专题05 阅读理解之说明文10篇（第二期）-2023高考英语上海市名校模拟真题速递

2023高考英语上海市名校模拟真题速递 第二期 专题05 阅读理解之说明文10篇 （2023·上海·上海中学校考模拟预测）A great deal can be learned from the actual traces of ancient human movement: the footprints of early hominids (原始人类). The best-known specimens (标本) are the remarkable tracks discovered at Laetoli, Tanzania, by Mary Leaky. These were left by small hominids around 3.6 to 3.75 million years ago. Examination of the shape of the prints revealed to Mary Leakey that the feet had a raised arch, a rounded heel (脚跟), a pronounced ball, and a big toe that pointed forward. These features, together with the weight-bearing pressure patterns, resembled the prints of upright-walking modem humans. The pressures imposed along the foot, together with the length of step, which averaged 87 centimeters, indicated that the hominids had been walking slowly. In short, all the detectable features implied that the feet that left the footprints were very little different from those of contemporary humans. A detailed study has been made of the prints using photogrammetry, a technique for obtaining measurements through photographs, which created a drawing showing all the curves and shapes of the prints. The result emphasized that there were at least seven points of similarity with modem prints, such as the depth of the heel impression, and the deep imprint of the big toe. Footprints thus provide us not merely with rare impressions of the soft tissue of early hominids, but also with evidence of upright walking that in many ways is clearer than can be obtained from the analysis of bones. The study of fossil footprints is not restricted to examples from such remote periods. Hundreds of prints are known, for example, in French caves dating from the end of the last Ice Age, approximately 10,000 years ago. Research by Leon Pales has provided information about this period. 1．What does the passage mainly discuss? A．The career of Mary Leakey. B．The analysis of footprint specimens. C．Accurate dating of hominid remains. D．Behavioral patterns of