考研英语外刊：一项新发现揭开了金字塔的神秘面纱

The mystery of how, exactly, the pyramids were built may have come a step closer to being unravelled after a team of archaeologists made a chance discovery in an ancient Egyptian quarry.

Scientists researching ancient inscriptions happened upon a ramp with stairways and a series of what they believe to be postholes, which suggest that the job of hauling into place the huge blocks of stone used to build the monuments may have been completed more quickly than previously thought.

While the theory that the ancient Egyptians used ramps to move the stones has already been put forward, the structure found by the Anglo-French team, which dated from about the period that the Great Pyramid of Giza was built, is significantly steeper than was previously supposed possible.

单词笔记：

1. pyramid    英 [ˈpɪrəmɪd]   美 [ˈpɪrəmɪd]  

n.(古埃及的)金字塔;锥体;棱锥体;金字塔形的物体(或一堆东西)

复数： pyramids          派生词： pyramidal adj.

2. unravel    英 [ʌnˈrævl]   美 [ʌnˈrævl]  

v.(把缠或织在一起的线)解开，拆散，松开;解体;崩溃;瓦解;阐释;说明;澄清;变得清楚易懂

第三人称单数： unravels 现在分词： unravelling 过去式： unravelled 过去分词： unravelled

3. archaeologist    英 [ˌɑːkiˈɒlədʒɪst]  美 [ˌɑːrkiˈɑːlədʒɪst]  

n.考古学家

复数： archaeologists

4. quarry    英 [ˈkwɒri]   美 [ˈkwɑːri]  

n.采石场;被追猎的动物(或人);追捕的对象;猎物

v.从(采石场)采(石等)

第三人称单数： quarries 复数： quarries 现在分词： quarrying 过去式： quarried 过去分词： quarried

派生词： quarrying n.

5. posthole    浅油井;柱坑

6. haul    英 [hɔːl]   美 [hɔːl]  

v.(用力)拖，拉，拽;用力缓慢挪动到(某处);强迫(某人)去某处

n.大批赃物;大量非法物品;很高的得分;旅行的距离;旅程

第三人称单数： hauls 现在分词： hauling 过去式： hauled 过去分词： hauled

7. ramp    英 [ræmp]   美 [ræmp]  

n.斜坡;坡道;(装车或上下飞机的)活动梯，活动坡道

v.敲诈;使有斜面

第三人称单数： ramps 复数： ramps 现在分词： ramping 过去式： ramped 过去分词： ramped

8. significantly    英 [sɪɡˈnɪfɪkəntli]  美 [sɪɡˈnɪfɪkəntli]  

adv.有重大意义地;显著地;明显地;有某种意义;别有含义地;意味深长地

9. possible    英 [ˈpɒsəbl]   美 [ˈpɑːsəbl]  

adj.可能;能做到(或取得);可能存在(或发生)的;合理的;可接受的

n.合适的人(或物);恰当人选(或事项)

复数： possibles