When structural engineer Peter James arrived at the Bent Pyramid，his task was to secure the structure's remaining "coat"—its smooth external envelope.But why was it collapsing in the first place？
The foundation seemed completely stable.The current theory—that "the missing coat was removed by local opportunist thieves"—didn't inspire confidence：That could explain the destruction at the lower levels，but the damage extended far up the pyramid and "in an apparently random manner，with no signs of hollow from temporary scaffolding （脚手架） or of any cutting of the blocks to aid removal，" James writes in a structural engineering trade publication.The damage just did not look like the result of thieves.Rather，as James puts it，it "appears to be caused by a giant whose hand has swept across the face of the pyramid with enormous energy，sucking out the facing and leaving the rough empty sockets （底座）."
So，what was causing the collapse？James presents a new explanation：thermal movement—that is to say the expansion and contraction of the limestone （石灰石） with temperature changes—has ground down the rocks and shifted their positions.During the day，the temperature rises to 40°C across the face of the outer cover，then at night cools to 30C because of the lack of cover and exposure to the winds.This gives an average daily temperature shift of 37°C.The photographs of the Bent Pyramid show how thermal expansion has caused the blocks to move to the edges，where they have separated.
He estimates that the motion can amount to 1¼ inches per 328 feet.As the stones move，dust and sand would fall from the stones and fill in the spaces between jye.aim.The spaces into which they could contract at night would shrink，and over time they would be pushed out of position. "Multiply this endless movement by the number of days that the pyramid has been built and you have the reason why all the outer cover has moved to the extremities and then fallen off，" James writes. "It may then have been picked up by opportunists and removed from the site."
The Bent Pyramid is one of the best preserved and，as a result，it provides a unique opportunity for studying how the collapse is happening.James theorizes that the reason the Bent Pyramid keeps its cover，while the Red Pyramid and the Great Pyramid "have virtually none" is that，ironically，the Bent Pyramid had worse construction to begin with.As the Egyptians became more skilled，and developed more accurate construction techniques，the space between the stones disappeared，and the structures were less able to absorb the expansion and contraction of the limestone.The other，more perfect pyramids may have developed external cracks rather quickly，and，James assumes，may be why eventually the Egyptians moved their burial grounds to the Valley of the Kings.The pyramids' perfection became their imperfection.
（1）According to the passage，what happened to the Bent Pyramid？ DD
A．Its structure was fixed by James.
B．Its coat was stolen by local thieves.
C．The foundation was strengthened.
D．Parts of its outer covering fell apart.
（2）The word "thermal" in paragraph 3 most probably means CC.
A．lasting for a limited time
B．affecting the structure of something
C．relating to or caused by heat
D．relating to the weather in an area
（3）By "The pyramids' perfection became their imperfection"，the author means BB.
A．the more skilled Egyptians neglected the space between the stones
B．the precise construction prevented thermal movement in the pyramids
C．the Egyptians moved their graves because the pyramids were too perfect
D．the Bent Pyramid was preserved with accurate techniques while others were not
（4）The passage is mainly about AA.
A．a new theory about the collapse of a pyramid
B．the Bent Pyramid that is one of the best preserved
C．an engineer who secures the structure of pyramids
D．a comparison between the Bent Pyramid and other pyramids
【答案】D；C；B；A
【解答】
【点评】
声明：本试题解析著作权属菁优网所有，未经书面同意，不得复制发布。
发布：2024/4/20 14:35:0组卷：13引用：1难度：0.6
相似题
-
1．British children's writer Roald Dahl ate chocolates and sweets "pretty much every mealtime"，remembers daughter Ophelia Dahl．
After dinner，whether dining alone or entertaining guests，Dahl would pass around a little red plastic box full of Mars Bars，Milky Ways，Maltesers，Kit Kats and much more．
He knew the history of all the sweets and could tell you exactly when they were invented．1937 was a big year when Kit Kats （his favorite），Rolos and Smarties （his dog，chopper's favorite） were invented．He wrote a history of chocolate，lecturing schoolchildren to commit such dates to memory（熟记），such as 1928 when "Cadbury's Fruit and Nut Bar popped up on the scene"，saying． "Don't bother with the Kings and Queens of England．All of you should learn these dates instead．Perhaps the Headmistress（女校长）will see from now on that it becomes part of the major teaching in this school．"
According to Dahl，the Golden Years of Chocolate were 1930-1937．In 1930，Roald Dahl was 14 years old．He was a student at Repton，a famous boys' boarding school in England．It was a tough environment：those in authority were more interested in controlling than educating the students．
Ironically（讽刺地），it was at this difficult period that chocolate became Dahl's passion．Near Repton was a Cadbury chocolate factory．Every so often，Cadbury would send each schoolboy a sampler（样品）box of new chocolates to taste and grade．They were using the students---"the greatest chocolate bar experts in the world to test out their new inventions．
This was when Dahl's imagination took flight．He pictured factories with inventing rooms with pots of chocolate and fudge（软糖）and "all sorts of other delicious fillings bubbling away on the stoves"．
"It was lovely dreaming those dreams…when I was looking for a plot for my second book for children．I remembered those little cardboard boxes（纸盒）and the newly invented chocolates inside them，and I began to write a book called Charlie and the Chocolate Factory．"
For the record，Roald Dahl did not like chocolate cake or chocolate ice cream．He said， "I prefer my chocolate straight．"
（1）What's the purpose of the first paragraph？
