3 . Researchers in Germany have found leftovers of 5,000-year-old burnt porridge inside a ceramic (陶瓷的) pot. The pot was unearthed at a Neolithic settlement known as Oldenburg LA 77. Historians say the site was once home to one of the oldest villages in the German region of Schleswig-Holstein. “As soon as we looked inside the person’s cooking pot, it was obvious that something went wrong.” says Lucy Kubiak-Martens, an archaeobotanist with the Dutch research firm BIAX Consult.

The problem? Whoever attempted to make their meal that day must have cooked it for a bit too long, burning the grains inside.

The research was a teamwork between Kiel University and Kenaz Consult and Laboratory, both in Germany, and BIAX Consult. The team used electron microscopy (显微术) to learn about the chemical composition of the food leftovers. Although burning the food may have ruined someone’s meal thousands of years ago, it also helped preserve the leftovers, allowing today’s researchers to get a better look.

“While the animal fats are absorbed into the ceramic and leave a signal there, the plant food components can only be detected in the burnt food crust,” says Kubiak-Martens in a statement from Kiel University. The researchers found that the leftovers contain barley (大麦) and emmer grains, as well as seeds from a white goosefoot plant. They also learned that the barley was harvested and prepared in a style similar to that of contemporary German farmers. The wheat appears to have been processed in a sprouted (发芽) state., which has “several advantages over unsupported grain”, according to the study. Sprouted gains also have nutritional benefits, such as higher levels of important vitamins like iron and vitamin C, and they are easier to digest.

“Food in the Neolithic Age was therefore by no means tasteless, but rather varied,” according to the statement. “People had a highly differentiated sense of taste and attached great importance to good flavour.”

Previously, researchers thought the pot held dairy products. The new analysis revealed that the leftovers were actually a “sophisticated preparation of plant-based foodstuffs”. The team hopes their findings will help provide a more comprehensive understanding of dietary habits in the region.

People worldwide have enjoyed noodles for thousands of years. But did you ever stop     1     (think): who made the very first noodle? People first started     2     (grow) wheat and making flour in the Middle East around 10,000 years ago. However, until 2002, no evidence of ancient noodles had been uncovered. Archaeologists discovered an upside-down clay bowl in the     3     (ruin) of an ancient Chinese village. When they lifted it, they found a 4,000-year-old noodle. This “mummy” noodle     4     (make) from grain. Traders brought wheat     5     China about the time this ancient noodle was cooked. The Chinese     6     (eventual) mastered the art of stretching wheat dough (面团) into long noodles.

Some people claim that Marco Polo brought pasta (意粉) to Italy. The tale of his discovery was likely enhanced to promote pasta consumption in America. Marco Polo’s writings suggest that noodles were already present in Italy during his time, as he compared Chinese noodles to     7     (that) in Italy. The Middle East also played a     8       (significance) role in noodle history. The oldest written mention of pasta outside China dates back about 1,600 years in the Middle East. Dried noodles were a popular travel food in the region and beyond, making them a likely prospect for spreading the noodle recipe to other parts of     9     world.

So who REALLY invented noodles? We may never know — the history of noodles is as complicated as a bowl of pasta. But     10     invented them, we’re sure glad they did!

Before some of the greatest explorers in history were born, Vikings had already navigated (航海) their way around the world. But with no     1     (compass), satellites or radios, how did they manage     2     (map) the globe so impressively? The answer is     3     (simple) than you might expect — experience. Viking travelers studied the positions of the stars and the sun. Even the colour of the sea and movement of the waves would give them an     4     (indicate) of how close they were to land.

How did the Wright brothers take flight?

Wilbur and Orville Wright didn’t care much for attention. But after publicly demonstrating their flying machine, the inventors of the airplane became overnight international    1    . Crowds gathered, watching them go airborne (升空) and    2    their genius and courage. Thousands followed their achievements, which repeatedly made front-page news. While it might sound nice to say the Wrights were born inventors and geniuses who had always been     3     to aeronautics (航空学), that’s not really the case. Beginning in their Midwestern youth, the brothers faced numerous    4    . Their achievements stemmed from their own initiative and    5    .

Before they made history, Wilbur and Orville were, in one sense, fairly    6     children. They didn’t meet the typical standards of success.Though Wilbur was well read and Orville took advanced courses, neither graduated from high school and both struggled to get by on their own early in life. At the start, the brothers didn’t intend to invent the airplane. They simply reviewed what others had published about aeronautic, hoping they could make some sort of contributions. And that was when they noticed, to their surprise, very little progress had been made in the field. Wilbur and Orville realized that flight experiments had hit three main roadblocks to progress. They lacked a way to control the aircraft, a good wing design and a propulsion (推动力) system to power the flight. From there,     7    these problems became the brothers’ goal. Through trial and error, on December 17, 1903, the brothers flew the first manageable aircraft into the air, which proved the Wright Flyer could make a sustained, controlled and powered heavier-than-air flight. The aerial age truly began.

Though the Wright brothers had made history, their airplane was    8    only a proof of concept. It could make straight-line flights, but the design didn’t yet have any     9    use for society. In the     10    years of hard work and devotion, the brothers refined their aircraft. In1908, Wilbur demonstrated their plane in France, successfully proving what he and Orville had done.