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The unearthing of more terracotta warriors is such a treat for one tourist from Hubei that he has decided to return to Xi'an every summer for the next five years.

"I want to witness each step of the excavation of the Qin terracotta warriors and horses," Sun Yunfeng from Enshi told China Daily yesterday.

During the first two days of excavation, which began again on Saturday and is ongoing during visiting hours, archaeologists found two chariots standing close together, each with four horses.

"It is the first time we've unearthed such an arrangement of chariots in the pit. The chariots we found before had a dozen warriors in between," said Cao Wei, deputy curator of the Qinshihuang Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum.

They also found a warrior with color paint still on his face, arm and chest.

"From the results made in the first two days of the excavation, we think there are some 150 pottery warriors, two chariots and eight horses in this section," said Liu Zhancheng, an archaeologist at the museum.

In another part of the excavation area, archaeologists found a painted wooden ring with colors still bright after more than 2,000 years in the earth.

"Although there is little possibility to unearth well-protected painting figures as Pit No 1 was destroyed by fire and water in ancient times, it is still possible to find colorful painting on some parts of high-ranking figures," Xu said.

It was the third excavation in the pit - the first and largest of three pits at the site near Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province -since 1974 when the terracotta army was discovered.

Questions:

1. When did excavation recommence on the outskirts of Xi’an at the terracotta warrior site?

2. What is the estimate of the number of possible items presently being excavated?

3. How many years have the figures been underground?

Answers:

1. On Saturday.

2. 150 pottery warriors.

3. More than 2000 years.

（英语点津 Helen 编辑）

Brendan joined The China Daily in 2007 as a language polisher in the Language Tips Department, where he writes a regular column for Chinese English Language learners, reads audio news for listeners and anchors the weekly video news in addition to assisting with on location stories. Elsewhere he writes Op’Ed pieces with a China focus that feature in the Daily’s Website opinion section.

He received his B.A. and Post Grad Dip from Curtin University in 1997 and his Masters in Community Development and Management from Charles Darwin University in 2003. He has taught in Japan, England, Australia and most recently China. His articles have featured in the Bangkok Post, The Taipei Times, The Asia News Network and in-flight magazines.