雅思阅读练习test1.docxVIP

ACADEM I|C READiiNG READING PASSAGE 1 You should spe nd about 20 minu tes on questi ons 1-13, which are based on Read ing Passage 1 below. The people of ancientEgypt emergedWestern civilisati ons.Sustai ned by the River Nile andprotectedby vast deserts, the Egyptia ns lived inas one of the firstcomparative security, prosperity and peace far thousa nds ofyears. When such conditionseGist, the civilisationand its arts usually The people of ancient Egypt emerged Western civilisati ons. Sustai ned by the River Nile and protected by vast deserts, the Egyptia ns lived in as one of the first comparative security, prosperity and peace far thousa nds of years. When such conditions eGist, the civilisation and its arts usually flourish. To this day, many of the Egyptian artistic creations display the wealth, sple ndour and tale nt of this great civilisati on. Ancient Egypt has been called a land of temples and tombs, and for centuries people have been filled with wonder at the ingenuity of the Egyptia ns, whose impressive works have withstood the ravages of time so well. Had it not been for the Iong-lasting nature of their monuments and carved in scripti ons in the form of hieroglyphics, much evide nee of their activities would have vani shed from ail historical records. In about 3000 BC, Upper and Lower Egypt were un ited un der the first pharaoh, and gen erally from that time un til the in vasi on by AleGa nder the Great in 332 BC, Egypt prospered as a nation of skilful craftsmen and artists. The Egyptians were an industrious, highly civilised and deeply religious people, who obediently accepted the supreme authority of their pharaohs. The people were content to serve and work for the state in return for a secure livelihood. They considered this earthly life to be a segment in a great cycle, at the end of which everything would be returned to its orig inal form. The richer and more importa nt the pers on, the more careful and elaborate would be his or her burial, and the str