The true origins of silk fabric will likely never be known. The best that can be done is
This seems unlikely to have been done if the cocoon was to be used to produce silk
2 . Archaeologists in Egypt have unearthed a Sphinx statue (狮身人面像) with a smiley face near the Hathor Temple, one of the country’s best preserved ancient sites. The smiling Sphinx is much smaller than the famous Sphinx in Giza, which is 20 metres high. The stone work of art, believed to be a stylized representation of an ancient Roman emperor, was found inside a two-level tomb near the temple in southern Egypt.
Next to the beautifully and accurately carved Sphinx, researchers had found a Roman stone written in hieroglyph (象形文字). Once fully translated, the stone may unveil the identity of the sculpted ruler, who could be Emperor Claudius.
The smiling Sphinx is among a series of discoveries announced over the past few months. The country has uncovered major archaeological discoveries in recent months, primarily in the Saqqara cemetery (墓地) south of Cairo as well as in Giza, home to the only surviving structure of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Recently, Egypt announced the discovery of a hidden nine-metre passage inside the Great Pyramid of Giza, which may lead to the actual burial room of pharaoh (法老) Khufu, or Cheops. Further south, in Luxor, archaeologists had discovered a 1,800-year-old complete residential city from the Roman times.
Hathor Temple, about 500 kilometres south of the capital Cairo, was home to the Dendera Zodiac, a heavenly map which has been displayed at the Louvre in Paris for more than a century. Since Frenchman Sebastien Louis Saulnier took it out of the temple in 1922, Egypt has been attempting to get it back.
Some experts see such announcements as having more political and economic weight than scientific, as Egypt is counting on tourism to revive its vital tourism industry in a severe economic crisis. The government aims to draw in 30 million tourists a year by 2028.
1. What do we know about the smiling Sphinx?A.Its owner was confirmed as an ancient Roman ruler. |
B.It has been the best-preserved Sphinx till now. |
C.It is as high as 20 metres like the Sphinx of Giza. |
D.It was discovered close to the Hathor Temple. |
A.Reveal. |
B.Seek. |
C.Deny. |
D.Maintain. |
A.The diversity of cultural relics in Egypt. |
B.The discoveries made recently in Egypt. |
C.The status of the Great Pyramid of Giza. |
D.The new discovery about pharaoh Khufu. |
A.Scientific progress. |
B.Political position. |
C.Economic advance. |
D.Cultural exchange. |
Located in the Yangtze River Basin, the archaeological (考古的) ruins of Liangzhu date back to 3, 300~2, 300 BC. The ruins reveal a nearly state with a unified belief system based on rice cultivation (种植), and this state
Chen Minghui, archaeologist and director of the Liangzhu Workstation, has an
Having worked in Liangzhu for 11 years, Chen is always
4 . More than 3,400 years after two ancient Egyptians were laid to rest, the jars of food left still smell sweet. A team of analytical chemists and archaeologists (考古学家) has analysed these smells to help identify the jars’ contents. The study shows how the exploration of smell can enrich our understanding of the past.
The 1906 discovery of the undisturbed tomb (墓穴) of Kha and Merit symbolized an important stage in Egyptology. The tomb remains the most complete non-royal ancient one ever found in Egypt, showing important information about how high-ranking individuals were treated after death.
Unusually for the time, the archaeologist who discovered the tomb resisted the temptation to open the sealed containers even after they were sent to the Egyptian Museum. The contents of many of these containers are still unknown, although there are some clues, says analytical chemist Ilaria Degano. “From taking with the museum keeper we knew there were some fruity smells in the display cases,” she says.
Degano and her colleagues placed various artefacts (人工制品) inside plastic bags for several days to collect some of the chemical substances they released. Then the team used a special machine to identify the components of the smells from each artefact. They found some chemicals associated with dried fish, and some chemicals common in fruits. The findings will feed into a larger project to reanalyse the tomb’s contents and produce a more comprehensive picture of burial customs for non-royals that existed when Kha and Merit died, about 70 years before Tutankhamun became the Egyptian ruler.
Aside from showing more about past civilizations, ancient smells could make museum visits more inviting. Usually, people admire exhibits with their eyes in museums. “Smell is a relatively unexplored gateway to the collective past for museum visitors,” says Cecilia Bembibre at University College London. “It has the potent alto allow us to experience the in a more emotional, personal way, through our nose.”
1. What can we describe the 1906 discovery of Kha and Merit’ tomb as?A.A landmark in Egyptology. | B.A turning point in human history. |
C.A breakthrough in archaeology. | D.A mirror of ancient non-royal life. |
A.Pressure. | B.Ambition. | C.Desire. | D.Tendency. |
A.protect them from harm | B.gather their smells |
C.test the special machine | D.back up a larger project |
A.They bring them back to the past. |
B.They give them emotional support. |
C.They change their view on civilizations. |
D.They add to their experience. |
5 . Roughly 2,000 years ago, Mount Vesuvius erupted, destroying the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Now some scientists are working to decode (解码) one of the great mysteries of that time — the scrolls (卷轴) of Herculaneum.
