Passage 1 Radiocarbon Dating - The Profile of Nancy Athfield

SECTION 1
READING PASSAGE 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Question 1-13 which are based on Reading
Passage 1 below.

Radiocarbon Dating - The Profile of Nancy Athfield

Have you ever picked up a small stone off the ground and wondered how old it was?
Chances are, that stone has been around many more years than your own lifetime.
Many scientists share this curiosity about the age of inanimate objects like rocks, fossils
and precious stones. Knowing how old an object is can provide valuable information
about our prehistoric past. In most societies, human beings have kept track of history
through writing. However, scientists are still curious about the world before writing, or
even the world before humans. Studying the age of objects is our best way to piece
together histories of our pre-historic past. One such method of finding the age of an
object is called radiocarbon dating. This method can find the age of any object based on
the kind of particles and atoms that are found inside of the object. Depending on what
elements the object is composed of, radiocarbon can be a reliable way to find an
object’s age. One famous specialist in this method is the researcher Nancy Athfield.
Athfield studied the ancient remains found in the country of Cambodia. Many
prehistoric remains were discovered by the local people of Cambodia. These objects
were thought to belong to some of the original groups of humans that first came to the
country of Cambodia. The remains had never been scientifically studied, so Nancy was
greatly intrigued by the opportunity to use modern methods to discover the true age of
these ancient objects.
Athfield had this unique opportunity because her team, comprised of scientists and
filmmakers, were in Cambodia working on a documentary. The team was trying to
discover evidence to prove a controversial claim in history: that Cambodia was the
resting place for the famous royal family of Angkor. At that time, written records and
historic accounts conflicted on the true resting place. Many people across the world
disagreed over where the final resting place was. For the first time, Athfield and her
team had a chance to use radiocarbon dating to find new evidence. They had a chance
to solve the historic mystery that many had been arguing over for years.
Athfield and her team conducted radiocarbon dating of many of the ancient objects
found in the historic site of Angkor Wat. Nancy found the history of Angkor went back to

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Passage 1 Radiocarbon Dating - The Profile of Nancy Athfield

as early as 1620. According to historic records, the remains of the Angkor royal family
were much younger than that, so this evidence cast a lot of doubt as to the status of the
ancient remains. The lesearch ultimately raised more questions. If the remains were not
of the royal family, then whose remains were being kept in the ancient site? Athfield’s
team left Cambodia with more questions unanswered. Since Athfield’s team studied the
remains, new remains have been unearthed at the ancient site of Angkor Wat, so it is
possible that these new remains could be the true remains of the royal family. Nancy
wished to come back to continue her research one day.
In her early years, the career of Athfield was very unconventional. She didn’t start her
career as a scientist. At the beginning, she would take any kind of job to pay her bills.
Most of them were low-paying jobs or brief Community service opportunities. She
worked often but didn’t know what path she would ultimately take. But eventually, her
friend suggested that Athfield invest in getting a degree. The friend recommended that
Athfield attend a nearby university. Though doubtful of her own qualifications, she
applied and was eventually accepted by the school. It was there that she met Willard
Libby, the inventor of radiocarbon dating. She took his class and soon had the
opportunity to complete hands-on research. She soon realised that science was her
passion. After graduation, she quickly found a job in a research institution.
After college, Athfield’s career in science blossomed. She eventually married, and her
husband landed a job at the prestigious organisation GNN. Athfield joined her husband
in the same organisation, and she became a lab manager in the institution. She earned
her PhD in scientific research, and completed her studies on a kind of rat when it first
appeared in New Zealand. There, she created original research and found many flaws in
the methods being used in New Zealand laboratories. Her research showed that the
subject’s diet led to the fault in the earlier research. She was seen as an expert by her
peers in New Zealand, and her opinion and expertise were widely respected. She had
come a long way from her old days of working odd jobs. It seemed that Athfield’s career
was finally taking off.
But Athfield’s interest in scientific laboratories wasn’t her only interest. She didn’t settle
down in New Zealand. Instead, she expanded her areas of expertise. Athfield eventually
joined the field of Anthropology, the study of human societies, and became a well-
qualified archaeologist. It was during her blossoming career as an archaeologist that
Athfield became involved with the famous Cambodia project. Even as the filmmakers
ran out of funding and left Cambodia, Athfield continued to stay and continue her
research.

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Passage 1 Radiocarbon Dating - The Profile of Nancy Athfield

In 2003, the film was finished in uncertain conclusions, but Nancy continued her
research on the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat. This research was not always easy. Her
research was often delayed by lack of funding, and government paperwork. Despite her
struggles, she committed to finishing her research. Finally, she made a breakthrough.
Using radiocarbon dating, Athfield completed a database for the materials found in
Cambodia. As a newcomer to Cambodia, she lacked a complete knowledge of
Cambodian geology, which made this feat even more difficult. Through steady
determination and ingenuity, Athfield finally completed the database. Though many did
not believe she could finish, her research now remains an influential and tremendous
contribution to geological sciences in Cambodia. In the future, radiocarbon dating
continues to be a valuable research skill. Athfield will be remembered as one of the first
to bring this scientific method to the study of the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat.

Questions 1-7
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 1-7 on you answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement is true
FALSE if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in the passage

1 Nancy Athfield first discovered the ancient remains in Cambodia.

2 The remains found in the Cambodia was in good condition.
3 Nancy took some time off from her regular work to do research in Cambodia.
4 The Cambodia government asked Nancy to radiocarbon the remains.
5 The filmmakers aimed to find out how the Angkor was rebuilt.
6 Nancy initially doubted whether the royal family was hidden in Cambodia.
7 Nancy disproved the possibility that the remains belonged to the Angkor royal
family.

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Passage 1 Radiocarbon Dating - The Profile of Nancy Athfield

Questions 8-13
Complete the flow-chart below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 8-13 on your answer sheet.

The Career of Nancy Athfield

During her mid-teens, Nancy wasn’t expected to attend 8……………………..

↓
Willard Billy later helped Nancy to find that she was interested in science.

↓
Her PhD degree was researching when a kind of 9………………………., first went into New
Zealand.

↓
Her research showed that the subject’s 10………………………… accounted for the fault in
the earlier research.

↓
She was a professional 11………………….. before she went back to Cambodia in 2003.

↓
When she returned Cambodia, the lack of 12……………………….. was a barrier for her
research.

↓
Then she compiled the 13……………………… of the Cambodia radiocarbon dating of the
ancients.

↓
After that, the lack of a detailed map of the geology of Cambodia became a hindrance of
her research.

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Passage 1 Radiocarbon Dating - The Profile of Nancy Athfield

ANSWER

1. FALSE
2. NOT GIVEN
3. NOT GIVEN
4. FALSE
5. FALSE
6. NOT GIVEN
7. TRUE
8. university
9. rat
10. diet
11. archaeologist
12. funding
13. database