Vocabulary Idioms & Phrases Reading~ Paragraphs 5-7 Post-reading

Listen to paragraphs 5-7. Skip

Now, answer the following questions.

How old was King Tut’s when he died? 18 years old.

When did Howard Carter die? On March 2, 1939.

When did Tutankhamen come to the throne? In 1352 B.C.

As was the custom in his day, King Tutankhamen had been buried with everything he might need to make him happy in the afterlife. as 在此當準關係代名詞，代替主要子句， 用法相當於 which 。 原句＝ → Everything required for the happiness of King Tut in the afterlife was packed in the tomb along with the mummified king, as was the custom in his day. → Ancient Egyptians filled King Tut’s tomb with everything he might need to have a good time in his afterlife, which was the custom of his day.

His tomb was crammed with games, lamps, boats, statues of gods, baskets, clothes, chairs, and so on.

So crowded was the tomb that it was a matter of extreme difficulty to move one precious item without running serious risk of damaging others. a matter of sth 有關 … 的問題 a matter of life and death/time 生死／時 間的問題 run/take the risk of... 冒著 … 的危險 If we don’t leave right now, we run the risk of missing the plane. Next

So crowded was the tomb that it was a matter of extreme difficulty to move one precious item without running serious risk of damaging others. So crowded was the tomb that it was a matter of extreme difficulty to move one precious item without running serious risk of damaging others. → The tomb was so crowded that it was extremely difficult to move one valuable item but not to damage other items.

Searchers worked patiently and carefully for 10 years to dig the entire tomb. The contents of the tomb are now on display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

While other pharaohs had similar tombs, these other resting places had all been robbed long ago. while: although While other pharaohs had similar tombs, these other resting places had all been robbed long ago. → Although other pharaohs had tombs like that of King Tut, these other tombs had all been robbed long ago.

Why was this tomb left alone? King Tut’s was the only tomb that was left almost completely untouched. King Tut’s was the only tomb that was left almost completely untouched. → Never before had an intact tomb of an Egyptian pharaoh been explored.

One theory is that King Tutankhamen was only a minor figure in Egyptian history. One theory is that King Tutankhamen was only a minor figure in Egyptian history. → One of the beliefs is that King Tut was not a major player/a little known figure in Egyptian history.

He came to the throne in 1352 B.C. and died nine years later at the age of 18. come to the throne = be crowned; become the pharaoh

Perhaps grave robbers passed over his tomb for the riches of more tempting targets. Perhaps grave robbers passed over his tomb for the riches of more tempting targets. → Maybe the reason why grave robbers went by King Tut’s tomb without robbing it was that the treasures in other tombs attracted them more.

Or perhaps his underground tomb was too well-covered to be noticed. Or perhaps his underground tomb was too well-covered to be noticed. → Or maybe his underground tomb was covered so well that nobody noticed it.

When Carter began his digging of Tut’s tomb, some people proclaimed that breaking into it would bring bad luck. When Carter began his digging of Tut’s tomb, some people proclaimed that breaking into it would bring bad luck. → When Carter started to dig Tut’s tomb, some people declared that people who entered it by force would have bad luck.

Terrible inscriptions etched on the tomb, they believed, warned that anyone who disturbed the king’s tomb would be punished. The newspapers in London even called the warning “The Curse of the Pharaoh.”

Over the years, there were deaths and suicides among people linked to the tomb. Over the years, there were deaths and suicides among people linked to the tomb. → As the years passed, some of the people who were related to/associated with/connected with the discovery of the tomb died or committed suicide.

However, Howard Carter himself said that the “curse” was nonsense. If anyone was going to be cursed, he figured, it should have been him. if 所引導的條件子句是「敘述事實」， 用直說法 (was going...) 。主要子句表示 「與事實相反的假設」，用假設法 (should have been...) 。 If Linda was ill, she should have gone to see a doctor.

But the great archeologist died of natural causes at the age of 64 at his home in London on March 2, died of + 直接的死因 ( 如：疾病、飢餓等 ) die from + 間接死因 ( 如：受傷、過度疲累 等 ) Back

Post- reading

Reading for Main Ideas □ 1. How King Tut died. □ 2. How Howard Carter found the tomb of King Tut. □ 3. What Howard Carter found in the tomb of King Tut. □ 4. Who killed King Tut. □ 5. How many people linked to the tomb died. □ 6. Why King Tut’s tomb had remained untouched for ages before Carter found it.

Topics for Discussion

Discussion 1: Does the discovery of King Tut’s tomb remind you of any significant archeological findings in China?

Reference answer: Yes, it reminds me of the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang. The discovery in 1974 is among the top archeological excavations of the 20th century. The tomb has aroused great interest all over the world and is called “the eighth wonder of the world.” The findings in the mausoleum vividly reveal people’s lives in the Qin Dynasty.

Reference answer: Among them, the Terracotta warriors are the most famous. The warriors are over 2,000 years old and were originally constructed to protect the tomb of the emperor. They are simple in style, but highly realistic and animated; each warrior has different features and facial expressions.

Reference answer: Now, they are housed in a huge airplane hangar and have made Xi’an a major tourist destination. Although there are thousands of these statues, archeologists believe that there may be an even larger army still buried beneath the emperor’s tomb.

Reference answer: Such an impressive pottery army reveals that the emperor must have been an incredibly powerful man to enjoy this great protection even when he was dead. In my opinion, the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang is to China what the tomb of King Tut is to Egypt.

Discussion 2: Have you ever read any stories or seen any movies related to Egypt? Share with your classmates.

Reference answer: Yes, I’ve seen a movie called “The Prince of Egypt.” It describes the story of Moses. Moses, a Hebrew, was adopted by a pharaoh and became the prince of Egypt. As he grew up, he felt sad for the miserable conditions other Hebrews lived in. Then, he abandoned his royal family. He asked his brother, the pharaoh, to do God’s will setting his people free.

Reference answer: To show the almighty will, Moses worked many miracles, such as turning the water of the Nile into blood. However, the pharaoh didn’t believe in God and was too selfish and proud to listen. He would not set the Hebrews free. Instead, he made their lives more difficult. Finally, Moses led his people out of Egypt.

Reference answer: With God’s help, the waters of the Red Sea retreated, and a road appeared. Thus, Moses and his people crossed the sea and finally settled down in the promised land, today’s Israel. In addition, the story about the last pharaoh of Egypt, Cleopatra, has been adapted and made into movies several times.

Reference answer: When Cleopatra VII came to the throne between 51 and 30 B.C., she was only seventeen. At first, both Cleopatra and her brother, Ptolemy XIII, who was also her husband, were pharaohs. In order to be the only pharaoh in Egypt, Cleopatra wrapped herself in a carpet and sent herself as a gift to Julius Caesar, the Roman emperor.

Reference answer: Afterward, with Caesar’s support, Ptolemy XIII was defeated and killed, and thus Cleopatra gained power over Egypt. In 44 B.C., when Caesar was killed by one of his Senators, Rome split into two supporters of Mark Anthony and those of Octavian. Cleopatra supported Anthony, and fell in love with him.

Reference answer: Romans were not happy about that. Finally, Octavian declared war on Cleopatra. During this war, he killed Mark Anthony and captured Cleopatra. Cleopatra then put an end to her life. Her death brought an end to the glory of ancient Egypt. She turned out to be the last pharaoh of Egypt. Back