达尔文笔记本在失窃20多年后回归剑桥大学
The Cambridge University Library in Britain received a “gift” in early March. Someone left a pink gift bag near the building with a note: “Happy Easter, X,” it read. In this case, “X” was in place of a person’s name. Inside the bag was the gift: two small notebooks from the famous British naturalist Charles Darwin. He is credited with the theory of evolution which says living things change over large periods of time. One of the notebooks has a famous drawing in it called the “Tree of Life.” Darwin made the drawing in 1837.
The university talked about the incident on Tuesday. Cambridge believes the notebooks were taken 20 years ago. They were first thought to be missing inside the building after they were taken to be photographed. But, after searching through 10 million books, maps and documents, the university reported the notebooks stolen to police in 2020.
British investigators notified police around the world, and a search began. The notebooks are valued at millions of dollars. They were returned, however, in good condition. Darwin’s notebooks contained writings about his famous trip around the world on the ship H.M.S. Beagle. The research led to his book on evolution called On the Origin of Species.
Cambridge University Librarian Jessica Gardner said she was relieved to see the notebooks. But she said her true feelings are profound and almost impossible to express with proper words. Gardner said the notebooks will go back into the Darwin Archive. The library is also home to the works by scientists Stephen Hawking and Isaac Newton. The notebooks will be on display later this year in a Darwin show at the library.
Local police said they are continuing to look into who may have taken the notebooks and asked for help from anyone who has information about the case.
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1.What’s the content of the note according to the passage?
A A sincere apology.
B A holiday greeting.
C Information about the gift.
D A drawing of the two notebooks.
解析：选B。B细节理解题。根据第一段“‘Happy Easter, X,’ it read”可知便条上面写着：“复活节快乐，X。”即一句节日的问候语。故选B。
2.What may lead to the notebooks’ missing?
A Local police took them to the police station.
B They got lost after they were lent out.
C The librarian misplaced them in a wrong place.
D Someone secretly took them out of the library.
解析：选D。D推理判断题。根据第二段“Cambridge believes the notebooks were taken 20 years ago. They were first thought to be missing inside the building after they were taken to be photographed.”可知这些笔记本被认为是20年前被拿走的，他们被拍照之后，在大楼(图书馆)内失踪了。可推知达尔文的笔记本可能是被人秘密带出了图书馆。故选D。
3.Which of the following statements is TRUE about the notebooks?
A They are Darwin’s diaries.
B They record all of Darwin’s research.
C They tell about Darwin’s journey on a ship.
D They were written about On the Origin of Species.
解析：选C。C细节理解题。根据第三段“Darwin’s notebooks contained writings about his famous trip around the world on the ship H.M.S. Beagle.”可知，达尔文的笔记本中记录了他乘坐贝格尔号(H.M.S. Beagle)环游世界的旅行。故选C。
4.What is most likely to happen according to the passage?
A The notebooks will be photographed and properly sealed(密封).
B Jessica Gardner will be involved in the repair of the notebooks.
C The police will find the person who may have taken the notebooks.
D An exhibition about the notebooks will be on the way in the library.
解析：选D。D细节理解题。根据第四段“The notebooks will be on display later this year in a Darwin show at the library.”可知，这些笔记本将于今年晚些时候在图书馆的达尔文展览上展出。故选D。