剑桥雅思7Test4阅读Passage1真题解析

第1页共11页剑桥雅思7Test4阅读Passage1真题解析剑桥雅思7，第四套试题，阅读部分Passage1，阅读真题原文部分：READINGPASSAGE1Youshouldspendabout20minutesonQuestions1-13,whicharebasedonReadingPassage1below.PullingstingstobuildpyramidsNooneknowsexactlyhowthepyramidswerebuilt.MarcusChownreckonstheanswercouldbehangingintheair.ThepyramidsofEgyptwerebuiltmorethanthreethousandyearsago,andnooneknowshow.Theconventionalpictureisthattensofthousandsofslavesdraggedstonesonsledges.Butthereisnoevidencetobackthisup.NowaCaliforniansoftwareconsultantcalledMaureenClemmonshassuggestedthatkitesmighthavebeeninvolved.WhileperusingabookonthemonumentsofEgypt,shenoticedahieroglyphthatshowedarowofmenstandinginoddpostures.Theywereholdingwhatlookedlikeropesthatled,viasomekindofmechanicalsystem,toagiantbirdinthesky.Shewonderedifperhapsthebirdwasactuallyagiantkite,andthemenwereusingittoliftaheavyobject.Intrigued,ClemmonscontactedMortezaGharib,aeronauticsprofessorattheCaliforniaInstituteofTechnology.Hewasfascinatedbytheidea.ComingfromIran,IhaveakeeninterestinMiddleEasternscience,hesays.HetoowaspuzzledbythepicturethathadsparkedClemmonssinterest.Theobjectintheskyapparentlyhadwingsfartooshortandwideforabird.Thepossibilitycertainlyexistedthatitwasakite,hesays.AndsinceheneededasummerprojectforhisstudentEmilioGraff,investigatingthepossibilityofusingkitesasheavyliftersseemedlikeagoodidea.GharibandGraffsetthemselvesthetaskofraisinga4.5-metrestonecolumnfromhorizontaltovertical,usingnosourceofenergyexceptthewind.Theirinitialcalculationsandscale-modelwind-tunnelexperimentsconvincedthemtheywouldn’tneedastrongwindtoliftthe33.5-tonnecolumn.Evenamodestforce,ifsustainedoveralongtime,woulddo.Thekeywastouseapulleysystemthatwouldmagnifytheappliedforce.Sotheyriggedupatent-shapedscaffolddirectlyabovethetipofthehorizontalcolumn,withpulleyssuspendedfromthescaffoldsapex.Theideawasthatasoneendofthecolumnrose,thebasewouldrollacrossthegroundonatrolley.Earlierthisyear,theteamput第2页共11页Clemmonssunlikelytheorytothetest,usinga40-square-metrerectangularnylonsail.Thekiteliftedthecolumncleanofftheground.Wewereabsolutelystunned,Gharibsays.Theinstantthesailopenedintothewind,ahugeforcewasgeneratedandthecolumnwasraisedtotheverticalinamere40seconds.Thewindwasblowingatagentle16to20kilometresanhour,littlemorethanhalfwhattheythoughtwouldbeneeded.Whattheyhadfailedtoreckonwithwaswhathappenedwhenthekitewasopened.Therewasahugeinitialforce-fivetimeslargerthanthesteadystateforce,Gharibsays.Thisjerkmeantthatkitescouldlifthugeweights,Gharibrealised.Evena300-tonnecolumncouldhavebeenliftedtotheverticalwith40orsomenandfourorfivesails.SoClemmonswasright:thepyramidbuilderscouldhaveusedkitestoliftmassivestonesintoplace.Whethertheyactuallydidisanothermatter,Gharibsays.Therearenopicturesshowingtheconstructionofthepyramids,sothereisnowaytotellwhatreallyhappened.Theevidenceforusingkitestomovelargestonesisnobetterorworsethantheevidenceforthebruteforcemethod,Gharibsays.Indeed,theexperimentshaveleftmanyspecialistsunconvinced.Theevidenceforkite-liftingisnon-existent,saysWillekeWendrich,anassociateprofessorofEgyptologyattheUniversityofCalifornia,LosAngeles.Othersfeelthereismoreofacaseforthetheory.HarnessingthewindwouldnothavebeenaproblemforaccomplishedsailorsliketheEgyptians.Andtheyareknowntohaveusedwoodenpulleys,whichcouldhavebeenmadestrongenoughtobeartheweightofmassiveblocksofstone.Inaddition,thereissomephysicalevidencethattheancientEgyptianswereinterestedinflight.AwoodenartefactfoundonthesteppyramidatSaqqaralooksuncannilylikeamodernglider.Althoughitdatesfromseveralhundredyearsafterthebuildingofthepyramids,itssophisticationsuggeststhattheEgyptiansmighthavebeendevelopingideasofflightforalongtime.Andotherancientcivilisationscertainlyknewaboutkites;asearlyas1250BC,theChinesewereusingthemtodelivermessagesanddumpflamingdebrisontheirfoes.Theexperimentsmightevenhavepracticalusesnowadays.Thereareplentyofplacesaroundtheglobewherepeoplehavenoaccesstoheavymachinery,butdoknowhowtodealwithwind,sailingandbasicmechanicalprinciples.GharibhasalreadybeencontactedbyacivilengineerinNicaragua,whowantstoputupbuildingswithadoberoofssupportedbyconcretearchesonasitethatheavyequipmentcantreach.Hisideaistobuildthearcheshorizontally,thenliftthemintoplaceusingkites.Wevegivenhimsomedesignhints,saysGharib.Werejustwaitingforhimtoreportback.Sowhethertheywereactuallyusedtobuildthepyramidsornot,itseemsthatkitesmaymakesensibleconstructiontoolsinthe21stcenturyAD.第3页共11页Questions1-7DothefollowingstatementsagreewiththeinformationgiveninReadingPassage1?Inboxes1-7onyouranswersheet,writeTRUEifthestatementagreeswiththeinformationFALSEifthestatementcontradictstheinformationNOTGIVENifthereisnoinformationonthis1Itisgenerallybelievedthatlargenumbersofpeoplewereneededtobuildthepyramids.2ClemmonsfoundastrangehieroglyphonthewallofanEgyptianmonument.3Gharibhadpreviouslydoneexperimentsonbirdflight.4GharibandGrafftestedtheirtheorybeforeapplyingit.5Thesuccessoftheactualexperimentwasduetothehighspeedofthewind.6Theyfoundthat,asthekiteflewhigher,thewindforcegotstronger.7Theteamdecidedthatitwaspossibl