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Section II Reading Comprehension
Part A
Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET.
Text 3
A system of caves in the Swabian Jura, a mountain range in what is now southwest Germany, offers archaeologists a window onto the life of the first anatomically modern Europeans. Between 43,000 and 34,000 years ago, the inhabitants of these caves created a cornucopia of artefacts: specialised tools and jewellery; figurative art; flutes whittled from bone and ivory; and miniature figurines of megafauna both real and imagined. Many of these artefacts are adorned with what archaeologists call “signs”—geometric markings such as dots, lines, crosses and stars—the meaning and purpose of which remain unknown.
Christian Bentz, a linguist at Saarland University, and Ewa Dutkiewicz, an archaeologist at the Museum of Prehistory and Early History in Berlin, aimed to bring some clarity to the matter. In a paper published in PNAS, they reveal not only that these ancient carvings were applied in an intentional, systematic manner but that they were complex enough to have the potential to convey information. What’s more, say the authors, they are as information-dense as the system of marks that closely preceded the advent of writing some 5,000 years ago.
To reach their conclusions, the researchers digitised sign sequences made on 260 artefacts recovered from the Swabian caves. They then used a combination of linguistic and machine-learning tools to extract a statistical fingerprint for the signs. This captured not only basic features such as how often a given sign was repeated, but also how reliably certain patterns of signs recurred.
So that the signs could be compared with other marking systems, the researchers also ran their tools on a database of 89 modern languages in 16 scripts as well as examples from three eras of proto-cuneiform script, a system that originated in Mesopotamia around 3,300BC. Proto-cuneiform script holds a special status in humanity’s history as it would eventually evolve into cuneiform, the first known form of writing (defined by linguists as the use of marks to represent speech).
Drs Bentz and Dutkiewicz found that the sign sequences from the caves bear no resemblance to modern writing. Unlike the latter, they exhibit a high degree of repetition and a low information density. The sign sequences are, therefore, unlikely to represent the languages spoken by the humans who made them. But there was a twist. The researchers also found that the signs’ statistical fingerprint significantly overlaps with that of the earliest proto-cuneiform scripts. Moreover, the similarity between them is greater than that between the latter and modern writing. The results imply that the complexity of human-made markings remained roughly unchanged for tens of thousands of years. Then, in the space of a few centuries, the first true writing system emerged.
Many hypotheses have been proposed for why these engravings were made: some say they were counting devices and calendars; others claim they logged prey migrations. This latest paper cannot answer this question on its own, but does provide valuable clues. It shows that dots appear on figurines of lions and humans, for example, but not on tools. Ivory figurines, meanwhile, are the most information-dense. When it comes to resolving a 40,000-year-old mystery, no detail is too small.
31. The author mentions the artefacts found in the Swabian Jura caves primarily to _______.
[A] trace the evolutionary origins of anatomically modern Europeans
[B] introduce the archaeological context of the mysterious geometric markings
[C] highlight the artistic superiority of prehistoric European cultures
[D] prove that early humans possessed advanced tool-making skills
32. How did the researchers extract the "statistical fingerprint" of the ancient signs?
[A] By translating the geometric markings into 89 modern languages.
[B] By using algorithms and linguistic tools to analyze pattern recurrence.
[C] By comparing the physical shapes of the tools with those found in Mesopotamia.
[D] By decoding the spoken languages of the early European inhabitants.
33. What does the statistical comparison reveal about the cave signs?
[A] They are more similar to modern writing than to proto-cuneiform scripts.
[B] They were primarily used to represent the spoken language of the time.
[C] They share a comparable level of structural complexity with the earliest proto-cuneiform.
[D] They demonstrate a continuous, rapid evolution of human marking systems over millennia.
34. According to the final paragraph, the engravings on the artifacts _______.
[A] have been definitively proven to be prehistoric calendars
[B] display specific distribution patterns, such as dots appearing only on certain objects
[C] contain enough explicit information to fully decipher the 40,000-year-old mystery
[D] are consistently dense with information across all types of materials
35. Which of the following best summarizes the main finding of the study?
[A] Ancient cave markings, though not true writing, possess a systematic structure akin to early scripts.
[B] Machine learning has finally decoded the exact meanings of prehistoric European cave art.
[C] The Swabian Jura caves hold the earliest known examples of modern human writing systems.
[D] Human writing systems evolved linearly and gradually over tens of thousands of years.
