B
I am now looking at an antique, Augustus’ bronze (青铜制的) head, here in the Roman galleries in the British Museum.
This is the first Roman Emperor Augustus. He was Julius Caesar’s great-nephew. When Caesar in 44 BC left Augustus his fortune and his power, he was only 19. The vital moment in his rise was the defeat of Mark Anthony and Cleopatra at the battle of Actium in 31 BC. Already holding Italy, France, Spain, Libya and the Balkans, Augustus followed the example of Alexander the Great and seized the richest prize of them all—Egypt. He made Egypt part of Rome and then turned the Roman Republic into his personal empire (王国).
The head comes from this time. It was once part of a full-length statue, slightly larger than life-sized. The statue stood on the border between modern Egypt and Sudan, probably in the town of Syene, where the Mediterranean world conflicted with Africa. In 25 BC, an army from the Sudanese kingdom of Meroe, led by the one-eyed queen Candace, took control of a series of Roman towns in southern Egypt. Candace and her army took the statue back to the city of Meroe, cut and buried the head of the glorious statue of Augustus beneath the steps of a temple built for victory. It was a superbly calculated insult (侮辱). From then on, everybody walking up the steps and into the temple would be crushing (踩压) the Roman Emperor under their feet. And if you look closely again at the head, you can see tiny sand from the African desert still in the surface of the bronze—a symbol of shame on the glory of Rome.
24. Where is Augustus’ bronze head being shown?
A. In Britain. B. In Egypt. C. In Sudan. D. In Italy.
25. Who favored Augustus according to the text?
A. Julius Caesar. B. Mark Anthony. C. Cleopatra. D. Candace.
26. What can we infer about the town of Syene from paragraph 3?
A. It was in the center of Rome. B. It was often at war.
C. It was a modern place of peace. D. It was a personal empire.
27. What is the best title for the text?
A. A shame of a queen B. The story behind an antique
C. A symbol of glory D. Conflicts among countries
