Unit1 阅读技能突破-真题展示.docxVIP

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Unit1阅读技能突破-真题展示

NooneissurehowtheancientEgyptiansbuiltthepyramidsnearCairo.Butanewstudysuggeststheyusedalittlerock‘n’roll.Long-agobuilderscouldhaveattachedwoodenpolestothestonesandrolledthemacrossthesand,thescientistssay.

“Technically,Ithinkwhatthey’reproposingispossible,”physicistDanielBonnsaid.

PeoplehavelongpuzzledoverhowtheEgyptiansmovedsuchhugerocks.Andthere’snoobviousanswer.Onaverage,eachofthetwomillionbigstonesweighedaboutasmuchasalargepickuptruck.TheEgyptianssomehowmovedthestoneblockstothepyramidsitefromaboutonekilometeraway.

ThemostpopularviewisthatEgyptianworkersslidtheblocksalongsmoothpaths.Manyscientistssuspectworkersfirstwouldhaveputtheblocksonsleds(滑板).Thentheywouldhavedraggedthemalongpaths.Tomaketheworkeasier,workersmayhavelubricatedthepathseitherwithwetclayorwiththefatfromcattle.Bonnhasnowtestedthisideabybuildingsmallsledsanddraggingheavyobjectsoversand.

Evidencefromthesandsupportsthisidea.Researchersfoundsmallamountsoffat,aswellasalargeamountofstoneandtheremainsofpaths.

However,physicistJosephWestthinkstheremighthavebeenasimplerway,wholedthenewstudy.Westsaid,“Iwasinspiredwhilewatchingatelevisionprogrammeshowinghowsledsmighthavehelpedwithpyramidconstruction.Ithought,‘Whydon’ttheyjusttryrollingthethings?’”Asquarecouldbeturnedintoaroughsortofheelbyattachingwoodenpolestoitssides,herealised.That,henotes,shouldmakeablockofstone“aloteasiertorollthanasquare”.

Sohetriedit.

Heandhisstudentstiedsomepolestoeachoffoursidesofa30-kilogramstoneblock.Thatactionturnedtheblockintosomewhatawheel.Thentheyplacedtheblockontheground.

Theywrappedoneendofaropearoundtheblockandpulled.Theresearchersfoundtheycouldeasilyro