New Wonders for the Modern Age 世界新七大奇景
- 详细资料
- 创建于 2009年4月08日
- 最后更新于 2024年5月25日
- 发布于 2012年6月03日
- 作者：Mike Lee
- 点击数：176
课文朗读
课文讲解
Way back in 140 B.C., the Greek poet Antipater of Sidon described seven remarkable man-made structures. They came to be known as the Seven Wonders of the World. The list was very much a celebration of Greek accomplishments, with five of the seven located in Greece. Seven structures were included because the Greeks believed the number had magical properties.
远在公元前140年，希腊诗人昂蒂帕克便描述了七座伟大的人为建筑。这些建筑日后被称为世界七大奇景。这份名单比较像是在颂扬希腊人的丰功伟业，因为总共七座建筑当中，就有五座位于希腊。有七座建筑被纳入名单之内的原因是，希腊人相信这个数字具有神奇的力量。
Unfortunately for us, however, only one of these acclaimed Seven Wonders remains standing today: the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. All of the others have been destroyed, either by natural disasters or conquering armies. One wonder, a massive statue named the Colossus of Rhodes, was actually toppled by an earthquake just 50 years after its completion. As for another, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, some people dispute that it ever existed at all.
但不幸的是，这些曾被歌颂为世界七大奇景中只有一个奇景幸存至今：埃及的吉萨大金字塔。其他六座早已被天灾或前来讨伐的军队摧毁。其中一项奇景，罗得岛的太阳神铜像，其实在竣工后才50年左右就被地震震垮了。另外一项奇景，巴比伦的空中花园，有人甚至质疑它是否真正存在过。
While most of these constructions have been lost to us forever, the modern world still contains plenty of its own wonderful constructions. So, inspired by the ancient Greeks, an organization named New7Wonders was set up in 2001 with the aim of finding the seven greatest structures existing today. This ambitious goal was to be achieved by a public vote and would be the first worldwide democratic exercise in human history.
尽管七大奇景绝大多数已不复存在，现代社会还是拥有许多伟大的建筑。于是，因为受到古希腊人的启发，一个名为New7wonders的组织在2001年成立，旨在寻找现存的七座伟大建筑。这项宏大的目标必须仰赖民众的票选才能完成，这也会是人类历史上第一次全球性的民主活动。
Vocabulary
单词发音
accomplishment [əˋkɑmplɪʃmənt] n. 成就；成绩
disaster [dɪˋzæstɚ] n. 灾难，不幸
dispute [dɪˋspjut] v. 争论; 对……提出质疑
with the aim of 以…为目的
ambitious [æmˋbɪʃəs] adj. 有雄心的；野心勃勃的
More Information
单词发音
B.C. (= before Christ )公元前……年（基督之前……年）
remarkable [rɪˋmɑrkəb!] adj. 非凡的；卓越的
acclaimed [əˋklemd] adj. 受到赞扬的
massive [ˋmæsɪv] adj. 巨大的
topple [ˋtɑp!] v. 使倒塌
课文朗读
课文讲解
More than 100 nominees were put forward for the honor of being called a New Seven Wonder, and over 100 million votes were cast via the internet and by phone. Eventually, the seven winners were announced in July 2007 at a star-studded ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal. They are, in no particular order: the Great Wall of China, Petra in Jordan, Brazil’s statue of Christ the Redeemer, Peru’s Machu Picchu, Mexico’s Chichen Itza pyramid, the Roman Colosseum, and India’s Taj Mahal. The Pyramid of Giza was not included in the poll, having been awarded special honorary status instead.
