流落海外百余年，圆明园遗珍虎蓥终回家！
A Chinese bronze vessel some 3,000 years old that was stolen and taken to the United Kingdom in the 19th century, has returned to its country of origin, officials said. It was transferred to the National Museum of China on Tuesday.
The vessel, called the Tiger Ying because it looks like the tiger, is from the late period of the Western Zhou Dynasty. Before it was lost, it was in the Old Summer Palace, or Yuanmingyuan, a huge garden of the Qing Dynasty in northwest Beijing, along with many other royal collections of cultural relics. The Old Summer Palace was burned in 1860. The Tiger Ying was stolen by a British military officer, as shown by a letter he wrote. It had been kept by his family ever since.
In April, the Tiger Ying appeared in an auction catalog at the Canterbury Auction Galleries in Kent in southern England, which made Chinese netizens angry. Though the Chinese government strongly protested the auction, the Tiger Ying was sold for 410,000 pounds ($517,000) on April 11 to a buyer whose name remains unknown. The buyer, however, showed a desire to return it to China in communications with the National Cultural Heritage Administration and the Chinese embassy in London, officials said.
The preparations for its return began in June. It was returned to Chinese embassy on Sept 21 and remained there until it was moved to Beijing on Nov 23. “Its journey back home is a milestone in our efforts to get the lost treasures from overseas,” Liu said. “It fully shows our responsibility to protect our country’s cultural heritage.”
Only eight ying artifacts are known to exist, according to Sun Ji, 89, an archaeologist. Sun said it was used for rituals in the Western Zhou period. People burned wine for the gods to “smell”. The ying probably was a holder for spices that were combined with alcohol.
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1.People named the Tiger Ying based on _____.
A the color
B the material
C the origin
D the shape
解析：选D。细节理解题。根据第二段第一句的The vessel, called the Tiger Ying because it looks like the tiger可知是因为它的形状看起来像老虎才被命名为虎蓥的。故选D。
2.What is the main idea of the second paragraph?
A The brief history of the Tiger Ying.
B A British officer stole the Tiger Ying.
C A huge garden of the Qing Dynasty had gone.
D The reason why the Tiger Ying was lost.
解析：选A。主旨大意题。通读第二段的内容可知该段主要是关于虎蓥的背景信息，是对虎蓥的一段简介。故选A。
3.What’s the result of the Canterbury Auction?
A It was called off because Chinese protested.
B It went on in spite of Chinese netizens’ anger.
C It helped a lot of archaeologists in China.
D It was scolded by people from the United Kingdom.
解析：选B。细节理解题。根据第三段第二句Though the Chinese government strongly protested the auction, the Tiger Ying was sold for 410,000 pounds ($517,000) on April 11 to a buyer whose name remains unknown.可知虽然遭到中国政府的反对，但是虎蓥仍然被拍卖了。故选B。
4.Why is the return of Tiger Ying considered a milestone?
A It made people know the long history of China.
B It showed Chinese people’s great determination to protect cultural heritage.
C It showed how ancient Chinese treated the gods.
D It was a holder for spice combined with the alcohol.
解析：选B。细节理解题。根据第四段最后两句“Its journey back home is a milestone in our efforts to get the lost treasures from overseas,” Liu said. “It fully shows our responsibility to protect our country’s cultural heritage.”可知虎蓥回归之所以被看成是一个里程碑式的事件，是因为它充分体现了人们不遗余力争取遗失国宝回归的努力和对文化遗产保护的责任。故选B。