2 . For archaeologists (考古学家) in Israel, eight prehistoric ostrich (鸵鸟) eggs-thought to be between 4,000 and 7,500 years old-proved as valuable as treasure when they were dis-covered near an ancient fire pit in the Negev, a desert region in the south of the country.

They were discovered during an archaeological excavation (挖掘) in the agricultural fields of Be’er Milka, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced on Thursday. The eggs’ location suggests that they were collected by the prehistoric (史前的) desert nomads (游牧民) who used the campsite, according to a press release from IAA, and further lab analysis will provide more information about their uses and ages. Although the nomads did not build permanent structures at this site, the finding allows us to feel their presence in the desert. The campsites were covered by sand, keeping the eggs exceptionally well-preserved.

Ostriches were common in the region until they became extinct in the wild during the 19th century. Their eggs were beautifully decorated and were prized items during the Bronze and Iron Ages (青铜和铁器时代). As well as being used as decorative items, ostrich eggs were also used as a source of food. One ostrich egg has the nutritional value of about 25 normal chicken eggs.

While ostrich eggs are not uncommon in excavations, the bones of the large bird are not found. This may indicate that in the ancient world, people avoided dealing with the ostrich and were content with collecting their eggs.

3 . The city of Pompeii is a partially buried Roman town­city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania. Along with Herculaneum, Pompeii was partially destroyed and buried under 4 m to 6 m of ash in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

By the 1st century AD, Pompeii was one of a number of towns located near the base of the volcano, Mount Vesuvius. The area had a large population which grew prosperous(繁荣的) from the region’s agricultural fertility(丰产). Many of Pompeii’s neighboring communities also suffered damage or destruction during the 79 AD eruption. The eruption occurred on August 24.

A study of the eruption products and victims indicated that at Vesuvius and surrounding towns heat was the main cause of death of people, previously believed to have died by ash suffocation(窒息). The results of the study, published in 2010, show that exposure to at least 250 ℃ hot surges at a distance of 10 kilometres from the vent(出口) was sufficient to cause instant death, even if people were sheltered within buildings.

In 1748, a farmer called Andre and his brother dug a cupboard made of metal. To their surprise, there are a lot of dissolved jewelry and ancient money in it.

This news took air. The farmers were thinking of the legend of disappeared Pompeii that ancestors told them. So, many archaeologists, historians, and even treasure hunters swarmed(蜂拥) there. In 1876, Italy government agreed with experts to dig the Pompeii out. Through a hundred years’ working, they dug the Pompeii out completely.

The historian Vanya said, “What a horrifying scene! Many people died when they are dormant(休眠的), and some people died behind the door of home. They were raising their hands and breathing ...”

Compared with nature, human seems small and weak. We don’t have enough power to compete with nature, so we should respect nature and protect the environment to lessen disasters.

4 . Two thousand years ago, the ancient Roman city of Caesarea had the largest harbor on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It was a wonder of engineering for its time. Then disaster struck. Written records say a huge wave destroyed the harbor. What kind of wave caused it? Did it ally happen? No one had ever found the evidence of the wave... until now.

Dr Goodman is part of a team of scientists studying samples at Caesarea to figure out what happened in the past. A sample is taken by striking a tube into the seafloor. When the tube is pulled up, it contains sediments (沉淀物) that have collected on the seafloor for hundreds or thousands of years. Looking down through the mixture of sand, stones and other sediments is like looking back in time.

That’s what Dr. Goodman was doing when she found something astonishing. It was a layer (层) of shells — all came from the time the harbor was destroyed. Dr. Goodman knew this shell layer had a story to tell.

Usually, shells are part of the mixture of sediments collected on the seafloor. A shell layer is as thin as your finger. Yet Dr. Goodman was staring at a layer nearly 1 meter thick! Almost all the shells were broken.

The thick layer of broken shells meant a sudden, powerful event swept these shells into the area. The broken shells were evidence that a huge wave really did destroy the harbor. Dr. Goodman could even tell the direction of the wave from the way the shells lined up.

Here’s what Dr. Goodman thinks happened. First, an earthquake struck north of Caesarea along the coast. Energy from the movement of rock during the earthquake caused a tsunami. This huge wave raced across the sand and kicked up shells along the way and broke them into pieces. Finally, the wave crashed into the harbor and destroyed it.

Dr. Goodman plans to gather evidence for other ancient tsunamis along the Mediterranean coast. This will help her predict what areas are likely to be struck by future tsunamis. Then people can avoid building in these areas.

Archaeologists unearthed a relics site     1    (date) back to the late period of the Xia Dynasty in north China’s Shanxi Province, according to the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology.     2    (locate) along the lower reaches of the Fenhe River, the site in Jishan County of Yuncheng City covers     3     areas of about 100,000 to 150,000 square meters.

Authorities worked     4    (dig) at the site in both 202l and 2022. From April to August in 2021, archaeologists     5    (lucky) discovered two pottery kilns (陶瓷窑) and many pits (填). From October to November in 2022, the staff found a large pit and a kiln in the west of the pit. The pit has a     6    (long) of about 23.5 meters from east to west, a width of about 7 meters from north to south, and a height of 2 to 4 meters.

Cui Junjun, one of the     7    (leader) of the archaeological project, said that the unearthed relics included china, stone and bone tools, etc. In addition     8     artificial products, a lot of animal and plant remains     9    (discover), and 250,000 carbonized plant seeds, most of     10     were millet (系类) seeds, were also found in a special way.

On the north bank of Fuxian Lake in Chengjiang County, Yunnan Province sits a straw-hat-shaped mountain     1     (call) Maotian Mountain,     2     a 512-hectare site is praised as a “world-class treasure trove of fossils” by the international scientific community. On July 1,1984, young paleontologists in China discovered a fossil of the arthropod (节肢动物化石) with a long tail in Maotian Mountain. “    3     we had studied in China were just shell of fossils. The arthropods, lifelike fossils with legs, which belonged to fossils of soft-bodied animals, are     4     game changer in the research of China’s paleontology (古生物学)”, Hou Xianguang, a paleontologist said.

Scientists have obtained a large number of research results on Chengjiang Fossil Site. The reason why Chengjiang fauna (动物群) is     5     great significance is that it is closely related to the emergence of the animal tree of life.

Up to now, more than 20 phyla and more than 280 species     6     (record)in the Chengjiang Fossil Site, of which, 80% are new species. On July 1, 2012, the Chengjiang Fossil Site     7     (be) inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO,     8     (become) China’ s first World Heritage Site for paleontological fossils.

The UNESCO evaluation says the Chengjiang Fossil Site is one of the     9     (early) records of a complex marine ecosystem of the early Cambrian communities. The property displays excellent quality of fossil     10     (preserve). It presents an exceptional record of the rapid diversification of life on Earth during the early Cambrian period.