环球英语 — 310：King Tutankhamun

　　Voice 1
Hello. I’m Ruby¹ Jones.
Voice 2
And I’m Rachel Hobson. Welcome to Spotlight². This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Do you like to travel? Where would you like to go? Thousands of people dream of visiting Egypt. They have seen pictures of the pyramids where ancient kings were buried. They want to see these huge structures. They want to learn about the history of Egypt, especially about the lives of the kings. In in particular one king - Tutankhamun!
Voice 2
In today’s Spotlight we tell of Tutankhamun. Why is this ancient king so famous? Why do details of his life and death remain such a mystery?
Voice 1
3500 years ago, Egypt was extremely powerful. Everyone feared and respected it. The Egyptian army had occupied many lands. And these countries had to pay money to Egypt every year. Egypt had become very rich. But a new king came to power. His name was Akhenaton. Akhenaton tried to change many things in Egypt. In particular he tried to change the religion, art and traditions. He ruled for seventeen years.
Voice 2
After Akhenaton died, the next ruler did not live long. So the boy Tutankhamun became king. He was only nine years old. Some experts believe that Akhenaton was Tutankhamun’s father. No one knows for sure. Ancient writings just tell that Tutankhamun’s father was a king.
Voice 1
The boy was too young to rule. So an older advisor³ named Ay ruled for him, along with a military leader called Horemheb. They made important decisions. They guided Tutankhamun to bring back the popular traditions and the former religion of Egypt.
Voice 2
In those times Egyptian royalty⁴ married close family members. So Tutankhamun married Ankhesenamun, probably his half-sister. The young king appeared to be deeply in love with his wife. Ancient images show their closeness.
Voice 1
As he became a man, the young king was becoming ready to rule without the help of the older men. However, he died suddenly. He was only around nineteen years old. Researchers find this very mysterious. Was his death an accident? Was he murdered? Ay and Horemheb surely had the most to gain from his death.
Voice 2
Ay was responsible for burying Tutankhamun. Usually it took years to prepare an Egyptian king’s burial place - his tomb. But this was not the case with Tutankhamun. Ay had to find a tomb for him quickly. And he had to fill it with important and meaningful objects. The tomb he found for Tutankhamun was much smaller than most kings’ tombs. But Tutankhamun was buried near all the other kings in Upper Egypt, in the Valley of the Kings.
Voice 1
After Tutankhamun’s death, his wife Ankhesenamun was in danger of being forced to marry. Ay could become king if he married her. So, Ankhesenamun wrote to an enemy king - the king of the Hittites. She asked him to send one of his sons for her to marry.
Voice 2
The Hittite king suspected a trap. But he finally agreed. He sent a prince to her. But the prince was murdered on the way. This was not good news for Ankhesenamun. Ancient writings tell that she married Ay. Ay ruled as king for less than four years. But all of the wall paintings show Ay with another wife, not with Ankhesenamun. No one knows what happened to her.
Voice 1
The military leader Horemheb took over from Ay. He removed Tutankhamun’s name from many historical writings and projects. He put his own name on them instead. So Egypt forgot about Tutankhamun.
Voice 2
A later king had his burial place built almost on top of Tutankhamun’s. Stones and sand fell on top of Tutankhamun’s tomb. And so it lay hidden for thousands of years. So history almost forgot about Tutankhamun too.
Voice 1
Over the years, robbers⁵ stole most of the treasure from the tombs of many Egyptian kings. But Tutankhamun’s tomb remained mostly untouched. In 1922, the English explorer Howard Carter discovered it! Newspapers told of Tutankhamun’s many treasures. They told of the beautiful gold death mask that covered his face.
Voice 2
An Egyptian king’s burial was very important. Skilled⁶ embalmers prepared the king’s body after he died. They removed many of the organs. And they dried the body. They did this to prevent decay⁷. People call these ancient dried bodies ‘mummies’. The mummy was often covered with cloth. And family members would give special objects to be buried with it, such as jewels and amulets⁸. In King Tutankhamun’s case, his face was covered with a beautiful gold mask. And there were many jewels on his body. Tutankhamun was put inside three burial boxes. The first is pure gold.
Voice 1
When Howard Carter discovered Tutankhamun, he wanted to find the jewels. He badly damaged the body of the mummy to get them. And he removed the gold mask too.
Voice 2
In the 1960’s, a group from the University of Liverpool got permission to x-ray the mummy. This was the first time the mummy was x-rayed. The group believed they made an important discovery. They found an injury on the mummy’s head. This started the story that maybe Tutankhamun was killed. Maybe someone had hit him on the head.
Voice 1
In 2005, an Egyptian team used modern technology to learn more about Tutankhamun’s death. They took detailed⁹ pictures of him with computer x-ray images. This CT scan¹⁰ provided¹¹ new information. It showed an injury to his leg, a broken thigh¹². Some team members believe this leg injury had not healed¹³ at the time of his death. They believe Tutankhamun’s leg became infected. And he may have died from this wound. They suggest he broke his leg in a hunting accident. Other team members do not agree. They think the injury happened after his death. But all of the team agree that the injury to his head happened after his death. It may have happened during the burial process, or the x-ray process. The team agrees that there is no evidence of murder. And yet many questions remain.
Voice 2
In November 2007, the Egyptian government announced exciting news. Tutankhamun’s face would be revealed¹⁴ to the public for the first time. Only a few people had seen it before.
Voice 1
The day arrived. Camera men showed the important event. A team of Egyptians lifted Tutankhamun from his burial box. They moved him into a special glass case. The case is climate-controlled. It will protect the king’s body better.
Voice 2
Visitors to the tomb can finally see the young king. They can dream about what his life was like. But they may leave his tomb with many questions. Why did he die so young? Did he die in an accident? What happened to his beautiful young wife? The mystery of Tutankhamun continues.
 

