1 . “I left Carrara when I was 26, and I was the youngest stone-cutter on the Abu Simbel worksite,” says Luciano Paoli. Aged 78, he is one of the workers with first-hand experience of this international adventure: the rescue of the Ramesses II temples in Egypt from the rising waters of the Aswan High Dam.
A green hand from the marble (大理石) caves of Carrara who helped cut the temples of Abu Simbel into blocks, Paoli attended the event celebrating the 50th anniversary (周年纪念) of the adventure, hosted by Salini Impregilo and the Museo Egizio (Egyptian Museum) in Turin, Italy.
On February 4, 2019, the rescue of the world heritage site was celebrated at an event held at the museum with Chief Executive Pietro Salini, Museo Egizio Director Christian Greco and UNESCO Regional Director Ana Luiza Thompson-Flores attending.
“Taking down two temples piece by piece, putting them back together elsewhere and perfectly rebuilding the landforms (地貌) around them was a great idea and showed us a new frontier (领域) for cultural protection,” said Salini. “It also showed the world that progress did not have to come at the expense of a world heritage site. Today, 50 years after this fantastic project, we remember with great admiration all those people from different countries and cultures, who, with their unique skills, achieved this impressive achievement for future generations.”
The work of moving the temples, in which Impregilo took part, was done with the support of 50 countries and some 2, 000 people in little more than 1,100 days.
This unique project is also being celebrated with the publication of “Nubiana”, a multimedia tome (多媒体巨著) that tells the story of the temples built more than 3,000 years ago in honour of the great Pharaoh Ramesses II. It also describes the engineering challenges of their rescue by international teamwork.
1. Why did Paoli leave Carrara at age 26?| A．To learn stone-cutting skills. |
| B．To work on an international team. |
| C．To attend a 50th anniversary event. |
| D．To fight against a rising flood in Egypt. |
| A．He thought highly of the great project. |
| B．He had a long wait for the anniversary. |
| C．He called on us to protect cultural heritage. |
| D．He expected future generations to work together. |
| A．It is the fruit of international effort. |
| B．It is part of the anniversary celebration. |
| C．It is in honour of the Pharaoh Ramesses II. |
| D．It shows the engineering of building temples. |
| A．Impregilo’s huge success as an organiser. |
| B．Paoli’s great achievement as a stone-cutter. |
| C．Two processes in the rescue of Abu Simbel. |
| D．The celebration of the Abu Simbel rescue. |
2 . Our wedding was about to begin. My throat was tight and my cheeks got red, but I didn't care. I was ready to marry David Sanchez. We're a “nontraditional” couple: getting married in a bookstore that supports a charity to fight HIV and homelessness.
“Kim! I could walk you down the aisle (走道) if you like！” David's father offered gently.
“I'm OK. But I appreciate that，” I said with a smile. And I was reminded, again, of my dad's absence.
My father died of cancer six weeks ago. For the last two months, we tried to make him feel comfortable and loved as he departed from this world. He always told us that he didn't like a funeral (葬礼) and insisted that our wedding go forward as planned. But how could we honor him since the wedding would be the first time the family would gather after his death and some even didn't know he was sick?
During the ceremony, my dear friend Eva delivered a reading entitled “When Things Go Missing” by Kathryn Schulz. She paused and got everyone on the same page, “When we are experiencing it, loss often feels like confusion in the usual order of things. In fact, the entire plan of the universe consists of losing, and life amounts to a reverse (逆向的) savings account in which we are eventually robbed of everything.”
I felt the energy full of the room. Everyone was listening. By choosing to accept the pain, we knew what a wedding does to join two families and mark the next chapter for a couple. Loss became a compass that kept us away from a fantasy and toward celebrating the difficult realities of life.
After rings were exchanged, fried chicken was served, our friends offered so many funny and touching toasts, and finally David sang “Married” on my father's guitar. I felt joy filling all the holes in my soul. Celebrating my father's life at our wedding made me grateful for all the time I had spent with him.
1. Why did David's father offer to walk the author down the aisle?| A．To relieve her tension. |
| B．To welcome her to his family. |
| C．To play the author's late father's role. |
| D．To contribute something to the charity. |
| A．She got a compass as a wedding gift. |
| B．She enjoyed David's promise for their marriage. |
| C．She received more sympathy from families and friends. |
| D．She recalled the days spent with her father and understood life better. |
| A．Because she could keep away from the pain. |
| B．Because she knew everyone was listening. |
| C．Because she got more courage for the marriage and life. |
| D．Because she could read a piece of Kathryn Schulz's works. |
| A．It was held in a library. |
| B．It was a touching and happy one. |
| C．Kim and David turned it into a funeral. |
| D．There was no other activity except reading. |
3 . If you are a fruit grower — or would like to become one — take advantage of Apple Day to see what’s around. It’s called Apple Day but in practice it’s more like Apple Month. The day itself is on October 21, but since it has caught on, events now spread out over most of October around Britain.
Visiting an apple event is a good chance to see, and often taste, a wide variety of apples. To people who are used to the limited choice of apples such as Golden Delicious and Royal Gala in supermarkets, it can be quite an eye opener to see the range of classical apples still in existence, such as Decio which was grown by the Romans. Although it doesn’t taste of anything special, it’s still worth a try, as is the knobbly(多疙瘩的) Cat’s Head which is more of a curiosity than anything else.
There are also varieties developed to suit specific local conditions. One of the very best varieties for eating quality is Orleans Reinette, but you’ll need a warm, sheltered place with perfect soil to grow it, so it’s a pipe dream for most apple lovers who fall for it.
At the events, you can meet expert growers and discuss which ones will best suit your conditions, and because these are family affairs, children are well catered for with apple-themed fun and games.
Apple Days are being held at all sorts of places with an interest in fruit, including stately gardens and commercial orchards(果园). If you want to have a real orchard experience, try visiting the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale, near Faversham in Kent.
1. What can people do at the apple events?| A．Attend experts’ lectures. |
| B．Visit fruit-loving families. |
| C．Plant fruit trees in an orchard. |
| D．Taste many kinds of apples. |
| A．It is a new variety. |
| B．It has a strange look. |
| C．It is rarely seen now. |
| D．It has a special taste. |
| A．A practical idea. |
| B．A vain hope. |
| C．A brilliant plan. |
| D．A selfish desire. |
| A．To show how to grow apples. |
| B．To introduce an apple festival. |
| C．To help people select apples. |
| D．To promote apple research. |
