The voice of an ancient Egyptian priest has been heard for the first time in more than 3,000 years, thanks to a detailed reconstruction of his vocal tract (声带) from his mummified remains.
A team of scientists in England used medical scans of the famous mummy of Nesyamun to create a digital, 3D model of the insides of the individual’s throat and mouth, which were reproduced on a 3D printer. Then the researchers created an artificial larynx (喉头) with a loudspeaker using an electronic waveform. The sound was then played through the speaker into the 3D printed vocal tract to produce a short bust of Nesyamun’s voice — a sound not heard since the 11th century B.C.
Previous efforts to reproduce ancient voices could only approximate them, by animating facial reconstructions with software. In comparison, the sound of Nesyamun’s voice is based on “an extant (现存的) vocal tract preserved over 3,000 years,” the researchers wrote.
Nesyamun lived around 1100 B.C. He is thought to have died in his late 50s from a severe allergic reaction. Almost 3,000 years later, his mummy was discovered at Karnak and transported to the Leeds City Museum in 1823. His remains and ornate coffin (棺材) have since become some of the world’s best researched relics of ancient Egypt.
“Nesyamun’s mummy was a good choice for studying the sound of an ancient voice,” said David Howard, the lead author of the new research, “It was particularly suited, given its age and preservation of its soft tissues, which is unusual.”
He said he hopes the scientific understanding of how human voices are created can be combined with knowledge of the ancient Egyptian language to reconstruct longer passages of Nesyamun’s speech.
Before examining the mummy, the researchers had to deal with ethical (道德的) concerns related to examining a person without their consent. They used nondestructive research methods, and took into account words on his coffin, relating that Nesyamun hoped again to address the gods as he had in his working life.
The researchers interpreted that to indicate his desire to speak again after death. “We are in a way fulfilling his declared wishes,” Howard said.
Howard and Schofield said they hope a reconstruction of Nesyamun’s speech, perhaps reciting an ancient Egyptian prayer, can be featured at the Karnak temple in Egypt for modem tourists.
“When visitors encounter the past, it is usually a visual encounter,” said Schofield. “With this voice, we can change that.”
1.The voice of Nesyamun was recreated by _____.
A.repairing his vocal tract
B.bringing Nesyamun back to life
C.using some advanced technologies
D.combining it with facial movements
2.Why was Nesyamun’s mummy suitable for research?
A.He often gave long speeches.
B.His vocal tract is well preserved.
C.A severe disease resulted in his death.
D.His remains are displayed in the museum.
3.What does the underlined word in Paragraph 8 refer to?
A.The researchers took into account words on his coffin.
B.Nesyamun’s mummy was examined without his consent.
C.The researchers hope to reconstruct longer passages of his speech.
D.Nesyamun hoped to address the gods as he had in his working life.
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A.A 3000-year-old mummy speaks again
B.The voice of a mummy excites visitors
C.A 3D-printed vocal tract has been created
D.The dream of Nesyamun has been achieved
Be careful of those solid gold pieces of advice. The friend who advises you to, say, stay in your relationship or leave your job may well be looking out for you; but she' s inescapably looking out for herself, too, whether she realises it or not.
Moreover, research suggests that people will generally advise you to act more cautiously than they would act themselves in a similar situation — perhaps because they don’t want to feel guilty if you take a daring leap and fall flat on your face.
There's a happy side to this, though, for parents, teachers, managers and anyone else who finds themselves in the position of needing to motivate others: far better than giving them advice is to give them the opportunity to give advice. A new study found that American middle-school pupils were much more enthusiastic about doing their homework after giving advice on the topic to younger children, as compared with after receiving advice from teachers. This motivational effect lasted weeks, and was also observed among adults who were attempting to lose weight, save money, control their temper or find a job. This result isn’t all that surprising, 1 suppose, when you consider how happy it feels to be invited to give advice. Faced with a challenge, we tend to assume we need to seek advice in order to obtain more knowledge about how to give advice; yet the truth, very often, is that we know exactly what we need to do — we just lack the confidence to do it.
This, by the way, is another good reason to keep a journal: you can use it to advise yourself. Your friends may have limited patience with your habit of lecturing them on their lives in order to feel better about your own, but a leather-effect notebook never complains.
Finally, this is a reminder that there are few bigger compliments (恭维) you can pay another person than to ask for their advice. Benjamin Franklin famously observed that to flatter (奉承) someone, it’s better to ask for a favour than to perform one: the favour-doer will come to think of you as the likable sort for whom they do favours.
