The oldest known horseback riding saddle

江西 鄧 云

放射性碳分析顯示，考古學家在洋海墓群中一個女性墓主的墳中發掘出的馬鞍，有超過2400年的歷史，是迄今為止已知最古老的馬鞍。

主題語境：人與社會（文化淵源） 篇幅：325詞 建議用時：7分鐘

1 A woman buried more than 2400 years ago in what's now northwestern China has ridden into a scientific afterlife on top of the earliest directly dated horseback riding saddle.Researchers figured that the wellpreserved, soft saddle can date back to 727 BC to 396 BC unearthed at what's known as the Yanghai tombs.This expert piece of riding equipment is possibly older than the previous record holders,Professor Wertmann of the Univerity of Zurich and teammates report.

2 Despite its simple design,“the Yanghai saddle was made by a specialist familiar not only with needles and leatherwork but with horse riding and the structure of horse and rider,”Wertmann says.The finished product,which showed signs of extensive use,had been placed with the woman's body in a position for her to take another ride.

3 It shares basic features with present-day soft saddles, including two wing-shaped hides sewn together to form a seat, divided by a long, narrow piece of hide that was placed over a horse's back.Rounded pieces of hide attached to the front and back of the wingshaped pieces would have helped riders to maintain an upright position and raise themselves up,say when shooting an arrow.

4 Different stitching (縫 合) techniques were employed to hold the Yanghai saddle together.Saddle stitching, a method still practiced today that creates two rows of interlocking strings using a single row of holes, connected front and back supports to the saddle seat.Simpler stitching methods were used to repair tears in the saddle and to close cuts in each main hide that could be opened to stuff animal hair and straw into the saddle seat for softening.

5 When and where people began to ride horses and use saddles remains uncertain.Yamnaya herders (牧人) living in the area of modern Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary may have ridden horseback as early as around 5000 years ago, but only saddles provide clear evidence of horseback riding,says Professor Ventresca-Miller of the University of Michigan.

Reading Check

Detail1.Which aspect of the saddle does paragraph 1 focus on?

A.Its design.B.Its owner.

C.Its age.D.Its condition.

Inference2.What can be inferred about the saddle's owner?

A.She used to ride a lot.B.She was a horse specialist.

C.She used to design saddles.D.She was good at needlework.

Detail3.Why were animal hair and straw put into the seat?

A.To close the cuts in it.

B.To repair tears in the saddle.

C.To create interlocking strings.

D.To make it more comfortable.

Inference4.What does the finding show according to Ventresca-Miller?

A.When people began to ride.

B.Some history of horseback riding.

C.Where Yamnaya herders lived.

D.Riding habits of Yamnaya herders.

Language Study

Ⅰ.難句解析

Simpler stitching methods were used to repair tears in the saddle and to close cuts in each main hide that could be opened to stuff animal hair and straw into the saddle seat for softening.更簡單的縫合方法被用來修復馬鞍上的撕裂處，并閉合每個主皮上的切口，這些切口可以打開，以便將動物毛發和稻草塞進馬鞍座中使其變得柔軟。

【點石成金】本句是一個復合句，主語是Simpler stitching methods，謂語是were used，第一個and連接to repair和to close這兩個動作；that引導的是一個限制性定語從句，關系代詞that指代先行詞cuts。

Ⅱ.語法填空

A 2400-year-old horseback riding saddle, possibly the world's 1.________(early) of its kind, has been found in a woman's tomb in northwestern China.The saddle can date back to between 727 BC and 396 BC, making it potentially older than any 2.________(previous) discovered.The saddle, unearthed at the Yanghai tombs, is a proof of the skills of ancient specialists, 3.________(exhibit) mastery in needlework, leatherwork, horse riding and the structure of horses and riders.

The well-preserved saddle, though simple in design, shows signs of extensive use 4.________was positioned with the woman's body in a position for her to take another ride.5.________(it) basic structure, very similar to modern soft saddles, comprises two wing-shaped hides sewn together 6.________(form) a seat, a long narrow piece to fit over the horse's back, and rounded pieces of hide attached to the front and back to help riders maintain balance.

Different stitching techniques were used on the saddle, one of 7.________, saddle stitching, is still in use today.Other simpler methods 8.________(employ) to repair tears and close cuts in the main hide,which would have been filled 9.________animal hair and straw for comfort.

Evidence suggests that Yamnaya herders may have ridden horseback around 5000 years ago,but only saddles provide clear 10.________(evident)of horseback riding.