Reading Practice
Ancient Chinese Chariots
A
The Shang Dynasty or Yin Dynasty, according
to traditional historiography, ruled in the Yellow River valley in the second
millennium. Archaeological work at the Ruins of Yin (near modern-day Anyang),
which has been identified as the last Shang capital, uncovered eleven major Yin
royal tombs and the foundations of palaces and ritual sites, containing weapons
of war and remains from both animal and human sacrifices.
B
The Tomb of Fu Hao is an archaeological site
at Yinxu, the ruins of the ancient ShangDynasty capital Yin, within the modem
city of Anyang in Henan Province, China. Discovered in 1976it was identified as
the final resting place of the queen and military general Fu Hao. The artifacts
unearthed within the grave included jade objects, bone objects, bronze objects
etc. These grave goods are confirmed by the oracle texts, which constitute
almost all of the first hand written record we possess of the Shang Dynasty.
Below the corpse was a small pit holding the remains of six sacrificial dogs
and along the edge lay the skeletons of human slaves, evidence of human
sacrifice.
C
The Terracotta Army was discovered on 29
March 1974 to the east of Xian in Shaanxi. The terracotta soldiers were
accidentally discovered when a group of local farmers was digging a well during
a drought around 1.6 km (1 mile) east of the Qin Emperors tomb around at Mount
Li (Lishan), a region riddled with underground springs and watercourses.
Experts currently place the entire number of soldiers at 8,000 — with 130
chariots (130 cm long), 530 horses and 150 cavalry horses helping to ward of
any dangers in the afterlife. In contrast, the burial of Tutank Hamun yielded
six complete but dismantled chariots of unparalleled richness and
sophistication. Each was designed for two people (90 cm long) and had its axle
sawn through to enable it to be brought along the narrow corridor into the
tomb.
D
Excavation of ancient Chinese chariots has
confirmed the descriptions of them in theearliest texts. Wheels were
constructed from a variety of woods: elm provided the hub, rose-wood the spokes
and oak the felloes. The hub was drilled through to form an empty space into
which the tampering axle was fitted, the whole being covered with leather to
retain lubricating oil. Though the number of spokes varied, a wheel by the
fourth century BC usually had eighteen to thirty-two of them. Records show how
elaborate was the testing of each completed wheel: flotation and weighing were
regarded as the best measures of balance, but even the empty spaces in the
assembly were checked with millet grains. One outstanding constructional asset
of the ancient Chinese wheel was dishing. Dishing refers to the dish-like shape
of an advanced wooden wheel, which looks rather like a flat cone. On occasion
they chose to strengthen a dished wheel with a pair of struts running from rim
to rim on each of the hub. As these extra supports were inserted separately
into the felloes, they would have added even greater strength to the wheel.
Leather wrapped up the edge of the wheel aimed to retain bronze.
E
Within a millennium, however, Chinese
chariot-makers had developed a vehicle with shafts, the precursor of the true
carriage or cart. This design did not make its appearance in Europe until the
end of the Roman Empire. Because the shafts curved upwards, and the harness
pressed against a horse’s shoulders, not his neck, the shaft chariot was
incredibly efficient. The halberd was also part of chariot standard weaponry.
This halberd usually measured well over 3 metres in length, which meant that a
chariot warrior wielding it sideways could strike down the charioteer in a
passing chariot. The speed of chariot which was tested on the sand was quite
fast. At speed these passes were very dangerous for the crews of both chariots.
F
The advantages offered by the new chariots
were not entirely missed. They could see how there were literally the warring
states, whose conflicts lasted down the Qin unification of China. Qin Shi Huang
was buried in the most opulent tomb complex ever constructed in China, a
sprawling, city-size collection of underground caverns containing everything
the emperor would need for the afterlife. Even a collection of terracotta
armies called TerraCotta Warriors was buried in it. The ancient Chinese, along
with many cultures including ancient Egyptians, believed that items and even
people buried with a person could be taken with him to the afterlife.
Questions 1-4
Do
the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage?
In boxes 1-4 on you answer sheet,
write
TRUE if the statement is true
FALSE if the statement is false
NOT
GIVEN if the information is not given in the passage
1.....................
When discovered, the written records of the grave goods proved to be accurate.
2.....................
Human skeletons in Anyang tomb were identified as soldiers who were killed in
the war.
3.....................
The Terracotta Army was discovered by people lived nearby by chance.
4.....................
The size of the King Tutankhamen’s tomb is bigger than that of in Qin Emperors’
tomb.
Questions 5-10
Complete
the notes below.
Choose
ONE WORD
from the passage for each answer.
Write
your answers in boxes 5-10 on your
answer sheet.
5. The
hub is made of wood from the tree of 5.....................
6. The
room through the hub was to put tempering axle in which is wrapped up byleather
aiming to retain 6.....................
7. The
number of spokes varied from 18 to 7......................
8. The
shape of wheel resembles a 8.....................
9. Two
was used to strengthen the wheel 9......................
10. Leather
wrapped up the edge of the wheel aimed to remain 10......................
Questions 11-13
Answer
the questions below.
Choose
NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.
11. What
body part of horse was released the pressure from to the shoulder?
11.....................
12. what
kind road surface did the researchers measure the speed of the chariot?
12.....................
13. What
part of his afterlife palace was the Emperor Qin Shi Huang buried?
13.....................
Solution:
|
1. TRUE |
8. dish |
|
2. FALSE |
9. struts |
|
3. TRUE |
10. bronze |
|
4. NOT GIVEN |
11. Neck |
|
5. elm |
12. Sand |
|
6. oil |
13. Tomb complex |
7. 32
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