劍橋雅思7，第四套試題，閱讀部分 Passage 1，閱讀真題原文部分：

READING PASSAGE 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1below.
Pulling stings to build pyramids

No one knows exactly how the pyramids were built. Marcus Chown reckons the answer could be 'hanging in the air'.

The pyramids of Egypt were built more than three thousand years ago, and no one knows how. The conventional picture is that tens of thousands of slaves dragged stones on sledges. But there is no evidence to back this up. Now a Californian software consultant called Maureen Clemmons has suggested that kites might have been involved. While perusing a book on the monuments of Egypt, she noticed a hieroglyph that showed a row of men standing in odd postures. They were holding what looked like ropes that led, via some kind of mechanical system, to a giant bird in the sky. She wondered if perhaps the bird was actually a giant kite, and the men were using it to lift a heavy object.

Intrigued, Clemmons contacted Morteza Gharib, aeronautics professor at the California Institute of Technology. He was fascinated by the idea. 'Coming from Iran, I have a keen interest in Middle Eastern science,' he says. He too was puzzled by the picture that had sparked Clemmons's interest. The object in the sky apparently had wings far too short and wide for a bird. 'The possibility certainly existed that it was a kite,' he says. And since he needed a summer project for his student Emilio Graff, investigating the possibility of using kites as heavy lifters seemed like a good idea.

Gharib and Graff set themselves the task of raising a 4.5-metre stone column from horizontal to vertical, using no source of energy except the wind. Their initial calculations and scale-model wind-tunnel experiments convinced them they wouldn’t need a strong wind to lift the 33.5-tonne column. Even a modest force, if sustained over a long time, would do. The key was to use a pulley system that would magnify the applied force. So they rigged up a tent-shaped scaffold directly above the tip of the horizontal column, with pulleys suspended from the scaffold's apex. The idea was that as one end of the column rose, the base would roll across the ground on a trolley. Earlier this year, the team put Clemmons's unlikely theory to the test, using a 40-square-metre rectangular nylon sail. The kite lifted the column clean off the ground. We were absolutely stunned,' Gharib says. 'The instant the sail opened into the wind, a huge force was generated and the column was raised to the vertical in a mere 40 seconds.'

The wind was blowing at a gentle 16 to 20 kilometres an hour, little more than half what they thought would be needed. What they had failed to reckon with was what happened when the kite was opened. 'There was a huge initial force- five times larger than the steady state force,' Gharib says. This jerk meant that kites could lift huge weights, Gharib realised. Even a 300-tonne column could have been lifted to the vertical with 40 or so men and four or five sails. So Clemmons was right: the pyramid builders could have used kites to lift massive stones into place. 'Whether they actually did is another matter,' Gharib says. There are no pictures showing the construction of the pyramids, so there is no way to tell what really happened. 'The evidence for using kites to move large stones is no better or worse than the evidence for the brute force method,' Gharib says.

Indeed, the experiments have left many specialists unconvinced. 'The evidence for kite-lifting is non-existent,' says Willeke Wendrich, an associate professor of Egyptology at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Others feel there is more of a case for the theory. Harnessing the wind would not have been a problem for accomplished sailors like the Egyptians. And they are known to have used wooden pulleys, which could have been made strong enough to bear the weight of massive blocks of stone. In addition, there is some physical evidence that the ancient Egyptians were interested in flight. A wooden artefact found on the step pyramid at Saqqara looks uncannily like a modern glider. Although it dates from several hundred years after the building of the pyramids, its sophistication suggests that the Egyptians might have been developing ideas of flight for a long time. And other ancient civilisations certainly knew about kites; as early as 1250 BC, the Chinese were using them to deliver messages and dump flaming debris on their foes.

