right, but placed within the context of his culture, our understanding of both the individual and the culture is enhanced. It is this wider understanding that could be jeopardised by the loss of the more mundane and less spectacular archaeological sites.
What is the main idea of this essay?
选项 A、Archaeological work is no fun at all.
B、It’s extremely difficult to get some rare finds.
C、Developing a site may destroy some archaeological remains.
D、Modern archaeology concerns more than digging up the past.
答案D
解析 本题考查全文的中心意思，根据排除法，A谈的是考古缺乏趣味性，B谈的是现在考古很难有珍稀的发现，C谈的是开发地产可能会破坏文物遗迹，D谈的是现代考古关注点不再停留在挖掘过去。综合全文，D选项较贴切。
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