单项选择题
The Mysteries of Nazca
In the desert of Peru, 300 kilometersfrom Lima, one of the most unusual artworks in the world has mystified (迷惑)people for decades. (46) But from high above, these marks are hugeimages of birds, fish, seashells, all beautifully carved into the earth.
TheNazca lines are so difficult to see from the ground that they weren’tdiscovered until the 1930s, when pilots spotted them while flying over thearea. In all, there are about 70 different human and animal figures on theplain, along with 900 triangles, circles, and lines.
Researchershave figured out that the lines are at least 1,500 years old, but their purposeis still a mystery. (47) However, it would probably be very tricky to to land a spaceship in the middle ofpictures of dogs and monkeys. Inthe 1940s, an American explorer named Paul Kosok suggested that the drawingsare a chronicle (记录) of the movement ofthe stars and planets. (48)Later,an astronomer tested his theory with a computer, but he couldn’t find any relationbetween the lines and movements in space.
Anotherexplanation is that the lines may have been made for religious reasons. British researcher Tony Morrison investigated thecustoms of people in the Andes Mountain and learned that they sometimes pray by the sideof the road. It’s possible that in the past, the linesof Nazca were created for a similar purpose. (49) But the local people have never constructed anything this big.
Recently,two other scientists, David Johnson and Steve Mabee, have speculated that lines could have been related to water. Nazca isone of the driest places in the world and receives only 2cm of rain every year.While Johnson was searching for ancient water sources in the area, he noticed that some waterways built ancient people were connected with the lines. Johnson believesthat the Nazca lines are a giant map of the underground water in the area. (50)
A. Scholars differ in interpretingthe purpose of the designs.
B. The largestpicture may have been the sites for special ceremonies.
C. He calledNazca “the largest astronomy book in the world”
D. A Swisswriter named Erich von Daniken wrote that the Nazca lines were designed as alanding place for UFOs.
E. Otherscientists are now searching for evidence to prove this.
F. Seen from theground, it looks like lines scratched into the earth.