Instructions

Read the following passage and answer the questions.
Passage:
Tutankhamen was Pharoah of Egypt from 1361 to 1352 BC. He died at the early age of nineteen and was buried in a tomb in the Valley of the Kings, on the west bank of the river Nile. Not much is known about the life of this king or why he died so young. In fact, we would never have heard of him if not for the magnificent treasures found in his tomb. All the other tombs in the Valley of the Kings had been robbed in ancient times. But nobody knew about Tutankhamen's tomb for hundreds of years. Hence, there was a great deal of excitement when his tomb was discovered by two Englishmen. One of them, Howard Carter, was a professional archaeologist. The other, Lord Camarvon, was a rich man interested in archaeology and who generously spent his money on excavations. For four years, from 1917 to 1922, they had been excavating in the Valley of the Kings without finding anything new. They were on the verge of giving up when a step appeared as Carter was clearing some stones near a royal tomb. He excavated further and unearthed a breathtaking collection of treasures in a tomb, all buried with Tutankhamen 3274 years ago! However, the story of Tutankhamen did not end there. Some Egyptians believed that according to an ancient curse anyone who touched Tutankhamen's tomb would die. Most people laughed at the idea of the curse coming true. However, when the last man climbed out of the tomb, a sudden sandstorm blew up and people saw a hawk, the ancient royal symbol of Egypt, fly overhead. Locals took this to mean that the spirit of the dead king had left his tomb, cursing those who had opened it. Five months later, Lord Camarvon, died of an infected mosquito bite on his cheek.

Question 128

The phrase on the 'verge of giving up' ...... means:


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