A 2,000-year-old fast-food stall (摊位) unearthed from the ashes of Pompeii has given researchers new clues about the snacking habits of the ancient Romans. The snack bar counter, decorated with multicolored patterns and frozen by volcanic ash, was partially unearthed last year but archaeologists extended work on the site to reveal it in its full glory.
Pompeii was buried in a sea of boiling lava when the volcano on nearby Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, killing between 2,000 and 15,000 people. Archaeologists continued to make discoveries there.
The team found duck bone pieces as well as the remains of pigs, goats, fish and snails in earthenware pots. Some of the ingredients had been cooked together like a Roman-era paella(什锦饭). Crushed fava beans(碎蚕豆), used to improve the taste of wine, were found at the bottom of one jar.
“The counter appears to have been closed in a hurry and abandoned by its owners, perhaps as the first noises of the eruption were felt,” said Massimo Osanna, director general at the Archaeological Park of Pompeii.
“A water tower and a fountain were found alongside human remains, including those of a man believed to have been aged about 50 and discovered near a child’s bed. The remains of another person were also found and could be those of an opportunist thief or someone fleeing the eruption who was surprised by the burning steam just as he opened the pot,” Osanna said.
In the latest stage of their work, archaeologists uncovered a number of still-life scenes, including details about animals believed to have been on the menu, notably wild ducks and a chicken, for serving up with wine or hot drinks.
“As well as bearing witness to daily life in Pompeii, the possibilities to analyze that afforded by this stall are predictable because for the first time we have uncovered a site in its entirety,” Osanna said.
1. What was found to be used by ancient Romans to make the wine tastier?A.Steamed pork. |
B.Duck bone pieces. |
C.A Roman-era paella. |
D.Crushed fava beans. |
A.It was burnt by a little kid. |
B.It was ruined by a flood. |
C.It was shut down hurriedly. |
D.It was broken into by animals. |
A.The significance of discovering the stall. |
B.The regret for the loss of the ancient city. |
C.The barrier to bringing the site back to life. |
D.The potential of recovering the hidden stall. |
A.A Lost City Finds Its Way With the Help of a Stall |
B.An Old Fast-food Stall Was Reopened to Customers |
C.A Snack Bar Counter Was Destroyed by Volcanic Ash |
D.An Unearthed Stall Throws Light on Roman Snacking Habits |
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【推荐1】A powerful earthquake hit Morocco on Friday night, killing over 2,500 people and causing huge damage over a large area. The quake was one of the most powerful ever recorded in Morocco. It’s also the country’s deadliest earthquake in over 60 years. So far, the earthquake is reported to have killed over 2,680 people. It has injured over 2,500 others. The earthquake was especially dangerous because it happened at night, when people were asleep in their homes.
Marrakesh is a big city that’s popular with tourists. Many of its modern buildings seem to have survived the earthquake, but the old part of the city, Medina, was hit hard. It has buildings that are over 1,000 years old. Many of those buildings were demolished.
Outside of Marrakesh, the earthquake caused even more damage. In the Atlas Mountains, the earthquake’s center, there are many small villages, some of which were nearly destroyed.
Many of the people in the area live in simple houses made of mud bricks, which is a traditional way of building in Morocco. But it’s not strong enough to protect against earthquakes. Although the Moroccan government has laws that require buildings to be built more safely, these rules are often ignored.
Rescue workers have been working hard to save those affected by the quake. In larger cities, rescue efforts seem to be going well. But it has taken a lot longer for help to reach remote areas in the mountains. Many of these villages are difficult to get to. The earthquake caused landslides, blocking roads, and making these places even more difficult to reach. In some areas, phone and electrical service were also knocked out, leaving these places completely cut off. That means that the local people in some remote areas have had to deal with the situation on their own. In some areas, people have been digging through the broken stones or bricks with their hands, trying to find survivors. Many people are sleeping outside, unsure if their houses are safe.
