Earlier this month, a pair of pants recovered from an 1857 shipwreck(沉船) sold for $114,000 at auction(拍卖).

Experts with the auction house think they were once a pair of men’s work pants, possibly worn by a person who works underground in mines in order to obtain minerals. The original color of the fabric is unclear, but after spending more than a century in a passenger’s trunk at the bottom of the sea, the pants are now marked by black and brown. The fly(前裆开口) has five buttons.

The pants likely belonged to John Dement, a merchant and ex-soldier of the Mexican-American War. He was one of the survivors from the S.S. Central America, a 280-foot ship that sank during a hurricane on its way from Panama to New York City. Several hundred passengers died in the wreck. The ship’s remains were found off the coast of North Carolina in 1988. When it sank, the S.S. Central America—also known as the “ship of gold”—was transporting thousands of pounds of gold bars, nuggets and coins found during the California Gold Rush.

Since the pants were recovered, their origins have been somewhat controversial. Auction house officials think they were an “early manufacture of work pants sold by Levi Strauss”, according to the listing page. “The five-button fly is nearly identical, if not technically identical, to Levi’s(李维斯牛仔裤) of today, inclusive of the exact style, shape and size of the buttons themselves,” they write. “We do not believe this to be a coincidence.” However, Levi Strauss made its first official pair of jeans in 1873, a full 16 years after the S.S. Central America sank to the bottom of the ocean.

Whether they’re Levi’s or not, the pants are still unique: Auction officials think they are the only known pair of jeans from the Gold Rush.

1.Which statement is TRUE about the pants?

A They were probably worn by a miner.

B The original color was black and brown.

C They are as clean as a whistle now.

D They have a metal zipper instead of buttons.

解析：选A。A细节理解题。根据第二段第一句的“they were once a pair of men’s work pants, possibly worn by a person who works underground in mines in order to obtain minerals.”可知，这条裤子曾经是男士的工作裤，可能是在地下矿井工作的人穿的。故选A。

2.What caused the S.S. Central America to sink?

A The war.

B Too many passengers.

C The earthquake.

D The bad weather.

解析：选D。D细节理解题。根据第三段第二句的“a 280-foot ship that sank during a hurricane on its way from Panama to New York City.”可知，因为一场飓风，这条裤子随着“SS中美洲号”轮船沉入美国卡罗来纳州海岸。故选D。

3.What does the underlined word “controversial” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A Large in quantity.

B Divided in opinion.

C Diverse in form.

D Similar in nature.

解析：选B。B词义猜测题。根据第四段第二三四可知，拍卖行官员认为这条裤子是“李维斯(Levi Strauss)销售的早期工装裤”；而最后一句“However, Levi Strauss made its first official pair of jeans in 1873, a full 16 years after the S.S. Central America sank to the bottom of the ocean.”却说李维·施特劳斯在1873年，也就是中美洲号沉入海底整整16年后，才正式生产了第一条牛仔裤，即这条裤子不是李维斯牛仔裤。因此，关于这条裤子的起源是颇具争议的，即意见有分歧。故选B。

4.What type of writing is this text?

A An advertisement.

B An art show review.

C A news report.

D A science report.

解析：选C。C推理判断题。本文主要报道了一条19世纪淘金热时期的古老牛仔裤以11万美元拍出，属于新闻报道。故选C。