D．The skull is of big cats' direct ancestor.

【答案】　A　推理判断题。由第二段最后一句话"The fossil lends evidence to the belief that big cats existed in Asia and spread out from there. "可推知，该化石使我们相信大型猫科动物起源于亚洲，然后繁衍到其他地方。

2．What does the underlined word in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．relatives. 　　　　　　B．enemies.

C．partners. D．protectors

【答案】　B　猜测词义题。所在句意为"大型猫科动物位于食物链的顶端，所以几乎没有天敌"。

3．How do the researchers know the skull's age?

A．By measuring its size and forehead.

B．By examining other bones around it.

C．By studying its chemical composition.

D．By exploring the rocks and soil around it.

【答案】　D　细节理解题。由第四段第三句话"The researchers were able to determine its age by studying the surrounding rocks and soil. "可知，通过研究化石周围的岩石和土壤来测量化石的年代。

4．Where was "the current record holder"in the last paragraph found?

A．Asia. B．Africa.

C．America. D．Australia.

【答案】　B　推理判断题。画线词意为"现在的纪录保持者"，应该指的是新化石发现之前的最古老的化石；而第三段最后一句话"But previously，the oldest known big cat fossil was 3. 6 million years old and found in Africa. "可知，它是在非洲发现的。

Ⅱ. 阅读七选五