1 . An ancient tomb was recently discovered in southern Siberia in which there may be treasure, priceless objects, and the 3, 000-year-old remains of an ice mummy.

Swiss scientist Gino Caspari with the University of Bern was looking carefully at the pictures of the area in the Russian Tuva Republic, when he came across what appeared to be a tomb. It is a tomb of the Scythians, an ancient group of Eurasians.

This summer, together with researchers from the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Hermitage Museum, a dig at the site not only proved Caspari's idea, but told us the site is the largest and oldest of its kind ever discovered in what's increasingly known as the “Siberian Valley of the Kings.”

While any discovery dating back to a period between the Iron Age and Bronze Age is exciting, it's the nature of this site that makes scientists want to begin carefully clearing away the layers of rock and earth. First, the tomb appears to have never been dug, because it is in a Siberian wetland faraway from the nearest place where people live. Second, and most important, is its possible resting place under a thick layer of permafrost.

“There's permafrost in the area,” Caspari said. “There are really only a handful of permafrost tombs and very few that have not been damaged, where there have been ice mummies in good condition, and all the things in the tomb are untouched.”

While not as large, other tombs discovered in the area have produced fantastical treasures and objects, including thousands of gold objects and other things about the past. By studying all these tombs, researchers hope to have a better understanding of the Scythian people.

Caspari said his team is in a race against time to uncover the tomb and find out its secrets. “We now have to act fast,” he said, “because with the rising temperatures, the permafrost could melt and damage all the things in that tomb. And these are things that are over 3,000 years old, that look like new, like they were put there yesterday.”

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.