这项争取世界新七大奇景头衔殊荣的活动，总共有超过一百座的建筑被提名。透过网络以及电话投票的方式，一共投出了超过一亿张的选票。最后，在2007年，于葡萄牙里斯本举办的一场众星云集的典礼上，公布了胜出名单。它们是（无特定顺序排列）：中国的万里长城，约旦的佩特拉古城，巴西的里约热内卢基督像，秘鲁的马丘比丘，墨西哥的奇琴伊察玛雅城邦遗址，罗马竞技场以及印度的泰姬玛哈陵。吉萨大金字塔并不在候选名单中，因该景已先获颁特殊荣誉地位。
While these New Seven Wonders are not officially recognized by heritage organizations like UNESCO, making it onto the list was undoubtedly a huge source of pride for the countries involved. What’s more, the overwhelmingly enthusiastic response of the voters showed how the campaign captured the imagination of millions around the world.
尽管世界新七大奇景没有得到联合国教科文组织这类文化遗产组织的法定任可，但是对于建筑获选的国家而已，能够在榜上留名无疑是件令人骄傲的事情。此外，踊跃投票的盛况也显示，这项活动激发了世界各地成千上万人的想象。
The organizations’ stated goal, to “raise awareness about the world’s unique cultural heritage sites,” has surely been achieved. The creation of a “global memory,” with seven structures people of all nationalities can remember and share, is a noble ambition indeed. Let’s hope that, unlike their predecessors, these New Seven Wonders can remain preserved for the benefit of many generations to come.
主办单位所揭橥的宗旨：「唤起对全世界独一无二之文化遗产景点的意识」确实达成。创造一个全球的集体回忆，票选出各个国籍的人士都能记住并分享的七大建筑，这的确是崇高的宏愿。让我们一起期盼，为了后代子孙福祉着想，希望这世界新七大奇景的命运不会像它们的前辈一样乖舛，而能一直被妥善保存，永留后世。
−by David Vickers
Vocabulary
单词发音
put forward 提出; 推荐 to offer for consideration
status [ˋstetəs] n. 地位，身分
undoubtedly [ʌnˋdaʊtɪdlɪ] adv. 毫无疑问地；肯定地
overwhelmingly [͵ovɚˋhwɛlmɪŋlɪ] adv. 压倒地；无法抵抗地
unique [juˋnik] adj. 唯一的，独一无二的
More Information
单词发音
nominee [͵nɑməˋni] n. 被提名者
via [ˋvaɪə] prep. 经由; 透过，凭借
star-studded [ˋstɑrˋstʌdɪd] adj. 明星云集的
Portugal [ˋportʃʊg!] n. 葡萄牙
Petra [地名] [约旦] 佩特拉
Colosseum [͵kɑləˋsiəm] n. 古罗马圆形大竞技场
honorary [ˋɑnə͵rɛrɪ] adj. 荣誉的
heritage [ˋhɛrətɪdʒ] n. 遗产
campaign [kæmˋpen] n. 竞选运动
nationality [͵næʃəˋnælətɪ] n. 国籍
ambition [æmˋbɪʃən] n. 愿望，抱负
predecessor [ˋprɛdɪ͵sɛsɚ] n.【古】祖先
Reading Questions
1. What does the article say about the original Seven Wonders?
A. They were all built to celebrate Greek power.
B. They were chosen by a public vote.
C. The identity of one of them remains unknown.
D. All but one of them have been destroyed.
2. The Colossus of Rhodes ______.
A. took 50 years to build
B. only stood for half a century
C. was destroyed by conquering forces
D. was surrounded by beautiful gardens
3. What do we know about the selection of the New Seven Wonders?
A. The process was limited to Internet voters.
B. Fewer than 100 structures were nominated for the new list.
C. The final vote was held at a ceremony in Portugal.
D. The process took over five years to be completed.
4. Which of the following is NOT implied in the article?
A. The New Seven Wonders project was extremely successful.
B. The winning structures brought great honor to their countries.
C. The New Seven Wonders are more impressive than the original ones.
D. The project has increased awareness of the importance of cultural heritage around the world.
Petra (Jordan)
Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) - Travel Guide
Machu Picchu Peru Video - (HD) Travel Video
Mexico - Chichen Itza (Mayan Pyramids)
more videos
Answer
|
1. ( D ) |
2. ( B ) |
3. ( D ) |
4. ( C ) |