When another old cave is discovered in the south of France, it is not usually news. Rather, it is an ordinary event. Such discoveries are so frequent these days that hardly anybody pays heed to them. However, when the Lascaux cave complex was discovered in 1940, the world was amazed. Painted directly on its walls were hundreds of scenes showing how people lived thousands of years ago. The scenes show people hunting animals, such as bison or wild cats. Other images depict birds and, most noticeably, horses, which appear in more than 300 wall images, by far outnumbering all other animals.
Early artists drawing these animals achieved a monumental and difficult task. They did not limit themselves to the easily accessible walls but carried their painting materials to spaces that required climbing steep walls or going on hands and knees into narrow passages in the Lascaux complex.
Unfortunately, the paintings have been exposed to the destructive action of water and temperature changes, which easily wear the images away. Because the Lascaux caves have many entrances, air movement has also damaged the images inside.
Although they are not out in the open air, where natural light would have destroyed them long ago, many of the images have deteriorated and are hardly recognizable. To prevent further damage, the site was closed to tourists in 1963, 23 years after it was discovered.
25. Which title best summarizes the main idea of the passage?
A. Wild Animals in Art
B. Hidden Prehistoric Paintings
C. Exploring Caves Respectfully
D. Determining the Age of French Caves
26. What does the underlined phrase “pays heed to” in paragraph 2 probably means?
A. discovers B. watches C. notices D. buys
27. Why was painting inside the Lascaux complex a difficult task?
A. It was completely dark inside.
B. The caves were full of wild animals.
C. Painting materials were hard to find.
D. Many painting spaces were difficult to reach.
28. According to the passage, all of the following have caused damage to the paintings EXCEPT _______.
A. temperature changes B. air movement C. water D. light