In 1752, workers were digging in Herculaneum when they uncovered a home that had belonged to a rich person. Inside, under a layer of volcanic mud, they discovered over 600 scrolls — the largest library of the ancient world. Most of the scrolls were made from papyrus—a paper like material. The heat from the volcano had burned the scrolls so much that they looked like blocks of charcoal (木炭).
The scrolls were so fragile that just touching them could make them fall apart. So scientists have been looking for ways to read the scrolls without opening them. Dr. Seales developed a method of using a CT (computed tomography) scanner to take 3D X-ray images of a papyrus scroll. Then he used a computer program to “unroll” the scroll, and get pictures of what it looked like on the inside. In 2016, his team used this method to read a burned scroll found near the Dead Sea.
But the scrolls from Herculaneum are much harder. The ink is made from charcoal and water, and doesn’t show up well in CT scans. He trained an AI program to figure out the writing. Though Dr. Seales was making progress, it was slow going. Then Dr. Seales met with two businessmen, who had the idea of creating a contest.
About 1,500 people have taken part in the contest. These people are sharing information as they make progress, so everyone can build on those ideas. In August, Luke Farritor, a 21-year-old student at the University of Nebraska, created an AI program that found a whole word: “πορψúραc”, or “porphyras” which means “purple”.
“This is the first word ever read from these ancient scrolls. For me, reading words from within the Herculaneum scrolls is like stepping onto the moon,” Dr. Seales says. “Now I can’t wait to explore.”
1. What is known about the scrolls of Herculaneum?A.They were stored in the library. | B.They were dug out by workers. |
C.They were made from charcoal. | D.They were the largest in the world. |
A.Easily broken. | B.Newly written. | C.Nicely wrapped. | D.Rarely seen. |
A.To futher promote their products. |
B.To find out who was more intelligent. |
C.To encourage people to contribute ideas. |
D.To cultivate a sense of business awareness. |
A.Disappointed. | B.Ashamed. | C.Confused. | D.Excited. |
A complete skeleton (骨架) of an animal, which was later confirmed to be that of a giant panda, was unearthed at
The skeleton had well-developed teeth, and was placed within a neatly
The researchers thought this giant panda might have originated from the forests on the northern side of the Qinling Mountains, where the climate was possibly
Back in 1975, a buried giant panda
Besides the giant panda, the remains of other rare animals were also found in the tomb,
A total of 3,228 graves have been found at the ruins
The ruins,
According to Du Wei, leader of the excavation project, three graveyards
“Potteries, bronze ware, jadeware, braided fabrics, human bones and
Nuomuhong culture is a Bronze Age archaeological culture with Qinghai characteristics,
Speaking at a meeting of experts on the ruins last week, Huo Wei,
In Diaoyu city, an ancient castle in Southwest China’s Chongqing, a special tour was conducted recently with a focus on damaged walls, old stones and ordinary-looking locations, rather than the photogenic spots
Ten people from four
Other than the study tour, Chongqing has promoted the charm of history and culture, such as opening the country’s first archaeology-themed café
Chongqing
Discoveries made during the latest excavation of Pit No.1 at the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, China’s first emperor, have allowed Chinese archaeologists to gain more insight into
According to a recent report archaeologists
“The Terracotta Warriors used a very special mechanism to connect pieces together. Such
Through excavations, Chinese researchers have established the types and arrangement of weapons
10 . Fossils are well preserved remains, impressions, or traces (痕迹) of animals and plants that lived long ago. Paleontologists (古生物学家) divide fossils into two main groups. Some fossils, called body fossils, show the structure of the plant or the animal. They form directly from the remains of plants and animals. Other fossils, called trace fossils. They record signs of animal or plant activities, such as walking, feeding, scratching, or even resting.
Most animals and plants don’t become fossils after they die. They break down into little bits or may be eaten by other animals. But some remains get buried too fast, avoiding those things happening. An animal might die near a body of water and sink to the bottom, where its remains get covered in sediment (沉积物). As sediment builds up, mineral-rich water seeps into the remains, leaving minerals in the tiny spaces of the bones and even replacing the original bones. The new minerals react with those in the animal’s remains and then harden into fossils.
Most fossils are buried deep in the Earth. As the Earth’s surface changes, scientists can dig up new fossils and learn more about past life and the Earth’s history. In rock that formed before a certain time, roughly 2.8 million years ago, scientists will not find human fossils.
Fossils are our keys to understanding prehistoric life and the Earth’s history. By studying fossils, we learn about a great variety of plants and animals that lived in the past. We can know what they looked like, how and where they moved and what they ate. By comparing fossils from different time periods, we can track the evolution of a species, see how it adapted to changes in its environment, and understand more about the climate and environment where the fossils were buried.
1. What can we learn from paragraph 1?A.Fossils are remains of plants and animals. |
B.Trace fossils only tell us the activities of animals. |
C.Trace fossils form directly from the remains of creatures. |
D.Body fossils show almost the original structure of creatures. |
A.Where we can find fossils. | B.How animals and plants become fossils. |
C.Different fossils have different features. | D.Which methods are used to study fossils. |
A.Engages in. | B.Succeeds in. | C.Delights in. | D.Sinks in. |
A.Ridiculous. | B.Complex. | C.Significant. | D.Inspiring. |