of approximately 8, 000 years. Valcamonica's pictures show various scenes and are connected through common themes like magic, war, navigation and agriculture.

　　The rock drawings discovered in Valcamonica were the first prehistoric symbols of their kind recognized anywhere in the world. UNESCO first recognized the drawings in 1979 when about 140, 000 were discovered, however, since then many more have been uncovered.

　　These drawings are spread all across the valley. The carvings began to taper off during the Iron Age and fewer appeared after that. The last period has been attributed to(归功于......) the Camunni people. Still there are drawings that have been identified as being from the 19th century. Many of these were created using the technique of engraving(雕刻).

　　Some of the figures discovered in Valcamonica have been superimposed(叠映) without any order, but in most cases they appear in logical orders and also explain the relationship between each picture or symbol to tell a story.

　　The first known modern report of the rock carvings was in 1909 when Walther Laeng happened upon two decorated rocks in Capo di Ponte. Scholars only took interest in the drawings in the 1920s. More rocks with engravings were soon found in the areas nearby and research into their history began. In the 1930s comprehensive study campaigns were undertaken.

　　It was after the Second World War that the cataloging and mapping of the engravings began. This task was taken up by various teams of experts from Italy and other countries that were led by Laeng. In 1955 preservation work on the rocks began.

　　In 1968, a large series of conferences were held where scholars from all over the world met to discuss the rock drawings, which gave us some idea of what various societies of the past might have been like.

5. What do we know about Valcamonica's pictures?

A. They tell a long whole story.

B. They are interrelated in some ways.

C. They were carved 8, 000 years ago.

D. They were first discovered in 1979.

6. The underlined part "taper off" in Paragraph 3 can best be replaced by "________".

A. turn up B. go up

C. die out D. stand out

7. What is Paragraph 5 mainly about?

A. The history of the rock drawings.

B. The features of the rock drawings.

C. The discovery of the rock drawings.

D. The formation of the rock drawings.

8. Studies of the rock drawings ________.

A. show us the development of art

B. started after the Second World War

C. were conducted by scholars from UNESCO

D. help us know something about societies of the past

　　　Ⅱ. 七选五阅读理解

　　根据短文内容, 从短文后的选项中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

　　　Child Development

　　People live much longer than most other animals, so human childhood also lasts a long time. Unlike baby animals, human children need many years to learn how to live on their own as adults. As children's bodies grow, so do their minds.

　　　　1　

There are several stages of child development. Infancy (婴儿期) is the most helpless stage. Over their first year infants gradually learn to roll over, sit up, crawl (爬),