Underlying global features of the x-ray light curves of {\it swift}
  gamma-ray bursts
  With its rapid response, {\it Swift} has revealed plenty of unexpected
properties of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). With an abundance of observations, our
current understanding is only limited by complexity of early X-ray light
curves. In this work, based on the public {\it Swift} data of 150
well-monitored GRBs with measured redshifts, we find some interesting global
features in the rest-frame X-ray light curves. The distinct spectral behaviors
between the prompt emission and the afterglow emission implies dissimilar
radiation scenarios. Interestingly, an unforeseen plateau is exhibited in the
prompt X-ray light curves despite the presence of complex spikes, which might
indicate the presence of a steady central engine. In particular, the seemingly
continuous evolution with a single power law from the prompt to the afterglow
of most GRBs might place strong constraints on the theoretical models.
