Every day people joined archaeologists and artists in finding some of the year’s most dramatic discoveries. Below are some examples of 2023.
“Naughty pupils”-ancient punishment method resurfaces
Archaeologists discovered 18,000 ink-carved pieces of pottery-known as “ostraca”—at the site of Athribis early this year, and among them were hundreds of fragments(碎片)with a single symbol repeated front and back.
Those scribbles(潦草的文字)are evidence of ‘naughty “pupils” being made to write lines, according to researchers a Germany’s University of Tuebingen. The fragments also included receipts, school texts, trade information and lists of names.
Van Gogh peers out in hidden portrait
There is one more known van Gogh’s self-portrait in the world, and it was hidden behind a painting of a peasant woman. People made the discovery when they took an X-ray of one of his portraits from 1885 and discovered the artist’s own image behind layers of cardboard and glue. While X-rays often reveal how artists-changed their compositions, the full self-portrait of van Gogh came as a huge surprise, who was known to reuse canvase(画布)to save money.
Another treasure collection from Sanxingdui
The Sanxingdui archaeological site has produced thousands of relics. The latest discovery, reported by Chinese state media in June includes 3,155 objects, a turtle shell-shaped box and a sacrificial altar among them. A team has been digging six places of the site, turning up more than 13,000 objects so far. Last year, the relics they uncovered included a golden mask, ivory artifacts(手工艺品)and a jade knife. The Sanxingdui culture still remains mysterious, as it left behind no written records or human remains, though many believe it to be part of the ancient kingdom of Shu, which ruled along the upper stream of the Yangtze River until it was conquered in 316 BC.
1. What led to the researchers’ conclusion about the fragments?| A．The repeated symbol. | B．Trade information. |
| C．Lists of pupils’ names. | D．The mark of ink. |
| A．To keep away from X-rays. |
| B．To save money. |
| C．To make his works more mysterious. |
| D．To help people find his composition. |
| A．A jade knife. | B．A golden mask. |
| C．A written record. | D．A turtle shell-shaped box. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Some Questions About Coronavirus
How long does coronavirus last?
Every case of coronavirus is different, but experts have a general idea of how long the typical course of the illness lasts. Most people can expect to recover within two weeks after the onset of symptoms, but more severe cases could last up to six weeks — and for some, dubbed “Covid long haulers,” symptoms can linger for months.
What are the symptoms of the coronavirus?
Symptoms of the coronavirus can seem a lot like the flu. Initially, a fever, cough, and shortness of breath emerged as the three most common symptoms of COVID-19. Now, other signs such as muscle pain, fatigue, and loss of taste and smell are on the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) symptoms checklist.
How long does coronavirus live on surfaces?
Though the conronavirus is typically transmitted through the air via respiratory droplets (from an infected person sneezing or coughing) rather than by touching objects and materials, the virus can still remain viable on variety of surfaces, according to the CDC, though it’s not exactly clear for how long.
How is coronavirus spread?
According to the CDC, COVID-19 is spread mainly from person to person, usually through close contact (within six feet). Being near an infected person who coughs, sneezes, or talks can expose you to their respiratory droplet carrying the virus — and they can spread the virus even if they don’t have any symptoms yet. If those virus-containing particles are inhaled (吸入) or land in your eyes, nose or mouth, you could become infected.
1. How long does coronavirus stay on surfaces?| A．Two weeks. | B．Six weeks. | C．Months. | D．Unclear. |
| A．contacting close (within six feet) |
| B．being near an infected person |
| C．talking with a healthy person |
| D．inhaling some virus-containing particles |
| A．Entertainment. | B．Health. | C．Education | D．Travel. |
【推荐2】About Lexington, Kentucky
Getting Here
Lexington is accessible by air with approximately 100 direct and nonstop flights. Blue Grass Airport welcomes travelers with one of the most beautiful air approaches in the nation.
Getting Around
Major car rental companies have desks and branches around the town. Public bus service is provided by LexTran. Visitors also have access to taxi companies, Uber and Lyft.
Visitor Center
It’s open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Open Sunday from noon till 5 p.m.in the summer)
A Brief History
When European settlers arrived on the scene, the Bluegrass Region was in use as a hunting ground by many Native American tribes. Lexington was founded in 1775, seventeen years before Kentucky became a state. William McConnell and a group of frontier explorers were camped at a natural spring when word came that the first battle of the American Revolution had been fought in Massachusetts. In honor of the battle, the group named their state “Lexington”. By 1820, Lexington was one of the largest and wealthiest towns west of the Allegheny Mountains.
