介绍:
Land of mysteries
For thousands of years , no other country has been as mysterious to the world as this one . it makes you wonder what’s inside the pyramids , how people made mummies and why the Great Sphinx stands there to guard the pyramids . This is Egypt , one of the oldest civilizations in the world .
Built along the longest the world’s river , the Nile , Egypt is the second most populous country in Africa . As a land rich in beauty , history and culture ,ancient Egypt left behind many treasures for the world .
The solar calendar we use today actually came from Egypt . Around 4000 BC, Egyptians used a calendar that was 365days long . They had 12 months made of 30 days each . and they made the extra five days a festival .
Egyptian characters are some of the oldest characters in the world . It looks similar to our oracle bone inscriptions (甲骨文) . Their characters influence many others , including the Latin alphabet we use today .
When it comes to medical science , Egyptians left us mummies , which we explore to see how they kept a dead body preserved for such a long time . Egyptians covered bodies with a special salt called natron . This makes the body dry, which keeps it looking lifelike . Some mummies are more than 2,000 years old .
Today , this land of mysteries still attracts many people. Most of them want to get a taste of the great pyramids . Scientists have found more than 130 pyramids in Egypt , according to National Geographic . The biggest is the Great Pyramid of Khufu in Giza . It is about 138.8m tall , which is almost as tall as a 40-story building . The Great Pyramid of Khufu is the most famous ancient wonder of the world that is still standing today .
Words and expressions生词及词组
mysterious神秘的
pyramids金字塔
mummy木乃伊
the Great Sphinx狮身人面像
Egypt埃及
civilization文明
the Nile尼罗河
populous人口稠密的
treasure财富，宝藏
solar calendar阳历
oracle bone inscriptions (甲骨文)
the Latin alphabet字母表
medical医学的
explore探索
preserve保存；腌制
natron天然碳酸钠
attract吸引
geographic地理的
Giza吉萨
