Ever thought you'd get to experience the smell of ancient Egyptian queen Cleopatra's hair, or the
scent(气味)of the sun? Visitors to the Reg Vardy Gallery will soon be able to do just that.
The gallery, at Sunderland University, England, is holding a new exhibition, If There Ever Was. It
focuses on scent rather than sight．
The creative idea is the brainchild of curator Robert Blackson.His inspiration came from reading the
book Fast Food Nation. The book discussed the use of artificial chemicals to flavor things such as
milkshakes, making them smell and taste like strawberries, when they're not actually made from them.
A smell can often call up memories such as school dinners or a childhood holiday by the sea, but the
smells on display, will allow visitors to experience smells their noses won't have been able to pick out
before.
"There's various different smells, including some extinct flowers," explains Blackson. "Some have been
gone for hundreds of years."
One extraordinary smell is the consequence of the first atomic bomb, dropped on Japan on August
6, 1945.
There is also the smell of Cleopatra's hair, based on incense that was popular among ancient Egyptians.
The Soviet Mir space station, which burnt up in the atmosphere in 2001, smells of charred(烧焦的)
material(the space station caught fire).
Among the strange smells is the "surface of the sun".
"It is hard to sum up. It is an atmospheric smell, like walking into a room when the sun has been
pouring in," says Blackson. "It gives a freshness, a sun kissed feel with a bit of metal. If you can say
something smells hot, this is it."
A team of 11, including perfume designers, have been working on recreating the smells for the
exhibition. James Wong, a botanist at Botanic Gardens Conservation International, UK, helped in the
recreation of the smells of four extinct flowering plants.
He did this by closely linking the extinct flowers with the smells of existing ones. With the help of
historical reports of how the extinct flowers smelled, he was able to remix the smell.
The exhibition runs until June 6. Fourteen extinct and impossible smells are on display.
1. What might be the best title of the passage?
A. The Reg Vardy Gallery
B. Egyptian queen Cleopatra's hair
C. A visit to a new exhibition
D. The scents of ancient Egypt
2. Visitors can enjoy all of the following scents at the Reg Vardy Gallery EXCEPT ______.
A. the scent of ancient Egyptian queen Cleopatra's hair
B. the smells of charred
material of the Soviet Mir space station
C. the scent of having a childhood vacation by the sea
D. the smell of the result of the first atomic bomb dropped on Japan
3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Visitors go to
Reg Vardy Gallery to enjoy beautiful sights.
B. James Wong managed to remix the smell by referring to some historical reports.
C. The exhibition will last until July 6.
D. The scents visitors will smell are found in the tomb of the ancient Egyptian queen Cleopatra.
4. In which session are you likely to read the passage in a newspaper?
A. Science
B. Education
C. Entertainment
D. Economy
