SCIENCE REPORT - Iceman's Death

SCIENCE REPORT
–
February 6, 2002: Iceman ’s Death

By George Grow

This is the VOA Special English SCIENCE REPORT.

A leading expert on ancient mountain cultures has a theory about a man who died more than five-thousand years
ago. The man’s body was found in a piece of ice high in the Alps Mountains in northern Italy in Nineteen-
Ninety-One. Newspapers called him the Iceman.

Johan Reinhard suspects the Iceman was killed as an offering to the gods. Mister¹ Reinhard is famous for his
discoveries of human remains² in the Andes Mountains of South America. Many of the remains were of children
sacrificed to mountain gods.

Mister Reinhard works³ for the National Geographic⁴ Society. His theory is reported in National Geographic
magazine.

Mister Reinhard admits that some scientists are dismissing⁵ his theory. Yet, he says, it is time to re-examine all the
evidence.

Two German climbers discovered the Iceman more than three-thousand meters above sea level. Ice had protected
the body for thousands of years. It was the oldest and best preserved ancient body ever found.

When the Iceman was discovered, some scientists suggested that he had fallen asleep and died in the snow or was
killed in a fall. A bow and arrows were found with the Iceman. This led some people to believe that he died while
hunting animals.

Later, his remains and other objects were transported to Bolzano, Italy. They are now kept at the South Tyrol
Museum of Archeology. The body is kept cool in a special observation area at the museum.

Last year, scientists announced the cause of death. The scientists used x -ray equipment to produce images of the
Iceman’s upper chest. They found an arrowhead under the left shoulder. Scientists said he was killed by an
arrow that tore through his back.Mister Reinhard says the killing⁶ might have been either a murder or an offering
to the gods. The body was found in a long, narrow area between two of the highest mountains in the Alps. Mister
Reinhard says this is the kind of place where people from mountain cultures traditionally made offerings to their
gods.

He also notes that a valuable copper⁷ ax⁸ was found near the body. He says a murderer⁹ would have stolen
something this valuable. He believes the tool may have been left to serve the victim in the afterlife or as an
offering to the gods.

This VOA Special English SCIENCE REPORT was written by George Grow.

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1 mister   

n.(略作Mr.全称很少用于书面)先生

参考例句：

• Mister Smith is my good friend.史密斯先生是我的好朋友。
• He styled himself " Mister Clean ".他自称是“清廉先生”。

2 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。

3 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

4 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

5 dismissing   

v.解雇( dismiss的现在分词 )；（使击球员或球队）退场；使退去；驳回

参考例句：

• Experts are dismissing claims that the painting is a forgery. 专家排除了这幅画是赝品的说法。
• Dismissing confirmations thus becomes as routine as issuing them. 因此关闭确认对话框和发起确认对话框一样成为例行公事。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

6 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

7 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

8 ax   

n.斧子

参考例句：

• He cut a hole through the wall with an ax.他用斧子在墙上砍出一个洞。
• He carried a large ax.他带了一把大斧。

9 murderer   

n.杀人犯，凶手

参考例句：

• How long should a murderer be kept in prison?犯了谋杀罪的人应在监狱关多少年？
• They discovered the murderer to have run away.他们发现凶手已逃之夭夭。