King Tut, Egypt's famous boy king, was buried with many valuable objects. A dagger (匕首) discovered in his tomb has recently attracted extra attention. Researchers have concluded that the dagger was probably made from a special material.
King Tut was only about nine years old when he became ruler of Egypt more than 3,300 years ago. The young king died when he was just 19. His body was buried in a tomb filled with objects that people believed he would need in the afterlife.
In 1922, Howard Carter discovered Tut's tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. Up to now, it was the best preserved ancient Egyptian tomb ever found. In 1925, Carter found the dagger which has a gold handle and an iron blade (刀片) .The blade had confused experts because iron was hardly used at that time in ancient Egypt. In fact, it was so rare that it was considered more valuable than gold. Where did the iron for the blade come from?
Around the time of King Tut, ancient Egyptians started using a new word for iron that translates as “iron from the sky”. This led some experts to believe that the iron for the blade came from a meteorite (陨石) .But studies of the dagger carried out in the 1970s and 1990s didn't support that idea.
That's where modern technology comes in. Researchers used a new technique to examine the blade. They discovered that it was made up of iron and other materials found in meteorites. After comparing it to several meteorites, they even found its possible match-a meteorite that landed in northern Egypt thousands of years ago.
Scientists hope the new study will lead to more discoveries about other ancient Egyptian relics. “It would be very interesting to analyze more Pre-iron Age objects and we could gain precious discoveries.” Daniela Comelli, who is a professor, said.
1 . What do we know about Tut's tomb?
A . It was built when he was 9. B . It was perfectly kept when discovered.
C . It has a lot of iron objects in it. D . It was the first tomb to be found.
2 . Scientists pay extra attention to the dagger because ________.
A . it is King Tut's favourite object B . its blade is made of iron
C . it was more valuable than gold D . it leads to more discoveries
3 . What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 5 refer to?
A . The iron. B . The material. C . A meteorite. D . The blade.
4 . The researchers used modern technology to show ________.
A . more valuable objects are hidden in the tombs B . iron is widely used in ancient Egypt
C . ancient Egyptian objects are excellent D . Tut's dagger was likely made from a meteorite
1 . B
2 . B
3 . D
4 . D
【分析】
本文是一篇说明文。文章介绍了埃及著名的少年国王图坦卡蒙坟墓中匕首的发现最近吸引了大量的关注。研究人员发现了它可能的匹配物 —— 一颗数千年前降落在埃及北部的陨石。
1 .
细节理解题。根据文章第三段 “Up to now, it was the best preserved ancient Egyptian tomb ever found.” (到目前为止,它是迄今为止发现的保存最好的古埃及古墓。)可知,图坦卡蒙的陵墓被发现时保存得非常完好。故选 B 项。
2 .
细节理解题。根据文章第三段 “In 1925, Carter found the dagger which has a gold handle and an iron blade (刀片) .The blade had confused experts because iron was hardly used at that time in ancient Egypt.” ( 1925 年,卡特发现了这把剑,剑柄是金的,刀刃是铁的。这种刀刃让专家们感到困惑,因为在古埃及的那个时候几乎不使用铁。)可知,科学家特别注意这把匕首是因为它的刀刃是铁做的。故选 B 项。
3 .
词句猜测题。根据文章第五段划线词前句 “Researchers used a new technique to examine the blade.” (研究人员使用了一种新技术来检查刀片。)可猜测, it 指代的是前文的刀片。故选 D 项。
4 .
细节理解题。根据文章倒数第二段 “That's where modern technology comes in. Researchers used a new technique to examine the blade. They discovered that it was made up of iron and other materials found in meteorites. After comparing it to several meteorites, they even found its possible match-a meteorite that landed in northern Egypt thousands of years ago.” (这就是现代技术的用武之地。研究人员使用了一种新技术来检查刀片。他们发现它是由铁和陨石中发现的其他物质组成的。在将它与几块陨石进行比较后,他们甚至发现了它可能的匹配物 —— 一颗数千年前降落在埃及北部的陨石。)可知,研究人员用现代技术来证明图坦卡蒙的匕首可能是由陨石制成的。故选 D 项。