英语听力：自然百科 伊斯坦堡地下古迹

 Construction of a railway tunnel under the Istanbul or Bosporus Strait in Turkey has uncovered ancient ruins older than historians believed existed. The Marmaray Project aims to upgrade about 47 miles of commuter¹ rail that includes connecting either side of Istanbul. The archeologist responsible for the digging area says they have found evidence of the first settlement in the area dating back 8,000 years.

 

"We found the settlement dating back to 6,000 B.C. or 8,000 years ago. We found the cremated² men, and their ashes and bones had been put into these jars and buried like this. These belonged to the first settlement in the area which is inside the city walls."

 

Researchers have also linked the findings to the remains³ of a Neolithic⁴ site in southern Anatolia. The similarity between the sites suggests settlers in the Anatolian plains migrated to Istanbul’s shores some 8,000 years ago. The urns⁵ are first in Anatolian history, which proves human tribes lived in Istanbul before the reigns⁶ of Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires.

 

After cremation⁷, ashes were usually put in ceramic⁸ urns or small stone containers known as larnax. Other forms of cremation in Anatolian archeology were seen in the early Bronze Age. But this type of burial was uncommon⁹.

 

The Marmaray Project was delayed when excavation¹⁰ teams came across the Byzantine harbor in 2006. The archeologists call it the port of Theodosius, after the Emperor of Rome and Byzantium, who died in 395 AD. 32 Byzantine shipwrecks¹¹ have been found in the area. Scholars say this is the first time the cultural, geological and climate history of the region have been linked.

 

"First time it gives us indication to correlate archaeological knowledge with geological resource of this region, which is very critical, this opening of the Bosporus, maritime¹² connections, and the tectonic source of this region. For the first time, we have a clue where we can combine the cultural history with the geological and climatical history of this region."

 

The archeological discoveries can now be seen in a private gallery of the Istanbul Museum of Archeology.

1 commuter   

n.(尤指市郊之间)乘公交车辆上下班者

参考例句：

• Police cordoned off the road and diverted commuter traffic. 警察封锁了道路并分流交通。
• She accidentally stepped on his foot on a crowded commuter train. 她在拥挤的通勤列车上不小心踩到了他的脚。

2 cremated   

v.火葬，火化（尸体）( cremate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He wants to is cremated, not buried. 他要火葬，不要土葬。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The bodies were cremated on the shore. 他们的尸体在海边火化了。 来自辞典例句

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 neolithic   

adj.新石器时代的

参考例句：

• Cattle were first domesticated in Neolithic times.新石器时代有人开始驯养牛。
• The monument was Stone Age or Neolithic.该纪念碑是属于石器时代或新石器时代的。

5 urns   

n.壶( urn的名词复数 )；瓮；缸；骨灰瓮

参考例句：

• Wine utensils unearthed include jars, urns, pots, bowls and cups. 发掘出的酒器皿有瓶、瓮、罐、壶、碗和杯子。 来自互联网
• Ernie yearned to learn to turn urns. 呕尼渴望学会转咖啡壶。 来自互联网

6 reigns   

n.君主的统治( reign的名词复数 )；君主统治时期；任期；当政期

参考例句：

• In these valleys night reigns. 夜色笼罩着那些山谷。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The Queen of Britain reigns, but she does not rule or govern. 英国女王是国家元首，但不治国事。 来自辞典例句

7 cremation   

n.火葬，火化

参考例句：

• Cremation is more common than burial in some countries. 在一些国家，火葬比土葬普遍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Garbage cremation can greatly reduce the occupancy of land. 垃圾焚烧可以大大减少占用土地。 来自互联网

8 ceramic   

n.制陶业，陶器，陶瓷工艺

参考例句：

• The order for ceramic tiles has been booked in.瓷砖的订单已登记下来了。
• Some ceramic works of art are shown in this exhibition.这次展览会上展出了一些陶瓷艺术品。

9 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

10 excavation   

n.挖掘，发掘；被挖掘之地

参考例句：

• The bad weather has hung up the work of excavation.天气不好耽误了挖掘工作。
• The excavation exposed some ancient ruins.这次挖掘暴露出一些古遗迹。

11 shipwrecks   

海难，船只失事( shipwreck的名词复数 )； 沉船

参考例句：

• Shipwrecks are apropos of nothing. 船只失事总是来得出人意料。
• There are many shipwrecks in these waters. 在这些海域多海难事件。

12 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。