VOA常速英语2007年-King Tut's Mummy on Public Display for First Ti

By Challiss McDonough
Luxor, Egypt
04 November 2007

The face of the ancient Egyptian King Tutankhamun has been shown to the public for the first time since his tomb was discovered 85 years ago. King Tut's mummy has been moved into a special display case where it will be better protected from dust and the elements. VOA's Challiss McDonough is in Luxor and has this report.

Tutankhamun's mummy being lifted

With a heave, six men lifted the mummy of King Tutankhamun out of the coffin¹ in which he had lain for more than 3,000 years. They carried him past TV cameras to the other side of his cramped² tomb, where a specially³ designed climate-controlled display case waited to become the boy king's new home.

King Tut's well-preserved face looks like dark leather, and he has a hint of a smile. King Tut has what Egyptian antiquities⁴ chief Zahi Hawass calls beautiful buck⁵ teeth.

"The face of the golden boy is amazing. It has magic and it has mystery. If you look at his face, you can feel the face of the golden king," he said.

King Tut's well-preserved head

Tutankhamun, popularly called King Tut, was just 19 when he died more than 3,200 years ago. The host of gold and treasure found when his tomb was opened in 1922 has made him one of the most famous of ancient Egypt's rulers. His golden death mask has become an iconic image.

Moving they boy king's mummy is not just about putting his body on show. It is also designed to protect his remains⁶ from the heat and humidity, which can reach sweltering levels as hundreds of visitors file through the tomb every day.

"Tutankhamun would be happy because we are preserving the mummy. Because humidity and heat can change this mummy to a powder," added Hawass.

King Tut's mummy went on public display for the first time 85 years to the day after his tomb was discovered by British archaeologist Howard Carter. It took five years for Carter to remove and catalogue the contents of the tomb. In order to remove the king's gold and jewel-encrusted amulets⁷ and his famed golden death mask, Carter cut the mummy into 18 pieces.

"Howard Carter, he did a good job. But towards the mummy, especially about the mummy, no, he did not a good job. He did not do a good job. He damaged the mummy," said Egyptologist Mustafa Wazery is the director of the Valley of the Kings.

While the mask and amulets were put on display in Cairo and around the world, the mummy has lain in his tomb unseen by the public.

Some foreign tourists who were in the Valley of Kings when King Tut was moved were disappointed to discover that they would not be able to view the mummy until the following day.

New York City resident Scott Rudnick planned to rearrange his schedule so he could return to the tomb on Monday or Tuesday to see the mummy in person.

 "The number-one thing I ever wanted to do in my life was seeing the pyramids," said Rudnick. "Now, they are bringing out Tutankhamun, this is the best thing I could ever do in my life. This is just gonna be it."

Rudnick has been chronicling his Egypt tour on his Web site for family and friends. He joined a small crowd of tourists eagerly snapping pictures of Zahi Hawass as he walked into the tomb to supervise the moving of the mummy. Many said they recognized the Egyptian antiquities chief from countless⁸ documentaries.

Hawass said scientists began restoring the mummy of King Tut two years ago when he was briefly⁹ removed from the tomb for a CT scan. He said the scan revealed that Tutankhamun had likely died after contracting an infection from a broken leg.

Hawass said the king's remains are in poor condition, except for his head and feet, which are the only parts visible in the new display case. The rest of his body has been covered with beige linen¹⁰.

Tour guides in the Valley of Kings said they were pleased that visitors would have a new reason to visit King Tut's tomb. The mummy has gone on display as a touring exhibit of artifacts from the tomb has been drawing huge crowds in North America and Europe.

1 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

2 cramped   

a.狭窄的

参考例句：

• The house was terribly small and cramped, but the agent described it as a bijou residence. 房子十分狭小拥挤，但经纪人却把它说成是小巧别致的住宅。
• working in cramped conditions 在拥挤的环境里工作

3 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

4 antiquities   

n.古老( antiquity的名词复数 )；古迹；古人们；古代的风俗习惯

参考例句：

• There is rest and healing in the contemplation of antiquities. 欣赏古物有休息和疗养之功。 来自辞典例句
• Bertha developed a fine enthusiasm for the antiquities of London. 伯沙对伦敦的古迹产生了很大的热情。 来自辞典例句

5 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 amulets   

n.护身符( amulet的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Amulets,\"guards,\" as they are popularly called, intended to ward off evil spirits. 护身符――或者象他们普遍的叫法：“警卫”用来抵御妖魔鬼怪。 来自辞典例句
• However, all oval amulets in a single game are the same. 当然，所有的魔法用品也有类似的情形。 来自互联网

8 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

9 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

10 linen   

n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的

参考例句：

• The worker is starching the linen.这名工人正在给亚麻布上浆。
• Fine linen and cotton fabrics were known as well as wool.精细的亚麻织品和棉织品像羊毛一样闻名遐迩。