Many outside countries have offered to help Morocco. Some countries have offered teams of experts; others have offered supplies.
1. What do we know about the earthquake in Morocco?A.It killed 2,680 people. | B.It occurred during the day. |
C.It was the deadliest in recent decades. | D.It injured less than 2,500 people. |
A.destroyed | B.decorated |
C.protected | D.constructed |
A.People living the quake-hit area are in urgent need of help from other countries. |
B.The current serious situation faced by people in disaster areas. |
C.Possible causes of the earthquake happening in Morocco. |
D.Reasons why the earthquake caused so much damage in Morocco. |
A.A news report | B.A short story |
C.A research article | D.A diary entry |
【推荐2】Environmental groups have long criticized the private jets(喷气式飞机) for being a large contributor to global carbon dioxide emissions, and last week, environmentalists made headlines by interrupting a private jet trade show in Switzerland.
Private jets often cover shorter distances than commercial ones. They are generally less efficient(高效的) and their emissions per passenger are much higher. According to data from European non-profit Transport and Environment, private jets can be 5 to 14 times more polluting than commercial planes, and 50 times more polluting than trains. Research made by Greenpeace showed that private jets in Europe alone emitted 3.39 million metric tons of CO2 in 2022, nearly equal to the emissions from 753,000 gas-powered cars in the US driven for a year.
But experts say the private aviation(航空) industry can still play a role in the global fight against climate change, and some in the industry are looking at creative ways to diminish its environmental impact.
As a member of the International Air Transport Association(IATA), along with other major commercial airlines, Dubai-based private aviation company Jetex launched the 2050 Project: the zero carbon emissions.
“Jetex is always thinking about how to cooperate with everyone to deal with climate change,” said Dr. Suzanne, a professor of aviation at the University of Waterloo. “And now it is working on changing all of its locations into fully green ones in the future. Once it succeeds, it will offer a new approach to the environmental protection.”
Through a partnership with oil company Neste, in 2021 Jetex started offering sustainable aviation fuels(SAF), made from renewable waste, to passengers at its Helsinki Airport. That same year at its Paris Le-Bourget Airport, it began offering SAF produced by French company TotalEnergies, made from used cooking oil. A limited supply of SAF means it isn’t available at every airport, but the company says it wants to make SAF a fuel option to its travelers across all its locations worldwide.
1. What do we know about private jets according to the first two paragraphs?A.They enjoy great popularity. |
B.They charge passengers more. |
C.They give off more carbon dioxide. |
D.They travel farther than commercial planes. |
A.Expand. | B.Present. | C.Overlook. | D.Reduce. |
A.Indifferent. | B.Carefree. | C.Tolerant. | D.Supportive. |
A.Private Jets’ Green Path. | B.The Birth of SAF. |
C.The Future of Commercial Planes. | D.Jetex’s Cooperation with Others. |
【推荐3】Will Smith jumped into a live volcano and kayaked (划皮艇) down an Icelandic whitewater river for his latest project. But he wasn’t making an action movie. It was personal.
Smith, a Hollywood leading man who admits that he’s far from enjoying outdoor activities, has put himself in danger while filming Welcome to Earth, a Disney original series from National Geographic. He was afraid at that time, but he says “It’s really difficult to enjoy things if you’re scared. I think the ability to see how beautiful things are is directly connected to your openness to them and fear closes you down.”
Smith says he was once scared of everything and hated water, but he learns to read the rapids (急流) while whitewater kayaking, rescues turtles near the Great Barrier Reef and goes 3,000 feet below the sea in a deep-water submarine.
Dr. Albert Lin, an engineer and explorer who has uncovered lost cities previously for National Geographic,was astonished to find that Smith was able to control his fears even in the face of real danger. While diving in the underground lake in Namibia, Smith got into trouble and Lin watched him “dropping at a rate that felt like maybe we wouldn’t see him again. “But Smith was able to control his mind and deal with the situation. “I respected Will Smith, the actor, before, but now I definitely have grown to truly respect Will Smith, the human being,” says Lin.
