I. Reading. Read the text and choose the best answer (a–d) to complete the sentences (1–5).

Read the text and choose the best answer (a–d) to complete the sentences (1–5).

Bahrain’s reputation as a relatively liberal and modern Persian Gulf state has made it a favourite with travellers in the region and an excellent introduction to the Gulf. It was once the seat of one of the great trading empires of the ancient world, and is redolent 1 of the past. Bahrain’s history goes back to the roots of human civilisation. The main island is thought to have broken away from the Arabian mainland sometime around 6000 BC and has almost certainly been inhabited since prehistoric times. The archipelago first emerged into world history sometime around 3000 BC as the seat of the Dilmun trading empire.

Dilmun, a Bronze Age culture that lasted some 2000 years, benefited from the islands’ strategic position along the trade routes linking Mesopotamia with the Indus Valley. In the midst of a region rapidly becoming arid 2, Dilmun’s lush spring­ fed greenery gave it the image of a holy island in the mythology of Sumeria, one of the world’s earliest civilisations, which flourished in what is today southern Iraq. Dilmun had a similar cachet 3 with the Babylonians, whose “Epic of Gilgamesh” mentions the islands as a paradise where heroes enjoy eternal life. Some scholars have suggested that Bahrain may be the site of the biblical Garden of Eden.

1 redolent – той, що нагадує (про щось), викликає думку

2 arid – посушливий, безводний, неродючий

3 cachet – особлива якість, слава

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