阅读理解。
Although Wu Huifei was only a concubine (妃子) of Tang Xuanzong (AD 685-762), the sixth
emperor of the Tang Dynasty, her influence was far greater than most in her position.
Historians say that the ruler loved her so much that, in AD 724, he banished his wife and made
Wu a royal concubine.
"Although she was only a concubine, she was treated as an empress with palace etiquette (礼节),"
explained Shi Xiaoqun, director of relics collection for Shaanxi History Museum. "Tang Xuanzong even
wanted to make her his empress but was opposed by the ministers."
The emperor had thousands of concubines in his palace in Chang'an (now called Xi'an, capital of
Shaanxi province) but, according to Shi, he only loved Wu, the mother of seven of his children.
Wu died in the December of AD 737 at the age of 38 and was buried in Jingling Mausoleum. She
was given the title Empress Zhenshun after her death.
"It's rare for a concubine to be given so much posthumous (死后获得的) honor in the history of
Chinese feudal (封建) society," said Liu Daiyun, research director at the Shaanxi Archaeological
Research Institute.
Her tomb -53 meters wide by 56 meters long - is located in the west of Pangliu village, which is
part of Xi'an's Chang'an district.
The recovered sarcophagus (石棺) is 4 meters long, 2 meters wide and 2 meters tall and is
decorated with flowers and maiden figures, which archaeologists say is a rare cultural relic of high
scientific, historical and artistic value. In ancient times, a sarcophagus was used to house wood coffins
in order to preserve the body of the noble person.
"I knew it was precious but I didn't know it was so beautiful," said Han Qinglong, who headed the
team that brought the relic back to China four years after it was stolen and sold abroad by tomb raiders (盗墓者).
1. The underlined word "banished" in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to " "
A. killed
B. removed
C. divorced
D. persuaded
2. The passage mainly focuses on .
A. the life story of Wu Huifei.
B. the reason why Wu Huifei was favoured by Tang Xuanzong
C. the scientific, historical and artistic value of the recovered sarcophagus of Wu Huifei.
D. the influence of Wu Huifei and her posthumous honor.
3. Which of the following descriptions about Wu Huifei is true according to the passage?
A. She wasn't made empress by Tang Xuanzong because of the opposition from the ministers.
B. She was born in 737 AD and died in 775 AD.
C. No other woman has a greater influence on Chinese history than she does.
D. Like many concubines, she was given much honor after her death.
