1 . Imagine an albatross (信天翁) with a hacksaw for a mouth. Set that strange creature about 50 million years in the past and you’ve got the image of a pelagornithid, a group of ancient birds that included some of the largest flying birds of all time.

Now paleontologists (古生物学家) have uncovered in that group what may be the largest known flying birds ever, with wingspans of roughly six meters. By comparing a pair of polar fossils ( 化 石 ) to the remains of related birds, paleontologists have been able to identify the early history of huge fliers that were some of the first birds capable of flying across seas.

During the 1980s, University of California Berkeley paleontologist Peter Kloess says, scientists searching for Antarctic fossils found some delicate bird bones — a jaw and part of a foot from an ancient bird. Those bones made a long journey to California, and Kloess and his colleagues have researched them recently

The bird jaw, which came from a rock formation laid down over 37 million years ago, looks almost like a woodcutting tool rather than a bone. The jaw has a series of large and small spikes (尖刺), outgrowths of the beak (鸟喙) that are similar to teeth. Because of that feature, the paleontologists immediately identified the jaw as belonging to a pelagornithid, also known as bony-toothed birds that have a very long fossil record. The oldest pelagornithids evolved about 56 million years ago, and the most recent flew through the skies about two million years ago.

The foot bone came from another large Antarctic pelagornithid, but its real importance was in its age. The fossil was found in a rock layer in the La Meseta Formation, about 50 million years old. This falls within a time called the Eocene, when life had recovered from the asteroid-induced mass extinction and was thriving again. Together, the foot bone and the jaw indicate that large bony-toothed birds thrived in the Antarctic for millions of years.

Paleontologists have found bony-toothed birds from places all over the world, from New Zealand to South Carolina. The newly-described Antarctic fossils, though, are the oldest known and hint that these birds quickly diversified into a range of sizes within six million years of their origin. Previous studies have calculated that the largest of the bony-toothed birds could be near the limit of how big a bird could get and still fly, meaning these birds are the strongest competitors for the largest flying birds to ever fly.

Matched with the new data on the age of the fossils, Kloess says, “we can say that giant pelagornithids appeared earlier than previously known and that Antarctica saw a range of pelagornithid sizes from the early to late Eocene.” Small to large, bony-toothed birds were an important part of ancient Antarctic ecosystems.

Those impressive wings would have allowed the pelagornithids to range far and wide, flying long distances on outstretched wings. That helps explain why fossils from various species of pelagornithids have been found all over the world during their extended evolutionary period.

2 . People all around the world have enjoyed noodles for thousands of years.     1     People first started growing wheat and making flour in the Middle East around 10,000 years ago. But no one had ever found a prehistoric noodle —until 2002.

Archaeologists discovered an upside-down clay bowl in the ruins of an ancient Chinese village.     2     This “mummy” noodle was made from millet. Traders brought wheat to China about the time this ancient noodle was cooked.

Some people claim that Marco Polo brought pasta to Italy. The tale says that when he visited China, he tried noodles for the first time and liked them so much that he took the recipe home.     3     In fact, it was likely made up by an American magazine to try to get Americans to eat more pasta.

    4     The oldest written mention of pasta outside China comes from the Middle East, about 1,600 years ago. The text describes how to eat dried noodles, a popular travel food in the Middle East and Central Asia. Dried noodles were perfect for long trips.     5     Some historians believe that dried noodles spread out from the Middle East or Central Asia. Traders packed their noodles and travelled to other parts of the world. Wherever they got the recipe, Italians were eating pasta long before Marco Polo.

So who REALLY invented noodles? We may never know—the history of noodles is as twisted as a bowl of spaghetti. But whoever invented them, we’re sure glad they did!

5 . The remains of a huge building from ancient Greece have been discovered by underwater researchers working at a site of a historic battle that took place 2,500 years ago.

The monumental construction was found in the shallow waters off the coast of Salamis during excavation (挖掘) work that took place in June and July last year. The Greek Culture Ministry, which announced the discovery, said it dates back to the time of the Battle of Salamis — a naval battle between Greek and Persian states. Underwater researchers were carrying out a study of the area when they found the remains in the shallow waters. They believed it was a large public building that was used until the late Roman times, in the third century C.E.

The researchers said it would likely have been one of the main public buildings in the area. The team found many other features relating to the building and marble sculptures. This, the ministry said, appears to date back to the fourth century B.C.E.

During the 2018 study, the researchers used a new technique where a flexible barrier was constructed, allowing them to drain (排水) the area being excavated, get a better view of the site and take samples of the remains, helping them date the building.

The discovery of the building is important as it is helping the researchers reconstruct the geography of the area 2,500 years ago. At this time — 480 B.C.E.— the Battle of Salamis took place in the straits between Salamis Island and mainland Greece. Following successful invasions (入侵) by the Persian army, the Greek ships had withdrawn to Salamis. At this point Themistocles, a politician and general, convinced Greek friends to fight, a report of the battle by the U.K.’s Cardiff University notes. The Persians thought they had the advantage. They entered the straits of Salamis with a view to blocking the entrance. However, their large ships failed to operate well in the tight waterways and the Greeks were victorious. After this win, the Greeks defeated the Persians in several other key battles, ending the period of invasion.

