Ancient Megastructures 遠古工程巡禮
Machu Picchu and Angkor Wat are two of the most amazing structures known to mankind.
馬丘比丘和吳哥窟都是最為人所知的奇特建築。
Man has always had an innate desire for fame, power, and glory. Rulers of kingdoms would force thousands of their people to do backbreaking labor for years at a time so that their names would be immortalized in the history books. This month, National Geographic Channel's Ancient Megastructures takes a look at some of the most majestic structures from around the world.
Before the airport was built in Siem Reap, travelers looking for adventure had to take a bumpy 315-kilometer truck ride deep into the heart of the jungle from Phnom Phen, the capital of Cambodia. Once they survived this treacherous journey, visitors were greeted by one of the largest religious monuments in the world, Angkor Wat. In the 12th century, Khmer King Suryavarman set out to create his vision of "heaven on Earth." As explained in Ancient Megastructures: Angkor Wat, in order to build this enormous temple in the middle of the jungle, the king needed a quarry where he could cut out and transport sandstone. Thousands of workers spent years cutting these stones, floating them down canals to the construction site, and assembling them in a way that is utterly unbelievable to this day. The blocks remain in place today because of the meticulous way the stones were placed on top of each other, which means that no nails or mortar were needed in the original construction hundreds of years ago.
Halfway around the world, the results of the construction of Machu Picchu in the Peruvian Andes were strikingly similar. The huge blocks were cut so precisely that barely a knife blade can fit in between the rocks. While building this sacred city in the sky, Pachacuti, the Emperor-god of the Incas in the 15th century, faced problems like earthquakes and landslides from torrential rains. After many years, Machu Picchu was home to 1,000 people living at an elevation of more than 2,350 meters in the sky. This month, Ancient Megastructures: Machu Picchu treks up to the clouds and finds this lost city exactly like what Pachacuti intended it to be—mysterious and awe-inspiring.
1. According to the article, what is something that man does NOT want?
(A) To be admired by everyone.
(B) To be known by everyone.
(C) To be just like everyone else.
(D) To have more power than everyone else.
2. The term immortalized in the first paragraph means _____.
(A) being remembered forever
(B) dying at a young age
(C) having a huge grave
(D) turning over a new leaf
3. How are Angkor Wat and Machu Picchu similar?
馬丘比丘和吳哥窟都是最為人所知的奇特建築。
Man has always had an innate desire for fame, power, and glory. Rulers of kingdoms would force thousands of their people to do backbreaking labor for years at a time so that their names would be immortalized in the history books. This month, National Geographic Channel's Ancient Megastructures takes a look at some of the most majestic structures from around the world.
Before the airport was built in Siem Reap, travelers looking for adventure had to take a bumpy 315-kilometer truck ride deep into the heart of the jungle from Phnom Phen, the capital of Cambodia. Once they survived this treacherous journey, visitors were greeted by one of the largest religious monuments in the world, Angkor Wat. In the 12th century, Khmer King Suryavarman set out to create his vision of "heaven on Earth." As explained in Ancient Megastructures: Angkor Wat, in order to build this enormous temple in the middle of the jungle, the king needed a quarry where he could cut out and transport sandstone. Thousands of workers spent years cutting these stones, floating them down canals to the construction site, and assembling them in a way that is utterly unbelievable to this day. The blocks remain in place today because of the meticulous way the stones were placed on top of each other, which means that no nails or mortar were needed in the original construction hundreds of years ago.
Halfway around the world, the results of the construction of Machu Picchu in the Peruvian Andes were strikingly similar. The huge blocks were cut so precisely that barely a knife blade can fit in between the rocks. While building this sacred city in the sky, Pachacuti, the Emperor-god of the Incas in the 15th century, faced problems like earthquakes and landslides from torrential rains. After many years, Machu Picchu was home to 1,000 people living at an elevation of more than 2,350 meters in the sky. This month, Ancient Megastructures: Machu Picchu treks up to the clouds and finds this lost city exactly like what Pachacuti intended it to be—mysterious and awe-inspiring.
1. According to the article, what is something that man does NOT want?
(A) To be admired by everyone.
(B) To be known by everyone.
(C) To be just like everyone else.
(D) To have more power than everyone else.
2. The term immortalized in the first paragraph means _____.
(A) being remembered forever
(B) dying at a young age
(C) having a huge grave
(D) turning over a new leaf
3. How are Angkor Wat and Machu Picchu similar?
