Who Was King Tut 图坦卡蒙法老 Chapter 1 Gifts of the Nile

When Tut was born, around 1343 B.C., Egypt was already a very old country. Almost two thousand years old, in fact.
The Egyptian empire lay on the coast of Northern Africa, facing the Mediterranean¹ Sea. It was a land of desert and bare hills, where the sun beat down all year long. There were few trees. And rain hardly ever came.
But the Nile River, which runs north and south, split the country in two. The Nile is the longest river in the world—a little more than four thousand miles long. It was the heart of ancient Egypt.
All along the riverbanks was rich farmland. Peasant farmers tilled their fields with plows² pulled by oxen. They sprinkled seeds in the soil to grow wheat and vegetables. They raised pigs and goats and sheep. They planted fruit trees and grew grapes. The river also gave the people fish to eat and ducks to hunt. Because of yearly flooding, there were many weeks when farmers could not work. So the river also provided “vacation” time for everyone!
The Nile was the “road” that boats traveled, bringing goods from city to city. Clay from Nile mud was used to build houses. All the great cities like Thebes and Memphis grew up near the river. Ancient Memphis may have been the first city in the world to have a million people.
From rock quarries³, heavy blocks of stone were brought on barges⁴. They were used to build great temples and statues, some of which are still standing⁵ today.
The river was the lifeblood of the people. Without it there would have been no ancient Egypt. Just desert. But the desert was important, too. It protected Egypt. It was difficult for enemies to attack. They had to cross so many miles of sand in the blazing heat.
At one time the empire stretched from present-day Egypt south to what is now Ethiopia, east into the Sinai peninsula, and north to what is now Lebanon and Turkey.
From these other lands came ivory, furs, gold, cedar⁶ wood, and other riches. But even as the empire grew and grew, the Egyptian way of life stayed pretty much the same. The Egyptians did not take up the customs or arts of other people. Over thousands of years, what they believed in did not change a lot, either.
For instance, their ruler was the pharaoh. The word originally meant “the great house”—where the king lived. As time went on, it came to mean the king himself. But the pharaoh was far more than a king. The pharaoh was also the highest priest and judge. He was considered a son of the gods. After his death, he became a god, too. His people worshipped him.
No one knows the exact day in 1343 B.C. when Tut was born. Who were his parents? Even that is not known for sure. His father was most probably Pharaoh Amenhotep IV. The pharaoh had many wives. Tut’s mother may have been one of Amenhotep’s less important wives.
By the time Tut was ten, he was already married. His wife was one of the pharaoh’s daughters. Her name was Ankhesenamun. By this time, Tut’s father had died. Tut became king. He wore the tall crowns of the pharaoh. Like all pharaohs, he wore a false beard strapped⁷ to his chin. He carried a crook⁸ and a flail⁹ (it looked like a whip). They were symbols of his power. But did he have real power? No. He was still a child.

1 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

2 plows   

n.犁( plow的名词复数 )；犁型铲雪机v.耕( plow的第三人称单数 )；犁耕；费力穿过

参考例句：

• Alex and Tony were turning awkward hands to plows and hoe handles. 亚历克斯和托尼在犁耙等农活方面都几乎变成新手了。
• Plows are still pulled by oxen in some countries. 在一些国家犁头仍由牛拖拉。

3 quarries   

n.（采）石场( quarry的名词复数 )；猎物（指鸟，兽等）；方形石；（格窗等的）方形玻璃v.从采石场采得( quarry的第三人称单数 )；从（书本等中）努力发掘（资料等）；在采石场采石

参考例句：

• This window was filled with old painted glass in quarries. 这窗户是由旧日的彩色菱形玻璃装配的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They hewed out the stones for the building from nearby quarries. 他们从邻近的采石场开凿出石头供建造那栋房子用。 来自辞典例句

4 barges   

驳船( barge的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The tug is towing three barges. 那只拖船正拖着三只驳船。
• There were plenty of barges dropping down with the tide. 有不少驳船顺流而下。

5 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

6 cedar   

n.雪松，香柏(木)

参考例句：

• The cedar was about five feet high and very shapely.那棵雪松约有五尺高,风姿优美。
• She struck the snow from the branches of an old cedar with gray lichen.她把长有灰色地衣的老雪松树枝上的雪打了下来。

7 strapped   

adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带

参考例句：

• Make sure that the child is strapped tightly into the buggy. 一定要把孩子牢牢地拴在婴儿车上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soldiers' great coats were strapped on their packs. 战士们的厚大衣扎捆在背包上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 crook   

v.使弯曲；n.小偷，骗子，贼；弯曲(处)

参考例句：

• He demanded an apology from me for calling him a crook.我骂他骗子，他要我向他认错。
• She was cradling a small parcel in the crook of her elbow.她用手臂挎着一个小包裹。

9 flail   

v.用连枷打；击打；n.连枷（脱粒用的工具）

参考例句：

• No fence against flail.飞来横祸不胜防。
• His arms were flailing in all directions.他的手臂胡乱挥舞着。