1 . The TV dramas concerning the unique Empress of China are always hot among audiences. Actresses who play the role of Empress Wu Zetian, are indeed all beauties. What did Wu Zetian, China’s only female emperor, look like in real life? Let’s explore the possibilities.

The famous Chinese scholar Guo Moruo researched this, and he thought that an empress in a painting by Tang Dynasty painter Zhang Xuan is Wu Zetian. Zhang left many famous paintings, such as Paintings of Lady of Guoguo on a Spring Outing of the Tang Dynasty, Court Ladies Preparing Newly-Woven Silk and Lady of Wei. It is guessed that Zhang Xuan was a court painter and had met Wu Zetian before, so the portrait by him is quite reliable.

Another frequently seen image of Wu Zetian is the block-painted edition of Images of Ancient People in History, created in 1498, during the government of Emperor Hongzhi in the Ming Dynasty. However, as the painting was recreated by Ming people, it is not very reliable and possibly a portrait born out of imagination.

There are also many stone statues of Empress Wu Zetian, and the most ancient one is now at her birthplace, Guangyuan in Sichuan province. The statue is said to be very close to the real appearance of Wu Zetian. When Empress Wu Zetian came into power, she built many temples and Buddha statues. Many Buddha statues in the Longmen Grottoes in today’s Luoyang in Henan province were constructed during her reign. Among them, a large Vairocana Buddha in Fengxian Temple is considered to be a “portrait” of Wu Zetian at 44 years old. The Buddha has characteristics of an oriental beauty’s face and is honored as the most beautiful Buddha in the world. At 17.14 meters high, the face of the Buddha looks pretty and has a mysterious smile. Wu Zetian funded the statue’s construction and took part in the consecration(神圣)ceremony when it was completed. Ancient people assumed that the statue was a vivid portrait of Empress Wu Zetian.

1. What is the passage mainly about?

A．A discussion about what Empress Wu Zetian looked like.

B．A brief introduction to Empress Wu Zetian.

C．why many stone statues were built.

D．The development of people’s ideas about Wu Zetian’s apprearance.

2. Why are people especially curious about what Wu Zetian looked like according to the passage?

A．Because there are too many puzzling possibilities.

B．Because even the famous Chinese scholar Guo Moruo researched this.

C．Because Wu Zetian is the only female empress in Chinese history.

D．Because it is human to be curious.

3. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?

A．How and why ancient people made stone statues resembling Wu Zetian.

B．Different stone statues assumed close to the appearance of Wu Zetian.

C．The development of Buddha statues resembling Wu Zetian.

D．The reason why Buddha statues were built during Wu’s government.

4. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

A．Wu Zetian admired Buddhism.

B．The empress portrayed by Zhang Xuan is Wu Zetian.

C．Images of Ancient People in History was created during Wu’s government.

D．People now assume Vairocana is an vivid portrait of Wu Zetian.

2 . Many people today think of the pyramids of Giza as the symbol of ancient Egyptian culture. But who actually built them? For years, we did not know for sure. Now, however, archaeologists have discovered an ancient city near the pyramids. Close by, there is a cemetery (墓地) where the pyramid builders were buried. From studying these places, archaeologists are sure that the pyramids were not built by slaves or foreigners.    1    

It took about 80 years to build the pyramids. Archaeologists believe that about 20,000-30,000 people took part in the construction.     2     Some dug up the rock, some moved it, and some shaped it into blocks. People also worked on different teams, each with its own name. Workers often competed to see whose team could do a job faster.

“We can see that in their skeletons(骨骼),” says Azza Mohamed Sarry El-Din, a scientist studying bones found in the cemetery. According to her research, the bones show signs of arthritis (关节炎)．    3     Archaeologists have also found many female skeletons in the ancient city and cemetery. The damage to their bones is similar to that of the men.    4     Male workers generally lived to age 40-45, but women to only 30-35. However, workers usually had enough food, and they also received medical care if they got sick or hurt.

    5     On a wall in Khufu's Great Pyramid, for example, a group of workers wrote Friends of Khufu. “It's because they were not just building the tomb of their king,” says Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass. “They were building Egypt. It was a national project, and everyone was a part.”

A．It still remains a mystery.

B．Ordinary Egyptians built them.

C．The workers took on different roles.

D．In fact, their lives may have been even harder.

E．They worked on the same jobs but competed to be the best.

F．The task was challenging, but builders were proud of their work.

G．This probably developed from carrying heavy things for a long time.