The experiments might even have practical uses nowadays. There are plenty of places around the globe where people have no access to heavy machinery, but do know how to deal with wind, sailing and basic mechanical principles. Gharib has already been contacted by a civil engineer in Nicaragua, who wants to put up buildings with adobe roofs supported by concrete arches on a site that heavy equipment can't reach. His idea is to build the arches horizontally, then lift them into place using kites. 'We've given him some design hints,' says Gharib. 'We're just waiting for him to report back.' So whether they were actually used to build the pyramids or not, it seems that kites may make sensible construction tools in the 21 st century AD.

Questions 1-7

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

1 It is generally believed that large numbers of people were needed to build the pyramids.
2 Clemmons found a strange hieroglyph on the wall of an Egyptian monument.
3 Gharib had previously done experiments on bird flight.
4 Gharib and Graff tested their theory before applying it.
5 The success of the actual experiment was due to the high speed of the wind.
6 They found that, as the kite flew higher, the wind force got stronger.
7 The team decided that it was possible to use kites to raise very heavy stones.

Questions 8-13

Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer
Write your answers in boxes 8-13 on your answer sheet.
Additional evidence for theory of kite-lifting

The Egyptians had 8 ………… which could lift large pieces of 9 ………… , and they knew how to use the energy of the wind from their skill as 10 ………… . The discovery on one pyramid of an object which resembled a 11 ………… suggests they may have experimented with 12 ………… . In addition, over two thousand years ago kites were used in China as weapons, as well as for sending 13 ………… .

READING PASSAGE 1 真題解析

篇章結(jié)構(gòu)

體裁：說明文
主題：線牽金字塔
結(jié)構(gòu)：
引 言：引出Marcus Chown的新觀點。
第一段：介紹Marcus關(guān)于金字塔修建的新觀點。
第二段：該觀點引起另一位科學(xué)家Morteza的興趣。
第三段：為驗證該觀點提出的實驗假設(shè)。
第四段：實驗獲得成功。
第五段：對實驗結(jié)果的分析。
第六段：對該觀點存在不同的聲音。
第七段：對于該觀點的其他解釋及依據(jù)。
第八段：該實驗在現(xiàn)實中的應(yīng)用。

必背詞匯

引言 ：
pyramid n. 金字塔 reckon v. 料想

第一段：
conventional adj. 通常的，常規(guī)的 hieroglyph n. 象形文字，圖畫文字
slave n. 奴隸 odd adj. 古怪的
drag vt. 拖，拉 posture n. 姿勢
sledge n. 雪橇 via prep. 經(jīng)由
back up 支持 mechanical adj. 機械的
software n. 軟件 giant adj. 巨大的
consultant n. 顧問 wonder v. 好奇
peruse vt. 翻閱，瀏覽 object n. 物體
monument n. 歷史遺跡，遺址

第二段 ：
intrigue v. 激起……的興趣 keen adj. 強烈的，濃厚的
contact v. 聯(lián)系 puzzled adj. 困惑的
aeronautics n. 航空學(xué) spark v. 激發(fā)
institute n. 學(xué)院 apparently adv. 顯然
fascinate v. 強烈地吸引 investigate v. 調(diào)查，研究

第三段：
column n. 柱，圓柱 sustain v. 維持
horizontal adj. 水平的 pulley n. 滑車，滑輪
vertical adj. 垂直的 magnify v. 放大
source n. 來源 rig v. 裝配
initial adj. 最初的 tent-shaped adj. 帳篷形狀的
calculation n. 計算 scaffold n. 支架
wind-tunnel adj. 風(fēng)洞的 suspend v. 懸掛
convince v. 說服，使……相信 apex n. 頂點，最高點
tonne n. 噸 roll v. (使)滾動
modest adj. 溫和的，適度的 trolley n. 手推車

第四段：
rectangular n. 矩形 instant n. 立即，瞬間
nylon n. 尼龍 generate v. 產(chǎn)生
absolutely adv. 一定地，完全地 mere adj. 僅僅的
stun v. 使目瞪口呆

