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The Yungang Grottoes (石窟) is facing a life or death situation. The website efaw. cn reported that Yungang Grottoes, located on the southern foot of Wuzhou Hill, 16 kilometers west of Datong in Shanxi Province, has been severely damaged by human activities and natural influences. “If we do not take action, the grottoes will be gone forever, ”a researcher from the Yungang Grottoes Research Institute said.
The grotto complex (联合体) is made up of more than 51, 000 Buddhist statues, ranging from 3 centimeters to 17 meters in height. Most of them were constructed during the Wei Dynasty in the mid-fifth century.
“Water penetration (渗透) is a major natural destroyer of the grottoes, ”said Director Yuan Jinghu. With the downpours directly washing their bodies, and the accumulated (聚积的) water eating out their basements, the statues suffer the most in July, August and September, when large quantities of rainfall hit the region.
But weather is not the only source of the damage. Datong, the city where the statues sit, is a longtime industrial city famous for its coal production. The floating coal dust, mixed with the sulfur dioxide (二氧化硫) produced from coal burning, is another murder. Although the government has spent over one hundred million yuan for the construction of a new coal transport route far from the Yungang Grottoes and a large annual sum to maintain the grottoes, there is still another threat, in the form of increasing numbers of tourists.
“Besides the intentional damages, such as littering and touching too much or improper climbing, the carbon dioxide that humans breathe out is also harmful to the statues, ”the director said. Yuan is concerned for the future of the statues, and said that as humans, visitors should understand and respect the statues’ importance. The statues have lives like human beings, and if we protect them, they will live. If not, they will die, and later generations will never have the chance to take a look at such glorious art.
【语篇概述】文章介绍了现在云冈石窟的现状以及国家为了保护它而采取的一些措施。
1. The text is mainly about _______.
A. the history of Yungang Grottoes
B. the ways to protect Yungang Grottoes
C. the situation of Yungang Grottoes
D. the importance of Yungang Grottoes
【解析】选C。主旨大意题。本文主要向我们介绍云冈石窟目前面临的处境。
2. How many causes of the damage to Yungang Grottoes are mentioned in the text?
A. 2. B. 3. C. 4. D. 5.
【解析】选B。细节理解题。本文第三、四、五段提到了对石窟造成危害的原因有water penetration, air pollution, human activities共3个。
3. All of the following may contribute to the damage of Yungang Grottoes EXCEPT _______.
A. touching too much
B. throwing rubbish there
C. improper climbing
D. taking photos of the statues
【解析】选D。细节理解题。本文最后一段提到了一些行为会对石窟造成伤害, 但未提到“taking photos of the statues”。
4. What can be inferred from this text?
A. Many people want to destroy the grottoes in Yungang completely.
B. The government has taken measures to protect Yungang Grottoes.
C. The grottoes in Yungang will disappear forever on the earth soon.
D. No people will be allowed to visit Yungang Grottoes in the future.
【解析】选B。推理判断题。由第四段“. . . the government has spent over one hundred million yuan for the construction of a new coal transport route far from the Yungang Grottoes and a large annual sum to maintain the grottoes. . . ”可知政府已经采取了措施。
