CHINESE CHARIOTS OF THE ANCIENT
TIMES
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A
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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.
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B
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The Tomb of Fu Hao is an
archaeological site at Yinxu, the ruins of the ancient Shang Dynasty
capital Yin, within the modem city of Anyang in Henan Province, China.
Discovered in 1976,it 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.
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C
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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.
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D
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Excavation of ancient Chinese
chariots has confirmed the descriptions of them in the earliest 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.
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E
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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.
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F
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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 Terra- Cotta
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.
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Questions 14-17
Do the following statements agree with
the information given in Reading Passage 2?
In boxes 14-17 on you answer sheet,
write
TRUE
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if the statement is true
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FALSE
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if the
statement is false
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NOT GIVEN
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if the information is not
given in the passage
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14
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When discovered, the written records of the grave goods proved to be
accurate.
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15
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Human skeletons in Anyang tomb were identified as soldiers who were
killed in the war.
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16
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The Terracotta
Army was discovered by people lived nearby by chance.
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17
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The size of the King Tutankhamen’s tomb is bigger than that of in
Qin Emperors’ tomb.
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Questions 18-23
Complete the notes below.
Choose ONE WORD from the
passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 18-23
on your answer sheet.
18
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The hub is made of wood from the tree of ____________.
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19
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The room through the hub was to put tempering axle in which is
wrapped up by leather aiming to retain ____________.
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20
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The number
of spokes varied from ____________ to ____________.
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21
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The shape of wheel resembles a ____________.
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22
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Two was
used to strengthen the wheel ____________.
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23
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Leather wrapped up the edge of the wheel aimed to remain
____________.
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Questions 24-26
Answer the questions below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE
WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.
24
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What body part of horse was released the pressure from to the
shoulder?
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25
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What kind road surface did the researchers measure the speed of the
chariot?
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26
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What part
of his afterlife palace was the Emperor Qin Shi Huang buried?
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