第五段：
gentle adj. 溫和的；徐緩的 massive adj. 巨大的
steady adj. 穩(wěn)定的，不變的 actually adv. 實際上
state n. 狀態(tài) construction n. 建設(shè)，建造
jerk v. 急拉 brute adj. 無理性的
realise v. 意識到

第六段：
specialist n. 專家 no-existent adj. 不存在的
unconvinced adj. 不信服的 associate professor 副教授

第七段：
harness v. 利用 uncannily adv. 異常地
accomplished adj. 熟練的，有造詣的 glider n. 滑翔機
Egyptian n. 埃及人 sophistication n. 精密性，復(fù)雜性
wooden adj. 木制的 civilisation n. 文明
block n. 大塊 dump v. 傾卸，傾倒
physical adj. 物質(zhì)的 flaming adj. 燃燒的
ancient adj. 古代的，古老的 debris n. 碎片，殘骸
artefact n. 人工制品 foe n. 敵人

第八段：
practical adj. 實際的 concrete adj. 水泥的
access n. (使用或見到的)機會，權(quán)利 arch n. 拱頂
civil engineer 土木工程師 hint n. 建議，指點
adobe n. 泥磚，土坯 sensible adj. 切合實際的

難句解析

1. And since he needed a summer project for his student Emilio Graff, investigating the possibility of using kites as heavy lifters seemed like a good idea.
參考譯文：因為他剛好需要給學(xué)生Emilio Graff布置一項暑假研究計劃，調(diào)查用風(fēng)箏做起重器的可能性是一個好主意。
語言點：
(1) investigate: v. to try to find out the truth about or the cause of something
The state police are investigating the incident.
I heard a noise and went downstairs to investigate.
(2) seem: v. to appear to exist or be true, or to have a particular quality
a. seem like
Teri seemed like a nice girl.
b. it seems (that)...
It seemed that Freeman had killed the man, and dumped the body in the lake.

2. The instant the sail opened into the wind, a huge force was generated and the column was raised to the vertical in a mere 40 seconds.
參考譯文：風(fēng)帆在風(fēng)中展開那一刻產(chǎn)生一股巨大的風(fēng)力，僅花了40秒石柱就被抬離地面。
語言點：
(1)句型分析
逗號之前的部分為the instant引導(dǎo)的時間狀語從句，在instant后面若加上when應(yīng)該就不難理解了。
(2) generate
a. v. to produce or cause something
The program would generate a lot of new jobs.
b. v. to produce heat, electricity, or another form of energy
Wind turbines generate electricity for the local community.

3. There are plenty of places around the globe where people have no access to heavy machinery, but do know how to deal with wind, sailing and basic mechanical principles.
參考譯文：世界上很多地方的人沒有大型機械，卻知道如何利用風(fēng)能、航海和基本的機械原理。
語言點：
(1) have access to sth.: to have sth. that you can use
Her mother doesn't have access to the advanced one.
(2) deal with
a. to take the necessary action, especially in order to solve a problem
Don't worry, I'll deal with this problem.
b. if a book, speech etc. deals with a particular subject, it is about that subject
These ideas are dealt with more fully in Chapter Four.

試題解析

Questions 1-7

題目類型：True / False / Not Given
題目解析：
1. It is generally believed that large numbers of people were needed to build the pyramids.
參考譯文：人們一般認(rèn)為修建金字塔需要大量的人力。
定位詞：large numbers of people, build the pyramids
解題關(guān)鍵字：believed
文中對應(yīng)點：第一段，The conventional picture is that tens of thousands of slaves dragged stoneson the sledges.
此題通過定位詞可以迅速定位至首段第二句話，題干為對文章定位句的概括性改寫，分析如下：
generally believed—conventional picture, large numbers of people—tens ofthousands of slaves
因此答案很明顯應(yīng)該是TRUE。

