A
Important work has been done to safeguard China’s cultural treasures and more responsibilities are being placed on the government’s shoulders.
Last year, a pair of stone candelabras（枝状大烛台）found in a Ming Dynasty emperor’s tomb was stolen, but local officials covered up the theft for months. After the artifacts were traced, 17 administrators were disciplined for the incident. Twelve officials in Hebei Province were also held responsible in 2016 after an illegal real estate development had been started near the Eastern Qing Tombs. Fires resulting in damage to six key cultural heritage sites under protection also led to 23 officials receiving punishments in 2017.
China has recently established an accountability（问责）system to clarify who is responsible for protecting each of the country’s 767,000 registered “unmovable” cultural heritage sites, such as structures and monuments. Several major crimes involving cultural relics have been prevented. The Ministry of Public Security released most-wanted lists twice last year specifically to strike at such crimes. It led to the capture of 16 of the 20 suspects in the list.
“Protection of cultural relics has many more legal references now,” said Luo Shugang, Minister of Culture.
“However, to carry out the laws that safeguard cultural relics, it is essential to conduct an archaeological investigation before any major infrastructure construction begins,” he added.
Having a clear understanding of cultural resources is one way to better protect the nation’s heritage. Consequently, the Ministry of Culture has organized several nationwide surveys in the past five years. The surveys found that 108 million cultural relics are housed in public museums and other state-owned institutions. More than 870,000 untouchable cultural heritage items have also been registered.
21. What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. How to protect cultural relics.
B. Why government officials are held accountable.
C. Importance of protecting cultural heritages.
D. Government’s efforts to protect cultural treasures.
22. What does the second paragraph intend to tell us?
A. China’s cultural treasures are well safeguarded.
B. Some cultural relics have been damaged due to the misconduct of some officials.
C. The government has had the related officials hold responsible for the damage or loss of cultural relics.
D. It is the administrators’ duty to protect the country’s cultural treasures.
23. The underlined part “most-wanted lists” probably refers to ______.
A. those who are thought to be guilty of doing damage to cultural relics.
B. government officials responsible for crimes involving cultural relics.
C. cultural relics that have been lost.
D. crimes related to cultural heritage sites.
24. Why is it important to carry out archaeological investigations?
A. To have legal references for protecting cultural resources.
B. To avoid destroying possible cultural heritage sites.
C. To better understand our country’s cultural relics.
D. To register and house the cultural heritage items.