Produced by famous filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, the series carries on the tradition of National Geographic pushing the exploring envelope (极限) and employing the latest technology to help us understand our world. “I hope this can help people out there get a sense of how absolutely incredible our planet is,” says Lin.
The experts Smith has paired with teach him about speed, smell and sound and the colors out there he might miss. “You can’t really want to protect something that you don’t understand. And you can’t want to protect something that you can’t recognize as beautiful,” Smith says.
1. What enables you to enjoy beautiful things according to Smith?A.Respect for nature. | B.Spirit of adventure. |
C.Openness to change. | D.Ability to find beauty. |
A.He found a lost city. | B.He nearly lost his life in a lake. |
C.He entered a diving competition. | D.He went deep under the sea in a submarine. |
A.It applied advanced technology. | B.It targets potential explorers. |
C.It explains the origin of our planet. | D.It won important film awards. |
A.A diary. | B.A guidebook. |
C.A movie magazine. | D.A book review. |
【推荐1】Palestinian farmer Salman al-Nabahin was working in his garden in Gaza when he noticed that some of the new trees he’d planted on his land did not root properly. Curious about what might be causing the issue, al-Nabahin asked his son to help him start digging.
His son’s ax (斧子) struck something hard. When the two men began to clear away the dirt, they discovered an item they did not recognize. A little Internet searching provided the answer to their mystery: They’d come across a Byzantine-era floor mosaic (拜占庭时期马赛克地画) featuring birds and other animals.
This happened six months ago. Now, archaeologists (考古学家) are hard at work studying the flooring to learn more about its secrets and civilization values.
The mosaic features 17 images of birds and other animals presented in bright colors. Archaeologists believe artists created the flooring sometime between the fifth and seventh centuries, though they don’t know whether the mosaic had religious (宗教的) origins. In total, the land covering the entire mosaic is about 500 square meters, and the mosaic itself measures about 23 square meters. Some parts of the mosaic appear to be damaged, likely from the roots of an old tree.
“These are the most beautiful mosaic floors discovered in Gaza, both in terms of the quality of the vivid representation and the complexity of the pattern,” says René Elter, an archaeologist in Jerusalem. “Never have mosaic floors of this precision in the patterns and richness of the colors been discovered in the Gaza Strip.”
The Gaza Strip, which is located between Israel and Egypt and was a busy trade route throughout history, is home to many ancient civilizations. The farmer and his son discovered the mosaic about a kilometer from the border with Israel. Archaeologists and other experts are concerned about the mosaic’s future because of the ongoing conflict there and a lack of funding for historical protection.
1. What led Salman al-Nabahin to the unexpected discovery?A.His son’s constant digging work. | B.His decision to remove some new trees. |
C.The improper growth of some new trees. | D.The appearance of some birds and other animals. |
A.Its origin has something to do with religion. | B.The time of its creation can be figured out. |
C.It has been seriously damaged by digging work. | D.It reflects relationships between humans and animals. |
A.The history of the mosaic floors. | B.The great value of the mosaic floors. |
C.The secrets hidden in the mosaic floors. | D.The difficulty in creating the mosaic floors. |
A.It may not be well -protected. | B.It may be too large to carry. |
C.It may cause regional conflicts. | D.It may lose its historical meaning |
【推荐2】Scientists have uncovered a fast-food eatery (餐馆) in the ancient Roman town of Pompeii. The remains help with the understanding of foods of Pompeii’s citizens.
About 80 such fast-food eateries have been found at Pompeii. But the latest find means this is the first time such a hot-food-drink eatery—known as a thermopolium—has been completely unearthed. Pompeii was destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Part of the fast-food counter was dug up in 2019 during work to shore up Pompeii’s ruins.
