1 . No one is sure how the ancient Egyptians built the pyramids near Cairo. But a new study suggests they used a little rock ‘n’ roll. Long-ago builders could have attached wooden poles to the stones and rolled them across the sand, the scientists say.
“Technically, I think what they're proposing is possible,” physicist Daniel Bonn said.
People have long puzzled over how the Egyptians moved such huge rocks. And there's no obvious answer. On average, each of the two million big stones weighed about as much as a large pickup truck. The Egyptians somehow moved the stone blocks to the pyramid site from about one kilometer away.
The most popular view is that Egyptian workers slid the blocks along smooth paths. Many scientists suspect workers first would have put the blocks on sleds(滑板). Then they would have dragged them along paths. To make the work easier, workers may have lubricated the paths either with wet clay or with the fat from cattle. Bonn has now tested this idea by building small sleds and dragging heavy objects over sand. .
Evidence from the sand supports this idea. Researchers found small amounts of fat, as well as a large amount of stone and the remains of paths.
However, physicist Joseph West, who led the new study, thinks there might have been a simpler way. West said, “I was inspired while watching a television program showing how sleds might have helped with pyramid construction. I thought, ‘Why don't they just try rolling the things?’” A square could be turned into a rough sort of wheel by attaching wooden poles to its sides, he realized. That, he noted, should make a block of stone “a lot easier to roll than a square”.
So he tried it. He and his students tied some poles to each of four sides of a 30-kilogram stone block. That action turned the block into somewhat a wheel. Then they placed the block on the ground.
They wrapped one end of a rope around the block and pulled. The researchers found they could easily roll the block along different kinds of paths. They calculated that rolling the block required about as much force as moving it along a slippery(滑的) path.
West hasn't tested his idea on larger blocks, but he thinks rolling has clear advantages over sliding. At least, workers wouldn't have needed to carry cattle fat or water to smooth the paths.
1. It's widely believed that the stone blocks were moved to the pyramid site by _________.| A．rolling them on roads | B．pushing them over the sand |
| C．sliding them on smooth paths | D．dragging them on some poles |
| A．Made the paths wet. | B．Made the paths hard. |
| C．Made the paths wide. | D．Made the paths slippery. |
| A．Because more force is needed for sliding. |
| B．Because rolling work can be done by fewer cattle. |
| C．Because sliding on smooth roads is more dangerous. |
| D．Because less preparation on paths is needed for rolling. |
| A．An experiment on ways of moving blocks to the pyramid site. |
| B．An application of the method of moving blocks to the pyramid site. |
| C．An argument about different methods of moving blocks to the pyramid site. |
| D．An introduction to a possible new way of moving blocks to the pyramid site. |
If you’re into reading, you will
Books have been around for about 4,500 years. Some of
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3 . Architectural history can take you through the evolution of those structures that served as a mark to remote civilizations, like the Egyptians and their architecture, reflected in pyramids, tombs, and many other ancient buildings along the Nile River．
In fact, the first big architectural design recorded in history was the work of Imhotep, Egyptian high priest（主教）, who designed and built the complex（综合建筑群） that took the name of his king, between the years 2630 to 2611 BC．
Ruins of the most varied architecture speak for themselves about the most varied civilizations, traditions, and beliefs around the world．Without architecture, the history of mankind would be incomplete．
Many surviving buildings of the ancient world are examples of the great things that architecture can do for the world．Among them, we can name the Great Pyramid, listed as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, and the great Wall of China, built between the years 221 to 206 BC．
As time passed, all buildings and designs began to take special characteristics, becoming symbols of different eras identified as architectural styles．In ancient Greece, where buildings seemed to always be the same, there were three types of columns to identify each period of time．
The Romans inherited from the Greeks most of their traditions, beliefs, and customs, including architecture, but they also developed their own．
Architectural history was influenced by artistic, economic, politic, and socio-cultural events throughout the centuries, and Europe became the cradle（摇篮） of many well-known architects in the years following the fall of the Roman Empire．
As time passes, the actual architecture differs in shape, materials, construction methods, and designing goals, but the work of the architects will continue for generations to come．
1. Who made the first big architectural design recorded in history?| A．Chinese | B．Indians | C．Egyptians | D．British |
| A．They give tourists chances to visit them． |
| B．They help to satisfy the needs of houses． |
| C．They can bring in a great deal of money for the local people． |
| D．They represent different cultivations, traditions, and beliefs there and then． |
| A．To show its strength | B．To tell us its importance |
| C．To show its special style | D．To prove the function of architecture |
| A．Architectural history was only influenced by economic and politic events． |
| B．The Roman Empire was the cradle of famous architects earlier than Europe． |
| C．The actual architecture remains the same in shape, material and designing goals． |
| D．Europe was the cradle of famous architects earlier than the Roman Empire． |
4 . Tang Dynasty poets sang for about three centuries in different tones. There were many famous poets living in the Tang period, such as Li Bai, Du Fu, Bai Juyi and Li Shangyin. The Poems of Tang Dynasty edited in the Qing Dynasty is a collection of more than 28,900 poems that were written by over 2,200 poets. But it didn't cover all the poems of the Tang Dynasty.
