Since Chinese archaeologists(考古学家)     1    (make) public some of the newly unearthed artifacts from the Sanxingdui Ruins site on Saturday, a gold mask has caught most of the attention from experts and     2     public alike.

Recognized as one of the most important ancient     3    (remain) found in the 20^th century, the 3000-year-old Sanxingdui in southwest China’s Sichuan province is a treasure house     4    (bury) with a collection of pottery, jade, bronze and gold wares.     5     astonished the archaeologists most about this gold mask is its large size. 23 centimeters wide and 28 centimeters high. Although only about half of the gold mask was unearthed, it’s so far the     6    (large) of its kind found in the primary stage of the Chinese civilization, weighing 280 grams.

It     7    (estimate) that the whole mask could weigh more than 500 grams. This lightweight mask is made of gold foil(箔), featuring a raised nose with a sharp edge at the tip. It’s     8    (basic) the same size as the head sculptures from the same pit. Thus, archaeologists believe it was originally attached     9     the face of a head sculpture.

The masks’ eyes and eyebrows are delicately hollowed out,     10    (create) a sense of seriousness and dignity. They most likely represent authorities or top-level figures at that period, according to archaeologists.