Originally constructed around 256 BCE by the State of Qin
During the Warring States period, people who lived along the banks of the Min River
2 . More than 3,400 years after two ancient Egyptians were laid to rest, the jars of food left still smell sweet. A team of analytical chemists and archaeologists (考古学家) has analysed these smells to help identify the jars’ contents. The study shows how the exploration of smell can enrich our understanding of the past.
The 1906 discovery of the undisturbed tomb (墓穴) of Kha and Merit symbolized an important stage in Egyptology. The tomb remains the most complete non-royal ancient one ever found in Egypt, showing important information about how high-ranking individuals were treated after death.
Unusually for the time, the archaeologist who discovered the tomb resisted the temptation to open the sealed containers even after they were sent to the Egyptian Museum. The contents of many of these containers are still unknown, although there are some clues, says analytical chemist Ilaria Degano. “From taking with the museum keeper we knew there were some fruity smells in the display cases,” she says.
Degano and her colleagues placed various artefacts (人工制品) inside plastic bags for several days to collect some of the chemical substances they released. Then the team used a special machine to identify the components of the smells from each artefact. They found some chemicals associated with dried fish, and some chemicals common in fruits. The findings will feed into a larger project to reanalyse the tomb’s contents and produce a more comprehensive picture of burial customs for non-royals that existed when Kha and Merit died, about 70 years before Tutankhamun became the Egyptian ruler.
Aside from showing more about past civilizations, ancient smells could make museum visits more inviting. Usually, people admire exhibits with their eyes in museums. “Smell is a relatively unexplored gateway to the collective past for museum visitors,” says Cecilia Bembibre at University College London. “It has the potent alto allow us to experience the in a more emotional, personal way, through our nose.”
1. What can we describe the 1906 discovery of Kha and Merit’ tomb as?| A．A landmark in Egyptology. | B．A turning point in human history. |
| C．A breakthrough in archaeology. | D．A mirror of ancient non-royal life. |
| A．Pressure. | B．Ambition. | C．Desire. | D．Tendency. |
| A．protect them from harm | B．gather their smells |
| C．test the special machine | D．back up a larger project |
| A．They bring them back to the past. |
| B．They give them emotional support. |
| C．They change their view on civilizations. |
| D．They add to their experience. |
3 . Britons are well known for the amount of tea that they drink. The average person in the UK consumes around 1.9 kg of tea yearly. That’s around 876 cups of tea. Tea is drunk by all sections of society. But tea is not native to Britain. Most tea is grown in India and China. So, how did it become an important part of British culture?
Tea arrived in London in the 1600s. At this time, British ships were exploring the world and came across the drink in China. It was not long before green tea was available to buy. However, this was only available to the richer sections of society.
At the beginning of the 1700s, the amount of tea arriving in Britain increased gradually. Black tea arrived at this time. At first people drank this tea exactly as it was in China. They soon discovered that it mixed really well with a little milk and sugar, giving the drink a special British characteristic.
In the 1800s tea was still a product enjoyed only by people with money. At this time they began to have “afternoon tea”. This involves drinking tea with a snack around 4 pm to avoid feeling hungry between lunch and dinner. It is a tradition that is still going today but has become less popular in recent times.
In the late 1800s, the price of tea decreased sharply as more tea began to arrive on ships from India and China. It was no longer a drink just for rich people. Tearooms — shops where you could buy and drink tea — started to appear across the country. People enjoyed drinking tea and socialising in these places. At the start of the 20th century, Britons began to make tea in their homes whenever they felt like it. Kettles became necessary in every kitchen.
1. How does the passage mainly develop?| A．By providing examples. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By following the order of time. | D．By following the order of importance. |
| A．Tea reached Britain from China centuries ago. | B．Britons are famous for planting tea. |
| C．Green tea was popular in China. | D．Most tea is grown in Britain. |
| A．In the early 1700s. | B．In the early 1800s. |
| C．In the late 1800s. | D．In the late 20th century. |
| A．To describe how to drink tea. | B．To explain why people love tea. |
| C．To compare black tea with green tea. | D．To introduce the history of British tea culture. |
1. How many presidents are there before Lincoln?
| A．15. | B．16. | C．17. |
| A．Rich. | B．Poor. | C．Large. |
| A．Lincoln was elected to the president of the U.S. |
| B．Some southern states wanted to break off. |
| C．Some slaves began to fight for their rights. |
| A．He was one of the greatest lawyers in the U.S. |
| B．He gave one of the most famous speeches. |
| C．He managed to keep his country together. |
Wandering sounds,
The earliest piece of guqin in China,
The tone of a guqin is quiet, ethereal and distant. Vibrations are suppressed to produce an undulating (起伏) and lasting flavor,
The guqin
Hangzhou has been a center of silk culture for thousands of years, and its products are widely renowned. In fact, China was the first country
So much it
Even today, Hangzhou’s silk finds favor with tourists of all nations, and along with tea, silk is one of its must-have souvenirs. The city center
On March 29, 1974, farmers were digging
The
Only a small part of the area around Qinshihuang’s tomb bas been explored, and the contents of the tomb itself is still a mystery. According to old stories, it contains a
8 . Try to picture the world before refrigerators. That may be difficult!