附注：根据历年考研英语真题阅读题源外刊等，摘选最新文章，模拟仿真出题。
参考答案见以下。
Quick look: BBCBA
31. 【答案】B
【解析】题型：修辞目的题
定位： 第一段。
分析： 第一段详细描述了在斯瓦比亚侏罗山洞穴中发现的各种人工制品（工具、珠宝、具象艺术、骨笛、雕像等），并在段末指出“这些人工制品中有许多装饰着考古学家称之为‘符号’的东西……其意义和目的仍然未知”。这显然是为了引入本文的核心探讨对象——这些神秘几何符号的考古学背景（archaeological context）。
干扰项：[A] 虽然提到了“现代欧洲人”，但文章重点在于符号，而非追踪人类进化起源。 [C] 未将欧洲文化与其他文化对比以凸显“优越性”。 [D] 工具制造只是背景信息之一，非段落主要目的。
32. 【答案】B
【解析】题型：细节题
定位： 第三段第二句 "They then used a combination of linguistic and machine-learning tools to extract a statistical fingerprint for the signs." 以及第三句 "...how reliably certain patterns of signs recurred."
分析： 研究人员通过结合语言学和机器学习工具（algorithms），提取符号的统计指纹，捕捉符号重复的频率及特定模式的重现规律（pattern recurrence）。选项 B 完全对应。
干扰项：[A] 89种现代语言是第四段作为对比数据库使用的，并没有将古代符号“翻译”成现代语言。 [C] 比较的是统计指纹，不是工具的物理形状。 [D] 第五段明确指出这些符号不太可能代表当时人类所说的语言。
33. 【答案】C
【解析】题型：推断题
定位： 第五段 "...the signs’ statistical fingerprint significantly overlaps with that of the earliest proto-cuneiform scripts." 以及 "The results imply that the complexity of human-made markings remained roughly unchanged for tens of thousands of years."
分析： 统计比较显示，洞穴符号与最早的原始楔形文字的统计指纹显著重合，且相似度高于原始楔形文字与现代文字的相似度。这说明洞穴符号与最早的原始楔形文字具有相当水平的复杂性（comparable level of structural complexity）。
干扰项：[A] 恰恰相反，它们与原始楔形文字更相似。 [B] 第五段明确否定了这一点（unlikely to represent the languages spoken）。 [D] 第五段指出，数万年来标记的复杂性“基本保持不变”（remained roughly unchanged），然后在几个世纪内突然出现了真正的文字，并非连续快速进化（continuous, rapid evolution）。
34. 【答案】B
【解析】题型：细节题
定位： 最后一段 "It shows that dots appear on figurines of lions and humans, for example, but not on tools. Ivory figurines, meanwhile, are the most information-dense."
分析： 最后一段指出，这些雕刻符号提供了有价值的线索，例如，点状符号出现在狮子和人类的雕像上，但不会出现在工具上。这说明符号的分布具有特定的模式（specific distribution patterns）。
干扰项：[A] “已被确凿证明是日历”过于绝对，原文说是“一些人的假设（hypotheses）”，且该论文本身“无法单独回答这个问题”。 [C] 论文提供了线索，但不能完全解开（fully decipher）谜团。 [D] 象牙雕像的信息密度最高，说明不同材料上的信息密度是不一致的（not consistently dense）。
35. 【答案】A
【解析】题型：主旨大意题
定位： 全文，尤其是第二段和第五段。
分析： 文章的核心发现是：虽然这些史前洞穴符号不代表口头语言（不是真正的文字），但它们是有意和系统的，且其统计学上的复杂性和信息密度与5000年前的原始文字系统（early scripts/proto-cuneiform）非常相似。选项 A 最准确地概括了这一点。
干扰项：[B] 机器学习只是提取了“统计指纹”，并没有解码其确切含义（exact meanings remain unknown）。 [C] 文章明确指出原始楔形文字（在美索不达米亚）是向第一种已知文字演变的过渡，洞穴符号不是文字系统。 [D] 文章第五段指出文字系统的出现是“在几个世纪的空间内”突然涌现的，而不是数万年来线性逐渐进化的（remained roughly unchanged for tens of thousands of years... Then... emerged）。
