龐貝考古之謎

山東 王立柱

1The ruins of the ancient Roman City of Pompeii are full of strange mysteries.In 79 CE, a volcanic eruption wiped out the city of between 10,000 and 20,000 residents.Massive volcanic ash and floating stones shot out of Mount Vesuvius, killing Pompeii's residents by not letting them breathe air.Archaeologists have found the remains of over 1300 victims in the site of the city of Naples over the last 250 years.

2Some of the bodies of Pompeii were also preserved in plaster (石膏), but not from Mount Vesuvius and not in 79 CE.In the 1860s and 1870s, archaeologists led by Giuseppe Fiorelli poured plaster into the empty space left behind by the bodies.These casts typically have the bone remains deeply fixed in the plaster that keeps the body shape and give a realistic image of victims of the eruption.

3“Pompeii is one of the most important places from an archaeological view,”Gianni Gallello, an archeologist at the University of Valencia in Spain says.“Pompeii stopped at that moment after the eruption, all stuck in time.”However, the plaster may have polluted the chemical composition of the bones, according to Gianni.While the plaster may have changed the chemical make-up of the bones, bioarchaeological analysis still supports the theory that these specific victims died from asphyxiation(窒息)and not from force injury from rocks or burning.

4Gallello brought a technique called portable X-ray fluorescence as a way to examine the elemental composition of the bones and plaster for the first time.“It's a portable device that takes the material profile invisibly,”Gallello explains.

5Using portable X-ray fluorescence, the archaeologists found that the plaster from Pompeii was completely different from the burned and unburned bones from the collection.Testing out this method for the first time on the Pompeii casts also helped add to the popular theories of what killed these specific residents of Pompeii during the eruption.While the plaster pollution makes it more difficult to study, the chemical analysis supports the theory that the victims suffocated(窒息)from the volcanic ash.

1.What do we know about the ruins of Pompeii City?

A.They were caused by fires made by residents.

B.Over 20,000 bodies of residents were dug out.

C.So many puzzles about them wait to be solved.

D.Archaeologists have proved the reasons for them.

2.What is the finding of Gianni Gallello's team?

A.Pompeii once suffered severe pollution.

B.Pompeii victims died from too much volcanic ash.

C.Pompeii victims died from burning and heat.

D.Volcanic eruption in Pompeii was frequent.

3.How did Gianni Gallello's team get the results?

A.By checking up the function of the volcanic ash.

B.By working out the loss caused by the eruption.

C.By examining the composition of rocks in Pompeii.

D.By studying the chemicals in the bones and plaster.

4.What does the text try to convey?

A.Chemical analysis reveals some mysteries in Pompeii.

B.Pompeii's archaeological puzzles won't be solved.

C.With a little help from chemistry we can defeat all.

D.A new device helps Pompeii return to the past.

語篇解碼

本文是一篇關于龐貝古城遺址和其石膏人模的考古學文章，主要介紹了龐貝古城被火山噴發摧毀后的情況，以及考古學家是如何在19 世紀60 年代和19 世紀70 年代使用石膏對龐貝古城的遺體進行模型化保存的。

語言學習

Ⅰ.語料薈萃

?

（續表）

Ⅱ.語句分析

1.These casts typically have the bone remains deeply fixed in the plaster that keeps the body shape and give a realistic image of victims of the eruption.這些模型通常將骨頭深深地固定在石膏中，以保持身體形狀，呈現出火山爆發受害者的真實形象。

【點石成金】本句中含有一個定語從句，先行詞是plaster，that 引導定語從句并在句中作主語。

2.While the plaster may have changed the chemical make-up of the bones, bioarchaeological analysis still supports the theory that these specific victims died from asphyxiation and not from force injury from rocks or burning.雖然石膏可能改變了骨頭的化學成分，但生物考古分析仍然支持這樣的理論，即這些特定的受害者死于窒息，而不是死于巖石或燃燒的力傷。

【點石成金】本句是一個主從復合句，while 引導讓步狀語從句，主句中含有一個由that引導的同位語從句，對前面的theory進行解釋說明。

語言運用

Ⅰ.例句仿寫

1.那本我從圖書館借來的書非常有趣。

The book ______________________________is very interesting.

2.我聽說她晉升的消息了。

I heard the news ______________________________.

Ⅱ.寫作實踐

假定你是李華，在倫敦某中學做交換生，該校要開設一個中國陶藝工作室，現向中國學生征集建議。請你給負責人Smith寫一封建議信，內容包括：

1.你的建議；

2.給出理由。

注意：

1.詞數80左右；

2.可以適當增加細節，以使行文連貫。

Dear Smith,