Level 2 Reading 3A

Ch.5

第5章

Reading 3A WAS KING TUT MURDERED? King Tutankhamen was still a teenager when he died around 1322 B.C. He ruled Egypt for ten years, the last king of a powerful family that had ruled the country for centuries. After his death, the body of King Tut (as Tutankhamen is usually known today) was placed in a gold-filled tomb. There, he lay forgotten until the tomb's discovery in 1922. Although we know a lot about his life, the reason for King Tut's death at such a young age has remained a mystery, with murder the most extreme possibility. Now, improved X-ray technology and DNA testing are offering new clues into the life and death of the boy-king. Discovered and Damaged When British archeologist Howard Carter opened King Tut's tomb, it was full of gold and other amazing items. Carter spent months carefully recording the treasures. When he and his team attempted to remove King Tut's mummy, they found that it had become attached to its solid gold coffin. Unfortunately, they caused a great deal of damage to the mummy while removing it. Theories about Tut's Death In 1968, archeologists conducted an examination of King Tut's mummy using simple X-ray technology. Three important discoveries led to various theories about his death. The X-rays showed that bones in Tut's chest were missing. Some guessed the damage was caused by a war injury or an accident. There was a small hole in the back of the skull, and pieces of bone inside it, causing many to believe that Tut was killed by a blow to the back of the head. Was he murdered by people wanting to take control of Egypt? A serious fracture was discovered on Tut's left leg. Tut had been hurt a few hours before his death. Could an infection from the injury have killed Tut?

阅读3A 图坦卡蒙是被谋杀的吗？ 图坦卡蒙国王在公元前1322年左右去世时还是一个十几岁的孩子。 他统治埃及十年，是统治这个国家几个世纪的强大家族的最后一位国王。 图坦卡蒙去世后，图坦卡蒙国王（今天通常被称为图坦卡蒙）的尸体被放置在一座金墓中。 在那里，他被遗忘了，直到1922年坟墓被发现。 虽然我们对他的生活了解很多， 图坦卡蒙国王在如此年轻的时候死亡的原因仍然是个谜，谋杀的可能性最大。 现在，改进的X射线技术和DNA检测为这位少年国王的生死提供了新的线索。 发现和损坏 当英国考古学家霍华德·卡特打开图坦卡蒙国王的陵墓时，里面装满了黄金和其他令人惊叹的物品。 卡特花了几个月的时间仔细记录这些宝藏。 当他和他的团队试图移走图坦卡蒙的木乃伊时，他们发现它已经附着在纯金棺材上。 不幸的是，他们在移除木乃伊时对木乃伊造成了很大的损坏。 关于屠之死的理论 1968年，考古学家使用简单的X射线技术对图坦卡蒙的木乃伊进行了检查。 三个重要发现导致了关于他的死亡的各种理论。 X光片显示图坦卡蒙胸部的骨头不见了。 一些人猜测损坏是由战争伤害或事故造成的。 头骨后部有一个小孔，里面有几块骨头， 导致许多人相信图坦卡蒙是后脑勺被击中致死的。 他是被想要控制埃及的人谋杀的吗？ 图坦卡蒙左腿发现严重骨折。 图坦卡蒙在去世前几个小时受伤了。 图坦卡蒙可能是受伤感染致死的吗？

A Closer Look In 2005, scientists under the direction of Egyptian archeologist Zahi Hawass used new and more effective X-ray technology to study the mummy. They discovered that the damage to Tut's chest was caused by Howard Carter, and the hole in Tut's skull was made when embalmers were preparing the body for burial. While this ruled out one theory—that of murder—it still doesn't tell us exactly how he died. Then, in 2008, Hawass and his team analyzed Tut's DNA. They found that he suffered from flat feet as well as a bone disease: This would have made it difficult for him to walk. When they analyzed the DNA of the mummies in other tombs nearby, they made some shocking discoveries. They found Tut's father and mother, who had similar DNA, were actually brother and sister. The DNA they passed on to Tut may have left him highly vulnerable to disease, such as malaria. Did an infection that started in his fractured leg—added to the bone disease—cause his death? No one knows for sure. But Hawass and his team hope they will someday have an answer to this age-old mystery. INSIDE KING TUT'S TOMB The tomb of Tutankhamen was found hidden in the Valley of the Kings. Although some of its outer rooms were robbed in ancient times, the tomb itself was not opened. Inside were walls decorated with colorful paintings and nine layers of wood, stone, and gold, protecting the body of the king. To reach King Tut's mummy, Carter and his team had to remove four huge boxes, or shrines. Each shrine was made from heavy wood and covered with golden pictures of Egyptian gods. THE KING'S SARCOPHAGUS Carter's team discovered a beautifully painted box called a sarcophagus, carved from a single piece of stone. Inside it were three mummy-shaped coffins, one inside the other. In the last coffin, made of solid gold, lay the body of the boy-king, his head and shoulders covered in a stunning gold mask.

仔细观察 2005年，在埃及考古学家扎希·哈瓦斯的指导下，科学家们使用了新的、更有效的X射线技术来研究这具木乃伊。 他们发现图坦卡蒙胸部的损伤是霍华德·卡特造成的， 图坦卡蒙头骨上的洞是防腐人员准备埋葬尸体时挖的。 虽然这排除了一种理论——谋杀——但它仍然没有告诉我们他到底是怎么死的。 然后，在2008年，哈瓦斯和他的团队分析了图坦卡蒙的DNA。 他们发现他患有扁平足和骨病： 这会让他很难走路。 当他们分析附近其他坟墓中木乃伊的DNA时，他们发现了一些令人震惊的发现。 他们发现图坦卡蒙的父母有相似的DNA，实际上是兄妹。 他们传递给图坦卡蒙的DNA可能使他极易感染疟疾等疾病。 是从他骨折的腿开始的感染，加上骨病，导致了他的死亡吗？ 没有人确切知道。 但哈瓦斯和他的团队希望有一天他们能解开这个古老的谜团。 图坦卡蒙陵墓内 图坦卡蒙的陵墓被发现藏在帝王谷。 虽然它的一些外部房间在古代被洗劫一空，但坟墓本身并没有被打开。 里面的墙壁装饰着五颜六色的画和九层木头、石头和黄金，保护着国王的身体。 为了找到图坦卡蒙的木乃伊，卡特和他的团队不得不移走四个巨大的盒子或神龛。 每个神殿都是用沉重的木头建造的，上面覆盖着埃及众神的金色画像。 国王的石棺 卡特的团队发现了一个画得很漂亮的盒子，叫做石棺，是用一块石头雕刻而成的。 里面有三个木乃伊形状的棺材，一个在另一个里面。 在最后一口纯金棺材里，躺着小国王的尸体， 他的头和肩膀上戴着一个令人惊叹的金面具。

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