Archaeology as a profession faces two major problems. It is the poorest of the poor. Only small sums are available for excavating(挖掘)and even less is available
for publishing the results and preserving the sites once excavated. Yet archaeologists deal with priceless objects every day. Besides, there is the problem of unlawful excavation, resulting in museum-quality pieces being sold to businessmen at the highest price..
I would like to make a suggestion that would at once provide money for archaeology and reduce the amount of diggings against law. You might say that professionals excavate to get knowledge, not money. Moreover, ancient artifacts(古器
物) are part of our global cultural heritag
e(遗产), which should be there for all to appreciate, not sold at the highest price. I agree. Sell nothing that has scientific value. But, you might reply, everything that comes out of the ground has scientific value. Here,
we disagree. In theory, you may be correct in saying that every artifact has hidden scientific value.
People can not help appreciate every unearthed treasure but there is not enough money even to put the finds in good order; as a result, they cannot be found again and become as inaccessible as if they had never been discovered. Indeed, with the help of the Internet, sold artifacts could be more reachable than are the pieces stored in museum basements. Before sale, each could be photographed and the list of the purchasers could be maintained on the computer. A purchaser could even be required to agree to return the piece if it should become needed for scientific purposes.
小题1:What’s the problems that archaeology as a profession has to face?
A．Money and unlawful excavation
B．Effectively duplicates.
C．Scientific purposes.
D．Excavation law.小题2:To let most people enjoy ancient artifacts, the practical way could be_______.
A．putting them in the museum
B．having sold artifacts returned
C．making use of the Internet
D．solving the money problem小题3:Which of the following four suggestions about archaeology is from the author?
A．No selling of any unearthed ancient artifacts.
B．Some money should be raised for the purpose.
C．Selling some unearthed ancient artifacts and having them returned when needed.
D．Ancient artifacts, our global cultural heritage, should be evenly shared by us all.
