Sotheby's is auctioning a rare diamond that is said to be out of this world

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Sotheby's is auctioning² a rare diamond that is said to be out of this world

Transcript³

The gem⁴ is expected to sell for $6.8 million. But is the black, 555.55-carat diamond really a treasure from outer space?

DEBBIE ELLIOTT, HOST:

There's a diamond going up for sale. It's said to be out of this world. Get this; it's a black 555.55-carat diamond that fits in the palm of your hand.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

The auction¹ house Sotheby's says this rare gem may be a treasure from interstellar space. Now, that caught the attention of Tim McCoy.

TIM MCCOY: Not so sure it came from outer space.

ELLIOTT: McCoy's a curator of the meteorite⁵ collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

MCCOY: Just at the Smithsonian alone, we have about 30,000 different meteorites⁶. None of them contain anything like this. It's millions of little crystals, all, like, a few microns in size, all stuck together to make this big 555-carat - what is really a rock more than a single crystal.

MARTINEZ: McCoy says the mysterious diamond is known as a carbonado, found only in Brazil and the Central African Republic.

ELLIOTT: No one really knows how carbonadoes formed. Mccoy says it could have happened underground 4 billion years ago.

MCCOY: We think of outer space as this really exotic place; but think of inner Earth as a really exotic place. We don't really know very well what the deep, deep Earth is like. You know, every rock has a story, and we just have to know how to listen to it. And I think this is a rock that we can't quite understand its story yet. But it's going to be a really good one when someone figures it out.

MARTINEZ: Sotheby's gave the diamond a nickname - the enigma⁷. It's expected to sell for 6.8 million bucks⁸ at auction next month.

(SOUNDBITE OF RIHANNA'S "DIAMONDS (INSTRUMENTAL)")

1 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

2 auctioning   

v.拍卖( auction的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The Army is auctioning off a lot of old equipment. 军队正在把大量旧装备拍卖掉。 来自辞典例句
• So she's auctioning off a chance to go to an awards dinner? 那么她在拍卖与她共赴晚宴的机会了？ 来自电影对白

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 gem   

n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel

参考例句：

• The gem is beyond my pocket.这颗宝石我可买不起。
• The little gem is worth two thousand dollars.这块小宝石价值两千美元。

5 meteorite   

n.陨石；流星

参考例句：

• The meteorite in Jilin Exhibition Hall is believed to be the largest in the world.吉林展览馆的陨石被认为是世界上最大的。
• The famous Murchison meteorite smashed into the Australian ground in 1969.1969年著名的默奇森陨石轰然坠落在澳大利亚。

6 meteorites   

n.陨星( meteorite的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Small meteorites have left impact craters all over the planet's surface. 这个行星的表面布满了小块陨石留下的撞击坑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One theory about the existence of extraterrestrial life rests on the presence of carbon compounds in meteorites. 地球外存在生命的理论是基于陨星上存在碳化合物质这一事实的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 enigma   

n.谜，谜一样的人或事

参考例句：

• I've known him for many years,but he remains something of an enigma to me.我与他相识多年，他仍然难以捉摸。
• Even after all the testimonies,the murder remained a enigma.即使听完了所有的证词，这件谋杀案仍然是一个谜。

8 bucks   

n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• They cost ten bucks. 这些值十元钱。
• They are hunting for bucks. 他们正在猎雄兔。 来自《简明英汉词典》