VOA标准英语2010年-Archeologists in Egypt Uncover Ancient

Egyptian authorities say archeologists have found an ancient tomb that suggests another necropolis is yet to be discovered near the Great Pyramids of Giza. The burial chamber¹ is that of a high priest from the Old Kingdom period, whose job it was to maintain the mortuary cult² of the pharaoh Khafra. Susan Yackee spoke³ about the find with VOA's Middle East correspondent Elizabeth Arrott in Cairo.

Yackee: What can you tell us about the importance of the discovery?

Arrott: Well, first, it turns out is a very beautiful tomb. It's carved right into the cliff face of the Giza plateau, and leading up to it, there's a series of limestone⁴ tunnels – what the archeologists are describing as almost like a maze⁵ to get to the burial chamber.? And inside there's some very well preserved paintings, detailed⁶ works showing daily life of the time.

The other thing that has the teams very excited is the idea this may be just the tip of a necropolis – or burial ground – that they didn't know about before.

Of course, this is near what's arguably the world's most famous tribute to the dead – the Great Pyramids, and in recent years they've made some wonderful discoveries, including a village for the builders of the Pyramids, that suggests they weren't slaves, as most people had thought, but rather but a highly organized, obviously, group of paid laborers⁷ that built the pyramids.

Yackee: Can you tell us about the man whose tomb they discovered?

Arrott: His name is Rudj Ka and he had a number of positions in the royal court.? His main job, it seems, is that he was purification priest for the king Khafra.? He's the Old Kingdom ruler who has the second biggest pyramid at Giza – actually it's the one that looks the highest, it isn't, it's just that it's built on a slight elevation⁸.

Rudj Ka probably lived many years after Khafra, and he would have been responsible to keep up all the rites⁹ and rituals tied to the cult of Khafra in the afterlife.? These kind of positions were thought out well beforehand – rulers would set up endowments to make sure they continued to be properly worshipped well beyond their time on earth.

Yackee: You mentioned paintings in the walls of the tomb. What do they show?

I think one of the things they show is that being a priest in Old Kingdom Egypt was probably a pretty nice job to have.? You see Rudj Ka hunting and fishing and out on boats in the marshes¹⁰. There are also paintings of him and his wife and they seem to be a rather attractive couple. You see them in front of an offering table full of all sorts of gifts -- cows and geese and bread.

So these paintings and the construction of the tomb itself -- these are all the kind of details that help archeologists and historians fill out the amazing complexities¹¹ of Egyptian life 4000 years ago.
 

1 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

2 cult   

n.异教，邪教；时尚，狂热的崇拜

参考例句：

• Her books aren't bestsellers,but they have a certain cult following.她的书算不上畅销书，但有一定的崇拜者。
• The cult of sun worship is probably the most primitive one.太阳崇拜仪式或许是最为原始的一种。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 limestone   

n.石灰石

参考例句：

• Limestone is often used in building construction.石灰岩常用于建筑。
• Cement is made from limestone.水泥是由石灰石制成的。

5 maze   

n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑

参考例句：

• He found his way through the complex maze of corridors.他穿过了迷宮一样的走廊。
• She was lost in the maze for several hours.一连几小时，她的头脑处于一片糊涂状态。

6 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

7 laborers   

n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工

参考例句：

• Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

8 elevation   

n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高

参考例句：

• The house is at an elevation of 2,000 metres.那幢房子位于海拔两千米的高处。
• His elevation to the position of General Manager was announced yesterday.昨天宣布他晋升总经理职位。

9 rites   

仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to administer the last rites to sb 给某人举行临终圣事
• He is interested in mystic rites and ceremonies. 他对神秘的仪式感兴趣。

10 marshes   

n.沼泽，湿地( marsh的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Cows were grazing on the marshes. 牛群在湿地上吃草。
• We had to cross the marshes. 我们不得不穿过那片沼泽地。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 complexities   

复杂性(complexity的名词复数)； 复杂的事物

参考例句：

• The complexities of life bothered him. 生活的复杂使他困惑。
• The complexities of life bothered me. 生活的杂乱事儿使我心烦。