Archaeologists in China have recently found the world’s oldest known coin manufacturing(制造)site. The site     1     (use) to make metal money around 2,600 years ago. It is located in the ancient city of Guanzhuang, in     2     is now China’s Henan Province.

Using radiocarbon(放射性碳)dating, the researchers came to the     3     (conclude) that the workshop began minting(铸造)operations between 640 BC and 550 BC. The discovery of the coin mint is     4     (true) exciting as it shows the existence of a very old coin workshop.

The coins     5     (make) at the workshop are “spade money”. They replaced     6     (shell) during the Spring and Autumn Period (about 770 to 476 BC). The workshop was close to the city’s administrative center,     7     suggests that it may have begun minting coins on government orders.

The new study adds fuel     8     a long-standing debate about the origins of currency. Some scholars argue that money     9     (begin) as a way to help trade between merchants and customers. Others say governments created it     10     (allow) for the collection of taxes and debts.

When it comes to ancient civilizations, most people think of the Greeks and Romans. It’s understandable as both     1     (shape) modern society in some way so far, whether it be their social, cultural, or political influences. However, dozens of civilizations had been around long     2     the Greeks and Romans, the lesser-known Jiahu people     3     (include).

The Jiahu settlement is located in the central plain of ancient China,     4     area known today as the Henan Province. The people created the country’s oldest recognized civilization. The area is rich in artifacts,     5     (make) it an archaeologist’s dream. Apart from the usual finds, people have uncovered records of the earliest examples of Chinese writing and proof     6     they were producers of the world’s oldest wine. Another remarkable discoveries was the oldest working bone flutes (长笛).     7     (typical) carved from the wing bone of a crane, they were most likely used in special ceremonies. Rough weaving tools and bone needles also     8     (unearth) from the site, indicating that Jiahu residents may have possessed basic weaving and sewing skills 8,500 years ago.

The settlement’s end came around 5700 BCE when the nearby rivers overflowed and flooded the area. It is assumed that the Jiahu people left their home     9     (settle) elsewhere, even though there is no indication as to     10     that might have been.

For 4,500 years, the Great Pyramid, or the Pyramid of Khufu,     1    （keep）watching over the Egyptian desert.

In that time, it has suffered the indignities（侮辱）of tomb raiders and archaeologists（考古学家）with gunpowder.     2     the latest survey of the pyramid's mysteries is far more complicated and     3    （take）a page from particle（粒子）physics. The fact     4     the particles interact differently with stone from with empty space led the scientists     5    （discover）a previously unknown 100-foot-long void（空间）,     6    （sit）somewhere above the pyramid's Grand Gallery.

“The good news is that the void is there, and the other good news is that this void is very big.”

Now what is it?

“We need the help of other people,” Mehdi Tayoubi, a researcher said. Maybe Egyptologists and     7    （expert）in ancient Egyptian architecture will provide us     8     some assumptions we can use for imitation（模仿）and to compare with the data we have to find some sort of architectural     9    （explain）for this void. Until then, the newly discovered space will be just one of many     10    （constantly）mysteries of this great wonder of the world.