A visit to Egypt

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1Egypt is known for its ancient artifacts,tombs,pyramids,and pharaohs.One of its most famous rulers,a boy king named Tutankhamun,has been a source for one of the greatest archeological(考古學(xué)的)discoveries in the world.

2Recently,my family and I visited Egypt for eight days.Located in Northern Africa,the country is home to more than 105 million people.While there,we explored the pyramids,tombs,and temples built by the ancient Egyptians.

3Even before I visited any historical sites,I noticed great differences between Egypt and the United States.In the places I visited,I rarely saw traffic lights at the crossroads.

4Many buildings appeared unfinished.Often the top floor still had concrete pillars(柱子)and wires sticking out,as if another floor was to be built.Our guides gave us two different explanations for this.One wasthatan unfinished building wasn't taxed.We were also told that when a father ran out of money,his son was supposed to finish the house.

5The first site we toured was the Great Pyramid of Giza.It was built more than 4,500 years ago by the pharaohs Khufu,Khafre,and Menkaure.While experts still don't know how such an amazing structure could be built so long ago,Egyptologists(埃及古物學(xué)者)think that ramps (活動(dòng)梯)were used to pull the heavy blocks up into position.It was long thought that enslaved people built the pyramids,but that isn't true.Egyptian laborers who helped in the construction were finally buried near the king,which

Reading Check

1.What can we know about Tutankhamun?

A.He discovered many ancient artifacts.

B.He was a king in Egypt.

C.He was famous for his travel to Northern Africa.

D.He made friends with many pharaohs in Egypt.

2.How long did the author stay in Egypt?

A.About one week.

B.About half a month.

C.About one month.

D.About half a year.

3.What's special about Egypt according to the text?

A.Many buildings appear old.

B.An unfinished building should also be taxed.

C.Traffic lights can hardly be seen at the crossroads.was considered a great honor.

6We also saw temples made of cut rock.“The Abu Simbel Temples were my favorite part of Egypt,”said my 10-yearold sister,Vida.“Seeing the amazing temples was definitely worth the long drive and 4 am wake-up call.”

D.Sons should build houses for parents.

4.Which of the following does Vida like best?

A.Pyramids. B.Tombs.

C.Pharaohs. D.Temples.

Language Study

Difficult sentence

While experts still don't know how such an amazing structure could be built so long ago,Egyptologists think that ramps were used to pull the heavy blocks up into position.雖然專家們還不知道如此驚人的建筑是如何在很久以前被建成的，但埃及古物學(xué)者認(rèn)為活動(dòng)梯在那個(gè)時(shí)候就被用來(lái)把重型石塊拉到相應(yīng)位置。

【點(diǎn)石成金】該句中，while引導(dǎo)一個(gè)讓步狀語(yǔ)從句，意為“雖然”；主句中，Egyptologists是主語(yǔ)，think是謂語(yǔ)，that引導(dǎo)一個(gè)賓語(yǔ)從句。