Since then, archaeologists (考古学家) have kept digging, uncovering a multi-sided-counter, with typical wide holes on its top, not unlike these for soup containers put into modern-day salad bars. The front of the counter included works of art showing ducks and chickens. The images brightened the eatery and also likely advertised food. Another image of a dog with a rope around its neck may remind people to keep pets tied up.
Early studies confirm “how the painted works represent, at least in part, the foods and drinks effectively sold inside”, said Valeria Amoretti, an anthropologist at Pompeii. Amoretti noted small pieces of duck bones were found in a food container. Remains of goats, pigs, and fish were also found. At the bottom of a wine container were remains of ground fava beans.
Massimo Osanna added, “We know what they were eating that day.” He was talking about the day of Pompeii’s destruction. The food remains are examples of “what’s popular with the common folk”. He added that wealthy Romans did not eat at such street-food businesses. Successful restaurant owners know that a good location is important for business. Osanna noted that right outside the eatery was a small square with a fountain. Another thermopolium was nearby.
1. What can we know about the fast-food eatery?A.It was the only thermopolium at Pompeii. | B.It was dug up by accident at the beginning. |
C.It once was one of the most popular eateries. | D.It was the first hot-food-drink eatery unearthed. |
A.They helped to beautify the countertop area. | B.The volcanic eruption damaged the counter. |
C.They were used to hold containers for hot food. | D.Food could be stored for a longer time with them. |
A.Reminders. | B.Decorations. | C.Records. | D.Advertisements. |
A.The eatery reveals the locals’ dining preference. | B.Ancient Romans liked eating at eateries. |
C.Street-food business was rare in ancient Rome. | D.Food of Pompeii’s citizens was similar to today’s. |
【推荐3】Scientists found what could be the oldest evidence of cooking at the edge of the ancient Lake Hula in Israel at the Gesher Benot Ya’aqov, according to a newly-published paper. The remains, especially fish teeth, were discovered near places where scientists also found signs of fire. Tests showed the teeth had been exposed to temperatures that were hot, but not super-hot. This suggested the fish were cooked slowly over a low heat, rather than being put right onto a fire.
With all the evidence together, scientists concluded that these ancient humans had used fire for cooking some 780,000 years ago. That is much earlier than the next oldest evidence for cooking, about 170,000 years ago, which showed Stone Age humans ate burnt roots in South Africa.
Scientists believe cooking started long before this, though physical evidence has been hard to come by —considering the importance of using fire to cook. Cooked food makes it easier for the body to digest and get more nutrients. When early humans figured out how to cook, they were able to get more energy, which they could use to fuel bigger brains. Based on how human ancestors’ bodies developed, scientists guess that cooking skills would have had to appear nearly 2 million years ago.
Those first cooked meals were a far cry from today’s dinners. And at that time, humans started eating not just for fuel, but for their community. In a 2010 paper, scientists described the earliest evidence of a feast(盛宴), which was a specially prepared meal that brought people together for an event in a cave. This “first feast” came at an important turning point in human history, right as hunter-gatherers were starting to settle into more permanent living situations. Gathering for special meals may have been a way to build community and reduce tensions now that people lived closer to each other. Scientists believe ancient feasts served a lot of the same social uses that modern gatherings serve: People exchange information, make connections, or try to improve their position.
1. Which is probably the earliest evidence of cooking?A.The tools of cooking. | B.The signs of fire. |
C.The leftover fish. | D.The burnt roots. |
A.Food is key to keeping brains’ functioning. | B.Using fire to cook is a universal practice. |
C.Our understanding of ancestors is limited. | D.Cooking is the driving force for human evolution. |
A.They mark important events. | B.They have multiple functions. |
C.They differ from modern gatherings. | D.They display excellent cooking skills. |
A.To inform readers of a new discovery. |
B.To explain why early humans started to cook. |
C.To present how cooking makes us together. |
D.To stress the importance of fire to human life. |