2. Clemmons found a strange hieroglyph on the wall of an Egyptian monument.
參考譯文：Clemmons在一個埃及古跡的墻面上發(fā)現(xiàn)了一種奇怪的象形文字。
定位詞：hieroglyph, Egyptian monument
解題關(guān)鍵字：found
文中對應(yīng)點：第二段，While perusing a book on the monuments of Egypt, she noticed ahieroglyph that showed a row of men standing in odd postures.
此題定位詞在文中原詞出現(xiàn)，可以快速定位。文中定位句指出Clemmons是在一本關(guān)于埃及古跡的書中讀到的象形文字信息，而題目卻說她在一座埃及古跡的墻上發(fā)現(xiàn)了象形文字，顯然題目與文章相悖，因此此題答案為FALSE。

3. Gharib had previously done experiments on bird flight.
參考譯文：Gharib之前做過鳥類飛行的實驗。
定位詞：experiment, bird flight
解題關(guān)鍵字：previously done
文中對應(yīng)點：題干的定位信息在文章中未出現(xiàn)，此題為最典型的“原文完全未提及型”，故答案為NOT GIVEN。

4. Gharib and Graft tested their theory before applying it.
參考譯文：Gharib and Graff在應(yīng)用他們的理論之前對其進(jìn)行了驗證。
定位詞：theory
解題關(guān)鍵字：tested
文中對應(yīng)點：第四段，Earlier this year, the team put Clemmons's unlikely theory to the test, ...
譯文：今年早些時候，他們把Clemmons空頭理論付諸實驗。
顯然題目與文章完全相符，因此此題答案為TRUE。

5. The success of the actual experiment was due to the high speed of the wind.
參考譯文：現(xiàn)實中實驗的成功是因為風(fēng)的高速。
定位詞：high speed of the wind
解題關(guān)鍵字：due to
文中對應(yīng)點：第五段，The wind was blowing at a gentle 16 to 20 kilometres an hour, little morethan half what they thought would be needed.
此題按照順序原則，在第五段首句定位出與風(fēng)速相關(guān)的信息，但文中對于風(fēng)速的描述為gentle和little more than half(與一半差不多)，顯然題目與原文不符，因此答案為FALSE。

6. They found that, as the kite flew higher, the wind force got stronger.
參考譯文：他們發(fā)現(xiàn)當(dāng)風(fēng)帆飛得更高的時候，風(fēng)力也變得更強。
定位詞：kite, wind force
解題關(guān)鍵字：flew higher, got stronger
文中對應(yīng)點：第五段，What they had failed to reckon with was what happened when the kitewas opened. “There was a huge initial force—five times larger than thesteady state force，”Gharib says.
譯文：他們沒有想到的是當(dāng)風(fēng)帆打開時會發(fā)生什么。“巨大的初始風(fēng)力比恒穩(wěn)狀態(tài)風(fēng)力還大五倍?！盙harib說道。
此題定位比較容易。在定位句中只提到了kite打開的時候wind force很大，對于題目中的兩個比較級完全沒提及，此題為典型的“題目內(nèi)容文章部分提及型”，故答案為NOT GIVEN。

7. The team decided that it was possible to use kites to raise very heavy stones.
參考譯文：他們的團(tuán)隊斷定使用風(fēng)帆提升很沉的石頭是可能實現(xiàn)的。
定位詞：kite, very heavy stones
解題關(guān)鍵字：possible to use
文中對應(yīng)點：第五段，This jerk meant that kites could lift huge weights, Gharib realised.
此題按照順序原則在上一題定位句之后就能找到定位詞。題目與原文含義一致，均為“風(fēng)帆可以提升極大的重量”，故答案為TRUE。

Questions 8-13

題目類型：Summary
解題方法：
1. 該Summary有小標(biāo)題，可以通過掃描各段首句的方法定位出其解題段落為第七段。
2. 對于沒有詞庫的Summary，需在回文定位之前預(yù)測空格所填詞的詞性，在定位時便于有目的地查找。

題目解析：

第8題
定位詞：Egyptians
文中對應(yīng)點：第七段，...like theEgyptians. And theyare known to haveused woodenpulleys, ...