1 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

2 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

3 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

4 royalty   

n.皇家，皇族

参考例句：

• She claims to be descended from royalty.她声称她是皇室后裔。
• I waited on tables，and even catered to royalty at the Royal Albert Hall.我做过服务生， 甚至在皇家阿伯特大厅侍奉过皇室的人。

5 robbers   

n.抢劫者，强盗，盗贼( robber的名词复数 )；盗匪

参考例句：

• The robbers fled empty-handed. 抢劫犯一无所获地逃走了。
• The policeman discharged his gun at the fleeing robbers. 警察向逃跑的强盗开了枪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 skilled   

adj.(in)熟练的，有技能的；需要技能的

参考例句：

• Unskilled workers usually earn less money than skilled workers.无技能的工人通常比有技能的工人挣钱少。
• She was skilled enough in French to translate a novel.她法语娴熟，足以翻译小说。

7 decay   

vi.腐烂，衰落；n.腐烂，腐朽，衰败状态

参考例句：

• The vegetables have begun to decay.那些蔬菜已开始腐烂。
• Our powers decay in old age.我们的体力在老年时就衰退。

8 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

9 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

10 scan   

n.审视，浏览，扫描，押韵，细查；vt.细看，浏览，扫描，详细调查，信件扫描（指BBS处理直递邮件或会议邮件时，对所有或特定信区做检查的动作）

参考例句：

• The first scan was bad, so I had to do it again.第一次扫描不好，所以我得重做。
• A scan determines the position of the baby in the womb.扫描可以确定胎儿在子宮中的位置。

11 provided   

conj.假如，若是；adj.预备好的，由...供给的

参考例句：

• Provided it's fine we will have a pleasant holiday.如果天气良好，我们的假日将过得非常愉快。
• I will come provided that it's not raining tomorrow.如果明天不下雨，我就来。

12 thigh   

n.大腿；股骨

参考例句：

• He is suffering from a strained thigh muscle.他的大腿肌肉拉伤了，疼得很。
• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。

13 healed   

v.（使）愈合( heal的过去式和过去分词 )；治愈；（使）结束；较容易忍受

参考例句：

• The surgeon healed the soldier's bullet wound in the leg. 医生治好了那位士兵腿部的枪伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The doctor applied an unguent to the wound,which speedily healed it. 医生给伤口涂了些油膏，伤口很快就愈合了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 revealed   

v.显示( reveal的过去式和过去分词 )；揭示；泄露；[神学]启示

参考例句：

• They revealed to me that the experiment had failed. 他们向我透露试验失败了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His insincerity is revealed by the quick goggle of his eyes. 他眼睛的快速转动泄露了他的不诚。 来自《简明英汉词典》