In 2016, a team of scientists led by Dr. Wu Qinglong of Nanjing Normal University found scientific evidence of a massive flood in China. They dated the flood back to 1920 BC on China’s Yellow River in the Jishi Gorge. The location and scale of this flood lead experts to believe that the ancient legend of the Great Flood of China may have been, in part, a real event in history.
According to one version of the legend, China’s great flood happened on the upper banks of the Yellow River. The first person to attempt to control the flood was a man named Gun. However, Gun failed and was killed by the fire god at Yushan Mountain. From his dead body, a dragon was born three years later. The dragon went up to heaven and was born again as Gun’s son, Yu the Great. Yu controlled the floods with the help of a mighty dragon and a strong black turtle. Yu was so successful that he received a heavenly order to become the ruler and founder of the first dynasty of China, the Xia Dynasty.
The flood happened in the upper valley of the Yellow River, and this is consistent with the legend. The scientists also found the remains of dams of the right age and sedimentation deposits(沉積物) characteristic of those associated with a monstrous flood.
In 2000 scientists also discovered an ancient civilization, called Lajia. A landslide(塌方) had destroyed the village as a result of a powerful earthquake. Scientists discovered that the bodies of the people killed in the earthquake had the same age as artifacts(文物) linked to the flood. The earthquake site had sedimentation in it that indicated floodwaters had reached it. In fact, the researchers found that the earthquake and flood happened during the same year.
Putting together the pieces of the puzzle, scientists determined that the earthquake caused the huge flood by triggering a landslide that dammed up the river in the Jishi Gorge. The water built up behind the rocky dam for 6 to 9 months until eventually, the dam broke. The waters flooded the upper valley, destroying everything in its path.
(材料出自“Historic Mysteries”網(wǎng)站,有刪改)
1. Where could Yu the Great control the flood according to the scientists?
A. Yellow River B. Lajia
C. Jishi Gorge D. Yushan Mountain
2. Which of the following best describes Gun and Yu’s task?
A. Lonely and long." " " " B. Dangerous and difficult.
C. Old and ordinary." " " "D. Painful and personal.
3. Why Lajia Civilization is mentioned in the text?
A. To prove that the flood is connected with the earthquake.
B. To prove that China is an ancient civilization in 1920 BC.
C. To prove that people in the village were killed by earthquake.
D. To prove that scientists made new discovery in 2000.
4. What is the right order of the whole event?
A. Earthquake, landslide, dammed river, flood.
B. Dammed river, earthquake, flood, landslide.
C. Dammed river, flood, earthquake, landslide.
D. Earthquake, dammed river, landslide, flood.
1. C。解析:細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)材料第一段中的“They dated the flood back to 1920 BC on China’s Yellow River in the Jishi Gorge. The location and scale of this flood lead experts to believe that the ancient legend of the Great Flood of China may have been, in part, a real event in history.”,我們可知中國古代的大洪水的可能發(fā)生地點就是Jishi Gorge。故選C。
2. B。解析:推理判斷題。根據(jù)材料第二段中的“However, Gun failed and was killed by the fire god at Yushan Mountain.”和“Yu controlled the floods with the help of a mighty dragon and a strong black turtle.”,我們可知Gun和Yu的治水任務(wù)是既危險又困難的。故選B。
3. A。解析:細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)材料第四段中的“A landslide had destroyed the village as a result of a powerful earthquake. Scientists discovered that the bodies of the people killed in the earthquake had the same age as artifacts linked to the flood.”,我們可知有著Lajia Civilization的村莊被地震導(dǎo)致的塌方所摧毀,而科學(xué)家發(fā)現(xiàn)地震遇難者的尸體和與大洪水有關(guān)的文物年代相同。故選A。
4. A。解析:細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)材料第五段中的“Putting together the pieces of the puzzle, scientists determined that the earthquake caused the huge flood by triggering a landslide that dammed up the river in the Jishi Gorge.”,我們可知整個事件的順序是:地震導(dǎo)致塌方,塌方導(dǎo)致河流堰塞,最后引發(fā)洪水。故選A。