題目解析：在定位段中查找定位詞可以迅速定位于該段第二句。題中空格前為動詞had，所以應(yīng)于文中定位處掃描該動詞或其同義詞或其上下義詞。此處掃描結(jié)果為to have used，則其后單詞即為答案：(wooden)pulleys。

第9題
定位詞：large pieces
文中對應(yīng)點：第七段，..., which couldhave been madestrong enough tobear the weight ofmassive blocks ofstone.
題目解析：此題在文中定位緊接著上一題。通過掃描定位詞得出large pieces of對應(yīng)文中massiveblocks of，于是其后單詞即為答案：stone。

第10題
定位詞：energy fromthe wind
文中對應(yīng)點：第七段，Harnessing the windwould not havebeen a problem foraccomplished sailorslike the Egyptians.
題目解析：此題為同一定位段內(nèi)的亂序題，由于確定解題段為第七段，在兩次定位后仍能將此空定位于段落次句。此空格前為介詞as，則在定位處掃描該介詞或其他介詞。此處掃描結(jié)果為for，則其后單詞即為答案：(accomplished)sailors。

第11題
定位詞：pyramid, resembled
文中對應(yīng)點：第七段，A wooden artefactfound on the steppyramid at Saqqaralooks uncannily likea modern glider.
題目解析：此題通過順序原則可以很快定位，定位處looks uncannily like對應(yīng)題中resembled，且空格需填寫一個單數(shù)名詞，則答案為(modern)glider。

第12題
定位詞：suggest, haveexperimentedwith
文中對應(yīng)點：第七段，..., its sophisticationsuggests that theEgyptians might havebeen developingideas of flight for a long time.
題目解析：此題解題技巧同第10題，由于空格前為介詞with，故在定位句中掃描后定位于介詞of，且have been developing ideas of對應(yīng)于題中have experimented with，所以答案為of之后單詞：flight。

第13題
定位詞：China
文中對應(yīng)點：第七段，..., the Chinesewere using them todeliver messages anddump flaming debrison their foes.

題目解析：此題技巧同第8題，空格前為動詞sending，則在定位句中掃描得到動詞deliver與之對應(yīng)，其后單詞即為答案：messages。

TIPS：在Summary的解題過程中，若空格前為動詞或介詞，則需在文中定位處查找該詞或其同義詞，且該詞后的單詞一般就是答案。

參考譯文

線牽金字塔

沒有人知道金字塔到底是怎么建成的。Marcus Chown料想答案可能是“懸空而造”。

埃及的金字塔是在3000多年前建造的，但是沒有人知道它們是以何種方式建造的。傳統(tǒng)的描述是由成千上萬的奴隸拖動載有石頭的雪橇來建造的。但是沒有證據(jù)證明這一觀點。加利福尼亞的軟件顧問Maureen Clemmons日前提出在金字塔的建造過程中可能使用了風(fēng)箏。在翻閱一本有關(guān)埃及古跡的書時，她發(fā)現(xiàn)一個象形文字描述的是一群人以奇怪的姿勢站立。他們手里拉著類似繩索的東西，通過某種機械連著空中的一只巨鳥。她想知道那只巨鳥是否可能就是一只巨大的風(fēng)箏，而那些人正用它來舉起重物。

好奇心驅(qū)使下的Clemmons聯(lián)系了加州理工學(xué)院的航空學(xué)教授Morteza Gharib。后者對她的想法很感興趣。他說：“我來自伊朗，對中東的科技有濃厚的興趣。”他同樣也對令Clemmons感興趣的圖片感到疑惑。懸在空中物體的兩翼對于鳥類來說明顯太短太寬?！笆秋L(fēng)箏的可能性確實是存在的，”他說。因為他剛好需要給學(xué)生Emilio Graff布置一項暑假研究計劃，調(diào)查用風(fēng)箏做起重器的可能性是一個好主意。

