1、Meeting your ancestors,Unit 5,“Around 500,000 years ago, at the Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian in Beijings suburban Fangshan district，which is about 50 km from the city of Beijing, there lived early human beings，” says a China history textbook. The textbook now has to be revised. New dating techniqu
2、es suggest the remains of Peking Manfound in the 1920sare over 200,000 years older than previously thought. Whats important about that date, about 770,000 years ago，is that this was an ice age on Earth.,Over Earths long history, there have been a number of times when ice and snow covered a large par
3、t of its surface. Such periods are known as ice ages. Earth is in an ice age now. It started about 2 million years ago. Despite the many warm periods since then, scientists regard the whole time as one ice age because of the continuous existence of at least one large ice sheetthe one over Antarctica
4、.,The new discovery was made by Chinese and US scientists. It suggests Peking Man is probably our oldest cold weather human being, said Darryl Granger, an atmospheric scientist at Purdue University whose research appears in Thursdays edition of the journal Nature.,The average yearly temperature at t
5、he time in that part of China was around the freezing mark，but it was too dry for an ice sheet, Granger said. This raises a question. How did Peking Man survive the cold weather? Rick Potts，a Smithsonian Institution human origins expert who wasnt involved in the research, raised three possibilities:
6、 First，fire. Early findings showed signs of a fire in Peking Mans cave. But there has been debate about whether the fire was accidental or controlled.,Second，fur. There is no evidence that Peking Man used simple tools to make more formfitting clothes. Its more likely he wore animal fur. Last, he may
7、 have developed gradually to handle the cold. Peking Man may have experienced physiological changes that allowed more blood to flow to his hands and legs, Potts said. “People in general who live in colder climates tend to be shorter and wider，” he explained.,Unlike the times of Peking Man, today the
8、 global temperature is rising due to the greenhouse effect. In the future, could humans develop to handle the warmth just as Peking Man did to fight the cold?最新研究发现北京人的年代应该是处于冰河世纪，比我们原先的估计早二十多万年。,1According to the new research, Peking Man actually dates back to _.A. around 500,000 years agoB. over 2
9、00,000 years agoC. about 770,000 years ago D. about 2 million years ago答案：C细节理解题。由第二段最后一句话“Whats important about that dete, about 770, 000 years ago, is that this was an ice age on Earth.”可知。,2What is the most important standard for scientists to decide an ice age? A. The weather conditions. B. The
10、continuous existence of any large ice sheets. C. The average yearly temperature. D. The long period of snowfall.答案：B推理判断题。由第四段第三句话“.scientists regard the whole time as one ice age because of the continuous existence of at least one large ice sheetthe one over Antarctica.”可知。,3Which of the following
11、is TRUE of Peking Man? AHe is the oldest human being. BHe used fire to keep warm. CHe wore formfitting clothes made from fur with simple tools. DHe might have been shorter and wider than previously thought.答案：D细节理解题。由倒数第二段“People in general who live in colder climates tend to be shorter and wider”可推
12、知，北京人可能比我们原先预计的要矮胖，这样才能与当时的气候相适应。,4What does the passage mainly want to convey to us? A. The latest discovery about Peking Man. B. The life of Peking Man during ice age. C. The way the Peking Man use to fight against coldness. D. The time the Peking Man date from.答案：A主旨大意题。本文是报道类文章，第二段第一句即点明了本文的中心北京人的年代应该是处于冰河世纪，比我们原先的估计早二十多万年。,5The passage can probably be found in _. A. a history textbook B. a scientific magazine C. a research report D. an entertainment newspaper答案：B推理判断题。本文主要介绍了最新的发现，最应该出现的地方是科学杂志，故选B项。,
