The reading and the lecture are both discussing probable methods that were used by the Egyptians to build the pyramid. The writer of the article presents three possible methods that they might have used. The lecturer in the listening passage disputes the claims made in the reading. He believes all methods mentioned by the author have a lot of weakness and is very unlikely that the Egyptian used one of them.
According to the reading, one possible explanation is that they built ramps around the pyramid to help transport and placing the materials. The author mentions several kinds of ramps that might have been used, such as spiraling ramps and straight ramps. The lecturer, on the other hand, believes that this method would not have been very useful. He claims it would be too much work to use these huge ramps, since the ramps would have to be adjusted all the time to stay the same height as the pyramid.
Secondly, the author states that there is another theory by a famous architect that suggests that the pyramid was built using a spiraling ramp inside it. Again, the lecturer believes there are flaws in the writer’s argument. He asserts that there is no archeological proof of this theory. Moreover, since it is not allowed to see what is above the pyramid, no one is able to see if this theory is true.
Finally, the writer mentions the limestone concrete hypothesis, which suggests that Egyptians molded the mixed limestone to build the pyramid. The professor in the listening passage states that this is impossible to have happened, since the faces would meet at the top.
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Hi Gabriel, welcome to our forum. Can you please tell us a little more about your situation? Why exactly do you think you need a TOEFL certificate? What are your goals? How often do you use English and what do you use the language for?
Best regards,
Torsten
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