Gharib和Graff嘗試只借助風(fēng)力(除此之外沒有其他能源)來把一塊水平放置的4.5米長的石柱直立起來。最初的計算以及風(fēng)洞模型實驗讓他們相信不用太強的風(fēng)力就能舉起這塊33.5噸重的石柱。甚至只要風(fēng)力適度，如果能維持一定的時間就能做到。關(guān)鍵是要用一個滑輪系統(tǒng)把使用的風(fēng)力擴大。因此他們在橫放的石柱頂部正上方搭了一個帳篷形的支架，在支架的頂部懸掛了滑車。理論是當(dāng)石柱的一端被吊起，另一端就能順著下面的手推車翻轉(zhuǎn)過來。

今年早些時候，他們用一塊40平方米的方形尼龍風(fēng)帆把Clemmons的空頭理論付諸實驗。最終風(fēng)帆把石柱完全抬離地面。“我們完全目瞪口呆，”Gharib說?！帮L(fēng)帆在風(fēng)中展開那一刻產(chǎn)生一股巨大的風(fēng)力，僅花了40秒石柱就被抬離地面?！?/p>

當(dāng)時的風(fēng)力時速僅為16到20公里，還不足他們預(yù)想所需風(fēng)力的一半。他們沒有想到的是當(dāng)風(fēng)箏打開時會發(fā)生什么?！熬薮蟮某跏硷L(fēng)力比恒穩(wěn)狀態(tài)風(fēng)力大五倍，”Gharib說。他意識到這種猛然的拉力意味著風(fēng)箏能夠舉起巨大的重量。只需40個左右的人力加上四五個風(fēng)帆就能把一根300噸的石柱直立起來。所以Clemmons是對的，金字塔的建造者們可能使用了風(fēng)箏把巨大的石塊抬升至指定位置。“他們是否真的使用了風(fēng)箏是另外一回事，”Gharib說。沒有圖畫描述金字塔的建造情況，所以沒有辦法知道真正發(fā)生的事情?！笆褂蔑L(fēng)箏搬運巨石的證據(jù)和使用強力法的證據(jù)不相上下，”Gharib說。

事實上，這些實驗許多專家并不信服。洛杉磯加州大學(xué)的埃及古物學(xué)副教授WillekeWendrich就說：“支持風(fēng)箏搬運的證據(jù)并不存在”。

其他人則認(rèn)為支持該理論的實例不在少數(shù)。對像埃及人這樣熟練的水手來說駕馭風(fēng)力不是問題。而且我們都知道他們制造了堅固的木質(zhì)滑車用以承運大塊巨石。此外，有物證表明古埃及人對飛翔很感興趣。在塞加拉的階梯金字塔上發(fā)現(xiàn)的一塊木制加工品就酷似現(xiàn)代的滑翔機。盡管它出現(xiàn)在金字塔建成幾百年后，但是它的精密程度卻顯示埃及人想要飛翔的想法已經(jīng)非常久遠(yuǎn)。而其他古文明確實也了解風(fēng)箏；早在公元前1250年，中國人就用它們來傳遞信息或向敵人傾倒燃燒的碎片。

甚至現(xiàn)在這一實驗可能還具有實用性。全世界很多地方的人們沒有大型機械，卻知道如何利用風(fēng)能、航海和基本的機械原理。一位尼加拉瓜的土木工程師就聯(lián)系了Gharib，想要在一個沒有重型機械的地方建造用混凝土拱支持土坯屋頂?shù)姆孔?。他的想法是先在地平線上建造拱頂，然后用風(fēng)箏抬升拱頂?shù)筋A(yù)定位置?！拔覀兘o了他一些設(shè)計建議，還在等待他的反饋?！盙harib說。所以不管風(fēng)箏有沒有被用來建造金字塔，似乎它們在公元21世紀(jì)卻可能是實用的建筑工具。?

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