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 thinks there might have been a simpler way, who led the new study. 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 notes, 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. dragging them on some poles D. sliding them on smooth paths
2.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 7 refer to?
A. Rolling the blocks with poles attached.
B. Rolling the blocks on wooden wheels.
C. Rolling poles to move the blocks.
D. Rolling the blocks with fat.
3.Why is rolling better than sliding according to West?
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.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A. An application of the method of moving blocks to the pyramid site.
B. An experiment on ways 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.
Love for language
Very few of us become fluent in another language by studying it in high school. I went to university and then moved across the country, pursued a demanding career, married and raised children.
I made an effort to maintain the little bit of French that I learned in school, but eventually realized that this was pointless.I was well aware that new languages are best learned when young, and that our abilities in that regard decline with age.However, just before my 50th birthday, I signed up for French classes.After I was tested to see which group I belonged in, I was placed at almost the introductory level.When I looked around at my first Saturday morning class, I was struck by how many of the students were learning French as a third, fourth, or even fifth language.
Contrary to my assumption that learning a new language was impossibly difficult, there were people who learned new languages as a matter of course.I found that it really was true that certain linguistic (语言的) abilities fade with age.
While I’d always thought of myself as a quick learner, that was no longer the case. I absorbed new vocabulary very slowly. What I learned one week seemed to slip away as soon as I learned the next skill. I looked up the same words and language structures over and over again.
Now, a couple of years in, I can listen to the news in French and catch 90 percent of it on the first try, read a novel if the language is not too difficult, and hold up my end of a conversation if it doesn’t go too fast.
Who knows what I might still accomplish?
I’ve learned so much beyond grammar and vocabulary. I’ve met people from around the world and all walks of life who have the courage to make fools of themselves in order to learn something new.
I’ve been taught by patient and inspirational teachers from many corners of the world, including France, Eastern Europe, the Caribbean and Africa.
Listening to the news as it is presented to the people of France, I have a renewed understanding of how something can look completely different from another perspective. I’ve learned that a language is not just a set of words, but a way of thinking. But most of all, I’ve learned that it really is never too late to learn something new.
1.When the author took her first French class, she _______.
A. was ashamed that she was learning it at such an old age
B. was afraid of being unable to learn it
C. was curious about her teachers and classmates
D. was encouraged by her classmates
2.What was the biggest challenge for the author when learning French?
A. She found the language structures puzzling.
B. She often confused French with English.
C. She couldn’t learn things as quickly as before.
D. She made a fool of herself when having conversations in French.
3.After studying French for a few years, the author ______.
A. became aware of different cultural perspectives
B. became a fluent French speaker
C. considered listening to news the best way to learn a language
D. can teach others French vocabulary and grammar
4.What message does the author want to convey with the article?
A. People’s abilities to learn languages decline with age.
B. Age is not a problem for those who are determined to learn new things.
C. It is important to hang out with different kinds of people.
D. Practice makes perfect when it comes to learning a language.
1.Which buttons directly control the movement of the Rocket Ball?
A. LAUNCH and FLIPPERS B. STAR and FLIPPERS
C. START/PAUSE and FLIPPERS D. LAUNCH and SELECT
2.The most action-packed variation would be__________.
A. Game One with a blue star B. Game Two with a black star
C. Game One with a yellow star D. Game Two with a red star
3.Rocket Ball could be best described as a game of__________.
A. space voyage B. quick response
C. skills & strength D. scientific knowledge
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What made the man decide to study medicine finally?
A. His own experience. B. His teachers’ advice. C. His parents’ influence.
2.What did the man do when he saw a woman on the ground?
A. Took her to the hospital.
B. Walked back to his dormitory.
C. Gave her mouth-to-mouth breathing.
3.Where does the conversation most probably take place?
A. In a university. B. In a television studio. C. In an emergency room.
4.What is Dr. Joseph going to talk about?
A. First aid methods. B. Some happier moments. C. His work in the hospital.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What's the probable relationship between the speakers?
A. Boss and secretary. B. Teacher and student. C. Interviewer and interviewee.
2.Which language does the woman speak well?
A. English. B. Spanish. C. Italian.
3.What does the woman want to be?
A. A Spanish teacher. B. A manager assistant. C. A company secretary.
4.What do we know about the woman?
A. She does well in typing.
B. She works in a company now.
C. She expects to get a driving license.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What has the woman been trying to do recently?
A. Have green tea. B. Drink some alcohol. C. Take cold showers.
2.Which of the following is popular in Japan?
A. Cold water. B. Miso soup. C. Red wine.
3.What's the talk mainly about?
A. How to live longer. B. How to drink green tea. C. How to keep energetic.
