英语阅读：阿拉斯加出土两具冰河时期婴儿遗骨.docx

The remains1 of two Ice Age infants, buried more than 11,000 years ago at a site in Alaska, represent the youngest human remains ever found in northern North America, according to a new paper published in the Proceedings2 of the National Academy of Sciences. The site and its artifacts provide new insights into funeral practices and other rarely preserved aspects of life among people who inhabited the area thousands of years ago, according to Ben Potter, a researcher at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the papers lead author. Potter led the archaeological team that made the discovery in fall of 2013 at an excavation3 of the Upward Sun River site, near the Tanana River in central Alaska. The researchers worked closely with local and regional Native tribal4 organizations as they conducted their research. The National Science Foundation funded the work. Potter and his colleagues note that the human remains and associated burial offerings, as well as inferences about the time of year the children died and were buried, could lead to new thinking about how early societies were structured, the stresses they faced as they tried to survive, how they treated the youngest members of their society, and how they viewed death and the importance of rituals associated with it. Potter made the new find on the site of a 2010 excavation, where the cremated5 remains of another 3-year-old child were found. The bones of the two infants were found in a pit directly below a residential6 hearth7 where the 2010 remains were found. Taken collectively, these burials and cremation8 reflect complex behaviors related to death among the early inhabitants of North America, Potter said.词汇表： 1 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。2 proceedings n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报参考例句：He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼3 excavation n.挖掘，发掘；被挖掘之地参考例句：The bad weather has hung up the work of excavation.天气不好耽误了挖掘工作。The excavation exposed some ancient ruins.这次挖掘暴露出一些古遗迹。4 tribal adj.部族的，种族的参考例句：He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。5 cremated v.火葬，火化（尸体）( cremate的过去式和过去分词 )参考例句：He wants to is cremated, not buried. 他要火葬，不要土葬。 来自简明英汉词典The bodies were cremated on the shore. 他们的尸体在海边火化了。 来自辞典例句6 residential adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的参考例句：The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。7 hearth n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面参考例句：She came and sat in a chair before the hearth.她走过来，在炉子前面的椅子上坐下。She comes to the hearth,and switches on the electric light there.她走到壁炉那里，打开电灯。8 cremation n.火葬，火化参考例句：Cremation is more common than burial in some coun