考研英語美文賞讀（37）：考古發(fā)現 金字塔建造之謎終于破解

　　摘要：考研英語作為一門考研公共課，雖然大家都學了英語十幾年，卻仍經常有總分過線掛在英語上的情況，因此英語復習不單單是單詞、做題。閱讀作為考研英語的大頭，僅僅做考研真題或許沒法滿足你的閱讀量，因此幫幫之后會不定時推出一篇英文美文，這些文章都與考研英語閱讀同源，多讀必有好處。

　　?Constructed around 4,500 years ago, the Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the only one that remains largely intact.

　　胡夫金字塔建于4500年前，是世界古代七大奇跡之一。在七大奇跡之中，唯有胡夫金字塔得以保存完好至今。

　　For centuries, there has been considerable debate about how exactly the ancient Egyptians built the structure with researchers proposing several different theories.

　　幾個世紀以來，關于古埃及人如何修建金字塔，研究人員提出了幾種不同的理論。但是關于問題解釋一直存在極大爭議。

　　Now, a team from the French Institute for Oriental Archaeology in Cairo and the University of Liverpool, England, has uncovered evidence that casts new light on the mysterious construction process of the pyramid—which was built as a tomb for the Pharaoh Khufu (2609 BC-2584 BC).

　　現在，一支研究團隊有了新的發(fā)現，此次發(fā)現進一步揭開了埃及金字塔修建的神秘面紗。此金字塔是為法老胡夫(公元前2609 年-公元前2584年 )修建的墳墓。這支研究團隊由開羅的法國東方考古研究院和英國利物浦大學組成。

　　According to a statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, the archaeologists found the remains of a unique system for transporting and removing stone blocks from an alabaster quarry, called Hatnub, in the Eastern Desert..

　　埃及古跡部門的一份聲明稱，考古學家們發(fā)現了從雪花石膏采石場運送石塊的獨特設施的遺跡。這個名為 Hatnub 采石場位于東部沙漠。

　　Although, the Great Pyramid is mostly made from limestone, the Egyptians commonly used alabaster for some features, such flooring, as well as statues, coffins, tiles, vases and other objects.

　　盡管金字塔大部分由石灰?guī)r構成，埃及人也常使用雪花石膏來塑造一些特殊部位，例如地板、雕塑、棺木，地磚、花瓶和其他物品。

　　The system that the archaeologists discovered to remove the alabaster was composed of a central ramp, surrounded by two staircases which contained several post holes.

　　考古學家發(fā)現用來移動雪花石膏的系統(tǒng)由一個主要的斜坡以及兩側包含了樁孔的樓梯構成。

　　“Using a sled which carried a stone block and was attached with ropes to these wooden posts, ancient Egyptians were able to pull up the alabaster blocks out of the quarry on very steep slopes of 20 percent or more,” Yannis Gourdon, one of the directors of the archaeological mission, told LiveScience.

　　一位考古任務的負責人 Yannis Gourdon 對 LiveScience 說：“把石塊放在有繩子的滑板上，然后把滑板放在這些可旋轉的木樁之上，拉動繩子就可以讓埃及人將雪花石膏從采石場運上一個坡度為20%及以上的陡峭斜坡。”

　　The ropes attached to the sled make it easier to pull the sled up the ramp, according to the researchers, who say this is the first time that such a system has been discovered in an ancient Egyptian quarry.

　　據首次在采石場發(fā)現這個系統(tǒng)的調查者說，在繩索的作用下，這些滑板更容易在斜坡上拉動。

　　The findings could provide insights into the enduring mystery of how the massive limestone blocks, which make up the majority of the pyramid, were hauled up its sides.

　　這個發(fā)現為“如何將金字塔主體的石灰?guī)r材料向上運輸”的難題提供了思路。

　　“This kind of system has never been discovered anywhere else," Gourdon said. "The study of the tool marks and the presence of two inscriptions led us to the conclusion that this system dates back at least to Khufu’s reign, the builder of the Great Pyramid in Giza.”

　　Gourdon 說，這種系統(tǒng)在以前從未在任何地方出現過，通過碑文和工具標號可以推斷出這個系統(tǒng)的形成時間至少可以推測到胡夫（胡夫金字塔的主人）統(tǒng)治時期。

　　“That means that during the time of Khufu, ancient Egyptians knew how to move huge blocks of stone using very steep slopes,” he added.

　　他補充道，“這意味著，在胡夫時期，古埃及人知道如何用非常陡峭的斜坡移動巨大的石塊。“

　　Therefore, they could have used it for the construction [of] his pyramid, Gourdon said.

　　“因此，他們可以用它來建造他的金字塔，” Gourdon 說。

　　(全文共389個詞)

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