许国章第2册第8课

THE GREAT PYRAMID
The kings of ancient Egypt planned strong tombs to keep their bodies safe after death and to hold their treasures. Over these tombs huge stone pyramids were built. There are over 80 pyramids in Egypt, but the Great Pyramid is the largest of all.
The Great Pyramid was built nearly five thousand years ago for a king called Khufu. It is located on the west bank of the Nile River, not far from Cairo. In fact, all the pyramids along the Nile are on the west bank. The ancient Egyptians compared the rising of the sun to the beginning of life and the setting of the sun to the end of life. This is why their dead were buried on the west bank of the Nile.
It is very hard to realize just how big the Great Pyramid is. It has over 2,300,000 blocks of solid stone. These huge stone blocks weigh an average of two and a half tons each, as much as a small car. Some even weigh fifteen tons. Without machinery, the ancient Egyptians cut and moved and lifted each of these stones. Many of the blocks came from the east bank of the Nile, and they were taken across the river in boats at flood time. It took more than 100,000 slaves twenty years to build the Great Pyramid.
The Great Pyramid is over 450 feet high today, and it was once higher. Its base covered thirteen acres. Each of the sides of the pyramid is 755 feet long, or about as long as two city blocks. It takes about twenty minutes to walk all the way round the pyramid.
Every king wanted his tomb to be the best. But Khufu outdid them all. The surface of his pyramid used to shine with smooth white limestone, and its top came to a sharp point. Inside, the body of Khufu rested in a great stone coffin. His body was preserved to last forever, and many treasures were buried with him.
Now after many centuries, the shining surface is worn away, and men have taken some of the huge blocks of stone to build other things. Thieves have stolen the treasures, and they have stolen the body of Khufu himself. No doubt this is a matter for regret, but the same thing has happened to many other ancient tombs.
Although the limestone surface is gone, the huge stones are exposed and you can climb on them, like steps, to the top. When you have reached the top, you can see for miles about you. You can see the smaller pyramids and the Sphinx, the great stone statue of the lion with a human head. To the west you can see the Libyan Desert, and to the east you can see the green Nile Valley and the modern city of Cairo.

大金字塔
古代的埃及国王为了死后尸体不被盗窃，金银财宝得以保全，建筑了坚固的墓穴。在墓穴上用石头建起了巨大的金字塔。在埃及，有80多座金字塔，大金字塔是其中最大的一座。
大金字塔是在大约5000年以前，为胡夫国王建造的。它位于尼罗河西岸，距开罗不远。实际上，所有的金字塔都建在尼罗河西岸。这是因为古代埃及人

把日出比作生命的开始，把日落比作生命的结束。所以他们就把死者埋葬在尼罗河西岸。
要弄清大金字塔到底有多大，是很困难的。它由230多万块坚实的石头建成。这些巨大的石块平均每块重２吨半，像一辆小型轿车那样重，有些石块甚至重达15吨。古埃及人是在没有机械装备的情况下，开采、搬运和抬起每一块石头的。石料多取自尼罗河东岸，涨洪水时人们用船将石块运过河。10多万奴隶用了20年的时间才建成这座大金字塔。
今天我们看到的大金字塔有450多英尺高，过去还要高一些。它的基底占地13英亩，每一边长755英尺，大约有两个街区那样长。绕金字塔走一圈需要20分钟左右。
每个国王都希望自己的墓穴建得最好，但是胡夫超过了所有国王。以前，大金字塔表面光滑的白石灰石非常耀眼，塔的顶端很尖。塔内，胡夫的尸体被安放在一个大石棺里，尸体做了防腐处理，可永久保存，另外还有许多金银财宝陪葬。
许多世纪后的今天，闪闪发光的表面已经剥落了，人们搬走了许多大石块去修建别的东西。盗贼偷走了珍宝，还盗走了胡夫本人的尸体。这无疑是一件憾事，不过其他许多古代墓穴也遭受了同样命运。
大金字塔表面的石灰石已经剥落，不过大石块裸露了出来，人们可以像登台阶似的一步一步地爬上顶端。当你上到顶端后，你可以望到周围数英里之外的景物。你可以看到那些小一点的金字塔和狮身人面像，那是一座巨大的人头狮身的石雕像。向西，你可以看到利比亚沙漠，向东，可以看到绿色的尼罗河流域和开罗这座现代化城市。