II. Cloze (10%)1.       The practice of mummifications goes back thousands of years and is found in a number ofdifferent cultures. For many people, mummies and mummification evoke a sense of the __16__ —conjuring images of a grotesque, linen-wrapped monstrosity shambling through an ancient temple.Indeed, for many decades mummies have been in the casts of horror movies and gothic novels andfiled away in the public imagination as belonging to arcane religious rites. But mummification was awidespread and honored tradition in the world, one that was __17__ deep religious significance andoften performed by skilled specialists. It was practiced as a way to __18__ the dead, or express animportant religious belief — especially a belief in an afterlife. Various cultures have been known tomummify their dead. The most well-known are the ancient Egyptians. Mummification is the processof preserving the body after death by __19__ drying or embalming flesh. This typically involvedremoving moisture from a deceased body and using chemicals or natural preservatives, such as resin,to desiccate the flesh and organs. Mummies are also created by __20__ processes, which is knownas "natural" mummification. This can happen when a dead body is exposed to extreme cold, very dryconditions, or some other environmental factor that mitigates against decay.
【題組】16.
(A) macabre
(B) scabrous
(C) obtrusive
(D) skittish