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  3. Early humans were very interested in birds and attributed magic and religious powers to them. The connection between birds and d

Early humans were very interested in birds and attributed magic and religious powers to them. The connection between birds and d

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问题     Early humans were very interested in birds and attributed magic and religious powers to them. The connection between birds and death that humans have imagined since prehistoric times still persists strongly in some modern folklore. There are also early hints of humans forming an association between birds and human reproduction. Somewhat later birds were regarded as weather changers and forecasters. Birds symbolized the mysterious powers that pervaded the wilderness in which humans hungered, hunted, and dreamed. Thus it is not surprising that many mythological creatures, such as thunderbird, phoenix, and roc, take the form of birds.
    In the legends of native North Americans, the thunderbird is a powerful spirit in the form of a bird. Through the work of this bird, it is said, the Earth is watered and vegetation grows. Lightning is believed to flash from its beak, and the beating of its wings is thought to result in the rolling of thunder. It is often portrayed with an extra head on its abdomen. The majestic thunderbird is often accompanied by lesser bird spirits, frequently in the form of eagles or falcons. Evidence of similar figures has been found throughout Africa, Asia, and Europe.
    In ancient Egypt and in classical antiquity, the phoenix was a fabulous bird associated with the worship of the sun. The phoenix was said to be as large as an eagle, with brilliant scarlet and gold plumage and a melodious cry. Only one phoenix existed at any one time, and it was very long-lived; an ancient writer gave it a life span of less than 500 years. As its death approached, the phoenix fashioned a nest of aromatic boughs and spices, set it on fire, and was consumed in the flames. From the burning firewood miraculously sprang a new phoenix, which, after preserving its predecessor’s ashes in an egg of myrrh, flew with the ashes to the City of the Sun, in Egypt, where it deposited them in the altar in the temple of the Egyptian god of the sun. The phoenix was understandably thus associated with immortality and the allegory of resurrection and life after death. The phoenix was compared to undying Rome, and it appears on the coinage of the late Roman Empire as a symbol of the Eternal City.
    In Arabic legends, the roc, or rukh, was a gigantic bird with two horns on its head and fur humps on its back and was said to be able to carry off elephants and other large beasts for food.
In the ancient inscriptions of the Roman Empire, the form of a phoenix refers to
选项 A、the Empire itself.
B、the city of Rome.
C、the power of the Roman Emperor.
D、the afterlife of the Roman Emperor.
答案B
解析 在第3段末句中，undying Rome和the Eternal city即为凤凰及刻在罗马帝国上图案所指，故选B(罗马城)。
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