Cave paintings are the oldest pictures. Some of them are almost 30, 000 years old. Many of these paintings show animals or hunting scenes (狩猎场景). They do not have written words on them. But when we look at them, we get an idea of the feelings the people had when drawing them. The paintings tell stories of hopes and fears. ____1____

Sometime between 4, 000 and 3, 000 BC, the skill of writing was developed in Egypt and Mesopotamia. People cut texts on stones first. ____2____ But it was impossible to carry stones from place to place. The invention of papyrus (莎草纸) allowed documents to be moved easily. More than 3, 000 years ago, the ancient Chinese people cut words on bones and shells. These words are called jiaguwen. It is the writing system that has developed over thousands of years into today’s hanzi.

People made the first books from papyrus and from thin animal skins. Around 105 AD, paper-making skill was improved after the invention of paper in China. ____3____ It was published in 868 AD. In the middle of the 15th century, the printing machine was invented in Germany. Since that time, a huge number of books have been printed worldwide. ____4____ 

Books will be around for many years, of course. But some people prefer reading electronic books. ____5____ Now you can buy your books whenever you want without having to leave the comfort of your home.

A. They are easier to take with you when you travel.

B. They are an early form of written communication.

C. The world’s oldest known printed book is from China too.

D. They are an early form of communication without reading and writing.

E. For many people, reading in the library is one of life’s greatest pleasures.

1.1.

A

B

C

D

解析：选B。该空位于首段末尾，需要承接上文对洞穴壁画（无文字）的描述，并引出下文关于书写系统的发展。选项B“它们是书面交流的一种早期形式”，将壁画定位为“交流”，并开启“书面”这个话题，起到承上启下的作用。

2.2.

A

B

C

D

解析：选D。该空位于第二段开头，具体描述早期书写（在石头上刻字）之前的情况。上文提到洞穴壁画“没有文字”，是一种非文字的“讲故事”方式。选项D“它们是不需要读写的早期交流形式”，与壁画的特征完全吻合，描述了文字出现前的主要交流方式。

3.3.

A

B

C

D

解析：选C。该空前一句提到中国改进了造纸术，空格后提到了一本具体的书（出版于公元868年）。选项C“世界上已知最古老的印刷书也来自中国”，完美衔接了“中国”和“古老印刷书”这两个信息点，符合时间顺序和逻辑。

4.4.

A

B

C

D

解析：选E。该空位于印刷术发明之后，描述了书籍普及带来的影响。选项E“对许多人来说，在图书馆阅读是人生最大的乐趣之一”，正是书籍普及后所催生的一种文化现象和生活体验，与“大量书籍被印刷”的结果相呼应。

5.5.

A

B

C

D

解析：选A。该空位于最后一段，讨论电子书的优势。前一句说“有些人更喜欢读电子书”，空格后则提到“可以足不出户买书”，强调的是便利性。选项A“旅行时它们更容易携带”，从“便携性”这一具体优势进行补充，逻辑连贯。