Columbus was born in a port city of Italy in 1451. As a teenager, he loved sailing and showed great interest in geography,
Columbus insisted on searching for a direct sea route to the East Indies
Between 1493 and 1504, Columbus found more land later. His major
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.
It took about 80 years to build the pyramids. Archaeologists believe that about 20,000-30,000 people took part in the construction.
“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).
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. |
3 . Maaseik, a city in Belgium, has opened an exhibition of about 200 relics and treasures of the Tang Dynasty(618 AD - 907 AD), showing China’s golden age of ancient civilisation (文明) .
The exhibition, which opened on May 11 and will continue until Oct. 20, is part of the city’s effort to create a centre of Chinese culture. Belgian Princess Mathilde formally announced the beginning of the exhibition, titled: China’s Golden Age: Treasures from the Tang Dynasty”.
The items, including gold plates and silver wares for royal families, Tang Dynasty tri-colour glazed figurines (小雕像) of women and paintings, have recently been on exhibit in the Dutch city of Assen.
All of the exhibited items are from Shaanxi Province, China. Its provincial capital Xi’an was the most populous (人口众多的) city in the world and once the capital of the Tang Dynasty.
The Tang period is generally regarded as a high point in Chinese civilisation-requal to, or better than that of the earlier Han Dynasty(202 BC-220 AD), a golden age of Chinese culture.
Several years ago, said Dirk Verlaak, vice-mayor of Maaseik, his city and Assen teamed up to host history and culture exhibitions of China’s first two imperial dynasties, the Qin (221 BC-207 BC) and the Han. The Chinese relics and treasures attracted 350, 000 visitors in Assen and 190, 000 in Maaseik.
“Westerners don’t know much about China’s ancient civilisation and history, and we hope the new exhibition in Maaseik can attract more visitors,” said Verlaak.
1. Maaseik held the exhibition in order to ________.A.make money | B.educate people |
C.attract foreign visitors | D.spread Chinese culture |
A.Dirk Verlaak is interested in Chinese history |
B.All the items in the exhibition are from China |
C.Assen attracted more visitors than Maaseik several years ago |
D.This is the first time that Maaseik has held such an exhibition |
A.Doubtful | B.Content | C.Worried | D.Disappointed |
A.Tang Dynasty Treasures Exhibited in Belgium |
B.Tang Dynasty Treasures Discovered in Belgium |
C.Chinese Culture Goes around the World |
D.Chinese Civilisation Attracts Foreigners |