A complete skeleton (骨架) of an animal, which was later confirmed to be that of a giant panda, was unearthed at     1     end of 2021 in Xi’an. It was the first time in history that giant panda remains had been unearthed from a tomb     2     (date) back to the Western Han Dynasty.

The skeleton had well-developed teeth, and was placed within a neatly     3     (lay) brick structure facing towards the direction of the tomb, with its tail pointing westward. After comparing the skeleton     4     existing giant pandas’, researchers discovered that it     5     (actual) belonged to a giant panda.

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     6     (warm) than today.

Back in 1975, a buried giant panda     7     (discover) near the tomb of Empress Bo. Researchers said that it is not yet possible to conclude that Empress Bo had a special     8     (prefer) for giant pandas. It appeared to be a royal garden feature.

Besides the giant panda, the remains of other rare animals were also found in the tomb,     9     reflects the belief in the Han Dynasty that people would live a life in the underworld, similar to that when they     10     (be) alive.

A Stone Age bird sculpture     1     (cover) in China could be a “missing link” in our understanding of prehistoric art.     2     (date) back almost 13,500 years, the sculpture is now the oldest known example of three-dimensional art in East Asia.

Described     3     being in “an exceptional state of preservation,” the sculpture was found at an archeological site in Lingjing, Henan Province. It was hand-carved from burned animal bone. Researchers say the sculpture depicts (刻画) a bird on a base, pointing to deliberate marks     4     the creature’s eyes and bill (嘴) would be. It is believed that the bird’s oversized tail was made     5     (prevent) the sculpture from leaning forward when     6     (lay) on a surface. This discovery identifies a(n)     7     (origin) artistic tradition and pushes back by more than 8,500 years the representation of birds in Chinese art. The sculpture differs     8     (technology) and stylistically from other sculptures found in Western Europe and Siberia, and it could be the missing link tracing the origin of Chinese statues back to the early part of the Stone Age. Li Zhanyang, who led     9     study, has contributed to other archeological findings in Lingjing, including various ancient     10     (tool) and two skulls belonging to an extinct species of early humans.

Digging up the past

Pottery (陶器) is an ancient art. It     1     (use) for thousands of years all over the world. Old pottery is usually found in pieces     2     (call) “potsherds (陶瓷碎片)”. Sometimes potsherds found in the same place can be put back together to recreate the     3     (origin) pot. Even in pieces, old pottery can teach us about the past. Archaeologists (考古学家)     4     (examine) pottery consider not only its appearance but what it was made of and how it was made. With this knowledge, they can gain     5     (benefit )information about people's lives in times past.

Pottery is made by first adding water to a kind of soil called clay. When     6     (get) wet, clay can be made into shapes. It is then heated. This hardens the clay and enables it     7     (keep) its shape. To make clay easier to shape and heat, potters use something called “temper”.

A pot's shape and     8     (decorate) can provide clues about the past. Painted pictures might show events from daily life or from myths and legends. Archaeologists know certain shapes and styles     9     were common in different times and places.

Archaeologists are absorbed     10     studying the differences in types of pottery closely. Because of their work, these ordinary objects can reveal some of the mysteries of the past.