Alcohol Laws
The minimum drinking age is 21. Alcoholic drinks may be sold in licensed bars and restaurants from 6 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday and from 11 a.m. Sunday to 2:30 a.m. Monday. Package stores may open from 7 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday. Smoking is not allowed inside public buildings, including restaurants.
Climate / Seasonal Planning
The average temperature in Lexington is 54.9 degrees Fahrenheit. Annual rainfall is 45.68 inches. Lexington and the Bluegrass Region have four distinct seasons without long periods of heat, cold, rain, wind and snow.
1. What can travelers do at Lexington?| A．Have access to the Visitor Center daily. |
| B．Fly to over 100 tourist destinations. |
| C．Experience its long snow season. |
| D．Rent a car very easily. |
| A．An European settlers. | B．A natural spring. |
| C．A battle. | D．A tribe. |
| A．Teenage alcohol use. | B．Selling alcohol in bars. |
| C．Smoking inside any building. | D．Drinking alcohol after midnight. |
【推荐3】Edinburgh Festivals
The Edinburgh Festivals in 2024 are set to bring a wave of colour and huge excitement to the city.
Edinburgh Festivals 2024 Dates
Edinburgh Science Festival—30 March—14 April 2024
Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival—12—21 July 2024
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo—2—24 August 2024
Edinburgh International Festival—August 2024
Edinburgh Art Festival—August 2024
Edinburgh International Book Festival—August 2024
What are the Edinburgh Festivals like?
Listen to top class live music when incredible musicians from all over the world roll into town for the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival. There’ll hardly be time to catch your breath before Edinburgh Art Festival launches, an unmissable opportunity to see wonderful visual works created by talented Scottish and international artists.
Let’s not forget about the Edinburgh International Book Festival, where you can join author readings, Q&As and talks covering all types of literature.
Edinburgh Festivals Tips
To help you make the most of visiting the festivals, we’ve prepared some handy tips:
Charge your phone (and bring a portable charger if you have one) so that you can check out the online programmes.
Wear comfy shoes—a day at the festivals can mean lots of walking.
Check the weather forecast—Edinburgh often experiences four seasons in one day! Make sure to pack a light rain jacket in case of a sudden downpour.
Start your day early so you can secure the best festival tickets and see the most popular visitor attractions before they get too busy.
Head to the Edinburgh VisitScotland iCentre on the Royal Mile and pick up a map to get your bearings.
1. When is the best time to experience Edinburgh Festivals?| A．During summer. | B．In winter. |
| C．Over Christmas. | D．On Thanksgiving day. |
| A．Edinburgh Science Festival. | B．Edinburgh International Festival. |
| C．Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival. | D．Edinburgh International Book Festival. |
| A．Bring an extra phone. | B．Prepare thick coats. |
| C．Buy a map online. | D．Wear comfortable shoes. |
【推荐1】Ninety years ago a man named Howard Carter made a great find. But he didn’t discover an unknown people group or a new plant. He found the resting place of a king.
People had seen signs of King Tutankhamun’s tomb (坟墓) but had never found it. Finally, Carter’s team discovered a set of steps that led down to some underground rooms. There Carter found the king’s body and many of his treasures.
Carter recorded his first impression in his popular book, The Tomb of Tut-Ankh-Amen:
At first I could see nothing, the hot air coming from the room causing the candle light to flicker (闪烁), but later, as my eyes grew used to the light, details of the room within appeared slowly and clearly, strange animals and gold — everywhere the light of gold... I was struck speechless with amazement, and when Lord Carnarvon, unable to stand the silence any longer, asked anxiously, “Can you see anything?” it was all I could do to get out the words, “Yes, wonderful things.”
The discovery has made King Tutankhamun, Tut for short, one of the best-remembered kings of Egypt. Tut became king when he was only 9 years old and ruled ancient Egypt from 1332 to 1323 B.C. No one is sure why, but he died suddenly before he turned 20. Because he died so young, there wasn’t time to prepare a great tomb for him. So he ended up with a smaller tomb. Its small size was actually the reason why it stayed hidden for so long. And, Tut’s tomb was not like other Egyptian kings’— it was not as damaged by time or robbers as other tombs. King Tut’s tomb remains the best-kept royal (皇室的) tomb ever discovered. The discovery of this little tomb has helped people learn a great deal about ancient Egypt.