During the Tang Dynasty, poems were recited when lovers walked under the moonlight. Poems were also recited when soldiers fought on the battlefield. People recited them in the open air or at temple fairs.
Tang Dynasty poets wrote poems to win fame and also to develop their temperament (性情). They poured out deep feelings for their friends and criticized injustice in the world through poems.
In the Tang Dynasty scholars had to be poets. Their readers were not only people of high social position but also common people. Poets recited poems, women singers sang poems and other ranks of people, including old women and children, read Tang poems. This atmosphere affected foreigners who visited the country at that time. As a result, Tang poetry was introduced to some adjacent countries, like Japan and Vietnam.
Tang poetry is a most brilliant page in the history of ancient Chinese literature. It's a miracle (奇迹) in the cultural history of mankind. The Tang Dynasty was a powerful empire with a vast territory. It inherited (继承) Chinese civilization that went back to ancient times, was combined with the best of other cultures and adopted the benefits of other nations in the world. Tang poetry wasn't the only spiritual wealth created by the Tang Dynasty people. Philosophy and religion, handwriting and painting, and music and dance all gained new peaks of development. Tang poetry, however, was the jewel in the crown and its greatest achievement.
1. We can conclude from the passage that ________.| A．only people in the Tang Dynasty created poems |
| B．in total there were four famous poets in the Tang Dynasty |
| C．the Tang Dynasty probably existed for about three centuries |
| D．in the Tang Dynasty most common people were poets |
| A．Why the poets created poems. |
| B．Some other kinds of spiritual wealth in the Tang Dynasty. |
| C．The significance and influence of the Tang Dynasty. |
| D．The editors of The Poems of Tang Dynasty. |
| A．strong | B．neighbouring | C．poor | D．rich |
| A．The Great Tang Dynasty |
| B．Tang Dynasty Poetry |
| C．Famous Poets in the Tang Dynasty |
| D．The Development of the Tang Dynasty |
The Great Wall of China
In ancient China, many people built walls around their states to protect their land. It was Emperor Qin Shihuang who had the walls
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Welcome to the Great Wall. Measured more than 6,000 kilometers in length, the Great Wall is known as the long wall in the world. It has a long history of more than 2,000 years. That is amazing about the Great Wall is that it is main made of stones and bricks, and all the construction was done by hand. Though it was used to protect the country from foreign invaders, every few hundred meters along with the Great Wall, there was a watchtower. Now, as symbol of China, the Great Wall will become one of the most famous tourist attractions in the world. It is no wonderful that the Great Wall attract hundreds of thousands of foreign tourists every year.
7 . Many countries have national education programs. Some offer students a very basic education. Often, educational opportunities end with primary school. Parents who want their children to keep going to school have to pay a lot of money. Many students are trained to be skilled workers like carpenters and mechanics.
Thomas Jefferson had an idea about public education when the United States was a young country.
Some people thought that school should be for everyone. Horace Mann and Henry Barnard wrote articles for families about education.
Benjamin Franklin started secondary schools in 1751. Students were not required to attend. By the mid 1900s, school was a requirement for students until they turned 16.
Public education in the U.S. is mainly controlled by each individual state. Every state has a department of education which makes rules that apply to schools in that state. Local school districts oversee the schools in their area.
| A．They do this instead of continuing with academics. |
| B．The public schools developed quickly after the 1800s. |
| C．However, the first public schools did not open until the 1840s. |
| D．About 75% of students now graduate from high school in the U.S. |
| E．The U.S/ government sent teachers to every school and made teaching plans. |
| F．The district hires staff and manages the daily business of the schools. |
| G．They worked to raise support for common schools, the old term for a public school. |
In much of Asia, especially the so-called “rice bowl” cultures of China, Japan, Korea,
Chopsticks are usually two long, thin pieces of wood or bamboo. They can also be made of plastic, animal bone or metal. Sometimes chopsticks are quite artistic. Truly elegant chopsticks might
The Chinese have used chopsticks for five thousand years. People probably cooked their food in large pots,
Food in small pieces could be eaten easily with twigs which
Some people think that the great Chinese scholar Confucius,
Chopsticks are not used everywhere in Asia. In India, for example, most people traditionally eat
