It is the one and the only wonder which does not require a description by early historians and poets. It is the one and only wonder that does not need speculations concerning its appearance, size and shape. It is the oldest, yet it is the only surviving of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It is the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.

The tradition of pyramid building started in Ancient Egypt as a sophistication of the idea of a mastaba or “platform” covering the royal tomb. Later, several stacked mastabas were used. Early pyramids, such as the Step Pyramid of King Zoser (Djoser) at Saqqara by the famous Egyptian architect, Imhotep, illustrated this connection. 

Pyramid building was at its height from the fourth through the sixth Dynasties. Scores of them have been discovered. However, the largest and most famous of all the pyramids should be the pyramids at Giza, which consist of three pyramids. The well-known one is the Great Pyramid at Giza built by King Khufu. 

When it was built, the Great Pyramid stood over 146 meters. Over the years, it lost 10 meters off its top and today it is 136 meters in height. Before 19th century A.D. it ranked as the tallest structure on earth. The Pyramid’s base covers an area over 5.2 hectares and the sloping angle of its sides is 51 degrees and 52 minutes. Each side is carefully oriented with one of the cardinal points of the compass, that is, north, south, east and west. The horizontal cross section of the Pyramid is square at any level.

The structure of the Great Pyramid consists of 2.3 million blocks of stone. The average weight is over two tons a piece, with the heaviest weighing 15 tons each. How the ancient Egyptians moved these huge stones is still not sure. Several theories have been proposed. One theory involves the construction of a straight or spiral ramp that was raised as the construction proceeded. This ramp coated with mud and water, eased the displacement of the stone blocks pushed into place. A second theory suggests that the blocks were placed by using long levers with a short angled foot. No matter what has been said, it proves to be hard in ancient time. The Greek historian Herodotus reported in the fifth century B.C. that his Egyptian guides told him that 100,000 men mere employed for three mouths a year for twenty years to build the Great Pyramid.

Together with the Great Pyramid are two other pyramids at Giza. One is the Pyramid of Khafra, Khufu’s son. This one is 3 meters lower, but more complete and wonderful. The twenty meter high Sphinx stands aside, attracting the eyes of tourists. It is said that except the claws, the Sphinx is made out of only one piece of natural rock. The other pyramid is for Khafra’s son, Menkaure. It has been suggested that there are enough blocks in the three pyramids to build a 3- meter high, 0.3-meter thick wall around France. The area covered by the Great Pyramids can accommodate St Peter’s in Rome, the Cathedrals of Florence and Milan, and Westminster and St Paul’s in London combined. 

Throughout their history, the Pyramids of Giza have stimulated human imagination. They were referred to as “The Granaries of Joseph” and “The Mountains of Pharaoh”. When Napoleon invaded Egypt in 1798, his pride was expressed through his famous quote: “Soldiers! From the top of these Pyramids, 40 centuries are looking at us.” 

Today, the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx have fascinated people from all over the world－tourists, mathematicians and archeologists come to visit and explore them.

参考译文：

这是人类唯一一个无需远古时代历史学家及诗人到来描述的奇迹。这是人类唯一一个在外观、大小和形状各方面都无需猜测的奇迹。它是最古老的，也是唯一存留下来的世界七大古迹之一。这就是吉萨大金字塔。

修建金字塔的传统起源于古埃及。最初的绝妙想法是修建一个墓室或平台把王室的墓子罩起来。后来，出现了把几个墓室堆积起来而形成的阶梯式金字塔。由著名建筑师伊姆霍特设计修建的早期金字塔，如国王约塞尔的阶梯式金字塔表明了这种构想。

从第四王朝到第六王朝期间，金字塔的兴建达到了顶峰，现在发现的有几十座。然而，最大最著名的要属在吉萨的金字塔群。吉萨金字塔群由三座金字塔组成，三座中最引人注目的是国王胡夫的大金字塔。

大金字塔原高146米，天长日久，顶部剥落了10米，现高136米。在19世纪以前，它一直是世界上的最高建筑。金字塔基座占地78亩，各个面的倾斜度为51度52分。每个面均按照罗盘的四个方位精心设计，任何高度的横切面均呈正方形。

大金字塔由230万块石头砌成。每块石头平均重量为2吨，最重的15吨。古埃及人是如何搬运这些巨石的至今仍是个谜。但有几种假设：一种说法是建造一种可以根据施工进展而升高的直线式或螺旋式的斜面，在斜面上注上水和泥桨，再将石块缓慢推放到位。第二种说法是石块是用一种支点很短的长杠杆放置的。不管怎么说，在古代这都是很艰巨的工程。希腊历史学家希罗多德曾在公元前五世纪报导说：他的埃及向导告诉他，为修建大金字塔雇用了10万人，每年劳作3个月，共耗时20年。

在吉萨和大金字塔共存的还有另外两座金字塔。一座是胡夫的儿子哈夫拉的。 这座金字塔比大金字塔低3米，但更加完善和壮观，20米高的狮身人面像屹立在旁，吸引着游客的目光。据说这尊狮身人面像除了爪子之外，其余部分均由一整块天然岩石雕琢而成。另一座金字塔是哈夫拉的儿子门卡乌拉的陵墓。据说这三座金字塔所用的石块如果堆积起来，可以砌一面高3米的、厚0.3米、绕法国一周的围墙。三座金字塔所占面积是以下几座大教堂面积之和。它们分别是：罗马的圣•彼德大教堂，佛罗伦萨大教堂，米兰大教堂，伦敦的西敏寺和圣•保罗大教堂。

纵贯历史，吉萨的金字塔群一直在激发着人们的想象力。它们被称为“约瑟夫的谷仓”或“法老的山脉”。1798年拿破仑侵占埃及时，曾这样表达他的骄傲：我的士兵们，从金字塔顶往下看，有四千年的历史在注视着我们。

如今，金字塔和狮身人面像吸引着全世界各国人民——游客，数学家及考古学家前去参观和探索。