1. We can learn from Paragraphs 1 and 2 that________.| A．Howard Carter found Tut’s tomb in the 1930s |
| B．there were a lot of treasures in Tut’s tomb |
| C．Howard Carter found Tut’s tomb by accident |
| D．a new plant was found in Tut’s tomb |
| A．Calm. | B．Proud. |
| C．Disappointed. | D．Shocked. |
| A．He died of a strange disease. | B．He ruled Egypt for about nine years. |
| C．He is known to few people today. | D．He built his own tomb over a long time. |
| A．King Tut’s story. | B．How to find a tomb. |
| C．Howard Carter’s achievement. | D．King Tut’s tomb. |
【推荐2】A long lost 16th century civilization has been unearthed in rural Kansas-all thanks to a teen who helped archaeologists(考古学家)confirm the incredible discovery.
The long-lost city called Etzanoa-where up to 20,000 Indians once lived-was discovered in Arkansas City, in the south-central part of the state, when a high school boy found a cannon(炮)ball that tipped off the experts that their long-held suspicions about the existence of Etzanoa were correct.
The city, whose name means “The Great Settlement”, is believed to be the second-largest Native American city in the U.S. and was the site of a battle between Spanish explorers and Indian soldiers in 1601.
“The Spanish were amazed by the size of Etzanoa, ” according to Donald Blakeslee, a 73-year-old Wichita State University archaeologist, who announced the discovery. “They counted 2,000 houses that could hold ten people each. They said it would take two or three days to walk through it all.”
For years, he and other scientists hunted for the fabled city. They dug up pottery, knives and stone tools that would link it to records from Spanish explorers - but couldn’t confirm that it was Etzanoa. Then last year, Adam Ziegler, who attends a nearby high school, discovered a half-inch iron cannon ball — linking it to the 1601 battle. During the battle, the Spanish fired cannons at Indian soldiers, who eventually fled the city.
Kansas officials now want to turn the long-lost city into a scenic spot. “We’re looking at creating something that could be great for the region, and for 50 years and more down the road,” said Jay Warren, an Arkansas City Council member. “And we think the site could also be a hands-on field training facility for archaeologists from all over the world. ”
1. What does the underlined phrase “tipped off” in paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Gave information to. | B．Let down. |
| C．Played tricks on. | D．Knocked off. |
| A．It was once home to over 20,000 Indians. |
| B．It witnessed great changes in the last few centuries. |
| C．It was a famous tourist attraction in the 16th century. |
| D．It was the largest Indian settlement in the U.S. at the time. |
| A．The Indians were at war with the Spanish. |
| B．The Spanish explorers settled down in Arkansas City. |
| C．The Indians set up a large settlement in Arkansas City. |
| D．Etzanoa was abandoned by the Spanish and became a lost city. |
| A．A museum will be set up there. |
| B．Tourism will be promoted there. |
| C．It will be returned to the native Indians. |
| D．It will be rebuilt into a large settlement. |
【推荐3】Chinese paleontologists have identified at least two new species of massive dinosaurs that once wandered the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwestern China some 130 million years ago.
The newly-revealed bones belonged to a group of long-necked plant-eating dinosaurs that include titanosaurs, according to the study published Thursday in the peer-reviewed journal Scientific Reports.
The two dinosaurs revealed in Thursday’s study are the first of their kind of be found in the Turpan-Hami Basin in Xinjiang. Their discovered adds to the evidence that the region hosted rich biodiversity during the Cretaceous period that ended some 66 million years ago, according to the researchers.
Wang Xiaolin, the study’s lead author, told Sixth Tone that they unearthed the fossils between 2008 and 2016 in the vast areas of the Gobi Desert in the Turpan-Hami Basin.
“There are just so many pterosaur fossils in the region, even their eggs and embryos,” said Wang, a paleontologist at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleo-anthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. “
Although a large desert now, Wang assumed that the basin was once home to a huge lake and rich vegetation, supporting billions of prehistoric animals.
One of the dinosaurs mentioned in the study, although incomplete, is thought to be of a large animal stretching over 20 meters. Researchers have named it Silutitan sinensis, after the ancient Silk Road trade route that crossed Xinjiang.
“It’s very difficult to find complete fossils of large dinosaurs,” Wang said, explaining that the Gobi Desert’s environment weathers fossils quickly.
Researchers also found several other dinosaur bones in the region, but the specimens offered scant information by which to be identified, according to die study.
| A．In some areas, you can find at least one sample per square meter. |
| B．However, it was previously believed that that species had not spread to East Asia. |
| C．Titanosaurs were among the largest dinosaurs known to have ever existed on Earth. |
| D．Meanwhile, the second species has been named Hamititan xinjiangensis, after the city where the dinosaur was discovered. |
| E．They were then digging fossils of pterosaurs, an extinct winged reptile that coexisted with dinosaurs millions of years ago. |
| F．I’m convinced that more dinosaur fossils, including footprints, bones or eggs, could be discovered in the province in the future. |
