2012 年英语专业四级阅读理解

Text D

No matter how many times you have seen images of the golden mask of boyking Tutankhamen, come face to face with it in Egypt’s Cairo museum，and you will suck in your breath．

It was on Nov 4, 1923, that British archaeologist Howard Carter stumbled on a stone at the base of the tomb of another pharaoh(法老)in Luxor that eventually led to a sealed doorway．

Then, on Nov 23，Carter found a second door and when he stuck his head through it, what he saw was to stun the world．Inside lay the great stone coffi n，enclosing three chests of gilded wood．
A few months later, when a crane lifted its granite cover and one coffi n after another was removed, Carter found a solid block of gold weighing 110kg．In it was the mummy(木乃伊) of
the 19-year-old Tutankhamen，covered in gold with that splendid funeral mask．And all this lay buried for more than 3,000 years．

Months after my trip to Egypt, I can relive the rush of emotion I felt and sense the hush that descended on the crammed Cairo museum’s Tutankhamen gallery．

Cairo, a dusty city of 20 million people, is a place where time seems to both stand still and rush into utter chaos．It is a place where the ancient and contemporary happily go along on parallel tracks．

Take the Great Pyramids of Giza, sitting on the western edge of the city．Even as the setting sun silhouettes these gigantic structures against the great desert expanse, a call for prayer floats over semi-finished apartment blocks fi lled with the activity of city life．

While careful planning for the afterlife may lie buried underground in Cairo, it is noise and confusion on the streets．Donkey carts battle for space with pedestrians and the only operative
road rule is“might is right．”But it is a city that is full of life—from the small roadside restaurants to the coffee shops where men and women smoke the shisha(水烟壶)．

Donkey carts piled high with fl at-breads magically fi nd their way in and out the maddening traffic; young women in long skirts and headscarves hold hands with young men in open collar
shirts, while conversations dwell on Kuwait’s chances at the soccer World Cup．

96．According to the context,“suck in your breath”means“feel a sense of ____”．
A．awe B．horror C．doubt D．delight

97．Which of the following statements about the discovery of the mummy is INCORRECT?
A．The mummy was fi rst discovered by a British archaeologist．
B．The discovery of the mummy came as a surprise．
C．The mummy was found lying right inside the stone coffi n．
D．The masked mummy was covered in gold．

98．Which word CANNOT be used to describe the city of Cairo?
A．Crowdedness． B．Quiet． C．Noise． D．Confusion．

99．Which pair of words/phrases indicates contrast?
A．Gigantic structure; great desert expanse
B．A call for prayer; men and women with the shisha
C．Chaos; maddening
D．Coffee shops; pyramids

100．What is the author’s attitude towards Cairo?
A．Positive． B．Objective． C．Negative． D. Not clear

答案与解析：

96. A。词汇类。当人们看到法老的纯金面具，都会无比惊叹。

97. C。细节类。文章第三段 “Inside lay the great stone coffin, enclosing three chests of gilded wood”. 在巨大的石棺内，里面套着三个黄金棺材，木乃伊在最里面。

98. B。细节类。文章倒数第二段，作者描述开罗 “it is noise and confusion on the street”. 开罗很嘈杂，混乱。

99. A。细节类。文章倒数第三段 “Even as the setting sun silhouettes these gigantic structures against the great desert expanse.”巨大的建筑和广袤的沙漠形成鲜明的对比。

100. B。态度类。作者对开罗的描述是比较客观的。