1.Why should you be careful of those solid gold pieces of advice?
A.They may be practical.
B.They may be rewarding.
C.They may be demanding.
D.They may be conservative.
2.The examples in Paragraph 3 suggest that people giving advice .
A.become more motivated to act
B.should turn to others for advice
C.are superior to the professionals
D.usually lack relevant knowledge
3.What does the author want to convey by mentioning Benjamin Franklin?
A.Keeping a journal is a good habit.
B.You should be polite to the favour-doers.
C.You should be patient with your listeners.
D.Asking for a favour pleases the favour-doers.
A NEW STORY AWAITS ...... | |
A Woman Endures Marilyn Hering www.iuniverse.com Paperback I E-book $10.95 I $3.99 Following the loss of her baby and marriage. Eleanor decides to move to South Carolina to run an inherited tea plantation. There she will learn to grow tea, and possibly something more: love. |
Road U)Freedom - My Life and Journey from a 3rd World Country Edward A. Nieto www.xlibris.com This memoir details Edward's life and journey. It also includes his struggles with violence, corruption, and the politics of living in a third world country. |
Saving Nia G.B. Jones www. Authorhouse.com Hardback I Paperback I E-book $28.99 | S19.95| S3.99 Snatched from her happy home and placed with drug-addicted, abusive relatives, Nia sinks into depression and attempts to set herself on fire. The love of another abused child gets into her darkness, but can it bring her out? |
Mad Druggist Frank Hozeska www.xlibris.com Hardback I Paperback I E-book S29.99 | $19.99 | S3.99 Louie gets fired from every drugstore job. He ends up a washed-up (unsuccessful) druggist, and he's ready to give up his fight, until something crazy happens in the final round. |
1.A young man failing in his business may find encouragement in____.
A.Saving Nia
B.Mad Druggist
C.Road lo Freedom
D.A Woman Endures
2.From the passage we can know that .
A.Eleanor may find her love in a tea plantation
B.Edward enjoys his life in a third world country
C.Nia may inspire another child with her passion
D.Louie becomes unsuccessful in the final round
About six years ago I started having panic attacks (恐慌症). I began my journey to____ them with traditional tools, all of which were a great help. ______, a year later treatment was no longer needed.
Frustratingly, about a year after that, I started to develop_____and began to have panic at once again. I tried what I knew best and went back to my previous____, but I was still ___and far from feeling well again ___ I got some new advice.
I loved to sing when I was young. My childhood had been____with creativity, yet for most of my adult life it was ____ . A therapist told me that mental health issues are common among the____regain it, I decided to get back into ____. Then I joined a group called Sound, a pop choir. Much better. I found the____to audition (试音). I was amazed that I managed to ___ such a risky situation and not have a panic attack. The audition itself was a___for me, never mind how I did.
I have now been a ___of the choir for three years. I love the community and the performances. It ___me of who I was at school. My path back then was always “do what you love”. My entire____was filled with fond memories because of that, and I was starting to build that back into my ____life.
Now, I am feeling a lot better. When I am ______, distraction (分散注意力) is key and singing does ___. It sends me into a state in which my body works with pure passion and joy. More importantly, I will have exercised my creativity and ___my anxiety.
1.A.ignore B.solve C.interpret D.stress
2.A.Casually B.Ridiculously C.Controversially D.Thankfully
3.A.passion B.depression C.adaptation D.relation
4.A.tutors B.conditions C.values D.tools
5.A.doubting B.hesitating C.struggling D.improving
6.A.though B.until C.since D.after
7.A.charged B.burdened C.mixed D.filled
8.A.neglected B.maintained C.sharpened D.exploited
9.A.open B.absent C.creative D.narrow
10.A.painting B.acting C.reading D.singing
11.A.turn B.pressure C.courage D.privilege
12.A.set off B.get through C.shrink from D.figure out
13.A.win B.failure C.pain D.barrier
14.A.sponsor B.director C.trainer D.member
15.A.suspects B.reminds C.cures D.warns
16.A.education B.competition C.career D.existence
17.A.holiday B.school C.adult D.adolescent
18.A.absorbed B.thrilled C.ambitious D.anxious
19.A.last B.help C.exist D.fade
20.A.relieved B.shared C.felt D.cause
— Thank you so much for your kind help, Lucy.
—____.
A.That’s right B.All right C.With pleasure D.My pleasure
Regular exercise along with proper diets____our health in the long term.
A.benefits B.has benefited C.benefit D.have benefited
