Researchers have found a village that may have been home to the builders of Stonehenge. The village of small houses dates back to about 2600 BC. That's about the same time Stonehenge was built. "Clearly, this is a place that was of great importance," said researcher Mike Parker Pearson. The ancient houses are at a site known as Durrington Walls. It is about 3.2 kilometers from Stonehenge. Researchers believe Stonehenge was a memorial site or cemetery for the villagers. The village also had a wooden version of the stone circle. It may have been used by people attending festivals at Stonehenge. Eight of the houses have been dug up. Researchers say there may be as many as 25 of them. The wooden houses were square and about 5 meters along each side. There are signs that there were beds along the walls. There are also signs of a storage unit. The houses also had fireplaces. Two of the houses were separate from the others. They may have been the homes of community leaders. Researchers say those didn't have the household rubbish that was found in the other homes. Stone tools, animal bones, arrowheads and other things were found throughout the village site. Stonehenge is a popular tourist spot in England. It is a huge circle made out of stones, which were placed in a grass field in southern England. The stone arches were made with two stones at the bottom and one across the top. All of the stones weigh a lot more than a big car. Scientists have long wondered not only how people built Stonehenge, but also why. The passage is mainly about _ . A) researchers working at Stonehenge B) a village site near Stonehenge C) the wooden version of Stonehenge D) builders of Stonehenge and the houses
B
(Question)
Although they may not die from lack of love ,adults also need a great amount of affection and companionship . In the past , many people spent their entire lives in the communities in which they were born and raised .Many more people continued to live with their parents ,brothers and sisters after they were married and had children of their own . By remaining in familiar communities with s nearby, families had enough opportunities for friendly contact and for support in time of trouble. Recent studies suggest that family arrangements in Western societies have not changed as much in the last few centuries as is generally believed .Yet most sociologists agree that in modern societies ,there are fewer opportunities for friendship and support from s outside the immediate family .Parents and children often live apart from other s ,and seldom visit them .Also ,the family moves when a parent accepts a job in another place or when it decides to live in a better neighborhood. Together , loneliness and mobility force immediate family members to depend heavily on one another for affection and companionship. Because the family is one of the few ongoing sources of affection and companionship in modern societies, a high percentage of people continue to marry ,even though it is possible for a single man and woman to live together without marrying. On the other hand, because affection and companionship have become so important, families are more likely to break up if the husband's or wife's emotional needs are not met within the family circle--even if all other family functions are being satisfactorily performed ,and in this sense ,affection and companionship have become the touchstone of the modern family. It is generally believed that_. A) nowadays all people spend their lives in familiar communities B) in the past a person could hardly get in touch with s C) family arrangements has changed a great deal D) Western societies have not changed much in the past few years
(Answer)
C
Ques: Robert Altman's films were different from the usual methods of Hollywood movie storytelling. In the 1940s, he started his film career directing industrial movies in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri. Later, he moved to Hollywood, California, to make television shows. His first major film, MASH, was released in 1970. It tells about a group of American medical workers in an army hospital in Korea during the Korean War in the 1950s. The movie was a great success. It questioned the rules of the military in a way that was sharply funny and clever. Robert Altman continued to make movies with strong political and social points. His next major movie, Nashville, came out in 1975. This movie provides a complex (not simple) look at changes in the country music industry. Robert Altman's movies have a very special style. Often, his actors speak so naturally that it is hard to believe they are performing. Altman liked his actors to be free to make up their own lines. Altman wanted to copy the way people talked and acted in real life. And he was willing to fight with movie studio businessmen to make sure that he had total creative control over his work. Even as an old man, Robert Altman continued to make movies. Many of his 33 films were nominated for Academy Awards, including The Player and Gosford Park. Robert Altman died in November in Los Angeles, California. He was 81 years old. The best title for this passage should be _ . A) Robert Altman - Director of Special Style Movie B) Some Famous Films from Hollywood C) How Robert Altman Directed His Films D) Actors in the Films of Robert Altman
Ans: A
Trying to recover from a devastating economic crisis, Spain is considering moving the country's clock back by one hour. Many people regard long afternoon naps and late dinners as perfect aspects of the Spanish way of life. Until the 1940s, Spain was on the same time as Britain and Portugal. In World War II, Spain and Portugal moved the clocks forward to align them with Nazi Germany. The same happened in Portugal. After the defeat of Hitler, Portugal returned to Greenwich Mean Time, but Spain did not. "The fact that for more than 71 years Spain has not been in its proper time zone means we sleep almost an hour less than the World Health Organization recommends," lawmakers in the Spanish Parliament wrote in a proposal."This has a negative effect on productivity, absenteeism, stress, accidents and school drop-out rates." Last September, a parliamentary commission recommended that the government turn back the clocks by one hour and introduce a regular eight-hour workday. For the time being, the Spanish government is treating the campaign seriously but it hasn't taken any action yet. Spain's time zone issue explains why everything in Spain happens later, from meal times to broadcast entertainment (primetime doesn't start until 10 pm). Many urban Spaniards complain of a never-ending workday that begins in the morning but is interrupted by a traditional late-morning break and then again by the midday siesta--a two-hour long lunch and nap that usually start at 2 pm. If workers return to their desks at 4 pm, they end up working late into the evening. Under the proposed new schedule, the lunchtime break would be cut to an hour or less. The interruption-filled Spanish workday would be replaced by something closer to a 9-to-5 schedule. Ignacio Buqueras, president of the Association for the Rationalization of Spanish Working Hours, told The New York Times that changing the Spanish schedule would be good news for working mothers. It would also allow families more free time together and boost Spain's economic... According to the passage, Duran may agree with the following except that _ . A) the new schedule will allow families more free time B) women will probably benefit from the new schedule C) economic structure influences economic performance D) men can escape housework in the existing schedule
A