Stonehenge,the mysterious ring of ancient monoliths from the dawn of Britains proud civilization,could be the work of a central European immigrant,archaeologists said not long ago in a shock statement.An early Bronze Age archer,whose grave was discovered near the stone circle1 last year,may have helped build the monument. 1 .Or he might have brought up in a region neighboring Switzerland,such as southern Germany or western Austria.
The archerwould have been a very important person in the Stonehenge area,said Andrew Fitzpatrick,Wessex Archaeologys project manager.It is fascinating to think that someone from abroad could have played an important part in the construction of Britains most famous archaeological site.
The 4,000-year-old man was identified as an archer because of the flint arrowheads2found by his body,along with other artifacts belonging to the Beaker Culture3 in the Alps during the Bronze Age. 2 Though it could be coincidence that the man lived close to Stonehenge at about the time the great stones were put in place4,archaeologists suspect that he was involved in constructing the monument.The archer,dubbedThe King of Stonehengeby the British press,1ived around 2300 B.C.,about the time the great stone circle was formed in Amesbury,120 kilometers southwest of London.
The splendid artifacts found in his grave indicated he was a man of wealth,leading archaeologists to speculate he was an important dignitary involved in the monuments creation.Stonehenge was built about the time the rich Beaker Culture came to Britain. 3
4 He was strongly built but suffered an accident a few years before his death that severed his left knee cap5.Truman said the cause of death was not known,but it could have been a bone infection caused by his leg injury.
Archaeologists also found the grave of a younger man,aged 20 to 25,nearby. 5 This indicated they were related and were possibly father and son.Tests on the younger mans tooth enamel showed that he grew up in Britain.The archaeologists thus speculated the archer lived in Britain for many years and had a family,and was not just passing through6.
词汇:
Stonehenge n.巨石阵 Alps 阿尔卑斯山
monolith n.独块巨石 Germany 德国
bronze n.青铜 Austria 奥地利
archer n.射手 dignitary n.高贵的人物
Switzerland 瑞士 Celtic adj.凯尔特人的
flint n.燧石 dub v.把称为
artifact n.史前古器物 sever v.截断,切割
Beaker Culture宽口陶器人文化 enamel n.珐琅
注释:
1. stone circle:巨石圆阵。stone circle指的是Stonehenge。
2. flint arrowheads:燧石箭头
3. Beaker Culture:宽口陶器人文化
4. at about the time the great stones were put in place:大约在这些巨石布阵到位时
5. He was strongly built but suffered an accident a few years before his death that severed his left knee cap:他体格强健,但在去世几年前,遭受了一次意外事故,折断了左膝盖骨。
that severed his left knee cap是定语从句,修饰accident。
6. passing through:路过
练习:
A. And tests on the chemical components of his tooth enamel showed he grew up in the region that is now known as Switzerland.
B. He and the archer shared an unusual bone structure in their feet.
C. Stonehenge will remain mysterious for many centuries to come.
D.The artifacts found in his rich grave discovered about 5 kilometers from Stonehenge indicated he was obviously a very prominent man.
E. The archer was between 35 and 45 years old when he died.
F. And people of that time would have been able to communicate in early Celtic tongues.
答案:1.A 2.D 3.F 4.E 5.B
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