Ancient alchemists(炼金师) in China spent centuries trying     1     (discover)an elixir (灵丹妙药)of life. During the Tang Dynasty, around 850 A.D., an enterprising alchemist created a mixture,     2     had no obvious effects on lengthening life, but did explode with a flash and a bang when     3     (expose)to an open flame.

Many western history books over the years have stated that the Chinese used his discovery only    4     fireworks,     5     that is not true. Song Dynasty military forces as early as 904 A.D. used gunpowder devices against     6     (they) primary enemy, the Mongols.

By the mid-to-late-eleventh century, the Song government     7     (become) concerned about gunpowder technology spreading to other countries. The sale of saltpeter(硝酸盐)to foreigners was banned in 1076. Nonetheless, knowledge of the miraculous substance was carried along the Silk Road to India, the Middle East, and Europe. In 1267,     8     European writer made reference to gunpowder, and in 1280 the first recipes for the explosive mixture    9     (be) published in the west. China's secret was out.

Down through the centuries, Chinese     10     (invent) have had a profound effect on human culture.Items like paper, the magnetic compass, and silk have spread around the world. None of them, however, have had quite the impact that gunpowder has, for good and for bad.

8 . Once Popular Sports in Ancient Capital Xi'an

The ancient capital Xi'an in Northwest China's Shaanxi province is holding the National Games. As the capital of 13 dynasties throughout Chinese history, the ancient city has never been far from sports. Starting from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, the city has held many sports events.

Cuju: Origin of modern soccer

Cuju was an ancient Chinese competitive game involving kicking a ball through an opening into a net. As the ancestor of soccer, it first appeared in the renowned ancient Chinese historical work Zhan Guo Ce（“Strategies of the Warring States”）, which describedCuju as a form of entertainment among the general public. Later, cuju was commonly played in the army for military training purposes, during the Han Dynasty.

Jiaodi: Chinese-style wrestling

Sumo, known as Japan's “national sport”, actually started in ancient China. Sumo was called jiaodi or jiaoli in ancient times. Ancient jiaodi,a Chinese-style wrestling, was performed by athletes wearing ox horns and wrestling with each other imitating wild oxen. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, jiaodi was highly favored by emperors. In the Tang Dynasty, jiaodi was part of military training and a kind of entrainment and athletic sports.

Jiju: Ancient polo

Jiju is a sport which uses a stick to hit balls while riding on a horse, pretty similar to modern polo. It was popular in the royal court and among common people in the Tang Dynasty. There were many fields for playing polo in the court and it was also a major military training program in the army. In the Tang Dynasty capital, there were formal polo courts, such as the stadium pavilion in Chang' an palace.

Archery

During ancient times, the origin of archery was closely related with hunting and defense. Ancient archery was not only an athletic event,a military training program, and an entertainment activity, but also part of education. As early as in Zhou Dynasty, the archery was listed as one of the six practical disciplines, also called the Six Arts, becoming an important and competitive form.

While most westerners know the story of Hua Mulan through an animated film, she     1     (be) a popular character of Chinese legend (传说) for over a thousand year. One of the most famous stories about her is     2     1917 Beijing Opera, Mulan Joins the Army.

Traditionally, no women     3     (allow) to perform in operas, so men played all the roles. Though women were no longer prohibited by the time Mulan, Joins the Army was first performed,     4     was still common for men to perform female roles, so the part of Hua Mulan was most famously played by the male actor, Mei Lanfang (1894—1961).

In short, the story is about a girl, Hua Mulan,     5     father is called up to war. As Hua Mulan worries that her father is too elderly to fight, she decides to dress as a man and go     6     his place. After many years of war, she is offered a reward for her service, but     7     (turn) it down so she can go home. It is only much     8     (late) that the friends she made during the war discover she is not a man.

Hua Mulan is a symbol to many Chinese people because she strongly illustrates values that they appreciate. A loyal daughter, she fights first for her family, and then for her country,     9     (show) bravery and complete selflessness in her actions, winning praise and     10     (admire) from others, and bringing great honor to her family.

The first underground in the world

During the first half of the 19th century, people in London were conveyed to and around the city centre by horse­drawn buses, trams, cabs and carriages. But the vehicles resulted in traffic jams,     1    led to the development of the underground system.

In 1854, the government     2    (give) approval to the construction of an underground railway. However, because     3    lack of money the digging was postponed until 1860. Then, another section was opened. As     4    (good) ways of digging tunnels were developed, more and more underground lines were constructed. Having seen the disadvantages of the underground lines     5    (belong) to different companies, Charles Yerkes undertook improving this situation by placing all the lines under the authority of     6    same board.

During World War Ⅱ， the underground system had some     7    (usual) uses, such as bomb shelters. After World War Ⅱ， it     8    (enlarge) to meet the need.

And the last line     9    (add) was constructed in honour of the 25th anniversary of Elizabeth Ⅱ becoming the queen. Today the network of the underground system has expanded     10    (great) and become more popular.