A．To introduce the main topic---Roald Dahl．
B．To introduce Dahl's love for chocolate．
C．To introduce main character's daily life．
D．To introduce some important characters．
（2）What can we infer from the passage about Roald Dahl？
A．He treated himself with various chocolate after dinner secretly．
B．He has a good knowledge of chocolate，especially its history．
C．He used to lecture schoolchildren of a boys' boarding school．
D．He only wrote some books related to the history of chocolate．
（3）What happened during the Golden Years of Chocolate？
A．It was a great time for children to get educated．
B．Those years stopped Dahl's interest in chocolate．
C．Students could become chocolate experts then．
D．Roald Dahl's passion for chocolate was lit up then．
（4）gave Roald Dahl inspiration to write Charlie and Chocolate Factory．
A．the dream about chocolates．
B．Factories with chocolate and fudge．
C．Those boxes with chocolate．
D．Chocolate cakes and ice cream发布：2025/1/30 8:0:1组卷：0引用：1难度：0.5 -
2．Recently，a film star has been giving away free books on the London Underground．If you're a bookworm，a Harry Potter fan and a London Underground user，then it's been an exciting month for you．
Emma Watson，who starred in films based on the novels about a fictional schoolboy wizard，has been hiding books on the Tube for passengers to read through．
It's part of he Book On The Underground movement，which has a simple aim：to get more people burying themselves in literature．Books are left on trains for passengers to pick up，dip into and then leave for another lucky reader to skim．
The movement started in 2012 and drops off about 150 books a week in stations across London．Talking about Watson's participation in the project，the manager of Books On The Under ground，Cornelia Oxley，said， "The reaction has been great．It must be a mixture of how much everyone admires Emma，and how exciting it is to find something as wonderful as a new book on your journey．"
The 100 or so books Watson left for passengers to read were even more special because she left a hand-written inscription（题词）．The books were Kaya Angelou's Mom & Me & Mom．
One person who discovered a copy of the book on the Tube said she felt like the character Charlie Bucket - a boy who finds a golden ticket to the world's greatest chocolate factory - in the Roald Dahl's classic，Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Watson became a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in the summer of 2014 and has since started reading as many books and essays on equality and feminism（饥荒） as possible．She has also started her own book club．
So．Why not take a leaf out of Emma Watson's book and leave a copy of your favorite book on a train？It could make a stranger's life richer．
（1）What does Books On The Underground aim to do？
A．To get more readers to buy their books．
B．To leave books on trains．
C．To find lucky readers．
D．To get more people to read．
（2）Which of the following statements is NOT true？
A．People's admiration for Emma Watson contributes to the success of the movement．
B．There is a golden ticket to the world's greatest chocolate factory in the book．
C．To find something wonderful on a journey is exciting．
D．Emma Watson left hand-written inscriptions on the books．
（3）What's the author's attitude towards Emma Watson's leaving books on the train？
A．critical
B．indifferent
C．supportive
D．pessimistic发布：2025/1/30 8:0:1组卷：0引用：1难度：0.5 -
3．It can be really hard to learn a new language．I had always enjoyed learning languages in school，but only recently did I start learning German．I found that I could understand and learn individual words easily，but when it came to literature，I really struggled．That was when my tutor at university suggested reading some children's books printed in the target language．
At first，I felt a bit silly going on a hunt for a book designed for someone half my age，but then I realised that everyone has to start somewhere．As children，we are given these basic texts to familiarise our brains with certain vocabulary and writing structures，and from there，we can learn and develop．I started with books which are taught to us as children in the UK．I managed to find Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl．
The beauty of reading books that were introduced to you as a child is that you are already familiar with the plot．Therefore you can work out some words with your knowledge of the story．At first，I used to read with the book in one hand and a dictionary in the other，but this did not work well．The method I would recommend is to read a chapter first and at the end of that chapter，highlight the new words and then look up the definitions．If you can wait a bit before using a dictionary，you may be surprised what you can understand merely from the context．Additionally，a lot of children's books have pictures which may give you a clue as to what or to whom the passage is referring．
If you can find a translation of the books you have read as a child，I would strongly advise reading those if you are a complete beginner．However，if you feel a bit more confident reading in English，I would personally recommend the series of 'Harry Potter' books by J．K．Rowling or any of the Roald Dahl children's books．
（1）What makes it hard for the author to learn German？
A．The author had a poor memory．
B．The author had no interest in it．
C．The author had no one to ask for help．
D．The author couldn't read books fluently．
（2）What did the author think of reading children's books in the target language at first？
A．Interesting．
B．Stupid．
C．Helpful．
D．Boring．
（3）What does the author try to express mainly in Paragraph 3？
A．How to deal with new words while reading．
B．Why it is helpful to read children's book at first．
C．How to choose a proper book to match your level．
D．How to form the habit of reading in the target language．
（4）Why does the author write this text？
A．To give tips on how to learn a new language．
B．To persuade the readers to learn a new language．
C．To stress the importance of reading in language learning．
D．To share the author's stories of learning a new language．发布：2025/1/30 8:0:1组卷：5引用：1难度：0.5
相关试卷