One advanced method of food storage arose in Persia around 400 BC. People there stored food in structures called Yakhchal, which were buildings made from mud brick to keep ice frozen during even the warmest summer months. During the Middle Ages, people stored meat by salting or smoking it.
Later, buildings called ice houses or ice pits were built upon the idea of the Yakhchal. Such ice houses were very common by the 1800s. At the end of the 19th century, many people kept their food fresh in iceboxes made of wood.
By the 1930s, many people were using electric refrigerators to keep food fresh.
| A．They would also dry many foods, including grains. |
| B．These containers held large blocks of ice to keep food cool. |
| C．No one knows for sure how people first learned to store food. |
| D．After all, kids today are used to grabbing a snack from the fridge after school. |
| E．Since then, growth in technology has led these machines to become more advanced. |
| F．With no means to store food, ancient people often went hungry or even died. |
| G．Actually, people found different ways to keep their food fresh thousands of years ago. |
9 . Icehouse and ice ticket
As early as Pre-Qin Dynasty, people used natural ice to keep food fresh and make cold drinks. The Zhou royal court had a specialized department called “ice administration”. They collected natural ice blocks each December to store in the icehouse. During the Qing Dynasty, “ice tickets” were used and they were available only to officials and the rich.
Ice container
The most commonly used cooling tool is called “Jian”, which is a big container filled with ice. It was made of clay in early Chinese history, and was later made of copper (铜). The “Jian” can be seen as an ancient refrigerator, which can be used to make cold drinks.
Hiding food in the well
During the Qin and Han dynasties, for common people, the most common way to cool off is by using their wells. Some families put a pot in the well as a cold closet, or put food in a basket and lowered the basket into the well with a rope.
Herbal drinks
During the Qing Dynasty, taking Chinese herbal medicine was popular in Beijing. In hot summer, some people preferred to drink ice water, some boiled perilla leaves, and liquorice as summer soup to keep off the heat. Ancient people also loved to make lotus seed soup in summer for the benefit of strengthening the body.
1. What does “Jian” have the same function as?| A．Container. | B．Refrigerator. | C．Clay. | D．Copper. |
| A．Ice tickets. | B．Ice container. | C．Hiding food in the well. | D．Herbal drinks. |
| A．To strengthen the body. | B．To keep food fresh. |
| C．To escape the summer heat. | D．To make cold drinks. |
10 . Sometimes shipwrecks（沉船）contain sunken treasure, loads of gold or jewelry. Other shipwrecks are themselves the treasure—the stories of their ill-fated voyages creating a legend that makes them sparkle far more than any gold or precious stones.
The wreck of HMS Endurance, which has finally been located deep beneath the icy seas of Antarctica after being lost 107 years ago, was arguably the most valuable shipwreck ever sought. That’s because its discovery adds another thrilling new chapter to an already fascinating tale of perseverance and survival that has echoed down the decades and still inspires today.
Incredibly well preserved at a depth of almost two miles, the ship is little changed from the day in November 1914 when it finally sank beneath the ice. Endurance became embedded in ice while crossing Antarctica’s Weddell Sea. The video shot by underwater search vehicles shows painted timbers, an undamaged guardrail（护栏）and the name “Endurance” written above the five-pointed symbol of a polar star.
“I tell you, you would have to be made of stone not to feel a bit soft at the sight of that star and the name above,” Mensun Bound, the mission’s marine archaeologist, told the BBC. “You can see a porthole（舷窗）that is in Shackleton’s cabin. At that moment, you really do feel the breath of the great man upon the back of your neck.” Shackleton’s leadership was crucial to getting his men out alive. The reason why Shackleton is still applauded as a great man becomes obvious when you consider what he achieved in the face of disasters and hardships during his 1914-16 expedition. The practicality and humanity he showed in the face of severe situations was arguably praised.
1. What makes Endurance the most valuable shipwreck?| A．The treasure aboard. | B．Its inspiring stories. |
| C．Its undamaged guardrail. | D．The symbol of a polar star. |
| A．The floating ice is as hard as stones. |
| B．The well-preserved shipwreck is amazing. |
| C．The heroic deeds of Shackleton are touching. |
| D．The discovery of Endurance is challenging. |
| A．A book review. | B．A news report. |
| C．A biography. | D．A travel journal. |
