Passage Two
Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.
A letter written by Charles Darwin in 1875 has been returned to the Smithsonian Institution Archives (档案馆) by the FBI after being stolen twice.
"We realized in the mid-1970s that it was missing," says Effie Kapsalis, head of the Smithsonian Insitution Archives. "It was noted as missing and likely taken by an intern (实习生), from what the FBI is telling us. Word got out that it was missing when someone asked to see the letter for research purposes," and the intern put the letter back. "The intern likely took the letter again once nobody was watching it."
Decades passed. Finally, the FBI received a tip that the stolen document was located very close to Washington, D.C. Their art crime team recovered the letter but were unable to press charges because the time of limitations had ended. The FBI worked closely with the Archives to determine that the letter was both authentic and definitely Smithsonian's property.
The letter was written by Darwin to thank an American geologist, Dr. Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden, for sending him copies of his research into the geology of the region that would become Yellowstone National Park.
The letter is in fairly good condition, in spite of being out of the care of trained museum staff for so long. "It was luckily in good shape," says Kapsalis, "and we just have to do some minor things in order to be able to unfold it. It has some glue on it that has colored it slightly, but nothing that will prevent us from using it. After it is repaired, we will take digital photos of it and that will be available online. One of our goals is to get items of high research value or interest to the public online."
It would now be difficult for an intern, visitor or a thief to steal a document like this. "Archiving practices have changed greatly since the 1970s," says Kapsalis, "and we keep our high value documents in a safe that I don't even have access to."
51.What happened to Darwin's letter in the 1970s?
A.It was recovered by the FBI.
B.It was stolen more than once.
C.It was put in the archives for research purposes.
D.It was purchased by the Smithsonian Archives.
52.What did the FBI do after the recovery of the letter?
A.They proved its authenticity.
B.They kept it in a special safe.
C.They arrested the suspect immediately.
D.They pressed criminal charges in vain.
53.What is Darwin's letter about?
A.The evolution of Yellowstone National Park.
B.His cooperation with an American geologist.
C.Some geological evidence supporting his theory.
D.His acknowledgement of help from a professional.
54.What will the Smithsonian Institution Archives do with the letter according to Kapsalis?
A.Reserve it for research purposes only.
B.Turn it into an object of high interest.
C.Keep it a permanent secret.
D.Make it available online.
55.What has the past half century witnessed according to Kapsalis?
A.Growing interest in rare art objects.
B.Radical changes in archiving practices.
C.Recovery of various missing documents.
D.Increases in the value of museum exhibits.
答案解析:
51. 根据“We realized in the mid-1970s that it was missing...The intern likely took the letter again once nobody was watching it.”可知达尔文的信在20世纪70年代被偷不止一次,所以选B。
52. 根据“The FBI worked closely with the Archives to determine that the letter was both authentic and definitely Smithsonian's property.”可知联邦调查局在找回信后证实了它的真实性,所以选A。
3. 根据“The letter was written by Darwin to thank an American geologist, Dr. Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden, for sending him copies of his research into the geology of the region that would become Yellowstone National Park.”可知达尔文的信是感谢一位美国地质学家提供的专业帮助,所以选D。
54. 根据“After it is repaired, we will take digital photos of it and that will be available online.”可知史密森学会档案馆将把信的数字照片放到网上,所以选D。
55. 根据“Archiving practices have changed greatly since the 1970s”可知过去的半个世纪见证了档案保存方式的根本变化,所以选B。