【词汇注释】
anatomically: adverb (BODY) in a way that relates to the physical structure of a human or animal body 解剖学上地（文中指解剖学意义上的现代欧洲人）
cornucopia: noun (LARGE AMOUNT) a large amount or supply of something 丰富；宝库（文中指早期人类创造了丰富多样的人工制品）
whittle: verb (CUT) to form a piece of wood, bone, etc. into a particular shape by cutting small pieces from it 切削；削制（文中指用骨头和象牙削制而成的长笛）
proto-cuneiform: noun (WRITING) an early system of writing that preceded the cuneiform script in ancient Mesopotamia 原始楔形文字（cuneiform 指楔形文字，proto- 表示“原始的、早期的”）
fingerprint: noun (MARK) a feature or pattern that is characteristic of something and can be used to identify it 指纹；特征（文中指通过机器学习提取的符号的统计特征/模式）
recur: verb (HAPPEN AGAIN) to happen again or a number of times 重现；反复发生（文中指特定符号模式的重复出现）
【参考译文】
斯瓦比亚侏罗山脉（位于现今德国西南部）的洞穴系统，为考古学家提供了一扇了解第一批解剖学意义上的现代欧洲人生活的窗口。在距今 43,000 到 34,000 年前，这些洞穴的居民创造了丰富多样的人工制品：专业的工具和珠宝；具象艺术；用骨头和象牙削制而成的长笛；以及真实和想象中的巨型动物的微型雕像。其中许多人工制品上装饰着考古学家称之为“符号”的东西——点、线、十字和星星等几何标记——其含义和目的至今仍是一个谜。
萨尔大学的语言学家克里斯蒂安·本茨（Christian Bentz）和柏林史前史与早期历史博物馆的考古学家埃娃·杜特凯维奇（Ewa Dutkiewicz）试图澄清这一问题。在发表于《美国国家科学院院刊》（PNAS）的一篇论文中，他们不仅揭示了这些古老的雕刻是以一种有意、系统的方式进行的，而且表明它们足够复杂，具备传递信息的潜力。作者说，更重要的是，它们的信息密度与大约 5000 年前紧随文字出现之前的标记系统一样高。
为了得出结论，研究人员对从斯瓦比亚洞穴中找到的 260 件人工制品上的符号序列进行了数字化处理。然后，他们结合使用语言学和机器学习工具，提取了这些符号的统计指纹。这不仅捕捉到了基本特征（例如给定符号重复的频率），还捕捉到了特定符号模式重现的可靠程度。
为了将这些符号与其他标记系统进行比较，研究人员还在包含 16 种文字的 89 种现代语言的数据库，以及可追溯至公元前 3300 年左右起源于美索不达米亚的三个时代的原始楔形文字样本上运行了他们的工具。原始楔形文字在人类历史上具有特殊地位，因为它最终演变成了楔形文字，即第一种已知的书写形式（语言学家将其定义为使用标记来代表语音）。
本茨博士和杜特凯维奇博士发现，来自洞穴的符号序列与现代文字毫无相似之处。与后者不同，它们表现出高度的重复性和低信息密度。因此，这些符号序列不太可能代表制造它们的人类所说的语言。但情况发生了转折。研究人员还发现，这些符号的统计指纹与最早的原始楔形文字显著重合。而且，它们之间的相似度大于后者与现代文字之间的相似度。结果表明，人类制造的标记的复杂性在数万年里基本保持不变。然后，在短短几个世纪内，第一个真正的文字系统出现了。
关于为什么制作这些雕刻，人们提出了许多假设：一些人说它们是计数设备和日历；另一些人声称它们记录了猎物的迁徙。这篇最新的论文无法单独回答这个问题，但确实提供了宝贵的线索。它表明，例如，点状符号出现在狮子和人类的雕像上，但不会出现在工具上。同时，象牙雕像的信息密度最高。当谈到解开一个有着 40,000 年历史的谜团时，任何细节都绝不嫌小。
附注：
本篇 Flesch–Kincaid 可读性指标（估算英文文章纯语言阅读难度，数值越大代表难度越大，十分制）评分为7.6。参考：2026年英语（一）真题四篇评分分别为 6.5、7.0、7.9、7.6，英语（二）为5.2、6.2、6.8、5.8 。在话题熟悉度，逻辑复杂度、段落结构线索丰富度方面综合指标（数值越大代表难度越大，十分制）评分为7.3。参考：2026年英语（一）真题四篇评分分别为5.8、6.5、8.2、8.0，英语（二）为4.5、6.0、6.5、5.2 。原文阅读链接为：https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2026/02/25/marks-left-by-stone-age-humans-were-surprisingly-complex ©图源水印/网络
